For many of us, once the clocks go back we really feel the start of winter is upon us, even if it's not that cold yet outside. It begins to get darker in the mid afternoon, and so the lamps go on and the candles get lit. Candlelight season has well and truly begun…
And candlelight, with its warm, flickering glow always creates a cosy and inviting atmosphere when we most need it and the colder darker months indoors seem incomplete without it.
And if we add in the evocative, warmly spicy fragrances that scented candles give at this time of year, well it’s even better.
So here are our top 5...
Midwinter by Snapdragon
This is the ultimate Wintry, festive scent . It’s warm and spicy with orange, cinnamon, clove and ginger. We hand make this at home in Perthshire in small batches in a pleasingly heavyweight clear glass jar, with a burn time of around 40 hours. Buy here
Saddle by Druid
Hand made right here in Edinburgh this spicy and comforting scent is reminiscent of a crisp winter's eve in Scotland with hints of tobacco flower, clove and oakmoss. It has a burn time of around 40 hours and comes in an amber glass jar with a lid. Buy here
Cedarwood by True Grace
Fill your room with a warm and woody scent, rich with notes of Cedar tree, Amber, Sandalwood and Musk. Handmade in small batches, with approximately 40 hours of burn time and beautifully presented in a timeless, etch-effect printed glass. Buy here
Vetiver & Oakmoss by Freight HG
A special fragrance which seems to suit winter perfectly. This is earthy, woody and slightly smoky with oakmoss and with a fresh, almost citrus note from vetiver. Hand poured in England into an unglazed handmade stoneware jar with a matching lid which can then be used a storage jar. Burns around 55 hours. Buy here
Half Light by the Botanical Candle Co
Created in Dorset to evoke memories of the run up to Christmas, Half Light with notes of clementine, rosemary, fir, clove and allspice is the perfect cosy Winter afternoon and evening fragrance. Burns around 35 hours and is presented in an amber glass jar with a lid. Buy here
For a few super simple tips on how to get the most out of your candle, including how to avoid leaving half the wax stuck on the sides of the container (so annoying and a waste of our hard earned cash!), we wrote a quick guide on the journal last year which you can read here.
Etched Glass match pot -available from Snapdragon.