Up until a few years ago, I'd probably never spent more than £15 on a candle. This is unsurprising, considering I had gone from being a struggling art student to a still-struggling fashion assistant, whose minimum-wage salary didn't afford me the luxury of spending £15 on a couple of days worth of food, let alone something I was going to burn away. But as I've grown up, so has (thankfully) my budget, and so has my obsession with candles.
At any given time, I probably have four candles on rotation in my home—I type this as my £7.50 Marks and Spencer candle flickers next to me. And while I certainly don't snub more affordable candles (my M&S bargain serving as a case in point), I have come to understand the appeal of expensive candles.
Diptyque was my inaugural introduction to the world of expensive candles. When I first moved to London, I remember setting aside 10% of each of my monthly pays to save up for my first shopping trip to the capital. It took a few months, but I finally found myself standing in front of the glass display cabinet in Liberty (where else?), selecting my Diptyque candle. I chose—and still choose—Baies.
Fast-forward to the present, and I've worked my way through just about every luxury candle brand going. Not every scent, of course—my income isn't that disposable—but I've tried enough candles from all budgets to know that expensive candles are almost always undeniably superior.
Unlike some bargain wicks, which, when they burn smell like someone has sprayed an entire can of orchid Febreze, the scent of expensive candles is subtler but no less potent. Instead of choking the air, it floats on it. I also find that, with the recommended care and maintenance, that expensive candles last significantly longer, too. The premium products used to create the wax are designed to be longer-lasting than more affordable blends, and while I have my high-street favourites, I buy them knowing they won't, um, hold a candle, many of the high-end options I've tried. I don't fully subscribe to the saying "You get what you pay for," but when it comes to the below, it certainly applies. Keep scrolling to see and shop the best expensive candles from some of the Who What Wear team's favourite candle brands.
CIRE TRUDON
Key notes: Bergamot, honey, cinnamon, sandalwood, musk, patchouli, tonka beans, vanilla
Key notes: Ginger, clove, jasmine, vanilla
Key notes: Bergamot peel, iris, mimosa
JO LOVES
Key notes: Amber, fig trees, cassis, cedar
Key notes: Wood fire, cedar oil, guaiac wood oil, black leather
Key notes: Vetiver, pomelo, patchouli, pomelo zest
BYREDO
Key notes: Bamboo, labdanum, myrrh, leather
Key notes: Cardamom, clove buds, ginger zest, violet, birch tree, guaiac wood, warm latte
Key notes: Lemon petit grain leaves, rhubarb, tulip extract, violet leaves, heliotrope, suede
AMEN
Key notes: Ginger
Key notes: Rose
Key notes: Vetiver
BELLA FREUD
Key notes: Maraschino cherry, violet, musk
Key notes: Fig leaf, orange blossom, vetiver
Key notes: Neroli, petitgrain, tobacco flower, cedarwood, amber musk
DIPTYQUE
Key notes: Spice, incense, tonka bean
Key notes: Rose, blackcurrant leaf
Key notes: Honey, violet leaves
FORNASETTI
Key notes: Thyme, lavender, birch, cedarwood, orris
Key notes: Lavender, thyme, cedar
Key notes: Lavender, thyme, cedarwood, orris, tolu balsam, incense
TOM DIXON
Key notes: Watermelon, mineral water accord, cedarwood, ambrer gris, musks
Key notes: Ozonic accord, pink pepper, white tea accord, neroli oil, orange flower abs, white musks
Key notes: Green leaves, mint, humus accord, cedarwood
ASTIER DE VILLATTE
Key notes: Absinth, artemisia, sage and mint
Key notes: Almond, orange blossom, petitgrain, neroli, ylang-ylang
Key notes: Rosemary, rose, cedar, birch, black papper
LOEWE
Key notes: Ivy
Key notes: Cypress seed pods
Key notes: Marihuana
JO MALONE LONDON
Key notes: Lime, basil, mandarin
Key notes: Elderflower, hawthorn, gooseberry
Key notes: Damask rose
L'OBJET
Key notes: Fig, laurel leaves, oak, cedar
Key notes: Rose de Mai, orange flower absolute, leather, honey
Key notes: Amber, leather, beeswax absolute, lemon, coriander
LE LABO
Key notes: Australian sandalwood, cedarwood, vanilla, amber, coco, musk
Key notes: Marine notes, geranium, amber
Key notes: Orange blossom, green undertones
TOM FORD
Key notes: Black cherry accord, bitter almond, griotte sirup scenttrek, rose absolute orpur, Peru balsam, roasted tonka orpur
Key notes: Spices, sambac jasmine sepals, clary sage
Key notes: Tunisian neroli, Italian bergamot, Sicilian lemon, inter yellow mandarin, orange flower, lavender
NEST FRAGRANCES
Key notes: Amalfi lemon, mint
Key notes: Amber, sweet patchouli, bergamot
Key notes: Rosemary, lavender, sage
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