Each autumn I find myself falling into a ritual of lighting my lanterns, tea lights, and occasionally a scented candle or two as the moon arcs across the darkening sky. This season I have been obsessed with these candles from Illuminati Waxworks. I am drawn to their aesthetic and carefully, thoughtfully crafted scents. The gleaming brass tins and lids featuring a sacred geometric design call to me. These hand poured soy candles are beautiful to display in your home and I find their scents, so far, to be attention-getting but not overpowering – which is just what I look for in a candle.
Scents I’ve tried so far:
Borealis – My favorite so far! A beautiful blend of evergreen, distant woodsmoke, and shimmering color arching across the night sky, so beautiful and bright you can almost taste it. There is indeed something a bit sugary in this blend… I can’t quite put my finger on it. It isn’t traditionally sweet, but sweet in the way that a fresh balsam fir can be. It is a perfect scent for the upcoming winter holidays!
Lemondrine – A bright, sparkling lemony scent with a hint of salt and distant whiff of black tea. It is sharper than other “sugary lemon” candles I’ve tried (I like the more buttery lemon scents too, but sometimes I’m just in the mood for a sharper lemon scent). I can’t get enough of it and keep it at my desk to sniff throughout the day. Would definitely purchase again. This one is inspired by the restorative magical tonic from Hilary Thompson’s SoulShifter series – which I haven’t read yet. Guess I need to now!
Library – This one has notes of sandalwood, tobacco, and leather. I find the leather to be the strongest note and the combination emanates hints of paper and sometimes smells a bit like cologne as if smelled from far away. It’s a very smooth scent and my first impression was a vision of desk in a quiet corner of a library, leather-bound books stacked on one side and one of those classic green glass and brass bankers lamps on the other.
Anaïs – Named for the famous writer, this one is a warm, spicy floral. Though this contains hints of peony (which I love), I consider this is a fall scent due to the reigning notes of cardamom and amber. It has a bit of a potpourri vibe to it which I’m not typically into, but it instantly transported me to my many walks down the silk floral aisle at Michael’s Craft stores. Not necessarily a bad thing though its not the one I reach for most often.
Their candles are offered in four sizes, a 2oz travel size (which I love so that you can try out a few before committing to a larger size), a 4oz tin, 8oz tin, and 12oz glass tumbler. Their scents are created with a blend of essential oils and phthalate free, premium grade fragrance oils. Normally I’m not a fan of products with fragrance oils, but again, these are carefully chosen, used in moderation, and well-balanced.
Next on my list to try: I can’t wait to try Bois de Vanille, Orangerie, and Wild Fennel!
Many of their candles have bookish scents which I think it so cool. I love me a good bookish candle!
Have you tried any Illuminati Waxworks candles? Which ones? And if you haven’t checked these out yet, I’d highly recommend.
