Candle love

Candles, cushions and chocolates makes ones home feel loved and special. If you’re anything like me, you indulge and surround yourself with all three at once!  My candle pick at the moment is Aromatherapy Associates Revive Candle with Grapefruit & Petitgrain. The scent is wonderfully uplifting – especially good at the end of a dead-on-your-feet kind of day, or if you’re burning the candles at both ends. Sorry, I just couldn’t resist that one! The combo of these sharp and zesty oils smells fresh and pure, giving you over 40 hours burn time. Made from the highest quality soy wax they don’t leave light walls smudged and smoky, and it goes without saying the aroma hasn’t got a whiff of the synthetic about it. The packaging is gorgeous too, so makes for a nice thinking about you gift.

Aromatherapy Associates Revive Candle costs £34

www.aromatherapyassociates.com

The very talented candle

Cushions. Chocolate. Candles. Surely the three C’s every girl must have in her life. Constantly! Now, the first two I’m fairly stocked up on, but apart from a gigantic Jo Malone candle which I bring out on special occasions, a few more candles around my home would be welcome.

Meeting beauty therapist Marie Reynolds the other week – I’ve previously blogged about Marie and her wonderful facials – in fact, it’s one of my posts that’s had the most hits, I’m delighted to reveal she has turned her multi-skilled hands to creating a range of candles. However, it’s a candle not as you know it, but one designed to be used at home and on your body.

Living up to their name, Marie’s Aromawax Luxury Massage Candles do not smell cheap when lit – a pet hate of mine, secondly they do not leave smut marks on the wall. Her candles are made from ethically source organic soya wax that creates a clean, safe-burning candle. Moreover, the soya wax liquefies from a low melting point which can be scooped from the candle and massaged into the skin using a spatula. I’ve experienced a hand massage with the wax and it feels skin delicious. Pre-burn you can even the use the wax as a lip and face balm.

For the upcoming festive season I’d thought I’d highlight her Hot Toddy candle. It’s a scrumptious mix of cocoa and shea butter fragranced with mandarin, satsuma, apple, peach, cinnamon and nutmeg. But what brings the party effect is the special addition of a gold shimmer ingredient. Once massaged onto the skin, subtle gold particles glisten and twinkle. Great to use on your cheekbones, decolletage and shins. Who knew a candle could be so talented?

The Marie Reynolds collection of Aromawax Luxury Body Massage Candle cost from  £4.50 for 30g for 6 hours burning time, £8.50 for 50g with 10 hours burning time and £30.00 for 135g for 25 hours burning time.

For more information log onto: www.mariereynoldslondon.com