CasaSugar

Casa Beta: Lumnique Vanilla Candle

CasaSugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:00:00 -0800

Lumnique, a new company that specializes in personalized candles, recently sent over a vanilla candle for me to review. Unfortunately, I can't stand the scent of vanilla, so CelebStyle offered to review it for me! Lumnique allows shoppers to choose the color, fragrance, and "customized intention" of their candles when ordering online, with 14 different color choices and a variety of fragrances - in fruity, floral, or foodie categories - to choose from. Of course, since Lumnique mailed me the candle, we missed out on the whole personalization part of the package, so she'll just review the candle we received, vanilla:

Scent: "In my experience, candles don't usually live up to their scent being burned but this Vanilla Lumnique candle went above and beyond my expectations. The vanilla notes were strong enough to give off a lasting, comforting scent without being overpowering, too obvious, or too feminine."

To hear her thoughts on the packaging and burning, read more.

Packaging: "The candle came in a black cardboard box, slightly smaller than a shoe box. The Lumnique logo was printed in white across the top flap and inside was an insert holding the glass candle in place alongside an expensive-looking book of matches. While the packaging was fancy and substantial, I found it to be a waste of resources and space. It wasn't very eco-friendly, in terms of both the packaging and the shipping."

Burning: "This double wick candle is the candle that keeps on giving! It burns evenly and slowly, and is as fragrant as the first burn weeks later. It burns clean (no black smoke) and doesn't take long for the wicks to stop burning after blowing them out."

Thanks, CelebStyle!

Want to read more candle reviews? Check out these posts on C.Z. Guest, West Third, Linnea's Lights, Chesapeake Bay, and Diptyque candles.

Casa Beta: Linnea's Lights Fir Candle

CasaSugar — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:00:46 -0800

You may remember that I am very picky about my candles - and willing to spend big bucks on one that I love. Beyond that, I am skeptical of "seasonal" scents, because I often find them gimmicky or simply rushed to the market. So even when Linnea's Lights' new limited edition Fir candle ($28) arrived at my desk in its elegant box, I wasn't yet sold.

Scent:

Pulling the candle out of its box, I noticed the very light scent of a fir tree scent. But would it fill the room and waft well? I lit the candle in my living room and went about my puttering. Within 10 minutes, I thought, "It smells like Christmas!" completely forgetting that I'd lit the candle. The scent was warm and fuzzy and full of memories, and completely natural, just like a freshly cut Fraiser fir. The aroma is simple and elegant, and will fool your guests into thinking you've got a big, sparkling Christmas tree in the house - even if you live in a closet.

Hear more of my thoughts on the candle.

The Fifth DIY of Christmas: A Candy Cane Pillar Candle Cuff

CasaSugar — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:00:39 -0800

Welcome to the fifth project in my 12 DIYs of Christmas series! I'm a staunch candle enthusiast; no light bulb can ever re-create that ambient atmosphere. From tealights to tapers and pillars to Diptyques, I've got 'em all and I don't discriminate. I also own plenty of candlesticks and votives, but sometimes they just need an extra something something to dress them up. So for the holidays, I thought I'd give my white pillar candles a lift by creating a cuff for them made from candy canes! This year, I've been a bit nontraditional with my Christmas colors, so I went with Spree candy canes and a green polka-dot ribbon. But you can choose any palette you like.

Supplies:

2 packs of candy canes
A good chopping knife
A cutting board
Thick double-sided tape (or masking tape)
Ribbon

To learn the steps, read more.

The Steps:

Gently unwrap each candy cane from its wrapper; they can be fragile.
Cut each candy cane at about the line where the tip of its loop ends.
Stick a piece of thick double-sided tape all the way around the base of your candle. Or, fold masking tape in on itself to make it double-sided.
Gently stand each cut candy cane against the taped pillar candle. They should stick pretty easily. Continue all the way around the candle.
Now, tie a bow around your candle!

Since each candy cane is slightly different in size, if you cut at the line when the tip of the loop ends, the candy cane sticks won't be the exact same length. If you want a more polished look, line them up against each other to make they are the same length.

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Nice and New: Elephant Porcelain Candle

CasaSugar — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:00:56 -0700

I've told you before about my guilty pleasure of spending big bucks on candles, and most of you said you wouldn't spend more than $25 on one. But would your opinion change if said candle came in an elegant porcelain jar you could use over and over again? The Vivre Elephant Porcelain Candle ($85) is quite pricey, but I'd almost buy it just for the textured black Limoges porcelain vessel it comes in. Its 14-karat gold painted elephant clasp is downright dashing. I'd love to use the jar to store cotton balls or Q-tips in the bathroom. I can't testify to the candle's aroma, Vetiver D'Orient, but for $85 I'm sure it smells a lot nicer than your Yankee Candle.

Casa Beta: Chesapeake Bay Candle Signature Collection

CasaSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 05:30:21 -0700

I recently received the Chesapeake Bay Candle Signature Collection ($65) in the mail. The set contains six cream-colored, soy wax candles in six different fragrances. Each candle comes in a clear glass vessel, which is individually wrapped in cellophane and tied with a satin ribbon. I was excited to try all of the scents, but since I knew that it would take me a long time to get through all of them, I enlisted some help from my Sugar friends.

To see what we thought of the set, read more.

I loved the gift box that the candles arrived in, which features a beautiful tree motif. It's sturdy enough to re-use for another craft project or gift-giving opportunity in the future. However, one problem with it was that some of the oil from each candle was pooled in the cellophane of every packaged candle. This may have been due to the fact that the box was sitting on its side, and the problem could've been remedied by storing the box upright.

Green Bamboo Jasmine: PetSugar reported some pros and cons with her candle. She says, "The candle seemed to burn very slowly - I only had it lit for about an hour and there was barely any noticeable difference in melt rate, so it’d last for a while. When I woke up, I could still smell the effects from the night before. However, when removing from the packaging, this candle was wet/sticky and my hands smelled of strong fragrance even after I washed them. While burning, it still smelled very strong and distracting . . . but part of that could have been the residual scent from the liquid/ packaging on my hands. I think if I loved the scent, or loved smelly candles, I would have loved this. Its potency was but a bit too much for me to handle every day. "

Tonka Bean Fig: This candle was tested by FabSugar, who reports, "I lit the Tonka Bean Fig candle this past weekend and I loved it. It permeated through the house, smelled sweet, and reminded me of men’s cologne. It also burned great and didn’t leave a smoky residue in my house."

Amber Vanilla Hazelnut: Unfortunately, geeksugar's candle didn't live up to her expectations. "The candle was oily inside its packaging, which made it a pain to hold, and to light (it took me several tries and a burnt thumb). When I did finally get it lit, the smell - which was lovely to sniff cold - was very subtle. Too subtle, in fact. Not only did it not waft around the room with its smell, it didn't waft at all. The only way I could smell a scent at all is if I put my nose directly over the candle (far enough away that I didn't burn my nose hairs off, of course). I extinguished it after an hour since it wasn't smelling up my home like I'd wanted it to."

Sheer White Musk: I'm not normally drawn to musky scents, so I was surprised to enjoy this one. It was light, clean, and very earthy with some subtle notes of jasmine and violet. I used it in a room that was smelling a bit musty, and it definitely freshened up the room. But, it didn't really seem to waft well - my go-to candles can normally be smelled throughout the house.

Lily Orange Blossom: I love the smell of citrus blossoms, so I was excited to light this candle. While I loved the scent when it was unlit, once I struck a match to its wick, I had a hard time discerning the blossomy scent. I let it burn for about an hour, and while the scent was definitely there, it was very subtle, unless I was very close to the candle. I'm not a fan of overwhelming scents, but I would've enjoyed a more robust scent here.

Honey Lemon Crème: This candle has a lovely, rich scent that reminds me of sugar (or should I say honey?) cookies. Its scent, too, was quite subtle, but added a lovely, cozy smell to my home. Who needs to bake when you can simply light one of these candles?

Nice and New: Building Brick Candles

CasaSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:30:05 -0700

I must admit: I've always been a big LEGO fan. I used to spend hours building entire LEGO villages, complete with nail salons and clothing boutiques (for the little policemen figures, of course). So I couldn't help but smile at this Building Brick Candle ($48). When I read that it's made of eco-friendly soy, I was really grinning. I also appreciate that it's unscented, since I'm pretty partial to the scent of my Diptyque candles. The nostalgic candle comes in blue, red, and yellow: all three iconic colors.

How Much Would You Spend on a Candle?

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:00:18 -0800

The prices of my beloved Diptyque candles have skyrocketed since I first came across them in Paris 10 years ago; a candle that burns for 40 hours now sells for at least $60. Some of my pals think it's absurd that I would even consider buying one, while others have a worse habit than me. Call me a snob, but I think the scintillating scent is totally worth it. What's your cut-off point when shopping for candles?

Love It or Hate It? Fried Egg Candle

CasaSugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:00:55 -0800

South Korean design studio Broadhong created this Fried Egg Candle (still a prototype), which looks exactly like a fried egg, but when melted resembles yolk dribbling out of an egg cooked overeasy. Once the candle has burnt completely, the plate can be used as a saucer. I think it's pretty clever; what about you?Source

DIY: Teacup Candles

CasaSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:00:00 -0800

When I spotted these beautiful gold-trimmed antique tea cups at a flea market, I knew that I had to take them home. But how to use them? Instead of using them for a tea party, I decided to transform them into eco-friendly soy wax candles. Making them was super easy, and the most time-consuming part of the entire process was waiting for the layers of soy wax to dry. You can find all of the candle-making supplies at a craft store or candle/soapmaking supply store (such as Juniper Tree Supplies).

What You'll Need

antique, pretty teacups, with or without saucers
enough soy wax to more than fill each cup
essential oil for scent (I used Lily of the Valley)
wicks that equal your number of cups
double boiler
Pyrex cup or funnel
chopsticks or wooden skewers
stirring tool, such as a rubber scraper

To find out how to make it, read more.

Pour the soy wax into the double boiler. Let it simmer until the wax is clear liquid.
Center the wick in the bottom of each teacup. Put one chopstick or wooden skewer on either side of the wick, balanced on the rim of the teacup, to keep the wick centered.
Add a small amount of your scented oil to the melted soy wax. Mix with your rubber scraper, and then pour into your Pyrex measuring cup.
Pour the wax into the bottom of each teacup. If the wick gets a little off-center, you can reposition it before the wax sets. Let wax harden. Repeat this process until the cup is half full. Repeat a third and fourth time until the cup is full. You'll want to continue adding small amounts of the scented oil to make sure that the candle is scented throughout.
Wipe off any spills with a warm, wet rag.
Clip the top of the wick so it's about half an inch taller than the rim of the cup.
Light, and enjoy.

I've found that the simplest way to clean wax out of my double boiler and other utensils is by heating them, and then wiping them down with a paper towel. This makes the clean-up really quick and easy!

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Cool Idea: CandlestickMaker

CasaSugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:00:01 -0800

I've got a fragrant candle for the Winter season, but my candlestick collection could use a fresh, not-so-stuffy update. When it comes wine glasses, though, I'm good to go - my recycling bin will confirm this. So, I was delighted to come across the Designfenzider CandlestickMaker ($30),which will turn any wine glass into a whimsical candlestick holder. Oh so smart. Seeing that this gadget is made of glazed porcelain, I somewhat understand the cost, but I think 30 smackers is a little much to spend on something that's not actually a candlestick. On the other hand, it's so pretty with its turned wood-esque shape! It wouldn't take up much cabinet space, either. Hmm.