My Favourite Candles

Top Candle Collector. Sanctuary World, an online astrology app, awarded the gold medal in the underappreciated but often practised discipline of candle collecting to Libras in a recent post on their Instagram feed and I felt seen. I don’t put much stock in astrology. The idea that my candle obsession is based on my birthdate doesn’t seem particularly plausible. But I am, nonetheless, a top candle collector. I started my candle collection at the Dollar Store when I was in junior high. (Most of that very colourful collection is still at my parents’ house, since they forbid me to burn candles in my childhood bedroom.) It started with four, each one to match a particular section of my bedroom. (On second thought, maybe it is a Libra thing. My need for aesthetically pleasing spaces is very real.)

Decades later, I’m still collecting candles, and I admittedly still pick up basic taper candles at the Dollar Store. But as I’ve evolved, so has my home decorating style. While my teenaged candle collection heavily favoured anything pink or purple hued, these days I am all about finding scents that I love. And if those scents happen to come in elegant, neutral packaging, even better.

Perhaps not surprisingly, all of my current favourite candles come from European brands. When we travelled regularly, candles were among my favourite souvenirs, particularly on trips to Paris. Some of my current favourites are from those trips, which now feel so long ago, but I’ve picked up others to remind me of those places – and keep a hopeful flame burning for a future when I see them with my own eyes again.

My Favourite Candles

Acqua di Parma – Aperitivo in Terrazza

I confess – it was the name of this candle that first caught my eye. There is nothing I love more than enjoying an Aperol Spritz on a sunny Italian terrace on an unseasonably warm afternoon. I didn’t expect the candle to resemble the real experience, but when I opened the box, it immediately transported me to Venice. The combination of scents that make up the candle, which includes limette, grapefruit and blood orange, smell just like the moment you first bring an Aperol Spritz to your lips and the fizz bubbles up under your nose.

The loveliest thing about this candle, though, is that the scent lingers, just softly, even when its not burning. Every once in a while, I walk into my living room and catch the scent of it in the air. It brings back the loveliest memories.

Available in Canada at Holt Renfrew for $90 CAD.

Sezane – La Bougie

Of course, as soon as my favourite French brand launched a candle, I had to have it. Scented with L’Eau Sezane, the brand’s signature fragrance, which combines notes of cirtus, neroli, jasmine and peony, it smells just like a Sezane boutique. The candle itself sits in the most elegant white ceramic jar that is a decor piece all on its own. I confess – the candle burns down a bit oddly, in a circular shape from the inside out, but it does burn, leaving a lovely, sophisticated, oh-so-French scent in the air.

Available from Sezane for $65 USD.

Diptyque – Othoniel Rosa

My dear friend Lyndi spotted this candle around Christmas time and alerted me to it, knowing it was right up my alley. She was absolutely right. Created in a limited edition to celebrate the launch of a trio of rose paintings commissioned by the Louvre from French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel, this is the candle modern art appreciators and francophiles. Since it’s limited edition, it’s not easy to track down outside of Europe. While technically available from Diptyque USA, it’s rarely, if ever, in stock. (In fact, it may not pop up again.) I found mine on eBay and it was the most satisfying splurge. The combination of rose and vetiver gives in a beautifully spicy but still floral scent that is distinct, modern and absolutely beautiful.

(Potentially) available from Diptyque from $76 USD.

Cire Trudon – Ernesto

While Diptyque’s is more well known on the international market, they don’t, contrary to popular belief, offer the most quintessentially Parisian candles available. Those come from Cire Trudon, which opened its first shop in Paris in 1643. Originally made for practical purposes, like illuminating churches and palaces, the brand’s rich history is woven into its current collection. Cire Trudon’s classic line-up includes scents like Spiritus Sancti, scented like Catholic church incense, and Solis Rex, which is said to smell like the floors at the Chateau de Versailles. But Ernesto, my favourite, isn’t French at all. Inspired by a Havana hotel during the days of the revolution, it combines notes of rum, amber leather and tobacco. Ernesto perfectly complements another candle that I love from the same brand, Abd El-Khadr. In fact, they’re often sold as a pair. But it’s equally beautiful on its own.

Available from SSense for $140 CAD.

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