We Smell Candles | Holiday gift idea!

I know, this is a beauty blog. But if you've read Glazed Over, you know I review the occasional candle, too. For some odd reason, many beauty bloggers do. Maybe it's because we enjoy yummy-scented perfumes, and also like our homes to smell nice, too? I don't know, and I don't care, and today I'm really excited to share a candle brand that's new to me with you.

A couple weeks ago, I received an email from We Smell Candles and was pleasantly surprised that their company is based about 40 minutes from my hometown! It's not often I work with local brands (simply because there aren't many local beauty brands in my neck of the woods) so I jumped at the opportunity. The fact they're local isn't the only reason I said yes to trying out their products... their candles and melts are soy-based, something I'm switching to exclusively (once I use up my massive backstock) because it burns cleaner and longer, and they have SO many amazing scents to choose from on their website. It was hard to narrow it down to just a couple choices! 

Patti from We Smell Candles was nice enough to send me their Christmas Tree candle and a "Quit Your Whining" wax melt to test out, and upon first whiff I couldn't wait to get these burning in my home. 

As expected, this candle is absolutely lovely. The packaging is high quality, poured perfectly in to a mason jar. I personally love the look of mason jar candles, this being no exception. Christmas Tree is described as the perfect Christmas scent, not artificial pine nastiness. I'd say that's spot on. Once you start burning this, you can expect your whole house to smell like the holidays. 

The We Smell Candles mason jar candles are in a 16 oz. mason jar. Compared to a normal 3-wick Bath & Body Works candle, you actually get 1.5 oz more wax. B&BW 3-wicks are just 14.5 oz and are usually more than $9.95. Plus, these are high quality soy candles, so they'll burn cleaner and last longer than any candle you buy from B&BW. I'd recommend We Smell Candles over B&BW any day. 

Quit Your Whining is a super sweet red cabernet scent perfect for any time of year. Pop these melts in to a warmer and your house will smell amazing for hours. I love that these are also soy-based. 

Check out the extensive list of scent options to choose from here if neither of these are up your alley.

Overall, I can't recommend We Smell Candles enough. I'm so thrilled I was turned on to this brand and I'll definitely be purchasing from them in the future when I use up the backstock of candles that I already have! 

Burnin' Up #7: Frostbeard Studio Candles + Tarts

If you're a lover of curling up with a good book with a cozy candle flickering nearby, you need Frostbeard Studios in your life. They bring the scents you've loved to read about to life in the form of soy candles and wax tarts. They're based out of Minneapolis, MN (holla - shop local!!) and literally everything they make is so.much.fun. -- not to mention it all smells amazing. I picked up a few things for myself and for my mom for mother's day and I thought I'd share with you what I got!

Both my mom and I love burning wax tarts to make our home smell nice, so for her I picked up Old Books (she's also a big reader). It has a nice sweet, book smell. It's not exactly how I think old books smell, but I don't think I want that exact smell wafting through my home anyway... (musty?? no thanks) but it does conjure up the image of an old library and cozy reading. 

For myself, I got Gatsby's Mansion (The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite stories of all time). This has a fresh, floral spring scent. It's not overwhelming, just really nice and light. I also picked up The Shire, because I'm a big LOTR fan. This has sort of a perfume-y fresh scent - and it's much sweeter than Gatsby's Mansion. I prefer this scent out of the three. 

I've burned both of my tarts so far - they don't have the best scent throw but I still love them because they're unique and not what you typically find in stores.

Lastly, I got a Headmaster's Office candle for myself, and the tarts for my mom. I love love love this scent, nearly as much as I love Harry Potter, for which I assume this is named! This has a musky scent, with hints of tobacco, vanilla and maybe even books? I tend toward spicy, smokey scents, and if you do, too - this will be right up your alley. 

Not only are the scents amazing, but I love the cute packaging, and the appeal to book lovers. Supporting small business is awesome and you can feel good about purchasing from Frostbeard Studios - you won't regret a thing! Highly recommend their amazing candles + tarts!

Stocking Stuffer Idea #2: Old Factory Candle Trio | GIVEAWAY!

There are just 17 days until Christmas!!! And if you want to be ahead of the game and wrap up your holiday shopping early (no pun intended), take my advice and pick up an Old Factory Candle set for the stockings you have left to fill. And go back and see Stocking Stuffer Idea #1 to fill them up a little further. PLUS, you could win a set of your own Old Factory candles! Read through to the bottom for a chance to be a lucky winner!

These sets come with three 2 oz. soy candles that are hand poured in the USA, each with a burn time of 20 hours. Because they are soy, they burn cleanly and are friendly for the environment. 

There are ten different trios to pick from, so you can certainly find a set for anyone on your list. I picked the Winter Wonderland trio for myself.

The Winter Wonderland trio comes with three amazing seasonal scents: First Snow, Roasted Chestnut and Hot Cocoa. All of these are shockingly true to what you'd expect them to smell like. So far, I've burned First Snow in my bathroom and it has a really fresh, clean scent and great throw around the room. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, but my expectations were exceeded.

These candles burn really cleanly and evenly, and I did get many hours of burn time out of the small 2 oz candle, which I was impressed with. Unlike many B&BW or Yankee Candles, these candles burn all the way down until there's nearly nothing left, so I actually feel like I get full use out of them. 

You can purchase these trios on Amazon (click the link to see all the trio options), and right now they're selling for $25 per set, which is $5 off the regular price. Get them now so you can have them for holiday gifts!

ENTER BELOW for your chance to win a trio for yourself! Sorry, this giveaway is open to US residents only.


a Rafflecopter giveaway I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.