Friday, 8 August 2014

IN PRAISE OF LIGHTER YANKEE CANDLE SCENTS


Well it’s about time to set the record straight, I think.

Anyone who has scratched the surface of Yankee Candle online chat and reviews will find comments such as “can’t smell the candle”, “no scent”, “too light”, “no throw” and similar levelled as a criticism of some Yankee Candle scents past and present.

Though these comments are in a minority they are always there and often as I mentioned the comments are negative. Indeed when I did a bit of pre-article research via the members of our lovely Team Yankee Global Facebook Group innocently asking which are the lighter scents, the comments come back tinged with criticism in most cases (and that’s quite alright – I was just observing!)

Not every Yankee scent is designed to be a blow your head off whirlwind like Salted Caramel, Midsummer’s Night or White Gardenia for example. Some are medium strength, and yes, some are light.

However I have to say out of the 200 or so Yankee jars I own, I can enjoy them all. Yes, at times I’ve struggled, but I think it comes down to the environment you burn them in and also of course your own personal sense of smell.

But I promise you, you can enjoy the lightest of light scents and get it to fill your room.

Before I pick some of the loveliest lighter scents, here is a tip and some things to avoid if you can’t smell your candle.

Try not to use in a busy room (lots of traffic, eating, open doors – all will reduce the scent impact). Avoid too much heat (or cold) – I have clearly found that a lot of heat removes the scent impact from even the strongest candles.

My main tip though if you are hunting around for the scent of your Yankee Candle is to put it in the quietest, darkest room of the house. You’ll be surprised that even your perceived weakest scent will fill the room with its lovely fragrance. But you have to have the room right – fairly dark, consistent temperature, very little coming and going. Give it an hour … and bang… tons of scent.. I promise!

Added - HOT TIP - From Ann W - If you are struggling to get scent from a particular jar, try turning it upside down for a while before use. Some people have had success with this. I guess the oils sometimes can settle towards the bottom and this might give them a bit of a shake up.

Some of these scents aren’t designed to be necessarily heavily detected as you sit in the room, but as you go in and out you will notice a beautiful difference to the atmosphere.

So onto the list which has been compiled by me and our friends on the Team Yankee group. Here are some lovely yet lighter Yankee scents all of which I recommend.
 

Sicilian lemon
 
Sicilian Lemon (Meyer Lemon in the USA) captures the feel and fragrance of a lemon grove. It has almost tangy notes to it and is absolutely divine.


Under the Palms
 
Under The Palms was a new scent for 2014 and it certainly creates thoughts of lying underneath palm trees with an obvious aroma of young coconuts on the breeze. It is quite unique.

 

Let Freedom Ring

Let Freedom Ring depicts the Liberty Bell on its graphic and its scent is divine if very, very light! It has an indulgent vanilla, touched with woodsy perfume. Very elegant and chic.

 

Beach Wood
 
Beach Wood is quite a masculine fragrance and very oily. You can imagine smelling a freshly waxed boat at the seaside or transport yourself aboard a spaceship with this fresh, very different scent!

 

Mountain Lodge
 
Mountain Lodge is one of my all time favourites. It literally brings to mind how you would imagine a 5 star wood panelled hotel to smell in a mountain range location. It is plush, lush and creamy!

 

Fireside Treats
 
Fireside Treats whisks you off to beach parties or outdoor camping trips. A sweet marshmallow overlays a smoky depth.

 

North Pole
 
North Pole has the icy, crisp mintness of how you’d imagine Santa’s home to be. A fantastical and magical experience!

 

First Down
 
First Down has all of the luxury of Mountain Lodge, overlaid with the scent of polished leather. You’d imagine this to be a strong scent, but it works so well with its subtlety.
 

When talking about these scents I of course mean in jar form (large, medium or small). The melt experience is completely different and the scents do come through much stronger when you melt them in a warmer. Stronger, but also different. For example the tart melt versions of Beach Wood and Sicilian Lemon are so intense they don’t bear much relation to the scent you get from the jars.

So before complaining that your jar has no scent, try some of the above and perhaps learn to love some of these lighter fragrances. I think they are all stunning J