Aldi Candles | A Jo Malone Dupe?

It's quite likely if our paths have crossed recently that you would have heard me wax lyrical about the joys of Aldi and indeed noticed a smattering of Aldi products starting to appear on these pages.

Whilst my Aldi love is in full force in recent months I was only dabbling at the beginning of the year and as such the realise of the candles being hailed in the press as dupes for Jo Malone had escaped. Luckily for me Aldi heard pleas from their customers and have now made them part of their standard range so I was able to pick them up for myself to try and see if indeed they were worthy of their dupe status.

On first impression you can't argue where their 'inspiration' has come from and indeed the fragrances are matched with Jo Malone offerings. Of course the biggest difference is the price tag. I've never treated myself to a Jo Malone candle - I'm prone to burning money at whim but the price of Jo Malone candles makes even me bulk. At just £3.99 I was happy to experiment with Aldi's offering.

I picked up each of the scents, Lime Basil and Mandarin, Blackberry Bay and Pomegranate Noir and started with the latter being my favourite scent from Jo Malone. On initial sniff the candle did indeed have that familiar scent but it wasn't as strong as I'd expected. When I use just a capful of the Pomegranate Noir Bath Oil my whole flat literally fills with the scent like no other product I've used before so I expected, even if not as strong it would still have some power behind it.

I lit the candle and nothing and I was disappointed. I belong to an Aldi group on Facebook and as with anything of it's type opinions were divided between those stating the candles had no scent, certainly in comparison to the first release which created such hype (and inflated prices on eBay) and others stating how fabulous they were. As I say for me there was nothing.

Now I am a smoker so I appreciate that any scented candle is fighting with cigarette smoke so I thought it could indeed be my 'testing conditions' but having conversations with friends and family who also tried them out they too fell the same.

I even added a dash of my Jo Malone Shower Gel to the wax to add a little punch and it did help but defeats the object somewhat.

I have since burnt the additional two scents and they were perhaps 'even worse' than Pomegranate Noir as I can smell nothing as they burn which is a shame. Even last week I saw someone shopping in Aldi with a friend, picking up a candle and declaring 'you need this in your life' so I presume she has a much better experience than I.

They have since released reed diffusers and in recent months I've had more positive effects from them in my home so I'm looking forward to trying those and hopefully finding a much better result but I will keep you posted.

Scent qualities aside as a candle they really to burn cleanly so it's just a shame they let down on scent. I will make do with stocking up on Bath and Bodyworks Mahogany Teakwood candles when I'm in the US next month - now that is a strong candle that works a treat for me.

Have you tried the Aldi candles? I'd love to hear if you had better success than I did.

Birthday Wishes and Champagne Kisses

Last month it was my birthday so it was the perfect time to receive some gifts from I Just Love It*. Of course these were treats I picked out for myself but nonetheless they were well received.

First was the 'Birthday Wishes & Champagne Kisses' Candle* which comes complete with it's own tin and would make an ideal birthday gift for anyone I think. It looks far more expensive than it's £19.99 price tag. A soy wax blend the candles scent is Toasted Marshmallow and whilst it might not necessarily be that time of year I'm really enjoy this candle at the moment. The scent fills the room even when unlit and once it's finished this is one I'll be cleaning out and re-purposing.

Sadly it does appear to be currently out of stock online at the moment but never fear I Just Love It have a large range of alternative candles, for any occasion not just birthdays. I have my eye on the Bellini Candle next.

Long term followers will know that my blogs origins lay in a love of vintage homewares so I could resist the Let's Get Warm & Toast Butter Knife*. I really enjoy and smile to myself when I use this and its definitely a gift that would make someone smile and remember you when they used it. I Just Love It has a great range of various vintage items stamped whether for Father Day or the recently married so do check them out. It's a little something different without being too over sentimental.

If you're not a fan of myself a quick look round the site will show you there is an extensive ranges of gifts for everyone and every occasion whatever your price range. It's definitely somewhere I will turn to in future when I have an event coming up and I want something that I won't fear another guest turning up with.

What item would you pick?

Please note items were gifted for the purposes of this review but no additional payment was made by I Just Love It for the review itself.

*this post contains press samples

Blackberry Boudoir Candle by Partylite Review

My Friday nights are typically spent one of three ways; hungover from the previous nights exploits, out drinking with friends or what is often my favourite relaxing at home, candles lit with something nice for dinner and a film to watch.

You might assume the former is the reason for today's delayed post but I can confirm otherwise. Tonight I will be heading home to continue watching series one of The Walking Dead, likely with some baked Camembert, a glass of red and my latest candle from Partylite, Forbidden Fruits Blackberry Boudoir*.

During the week candles are usually forgotten as it's often a case of arriving home and diving straight into bed but come the weekend, and those chilled Friday's it's candle time. Of course we all know that this weekend heralds the arrival of Valentine's Day and what is more 'romantic' than a house filled with candles whether you are in company or not.

The Blackberry Boudoir Candle from Partylite, is a wonderful gift from it's sexy and sophisticated packaging outside to the flocked candle jar inside. From the Forbidden Fruits which also includes the delicious sound Coconut Caress and Strawberry Surrender this is a rich and deep fruity fragrance making a wonderful transition from Winter's Christmas scents that I'm sure we're all still burning.

I have been lucky enough to have received a number of candles from Partylite over past months and it's a brand I'm rating very highly. The scents linger long after the flame has been extinguished and the jars are decorative features in themselves which can be repurposed after you've said goodbye to your candle.

What candle will you be lighting this weekend?

*this post contains press samples

Partylite Christmas Candles

I'm not the biggest fan of the clocks going back but apart for one reason, it's dark so early that candles can be lit. Whilst I'm fully immersed in the festive season, typing this post by the twinkle of my trees fairy lights small Christmas touches had been making an appearance from Partylite way before November was over.

Partylite were kind enough to send me an amazing selection of their Christmas line which would be perfect for gifting, or in my case, gifting myself. My immediate love was for this pair of Reindeer Tealight Holders* which would look perfect in any modern or more sedate living room when you want to add Christmas without all the tinsel. In fact this pair wouldn't look too out of place at any time of the year and I'm still undecided as to whether these will be packed away with the rest of my Christmas decorations. Often tealight holders can be flimsy but this is one sturdy pair of reindeer. What I have particularly enjoyed about this pair is that I can light my tealight candles* when I might only be able to enjoy them for an hour or two without having to worry about creating the pool of wax on larger candles and the like. Another strange hit was the tealights from Partylite. Unlike the usual ones with the metal casings (we all buy that massive bag from IKEA don't we?) these have a clear plastic type casing. This means that if your tealights can be seen through the holder, such as tart burners for example, you're able to enjoy the candle colour or choice without it being marred by the metal casing.

If you may remember my last post on Partylite this trio of candles may look somewhat familar by design if not style. Of course the Reminiscent Trio* is their festive version with scents Iced Snowberries, Crimson Berry and Emerald Balsam to give your home a Christmas scent. The box in itself is wonderful festive and makes gift wrapping so much easier or of course you can split out each candle and gift separately. I like the trios and their size as I'm able to dot the candles about my home if I have guests. Today I had one in the bathroom where I don't typically burn candles but I had my family visiting. 

The Bayberry Jar Candle* is probably one of my favourites outside of the typical festive decor. My mum actually walked in my flat yesterday and asked 'where has this lovely big candle come from' which rather made me chuck. A weighty red glass jar which will be used long after I say goodbye to the candle this looks perfect in my small window. I especially love the two wicks which allow the wax to melt evenly and the scent fills the room

Finally is the Snowflakes Tealight Trio* which is a cute set of three decorative glass holders that look perfect in smaller spaces and can be used with votives or the tealights I mentioned before. They're so effective if like me you enjoy switching all the lights off at this time of year and rely on those decorating the Christmas Tree and flickering from candles. 

My selection of Christmas products from Partylite is certainly not exhaustive and there's all manner of scents and products for you to choose from whether for yourself or as gifts for friends. For me personally what I love about the range of products, particularly in the case of those I have is that I will be able to bring out year after year and continue to enjoy rather them passing them over once the festive season is over.

What are your favourite Christmas Candles?

*This post contains press samples 

Partylite Candles | Forbidden Fruits

Partylite is a direct selling company you may be familiar with and with over 68,000 consultants in 18 countries it's very possible you've even attended a party selling Partylite's range of candles. I know had before I was reintroduced to the brand recently.

With origins dating back to the 1900s and continuing to expand as the years go by its a business model you'll know, local consultants host parties in your home and you are able to handle the products , see demonstrations of them in action and most importantly where scented candles are concerned, smell them.

I was sent the Forbidden Fruits Trio* of candles to try and share my thoughts with you today and two are sitting very nicely in my front room adding a sophisticated Halloween touch. The trio of candles are contained in a lovely box perfect for gift wrapping (can you tell I'm getting into Christmas mode already) and would make a lovely gift.

An element I particularly like about Partylite candles is unlike typical brands the glass jars are decorated with patterns or left plain rather than heavily branded. It's rather unusual for a brand to allow the product to speak for itself rather than the name.

Pomegranate Passion, Fig Fatale and Tangerine Tease were the scents contained with Tangerine Tease being the overwhelming scent that came from the box. Perhaps my only criticism of this gift set is the scents didn't necessarily blend well with some overpowering the others but it wasn't unpleasant and was in fact enjoyable to receive a waft of scent even if it was one more than the other.

The candles themselves burned easily and possibly due to their size I wasn't left with the usual black rim you often find with the larger types. Another plus to their packaging is that once the candle has burnt out you have a cute glass to use whether for storing cotton buds, make up brushes or popping a votive candle or similar.

Similar to other direct selling companies Partylite isn't limited to attending a party any longer and you can shop online. It's a slightly fiddly process as you have to enter your location to track down a local seller with an online site but it's fair easier than having to leave the house.

I've had a look at their Autumn/Winter catalogue and there's one or two things I can see myself adding to my Christmas decorating theme this year.

Have you used Partylite candles?

*This post contains press samples

Atelier Cologne Candle

Atelier Cologne Ambre Nue Candle* link

At Christmas I would usually purchase a festive Yankee Candle but this year with limited time at home I decided instead to stick with the Ambre Nue candle I had been sent by Atelier Cologne.

Atelier Cologne is a 'new to me' brand which you'll find in the likes of Selfridges and Liberty so that will give you an indication of it's place as a luxury brand as well as their store locations being in New York and Paris.

Each scent is created with a story, Ambre Nue's being,

"we were staying in the mountains when we met them. She told us about a mysterious flower. He told us where we might find it. The next morning, near the top of the crest, in a moment, a scent seduced us. It was so unexpected and magical: a single flower capturing the wildest ambery bouquet."

Well doesn't that sound exotic. Simply put Ambre Nue has the following notes which I would describe as warm and masculine, everything I would like in a scent. 

Top notes: green mandarin from Italy, Scilian bergamot, tajetes from Egypt

Heart notes: orchid nigritella rubra, cinnamon from Sri Lanka, benzoin from Thailand

Base notes: cistus labdanum from Spain, amber, tonka bean from Brazil

I'm definitely tempted to try the cologne on my next trip to one of the stockists. 

Whilst this wasn't my or anyones traditional Christmas scent it was certainly the perfect one for cold nights in front of the tv with a glass of red wine - and even better now I have finished the candle the luxurious purple glass it was in makes the best brush holder.

*PR Sample

Janjira Therapy Massage Candle

Janjira Therapy Massage Candle* link



When one of my BFF's got engaged a few weeks ago I wanted to get her a little something in celebration particularly when she picked me as her bridesmaid. There was the obvious choice of flowers but at a time when Christmas decorations are in full abundance and the Facebook evidence telling me that others had already done that I wanted something different. Then I remembered the Janjira Massage Candle* I'd recently tested and how 'couple appropriate' it would be.

First of all get all your mucky thoughts of Body of Evidence style candle behaviour. This isn't about pouring molten wax on your or anyone else's body. This candle melts to a warm oil that once you have blown out the flame and allowed to cool slightly can be poured, using the holders handy spout, into the hands and used as a massage oil.

This isn't the cheapest candle at £34 but it is one of the most luxurious I've ever used and for my solo expedition I tried it on the cuticles, elbows and feet, oh to have someone to massage my feet. The scent is what I can only describe as 'spa-like'. I appreciate that is somewhat cliched and of course the real scent is somewhere in the zesty, citrus bracket but to have this burning in my bathroom and then used after on my skin was a real delight for all senses and for a newly engaged couple I could imagine quite fun!

Does this sound like something you would like to share?

*PR Sample

The Scent of a Man

Radox Muscle Therapy Bath Soak* link
Bath & Body Works Mahogany Teakwood link

If you're a single girl like myself and with Valentine's Day on the horizon you may have to find alternatives to snuggling up with a man on February 14th and this little bath and candle duo may just have you fooled into thinking there's a man in the house.

I'd previously passed a bottle of Radox Muscle Therapy Bath Soak over to my brother as a reward for running a marathon but he isn't getting his hands on this bottle. I'm absolutely smitten with the scent of this bath soak which I can only describe as smelling manly. I love when a man walks past me in the street and you get a whiff of their aftershave and this bottle of reviving bath soak seems to have that literally bottled. It's also quite fun climbing into the reddish pink bath full of bubbles and then allowing the sage and sea minerals warm my muscles - just thing after a commute home without a seat.

I don't think I'm alone in wishing Bath & Body Works would reach British shores (along with Sephora and Lorac Pro Palettes please) and their candles are much hyped across YouTube. I'd heard a lot of talk about Mahogany Teakwood smelling like Fierce from Abercrombie and Fitch and went to Las Vegas last year issued with instructions to bring one back for my Fierce wearing brother and couldn't help popping one into the basket for me too. My only regret is that I purchased such a small size.

So there might not be a man in my life, but it certainly smells like it!