Saturday Surprise — Uncommon Scents
April 25, 2020
Happy Saturday! The sun is shining here, I have a few flowers blooming and my secret project is progressing nicely 😍
Last week I mentioned I’m back to work, and even after writing for 20 years and being published for 15 of those years, two things haven’t changed:
I CANNOT listen to music with words when I write. I’d start singing along, because really, I’d be listening to music I loved and the next thing I’d know I’d be typing what I’m singing and then I’d start thinking about what the songwriter meant by phrases like “soft-spoken with a broken jaw” and I’d lose the thread of MY story completely. That said, a few years ago I signed up for a service called Brain FM. It’s unique in that you can choose they type of session, intense concentration, creatively inspiring or relaxing. Then at the end of the session you rate how productive you felt you were and they take that data and adjust the style of the music to better suit what YOU need out of it. I don’t use it all the time, but it is another tool in my writer’s tool box.
I need aromatherapy when I’m writing. Again, this is not a secret. My go-to is usually candles, but I have tried oils in a “mister” complete with a glowing rainbow of soft lights that really made me feel boho, hippie chick, free-love and pass the bong. But invariably, I returned to candles. My preference is Yankee Candles. They are consistently fragrant and that’s vital for me. That said, yes, some scents I’ve tried are much stronger than others and I tend to gravitate toward them. But also, I’m always on the lookout for a new scent, so I scour the shelves at TJ Maxx and Ross Dress-for-Less and Burlington because they carry one-off weird things that didn’t sell elsewhere. I’ve found some great ones like this:
Seriously, that is a dumb-ass “title” for this candle. When has an airport, train or bus station ever smelled like flowers? Anyway, freesia is one of my favorite flowers and it’s hard to find in candles because it is SO fragrant that it tends to be overpowering. I found this one in Denver last time I was there and I just fired it up this week. It is a soy candle and to be honest, it didn’t start giving off a discernible scent until I’d burned half of it. Then it was heavenly. The downside to buying one-off candles is I usually can’t find them for sale anywhere once I’ve decided I’d like another one.
Yankee Candles is always putting out new options in scents and sizes. Their seasonal candles are some of my absolute faves. When I came across this limited edition series, I bought each one, sort of grumbling to myself that this was the largest size the store was carrying (it’s about 4 in X 4 in) and in that smaller size, they’d placed THREE wicks. Ugh. Talk about shrinking the burn time. Anyway, I LOVE this scent. It literally is sugary and flowery and I’ve not smelled anything like it. I took that picture 2 days ago and since I’ve been writing and literally burning the candle at both ends — ha ha — there’s only a quarter of the candle remaining.
These two fragrances were in the same collection as the Sugared Wildflowers–I think there was another one I burned but I don’t remember the scent, sorry. Now these babies are even smaller than the 4 in X 4 in — they’re like 3 in X 3 in. They have one wick. As you can see I haven’t burned the Shore Breeze one (I’m crazy for anything coconut!) been saving it for a shorter writing project since I doubt it’ll last more than 2 days. I started the Velvet Woods and then it got lost in my office only recently found again. It is a sandalwoody-floral that does throw the heavy scent I prefer. Last time I checked, Yankee hadn’t put these fragrances out in larger jar glasses, and I haven’t done deeper research to see if these are part of a seasonal line you can only get at a certain time of year.
I hadn’t planned on making this post a Saturday Six, but I figure since I’ve already blathered on about candles that you’d like to hear my favorites -😀
- LILAC BLOSSOMS — can’t tell you how many of these I’ve burned and how many books I’ve written while this scent enveloped me
- MANGO PEACH SALSA — it has such a fresh summery scent that I burn it year round
- JUICY WATERMELON — same with this, I love the sweet fruitiness
- SNOW ON CHERRIES — exactly as it sounds — cold and fruity, yet warm. My go to Christmas candle I only burn in November and December
- BALSAM AND FIR — okay, I switch back and forth between this one and the cherry scent, but I burn through at least 2 of each in the holiday season
- STARGAZER LILY — youngest daughter gave this to me for Mother’s Day 3 years ago and I’ve NEVER been able to find it again sadly 😌
It’s funny that my mom also loves candles, but she hates anything fruity or flowery, she prefers Buttercream or anything vanilla based. Anytime I catch that scent, even in the store, I think of my mom. My oldest daughter’s favorite is Pink Sands. My middle daughter always asks if I’ll save the spent jars because she wants to create her OWN scents 😆My youngest daughter always has a Yankee Clementine Oranges car freshener in her vehicle.
So are you a candle person? If so, what are your favorites? Or are you one of those types who thinks “UGH stinky-ass candles” and no judgement if you are 😱
27 Comments:
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Donna said:
When I’m working, I can’t listen to music with lyrics either. I’ll start singing and/or the words distract me from what I’m trying to do.
As for candles, there are very few I can tolerate. Most fragrances give me migraines. There was a mall where I used to live that had a Yankee Candle store. I couldn’t even walk past it. Instead I had to cross to the other side of the mall and hold my nose to prevent getting a whiff.
Rhonda Burns said:
I love candles but because of my allergies only food scents and can’t be strong on the vanilla.
Bobbie Sue Kearse said:
I can’t do flower scents myself. I get sinus headaches but I can have real flowers all over. It’s weird but hey what ya going to do. Love that your writing!
Chris Geier said:
I love candles and when I lived up in CT I used to enjoy a trip up to the Yankee Candle flagship store. I could spend a good part of the day there especially around the holidays. Now that I live down south I find that I am not burning as many candles as I used to. Candles always remind me of cuddling up on a cold day and we simply don’t have as many cold days down here. I have a couple of beachy fragranced candles I light up every now and then.
Judith Cromer said:
I don’t burn candles much because my husband doesn’t particularly care for them. I do have a couple of Sentsy light that I melt either a cinnamon vanilla bar or a baked apple pie bar that smell do good and he doesn’t seem to mind.
Yasmeen said:
I LOVE candles! In my office, my coworkers always pass by and when they smell the aroma they tell me it smells like a spa 😂. My office mate and I made it into a cozy place. We don’t turn on the overhead lights, using a soft lamp, and I bought a comfy lounge sofa. Whenever one of us gets a new candle we get so excited and fire it up lol.
I love this candle scent from TJ MaXX called Lilac Rose. When the first one was finished I hunted all the stores and bought them up!
Pamela said:
I am a total candle person but I like the musky scents or earthy ones. The floral and sweet ones are too much for me! Today I will be burning a coffee scented one!!!
Carole-Ann said:
I’m a total Yankee Candle fan – I have so many I can burn night after night after night…. 🙂
Always love the ones with Lavender; Belgian Waffle is (was?) amazing, as is Pink Sands & Midnight Jasmine. Also, the new Camelia Blossom is sweet 🙂
I guess anything flowery will get me going !! 🙂
Robbi Minden said:
my husband and I love candles and we have a wide variety of all sort of fragrances. I really love gardenia, hyacinth, lilac, frangipani and rose. I even have some spicy ones, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. I also like diffusion oils. I have one named “amber warmth” that is so nice. They also have one called “Vineyard rapture” Reminds me of walking through Napa valley in late spring.
Barb S. said:
All of those candles are wonderful scents!!! I love having a candle burning around me. Makes me happy whatever I’m doing. Another scent I love is gardenia. Oh and anything mixed with grapefruit! Candles just make things right!!
Janice Clark said:
Scented candles. Can’t do it. I have asthma related to allergies and strong scents are on par with cigarette smoke as the worst triggers. That being said, I do understand the joy that scented candles bring and wish I could participate exacerbate. the smell if vanilla or musk was one of my favorites ehen I didn’t have allergies.
Shirley Long said:
I adore candles. And while I have had Yankee candles in the past, I’ve found that the 3-wick candles from Bath & Body Works (which can be ordered online) are BY FAR the most aromatic I’ve ever had. And such amazing scents!! Right now I’m burning Blueberry Maple Pancakes and it is to die for. In the fall, all the cinnamon and pumpkin spice and vanilla/cinnamon ~~ amazing. Then in spring, there”s all the citrusy flavors ~~ pineapple, orange (which is my favorite), coconut, peach, cucumber-melon. You know, all the things that make you think of summer. If you’re lucky and catch them on sale online, you can get them for as little as half price, which is $12.00. May seem like a lot to spend, but they last forever and they fill the hiuse with beautiful scents.
Lenna Hendershott said:
I wish I could handle scented candles…I’d probably be like your Momma though and it would be vanilla and or sandalwood scents…or fur trees or cinnamon, lol. Unfortunately scents make my allergies & asthma kick in and I usually end up with a tight chest, coughing and headache. I almost had to quite college because of all the girls and their perfume in class. I was a home ec major and the sorority girls were all in class with me, sigh.
Sheila 6 said:
I love scented candles but hubby and my mom (who lives with us) have asthma so I can’t burn them. How is it that I can use the plug in air wick air freshener and that doesn’t bother them? Lol
Lisa Rounsley said:
I love anything beachy or fresh linen smell. But one of my favorites is from Bath and Body it is A thousand wishes ❤️❤️❤️
Mandy Sharp said:
Have you ever burned Circle E candles? They are favorites around here!!! My famiky also love the Bath and Body Works candles!! We love clean and tropical scents best!!
Michelle D Holden said:
I love candles, but with a dog and cat in the house I rarely burn them, but I do burn Scentsy – Love flower and some fruit scents the best and cinnamon scents around Christmas time.
Babette Anderson said:
My favorite candle is Mountain Lodge made by Yankee candles. It smells wonderful!!
kc said:
I have several candles & I love their scent but I never burn them. I have a lilac-scented one from Bath & Body Works that I got years & years ago, purple color in a pretty curved glass jar. It sits on the corner of the bathroom counter & when the sun hits it, the bathroom smells of lilacs. I just clean the dust off the top of the candle every so often, which also triggers the scent. I have a 3 scent-layered one that I got years ago in a Hallmark store, don’t remember the brand, but they’re all fall scents, including a warm cinnamon. The jar has a lid so I leave that on, take it off every so often & the kitchen smells wonderful for a while. Then I cover it back up.
Nice thing about never burning them; I don’t have to remember to blow out the flame before leaving the room. I remember dorm room fires because gals would leave the candles burning when they left “just to run down the hall…” Makes one aware for the rest of their lives, or at least it did me!
I have to focus when working & listening to music, otherwise I get distracted & follow the music. I’ve never typed the words into what I was doing; I just quit what I was doing and enjoyed the music. Does cut down on productivity!
Enjoy your writing, Lorelei! It shows when I’m reading!
Suzie said:
Try the brand – 1803. They are soy so obviously burn cleaner. The bottom of candle jars I chisel out and use in my melter. That way I get the entire candle. The month of May is set aside for Lilac. My favorite 1803 candle is Lemon Drop Cookie. Fortunately we sell them where I work. Unlike some candles, these still have fragrance even at the bottom.
SARAH TAYLOR said:
I Love the Candles My Favorite has always been the Hot Maple Toddy They smell so good!
Mary said:
I don’t burn many in warmer weather, but like orangey and lemony scents then. Colder temps require me to get out the cinnamon, apple, and pine scents, with the occasional eucalyptus thrown in.
Thanks for your books.
Monica Lemmers said:
I also love candles and burn them constantly. My favorite candles come from Kirklands, Bath & Body and Aveda. All have long lasting scents that carry throughout the house. Kirklands has wonderful scents for Fall like Caramel Corn and Maple Waffles. Bath & Body had one called Flannel that was really nice. And my favorite from Aveda is their Christmas candle.
Debra Bard said:
I love scented candles. However, scented candles do not love me. I have asthma and scented candles and perfumes sometimes cause me to have an asthma attack.
Rose Anne Poff said:
Like LJ, I shop TJMaxx and Ross as well as Marshalls and Home Goods. I go for the vanilla scents. My new favorite Yankee Candle scent is Rice Milk and Honey. It is wonderful. Not too strong or sickly sweet. The YC scent I love in winter is North Pole or Jack Frost. YC Spiced Pumpkin all fall long. YC Macintosh has quite refreshing scent. Trapp has No. 04 Orange Vanilla and is luscious but a little pricey. I usually buy the votive size. (If you sign up online for YC, you great coupons and sales!)
LOVE YOUR BOOKS!!
Michelle Groverston said:
OMG a fellow Yankee Candle addict!
I see you gravitate towards floral and fruit scents. I enjoy some of them but find my collection is more of fresh scents.
So far as floral, my husband and I both love Garden Sweet Pea. A wonderful, uplifting spring scent year round. Another one that I love, that is incredibly difficult to find, is True Rose. It’s like a dozen roses in the house without the allergies.
Another one we both enjoy is Lemon Lavender. I’ve experimented with mixing candle scent and if you burn Soft Blanket along with Lemon Lavender, your room will smell like a spa.
I’ve lived in Vermont all my life but I swear I should have been a surfer girl! I love so many ocean scents; Catching Rays, Island Waterfall, Beach Walk and Midnight Oasis. Mix Beach Walk and Midnight Oasis, you get Moonlit Sands.
Again, being from Vermont, Autumn is our favorite season. So scents like Autumn Wreath, Crisp Fall Night, Mountain Lodge and Autumn Leaves are staples in our house. (Another mix – Mountain Lodge and Autumn Leaves make Cozy Cabin).
My all time favorite is Sandalwood. I have a large jar that is down to less than an inch. Waiting for a special occasion to burn it. Freesia is a beautiful scent, but I agree, incredibly strong. And there is one fruit scent that I do enjoy, Sweet Strawberry!
Might I suggest, since you enjoy coconut, maybe a bit of a twist, but Key Lime Pie is available on Amazon. Fabulously refreshing.
Wishing you a scent-sational week.
Michelle Groverston
Elizabeth said:
I love candles, but I go for beeswax. I have molds I’ve used to melt and cast my own candles! I do love the Christmas seasonal scents from Yankee Candle, but most of the others are too strong for me.