Recently in Candles Category

I'm a candle fanatic. Absolutely love having a burning candle near me when I'm home (even though nearly all my furniture is very modern and made from big, heavy wood so I'm always a smidgen nervous!). A lot of people don't realize however that traditional paraffin candles are one of the major sources of indoor air pollution and release choking toxins and black soot upon burning. When released into the air we breathe, these pollutants are as harmful to our health as second-hand tobacco smoke. Luckily there are some wonderfully natural and 100% SAFE candles. Check-out some of the finds below!

Hillhouse Naturals started off as a family business selling to local markets, so the line's got that authenticity and pureness to it. Their candles are long-lasting, smell wonderful, and given how they're packaged are a relatively good price at $24.50 for an 8oz candle. Their Living Green Collection is particularly noteworthy because it's made from 100% natural soy wax blends (soy wax is biodegradable, non-toxic, environmentally-friendly. It's also less likely to trigger allergies). The collection is also fragranced with plant-derived essential oils (plus wind power was used to create the packaging!). More after the jump!

Below is the second and final installment of 2008 Snob Trends!

11. Healthy Candles: Who knew that candles could be a health hazard? The folks at Lavanila thankfully! This year candle lovers could breath easy knowing that they weren't inhaling the chemicals contained in many traditional paraffin candles -- which release toxins and soot that cause damage comparable to second-hand smoking -- thanks to Lavanila's Healthy Candle .

12. Pricey Skin Care: At $400 for 6.7 oz Kanebo's Sensai Premier Body Cream is pricier than La Mer, so obviously this peaked everyone's interest! Haven't tried it for myself, but judging by the quality of the Kanebo products that I have tried, I imagine that it's simply divine..ahhhh:)

13. Diffusers: Everywhere I go --bedrooms, bathrooms, restaurants, boutiques -- they're all over! This year we couldn't get enough of diffusers! Sweet Grass Farm, Verikira, Thymes, and Moments Waterbead Diffusers by Upper Canada Soap take the cake as the best!

14. Neon Polish: The limited edition Essie Neon collection hit this summer and it was all the rage -- and come on, what screams fun in the sun like fluorescent nails!

15. Beauty with a side of Humor: Tongue-and-cheek packaging was all over the place this year. Who ruled over them all? Soap & Glory! The line comes courtesy of the same lady who founded Bliss and it's inspired by tabloid-style journalism!

More after The Jump!

My friend Janet gave me a Jo Malone candle in Vintage Gardenia and I am now obsessed with the scent.  I have always been a gardenia freak; my dream is to have a garden full of gardenia trees so I can pick fresh gardenias every morning for my table (it can be done if my hubby would just build me a green house to store them during the cold months!) 

Is there anything more intoxicating or seductive than fresh gardenia?  I've tried every gardenia scent out there and Jo Malone is hands down one of the best! I don't even know how to explain it but it is the scent of old world glamour to me.  Not trendy nor boring, but glamorous and timelessly chic.

In light of the economy, I told my hubby I only want a few of the Vintage Gardenia candles in my stocking along with the body creme and bath oil, that's not too much to ask for, right?  I mean this is coming from a girl who used to ask for Fred Leighton baubles in her stocking!  Check out the Vintage Gardenia line here.

If you are not a Gardenia girl like me, there are many other drool worthy Jo Malone gift sets you can pick up for the beauty snob in your life in yummilicious scents such as Pomegranate Noir, Grapefruit, Lime Basil & Mandarin, Nectarine Blossom & Honey, Amber & Sweet Orange, Lime Blossom, Orange Blossom, and Wild Fig & Cassis.  Gift sets from $90-$1,200 at Jo Malone boutiques and counters at Neiman Marcus, Saks, and Bergdorfs.

Tocca has three Bagno da Viaggio gift sets for the holidays. They all look great, but the one that stands-out (and the one I tried-out!), is the Cleopatra ($48) one. It's an almond oil-enriched bath and body collection infused with grapefruit and cucumber and packaged in a Tocca signature box. The set includes -- 4 oz Bagno Profumato (foaming bath gel that's fairly hydrating and can be used on all skin types), 4 oz Crema Da Corpo (a nourishing all-over body cream that can be used on those with sensitive skin), and 2.85 oz Candelina (a travel-sized candle with a 20 hour burn time). This is one of those gift sets that doesn't need any wrapping. It comes in a super-chic cream-colored box with a gold rim (it reminds me of those fab dessert boxes they have at La Duree in Paris!). My absolute favorite thing about this set is that when you open the box it says "love yourself" in beautiful cursive letters -- could there be a better message!? With all the stress going on these days this set is a nice way to give someone a little something clean, refreshing, and light to help them relax this holiday season!

I love candles though given that most of my furniture is modern, over-sized, and made of wood, for the most part I have them scattered around solely for decorative purposes which is why I love the Delirium & Co. Candles. They not only smell wonderful -- strong without being over-powering and I particularly love the Pear and Violet scented-candle ($38) -- they look chic just as a decorative element! Plus with a celeb following as diverse as Elton John and P. Diddy they have that across-the-board appeal that makes for a great last-minute stocking stuffer. All the candles in the line are soy blends and come in a handmade translucent reflective glass. There are two distinct collections -- "The Silver Period" with China Tea, Delicate Bouquet, Pear & Violet, and Sensual Camelia scents and the "The Blue Period" which includes Royal Amber, Samurai Woods, Suede & Smoke, and Sweet Tobacco fragrances.