Tara's Favourite Winter Candles
As much as I adore summer and daylight savings, there’s something so calming about being home and warm in winter. I love turning on the lamps when it’s just getting dark outside; and lighting my favourite candle or using room spray just makes the evening even better!
Australian Made Candles
For Australian candle collections that are both exceptional and affordable, I love The Herbologist and Melbourne based Scent of Home (SoH). Both collections offer great value for money, and the fragrances are rich and clean.
The Herbologist candles are poured in Sydney and are made using pure botanicals. This season I’ll be enjoying 'Tobacco Leaf' as well as 'Rose Geranium' from The Herbologist. From SoH, 'Moss' is a winter favourite while I’m also partial to 'Green House'- I love fig!
A touch of luxury ...
On my favourites candle list is always 'Gabriel' from Trudon. The soft, smoky chimney fragrance is just divine. I can literally burn it all day and not tire of it, some candles are just too heady for me to burn for too long.
I’m also a huge fan of 'Madeleine', she’s like the feminine version of the ever popular 'Ernesto', also from the Trudon collection. Madeleine is rich, warm and luxurious with a slightly floral edge.
TIP: Get the most of your candle. Light a candle at home when you have time to let it burn. You do need a couple of hours for the top of a candle in the vessel to fully melt otherwise it may burn down unevenly.
Alternatives to candles
If I don’t want to light a candle, or I don’t have time, I find a quick spritz of room spray makes for a warm welcome. If you have never tried room spray it’s great! I use it when I come home to freshen up the house after we’ve all been out for the day.
For living room fragrances, I’m loving Trudon 'Ernesto' room spray. It adds a wonderful rich ambience to the space and help us settle in for the night.
In the bedroom right now I’m using the 'Josephine' fragrance. It’s soft and powdery, and it feels very feels very decadent spraying the room in the morning after I’ve made the bed, and before heading off to work.
For the bathroom and kitchen, I love the freshness of Murchison-Hume's linen and room spray. It's really well priced, and doubles as a linen spray.
Another way to experience scent in a room is by using wax melts - or ‘Cameos’, if you’re using Trudon fragrance. The idea is the melt sits in an oil burner and while ever the tea light candle is burning underneath, the liquid wax perfumes the air. The wax will solidify when the candle is out and can be used over again a few times.
Wax melts are a great value option if you enjoy burning a candle for more than a few hours at a time. The concentrated fragrance diffuses slowly throughout your home, and can even be used to supplement your favourite candles to help them last longer.
As an alternative to traditional tea light candles, I love natural beeswax tea lights. They burn a little brighter than traditional tea lights, and provide a very soft honey-like fragrance, perfect for the winter months.
Featured: 'La Promeneuse' oil burner from Trudon.
Tip: Try switching up your favourite fragrance from time to time. By experiencing different scents, you will find renewed appreciation for your old favourites; and discover some new ones along the way!
Think of candles and fragrance as another warm layer to add to your home over the cooler months. It's a little touch that will make your home feel cosy and inviting. Simply find your favourite fragrance, and make your home time so much richer!
Tara x
Shop Tara's favourites
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Candle Care FAQs
How long should I burn a candle the first time I light it?
To prevent your candle from tunnelling (when a little bit of wax is left at the edges, no matter how long you burn it for), set the memory of the wax on the first burn by leaving it lit until the the wax melts right to the very edge of your vessel. This can take up to four hours, depending on the size of your candle.
Why do I get a ring of soot around the edge of my candle?
That black ring you see is caused by smoke generated when you blow your candle out. Try extinguishing your candle by pushing the tip of the wick into the melted wax, instead of blowing or snuffing the flame out. This process eliminates any acrid smoke that would otherwise be produced, and protects and conditions the candle wick for the next burn.
Les Éteignoir is the perfect tool for this task. Carefully designed, this tool features a delicate brass hook made to reach out, press the wick into liquid wax, and then raise and centre it to be easily lit again.
Ensure your wick continues to stand in the centre of the candle after each burn. If an adjustment is necessary, this should be done whilst the wax is still molten.
See the video below for more on how to extinguish a candle using the recommended method.
Can I burn a candle all day?
Burn your candle for around one to two hours at a time to ensure your wax melts cleanly and evenly in the vessel. Burning a candle for longer than necessary means you'll run out of your favourite fragrance too quickly, so simply burn until the wax has melted right to the edges before extinguishing. If you like to burn a fragrance all day, try wax melts or cameos as an alternative.
How do I get the last bit of wax out of my candle vessel?
For safety, you should never burn the wax of your candle right to the very bottom of your vessel, especially if the container is glass - burning it right down can cause the vessel to overheat which can shatter the glass. Instead, leave around 5mm of wax at the bottom of your vessel, and once extinguished for the last time, pop the whole thing in the freezer for 30mins. You can then use a spoon to remove the last bit of wax, and wash the vessel to use as a lovely vase, or a container for your pencils, make up brushes etc.
Do I have to use a candle dome?
Often, a candle is displayed with a dome or 'cloche' over the top of it. While this isn't essential, a dome is a beautiful accessory to display your candles, and it also protects and preserves the fragrance in your candle between uses. When you want to use your candle, simply remove your dome or cloche before lighting the wick, and only place it back over the candle once the flame is extinguished.