Have you ever fallen in love with a candle in the store, only to light it at home and wonder where the fragrance went? I have, and that disappointment is part of what inspired me to start making candles.
For me, fragrance is one of the pleasures of being home. Comfy clothes, music playing, a little tidying up, and a favorite candle lit. Add a glass of wine, and that’s my kind of downtime!
But the perfect candle doesn’t smell the same to everyone. Some of us love a bold fragrance that makes its presence known. Others want a softer scent that gently complements a room. Our approach is to make room for both.
The candle that started it all
Years before we opened our little vintage and antique shop, I visited a beach-area boutique and discovered a candle in a beautiful mercury-glass apothecary jar.
It wasn’t just the jar that caught my attention. The fragrance had depth, with little nuances that made me want to keep smelling it. It was a candle and a piece of décor, and I loved the whole experience.
That candle stayed with me. Later, when I opened our shop, I wanted the space to smell wonderful. I thought, “Maybe I could make our own candles. And maybe other people would enjoy them, too.”
Before long, the candles were leaving the shop faster than the vintage goodies!
What does “scent throw” mean?
If you’re shopping for candles, you’ll often hear the term scent throw. It simply describes how noticeable a candle’s fragrance is in a space.
Cold throw is the fragrance you smell before lighting the candle, such as when you lift the lid and take that first sniff.
Hot throw is the fragrance you experience while the candle is burning.
That first sniff is a lovely introduction, but it isn’t the whole story. How a candle smells unlit and how it smells during a burn can be different. That’s why choosing fragrances involves more than finding an oil that smells good in the bottle.
A lot of experimenting goes into that little jar
When I started, I thought, “It’s a vessel, wax, fragrance, and a wick. How complicated can it be?” Oh, I learned! LOL.
I spent the next three years developing my craft, and the learning hasn’t stopped. We’ve tested hundreds of fragrances, looking for scents we’re excited to share and learning how they perform in our candles.
My original inspiration still guides me: beautiful fragrance, an appealing vessel, and a candle you look forward to enjoying at home.
Strong or subtle? It’s personal
One of my biggest lessons was that not everyone wants the same fragrance experience I do.
Someone who loves pumpkin may not care for patchouli. A fragrance that feels wonderfully bold to one person may feel overwhelming to another. And sometimes a gentler scent is exactly what you want for a smaller space.
Many of the fragrances in our lineup lean toward a stronger scent throw, but we also appreciate softer fragrances. A delicate scent isn’t automatically a disappointing one. The key is choosing it because that’s the experience you want.
When a fragrance is softer, we note that in its website description to help you choose.
Why we chose a soy-and-paraffin blend
We use a blend of soy and paraffin wax, often called para-soy. We chose it with fragrance performance in mind, including some beautiful, lighter fragrance oils that weren’t giving us the result we wanted in 100% soy wax.
Every wax has its strengths and trade-offs. This blend is part of how we develop the fragrance experience we want for our candles, and we identify it on our labels and in our product information.
Why more fragrance isn’t always better
I’ve been asked, “Could you just add more fragrance?” It’s a fair question, but making a pleasing candle is about balance, not simply adding more oil.
The wax, fragrance, wick, and vessel need to work together. There are limits to how much fragrance a wax can hold, and changing one ingredient can affect how the candle burns. Our goal is a well-balanced candle, not the most fragrance we can squeeze into a jar.
As you enjoy your candle, follow its care instructions rather than extending the burn just to chase a stronger scent.
Find a scent that feels like you
Start with the experience you want. Something cozy and comforting? Fresh and inviting? A more complex fragrance that makes an ordinary evening feel a little special?
Then consider how noticeable you like your fragrance to be. Read the scent description for notes that appeal to you and any guidance about a softer fragrance.
If you’re not sure where to begin, get in touch and tell us the scents you love, the ones you avoid, and whether you prefer bold or gentle fragrance. We’d love to help you narrow down the choices.
Explore our candles and find a fragrance you’ll look forward to coming home to. Whether you love a strong scent or a subtle one, the best choice is the one that brings you joy.
Thank you for supporting our small business and taking a little time to get to know the care behind our candles.
