Yes, candles for Summer – it’s a vibe! Forget thoughts of only saving scented candles for cosying up in Autumn and Winter (although, the British weather, lately, has reminded us of those seasons). Here’s our round-up of sumptuous candles to bring joy and light into your life for the rest of Summer, even when the weather isn’t playing along…
La Montana August Sunset £39 for 220g
Conjuring visions of a blissful Summer evening spent in the garden, the heat of the sun dispersing as the sky becomes suffused with melting colours, and the scent of the blooms yields to the cooler night’s air. A heady haze of orange flower, rose and geranium meet fennel-flecked rockrose in this Summer stunner.
Paul Smith Daydreamer £65 for 240g
For blissed-out moments of perfumed pondering you can do no better than to light this, sit back, relax, and let your thoughts wander where they will. Fragrant meanderings are via head-clearing verbena, calming clary sage and a late Summer’s breeze carrying drifts of bee-buzzed lavender and sun-warmed hay.
Cochine White Jasmine & Gardenia £45 for 230g
Evoking a Summer of exotic climes (or memories of them), all the lush floral scents that infuse the sun-filled streets and gardens of Saigon are packed within. Blooming as it warms, wafts of white petals – jasmine, gardenia and peony – combine to unfold an enchanting aura that is soft yet effortlessly elegant.
Byredo Summer Rain £64 for 240g
A sudden Summer downpour heralds a relief of emotions with that sudden release of freshness, a verdant awakening with wet trees, dripping foliage and the coolness of the air slicing through oppressive humidity. The luxuriant, renewed greenery of basil is garlanded by a gasp of spearmint; richly grounded in tonka.
Stories No. 2 Trio £95 for 3 x 70g
Reflecting the top, heart and base notes of STORIES Nº.02 original fragrance, this candle trio are fragrant facets – inspired yet not identical, with some creative tweaks. Light one at a time or all at once for a memory-filled barefoot stroll through dewy grass, a drift of pipe smoke, the silvery ripples of a stream.
Diptyque Citronelle £56 for 190g
Repelling mosquitoes in the most deliciously opulent way, this candle will certainly attract welcome Summer visitors. Luminous lemongrass infuses its uplifting, soul-reviving scent into smile-garnering verbena, luscious neroli, and heady orange blossom. A delight at any time of day or night: the scent of Summer.
Ostens Illumination Jasmine £65 for 220g
One of those candles whose scent is such exquisite quality you almost hesitate to light it, worry not: the fragrance will suffuse a room even unlit, and once the wick is alight, the sheer beauty of that LMR-bottled night-blooming jasmine (hand-picked near the Nile Delta) truly shines. Its gorgeousness is unsurpassed.
Ruth Mastenbroek Blooming Wild £45 for 220g
Like running headlong into a Summer’s meadow, this flower-filled candle is all the exuberance of a Summer fling in scented candle form (though will last far longer than many seasonally-transient relationships). It’s a whole field of blooms, plus snapped stems and crushed leaves adding verdancy. Joyous!
Written by Suzy Nightingale
