A candle is two choices at once: the scent you'll notice while it's burning, and the object you'll see on the shelf the rest of the time. You might care much more about one than the other. We think it's worth giving both a little thought.
Our assortment goes from Putnam's single-note candles to a soy candle poured into a colorful Bad Dogs ceramic cup. If you're choosing a gift, begin with a scent the person already enjoys, then look at the vessel.
A name that gives you somewhere to start
Putnam's Tea, Mint, Rose, Orange Blossom, Jasmine and Smoke candles each take a single-note direction. Rose and jasmine are a good place to begin if you're looking for flowers. Mint, tea and smoke take you elsewhere.
The names describe scent, rather than establishing that a candle contains the named plant or material. They also won't tell you exactly how you'll experience it. If you can smell a candle in person, that helps; online, a note you already know you like is a useful way to narrow the field.
These Putnam candles are hand poured in Los Angeles in an 18 ounce format. Their wax descriptions differ: Tea, Rose and Jasmine specify soy wax, while Mint, Orange Blossom and Smoke specify coconut-apricot wax. Choose from the details of the particular scent, even when the vessels look related.
A colorful cup and a blend of notes
The Bad Dogs rimmed-cup candle is approximately 3 inches tall and 3 inches across, holding about 8 ounces. It uses soy wax and fragrance oils. The ceramic gives it a visible shape and color even before you light it.
The scent choices include Rose, Teakwood + Pepper, Peppermint + Eucalyptus, and Lemon + Bergamot + Jasmine. Look at the actual color-and-scent options together; the cup you like isn't necessarily available with every fragrance. For the citrus blend, the description also mentions mandarin and lemongrass, which gives you a little more to imagine than the name alone.
More notes don't automatically mean a scent you'll enjoy more. If one is a firm no for you, we'd take that preference seriously instead of hoping the others will make it disappear.
Picture it where it will sit
A close photograph can make an 8 ounce candle look as substantial as an 18 ounce one. Use the dimensions and stated size to picture the object on the shelf or table. Leave its placement and burning setup to the instructions supplied with that candle.
Bad Dogs suggests the empty ceramic vessel can later become a planter or pencil cup. Follow the maker's cleaning and reuse directions when you get there.
The details to keep with the candle
The Bad Dogs candle comes with a care guide. Putnam instructs you to trim the wick before each use. Keep the full directions with whichever candle you choose, including when it's a gift. Our matches and lighter guide explains what those separate accessories include.
If you're really looking for something the person will wear, our Maison Matine fragrance guide moves into perfume notes and formats. And if you aren't sure they'd want scent in their home at all, the gift guide has plenty of other directions. For a candle, the scent is a preference worth knowing.
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