Candles Archives - With love from Lou

Rediscovering Kiss Air Candles

25/06/2018 by Louise 24 Comments

It’s no secret that I love burning candles when I’m at home. But I’ve recently found myself getting bored of burning the same few brands over and over again. So, I decided it was time to try something new. And it was then that I spotted that independent candle brand, Kiss Air, had changed the look and feel of their candles since the last time I’d bought from them.

Eager to see just how much had changed in the 3 or 4 years since I last burnt a Kiss Air Candle, I hurried over to the website and placed an order for several different products so I could try them out and share my thoughts with you guys here on my blog. So, if you’re a fan of burning candles too, I suggest dropping everything, putting your feet up, and having a read of today’s post. Are you sitting comfortably? Then let’s go!

The first candle I picked up was the Earl Grey Tea candle from Kiss Air’s Everyday range. I chose this particular one because I am a big tea drinker, and Earl Grey just happens to be my brew of choice! The website describes the candle as having a blend of smooth black tea infused with zesty bergamot, making it smell exactly like Britain’s favourite hot drink. But, in all honesty, I have to say I wasn’t really expecting it to smell very tea-like. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised, and I can tell you that it smells just like a delicious cuppa! Delicious.

The candles in the Everyday range come in a cute little jar, which I really like. I remember when I first bought from Kiss Air the candles came in tins and I often found they smelt a little ‘tinny’ when lit. The tins also seemed to prevent the candles from filling the room with scent, whereas you can smell the scent from the jars shortly after lighting. I think this small change has made a really big difference to the overall quality of the candles.

In terms of burn time, these particular candles should last for around 35 hours if you look after them properly. I’ve found they burn nice and evenly, thanks to their natural soy wax and cotton wicks. I think this is absolutely brilliant, especially as the candles are reasonably priced at just £9.00 per jar!

There are loads of amazing scents available in Kiss Air’s Everyday range, and I’m hoping to try out a few others over the coming months. I currently have my eye on their Toasted Marshmallow, Sun Kissed Raspberry, Fig & Plum and Vitamin Sea scents. They all sound just incredible.

Next up, I picked out this stunning Alphabet Unicorn candle from Kiss Air’s Alphabet range. As soon as I saw this on their website I just knew I had to treat myself to it. The Alphabet Unicorn Candle is super cute and available in two different scents – vanilla and peony. I love that you can personalise it by adding your initial and choosing the colour of the image and wording on the front of the jar.

When placing my order, I decided to go for the peony and blush suede scent for my candle. And I’m so glad I did as it’s absolutely divine. I also had the letter L (for Lou, obvs), added to the front of the candle in a pink colour, and I think the finished result looks fab. I honestly couldn’t be happier with it. I’ve had it in the background of a lot of my recent Instagram pics, and there’s always someone asking about it because of how unique it is.

I think the Alphabet Unicorn candle would make an amazing gift for a loved one. And I’m going to be purchasing one in a lilac colour for my niece, Bethany, who is graduating from University next month. I’ve made her up a little bit of a hamper and I think she’ll appreciate having something like this in there with her other goodies. Especially as she’s vegan, and Kiss Air Candles are vegan and vegetarian-friendly.

Just like the Earl Grey Tea candle, the Alphabet Unicorn one comes in a jar, albeit a slightly different one. And it fills the room with fragrance pretty much as soon as you light it. If looked after properly, the candle should last for around 30 hours. And again, I’ve found that it burns nice and evenly, with no tunnelling. I just love it!

And last, but certainly not least, I decided to try out Kiss Air’s Cocktail Candle Gift Set, which contains 3 super cute cocktail-scented votive’s in one box. And the best part? Kiss Air doesn’t choose which flavours are in there … you do! There are currently 11 different scents to choose from, and I decided to go for Pina Colada, Gin and Tonic, and Strawberry Daiquiri. Yum!

In my opinion, the votive’s smell exactly like a cocktail of the same type would. And I love how cute and dainty they are. I’ve noticed that they don’t give off quite as much scent as the larger candles do, so I tend to either light these all together, or I have one of them lit at the side of me so I get the scent at the side of me. Does that make sense? I hope so.

Each of the votives in the gift set has a burn time of 15 hours, which I think is really good. And I like that the scents you can choose from are also available in the larger, everyday candle range, as it gives you a cost-effective way to try out a few different scents before committing to buying a full-sized jar. At just £15 I think it offers real value for money.

The Cocktail Candle Gift Set would make a brilliant gift for friends and family. And I’m already considering picking up another set for myself as there are a couple of other scents from the range that I’d love to try. (Cosmopolitan and Espresso Martini, I’m looking at you!) Oh, and can we just take a second to admire the gift box, guys? It’s absolutely gorgeous.

Overall, I’m super impressed with all the candles I picked up from Kiss Air recently. I feel like they’ve really upped their game since the last time I bought from them. I like that they’ve swapped their tins for jars, as not only do they look better, but they smell better too, as they no longer have the ‘tinny’ smell to them. I like that they’ve kept the branding similar to how it used to be, though, with their cute signature black bow featuring on the front of most of their products.

As I mentioned before, the candles burn beautifully. And I’ve not experienced any tunnelling with any of the candles I’ve been burning. This is a major selling point for me as I hate when candles tunnel and the majority of wax doesn’t end up melting. It’s so annoying! I like to get my money’s worth out of the candles I’m burning, and I certainly feel like this is the case with these ones. And another thing I love about Kiss Air’s Candle range is that they’re super affordable compared to similar products on the market.

I think it’s safe to say I’ll be repurchasing from Kiss Air Candles in the near future, and I’m hoping to try out some of their other products, such as their reed diffusers and wax melts. They look awesome! And if you guys would like to find out more about the brand and their beautiful products then make sure you head over to their website by clicking here.

Have you guys ever tried any Kiss Air Candles before?
If so, let me know what your favourite scent is in the comments below.
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What I’ve Been Burning – November 2016

03/12/2016 by Louise 34 Comments

You may remember last month that I started a brand new blog series all about the candles I’d been burning? Well, I had such great feedback from you guys that I couldn’t wait to get started on a second ‘what I’ve been burning’ post. And today I’ve finally finished writing it up and am ready to share it with you all. I hope you enjoy it …

CANDLE BELLE WAX MELTS : HOT CINNNAMON, COOKIE DOUGH & SLUSH FAIRY

At the beginning of November I came across my old wax tart burner from Yankee Candle while I was clearing out a cupboard. And as I’d seen a huge list of gorgeous-sounding wax melts for sale at Candle Belle, I just couldn’t resist ordering some so I could use it again!

I bought a box of 9 melts for £13.95, and picked a wide range of different scents that I thought I would enjoy. And last month I tried 3 of the melts out in the burner. These were Hot Cinnamon, Cookie Dough and Slush Fairy. I hadn’t tried any wax melts from Candle Belle before, so I had no idea whether they smelt nice or now, how much scent they gave off or how long each tub would last for. Luckily, they were all fantastic and I’m so glad I decided to give Candle Belle a try.

So, as you would probably imagine, both Hot Cinnamon and Cookie Dough smell good enough to eat. And Slush Fairy reminds me a lot of the Snow Fairy scent that everyone seems to go crazy for at Lush towards Christmas. All 3 of the wax melts filled the entire downstairs of my house with scent, and even after the tealight had burned out you could still smell them for hours. I was really impressed!

According to the Candle Belle website, the melts have a burn time of 30-40 hours when used in an electric warmer, and 16-19 hours when used on a tealight one. As I said before I was really impressed with these, and I’ll definitely be repurchasing Hot Cinnamon and Cookie Dough when they’ve run out. I’m not quite as sure about Slush Fairy though as it’s just a little too sickly for my liking. Having said that though, the rest of the family have said this is their favourite of the 3, which shows that everyone has different tastes.

WOODWICK SUNSET BONFIRE TRILOGY CANDLE

Last month, lots of you asked if I’d ever tried Woodwick Candles. And I had to admit that I hadn’t! So I thought I’d pick up one of their awesome looking trilogy candles so I could feed back what I thought of them to you guys this month. It took me over an hour to decide which one to go for – but I eventually settled on one called ‘Sunset Bonfire’ which I thought was perfect for November!

Sunset Bonfire has 3 layers of coloured wax, and each of them has a different scent to them. The top layer is called Campfire Marshmallow, the second layer is Gold Spun Sugar, and the third layer is Sand and Driftwood. In my excitement I forgot to photograph the candle before I started burning it, but I noticed that the top two layers are about the same size, and then the bottom layer is much larger. This suited me just fine though as I love the smell of driftwood – it’s one of my faves!

Upon lighting the candle for the first time I noticed that the flame looked a little odd. In fact, it reminded me of the black flame candle from Hocus Pocus! But I think that may just be to do with the fact that the wick is made of wood, so it’s bound to look a little different to the more conventional candles. Woodwick candles also crackle as they burn, and I have to admit that I was surprised at how loud this one was. I could hear it crackling away over the sound of the TV! I’m not complaining though. The crackle reminds me of sitting at the side of an open fire, keeping myself warm. I love it. And after a little while you don’t even notice it.

During November I burned the majority of the top layer of wax. And it smelt amazing! It’s as if Woodwick toasted some delicious, gooey marshmallows and then just posted them to me in a jar. It’s that authentic! I found that the scent of this filled the whole house, and I was impressed at how evenly it burned. I just love it. I can’t wait to make a start on the second layer, and I’ll of course include my thoughts on this in a future ‘What I’ve Been Burning’ post.

CARD FACTORY PUMPKIN CHERRY PIE CANDLE

Next up I found this Pumpkin Cherry Pie scented candle that I bought from The Card Factory last Autumn. I remember burning this loads when I got it as it smells absolutely delicious. I’d say you can smell the cherry much more than the pumpkin, but that’s OK with me as I’m a massive cherry fan.

For a candle that was relatively cheap this actually gives of quite a lot of scent. It doesn’t fill more than one room at a time. But I usually burn it in the living room when I’m working, and you can smell it from wherever you sit. And the room is actually really big! The jar that this comes in is pretty much the same size as a large Yankee Candle, which I think shows great value for money. The only downside to it is that it has a tendency to tunnel while burning. But I guess I can’t really moan about that when I haven’t forked out loads of my hard earned cash for it.

I’m not sure how long these particular candles are supposed to burn for, but I remember using mine most of last November and for a good few weeks this year, yet there’s still a fair amount left in the bottom. I haven’t seen this particular fragrance on sale this year, but The Card Factory have a wide range of other scents available. I definitely think they’re worth a try!

NEXT MULLED WINE CANDLE

And last but not least I’ve been burning a new candle I picked up from Next recently. One that smells like Mulled Wine. Yes, the Christmassy scents have elbowed their way into my home already. Oops!

I came across this particular candle when I was shopping in Next for Christmas presents, and as soon as I lifted the lid the smell of mulled wine hit me. It was absolutely gorgeous and I just knew I had to have it. It’s just a shame it didn’t really live up to expectations when I got it home and lit it …

Firstly, it hardly gives off any scent. I found I had to sit smack bang at the side of it to smell it at all. And secondly, it tunnels from the off. The first time I lit this I left it for a good 8 hours, yet it just burned straight down. You can just about see from my picture that there’s loads of wax left at the top. Yet with the majority of my other candles, they burn well until they get to around half way. I honestly don’t think this will last for anywhere near the 55 hours of burn time that Next say it will.

I find these two things really disappointing as the candle itself looks absolutely beautiful. It comes in a shiny red jar with a black bow wrapped around it, and a charm with a dinky wine glass and bottle hanging from it. A lot of thought clearly went in to the design of the candle, so it’s a shame it doesn’t really live up to expectations. I picked up another candle from a different range at the same time though, so I’ll be interested to see how that compares to this one. Much better, I hope!

And there you have it, the November edition of what I’ve been burning! I hope you enjoyed reading, and don’t forget that if you have any recommendations for what I should try next, or there are any candles you’d like me to review for next months post then please let me know in the comments below.

Why not let me know what you’ve been burning recently too?
I always love to hear from you!
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*All candles purchased with my own money

What I’ve Been Burning – October 2016

02/11/2016 by Louise 50 Comments

I’ve been burning candles for many years now, and I have them all over my house! You’ll find them in my living room, my kitchen, my bedroom and my bathroom. I’d even have them in the toilet if the rest of the family would let me!

But although I love burning them, I very rarely write about what I’ve been burning. And as I know that lots of you who read my blog enjoy burning candles to, I thought it was about time I changed that. So today ladies and gentlemen, I bring you a brand new monthly series called what I’ve been burning.

Each month I’ll be talking about which candles I’ve been burning, and sharing my thoughts on them too. I usually burn something new on a weekly basis, so there will be plenty to talk about each month. And I’d love to hear any recommendations from you guys too.

So, without further ado let’s jump into the very first ‘What I’ve Been Burning’ post. I hope you enjoy it!

BATH & BODY WORKS PUMPKIN CARVING

First up is a candle I bought last year from American brand, Bath & Body Works. It’s called Pumpkin Carving and I chose this one purely because I was after some Halloween scents and it sounded perfect. I’m so glad I picked it up as well as it smells divine! Think of a blend of pumpkin, brown sugar and nutmeg. I’d even go as far as to say that it’s one of my all-time favourite candle scents.

One of the best things about this candle is that it has 3 wicks, which means it burns a lot more evenly than a lot of other candles do. And this, in turn, helps it last longer. Which is what you want to happen when you’ve forked out a lot of money on things like this!

According to the Bath & Body Works website, the candle has a burn time of 25-45 hours. But I have to say that I’ve been burning this for most of October (and the majority of last October too) and there still seems to be loads of wax left, so I think that shows that it’s great value for money. I’m over the moon that I’ll get to burn it for a third year in 2017!

BATH & BODY WORKS SPOOKY VANILLA

Another Halloween themed candle I picked up from Bath & Body Works last October was this one called Spooky Vanilla. It has a nice, pleasant marshmallow scent to it (and I absolutely love the funky pea green colour of the wax), but I definitely prefer the pumpkin scented one. As you can probably tell from the amount of each that’s left!

Again, this is a 3 wick candle which burns perfectly. And it’s been used loads over the last 2 October’s. I’m so impressed with Bath & Body Works, and I’d say the only downside is that they’re only available in the USA. There is a way around this though …

I set up a US shipping address through a website called MyUS. And whenever I shop at Bath & Body Works I have my shopping sent there. MyUS then notify me when my goods arrive at their warehouse, and I pay them to forward them to me here in the UK. It’s a quick and easy process and I’ve never had any problems receiving my goods. They always come in super fast time as well!

RATHBORNES BITTER ORANGE, BIRCH TAR & BALSAM CANDLE

The third candle I’ve been burning during October was one that I was kindly sent to try out from a brand called Rathnornes, who were founded in Dublin back in 1488. And believe it or not, I’d never heard of them before! I’m so glad they’re on my radar now though as this particular one is absolutely gorgeous. It’s their bitter orange, birch tar and balsam candle, and it smells a-ma-zing!

This particular candle has a beautiful, sophisticated scent to it that I’ve really enjoyed. I can smell the orange the most, but I get hints of wood and balsam every so often as well. I love that this fills the whole of the room with fragrance when lit, and as it has 2 wicks, which helps it burn nice and evenly.

I love the simple design on the glass jar too. It just has the Rathborne’s logo embossed in gold on the front and nothing else. I think it would look (and smell) great lined up with other Rathborne’s candles at a wedding reception or similar function.

The candle has a burn time of up to 50 hours, and there are loads of other scents from the collection that I now want to try. Who knows? You may see another one in next months ‘What I’ve Been Burning’ post! I think it’s safe to say I can see Rathbornes fast becoming one of my favourite candle brands. I love them!

YANKEE CANDLE BLACK CHERRY

Yankee Candle have been one of my favourite home fragrance brands for a long time now. I’d say I’ve been burning their candles for a good 7 or 8 years at least. I picked up their black cherry scent after having a sniff at it in Boots over the summer, and I was so sure I was going to love it that I bought it in the largest sized jar, which has an impressive burn time of 110-150 hours.

Once I got the candle home I wasn’t disappointed! The black cherry scent is the most authentic I’ve ever smelt in a candle. And believe me I’ve tried lots of them. When lit, the candle fills not just the room I’m sitting in, but the whole house with fragrance. In fact, the scent is so strong (in a good way) that it even masks odours caused by things such as cooking or dirty nappies!

The only thing I don’t like about Yankee these days is the way their wax melts. In the past, the largest candles always burned evenly, as long as you let them burn for a good 6-8 hours the first time you lit them. These days though, this doesn’t seem to happen as much and I find they tend to ‘tunnel’. A lot of the wax then ends up getting wasted and this drastically reduces the burn time.

I’d like to see more of Yankee’s multi-wick candles available on the high street as I think having this feature really helps candles last longer. I would even pay extra for this! On the whole though, I absolutely love this candle, and I’ve been burning it while writing this post. Yum!

JOHN LEWIS DRACULA & WITCH TEALIGHT HOLDER

And last but certainly not least I thought I’d show you this gorgeous tealight holder I picked up in John Lewis last month! It was from their Halloween collection and features cute little Dracula and Witch characters who are trick or treating. Behind them is a lantern which holds a single tealight, and it looks really pretty when it’s sat flickering away!

I’ve been burning regular, unscented tealights in this holder this year as I didn’t get it until a few days before Halloween, but next year I plan on picking up some of the tealights with autumnul scents to use with it. This particular piece cost me £20, which may seem a lot for something I can only use once a year, but I buy from John Lewis quite a lot and know it will last for many years to come. I just love it!!

And there you have it, my very first what I’ve been burning post! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you have any recommendations for what I should try next, or there are any candles you’d like me to review for next months post then please let me know in the comments below.

Why not let me know what you’ve been burning recently?
I love to hear from you!
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*Rathbornes Bitter Orange & Balsam Candle kindly sent for review consideration
All other candles purchased with my own money