As promised, here are some of the goodies I've gotten these past few weeks! This post focuses on candles.
"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle." -- Francis of AssisiBelieve me, at first I thought spending a lot of money on something that doesn't last a while was just silly and a waste of money. But then I soon came to realize that something small like a candle means more than just a pretty smell or small decoration.
Candles help bring light into our lives. They create an ambience, corny but true. The dimly lit candle and the warmth that emanates creates comfort. The yummy fragrance emitted by a candle helps establish a mood and soothes the psyche.
I choose my candles by two different categories: purely aesthetic value or great scent.
For some of the candles I've gotten more recently, they're purely decorative. And I know for many, spending over $20 on a candle just seems silly. But for me, I think candles can just be another piece of art. Part of their beauty is the fact they are constructed of wax, which adds to the unique imperfection and creative constructive nature of them. Just like flowers, the ephemerality of candles is actually one of their most wonderful aspects. But hey, that could just be me (I am an art history major after all haha). A lot of the more recent candles I've purchased are meant to be for display purposes, and not to be lit. These candles act like little sculptures to place in odd areas around the house.
Other candles, I look for smell. Smell is one of our strongest senses as humans, especially one of our more sensual senses. I believe we should try to surround ourselves with scents that remind us of certain memories or feelings. It's like how every friend growing up always had a different smell in their house and you could identify which friend's house you were in by the inherent smell of it. Scents add comfort to an environment, a sense of familiarity to an otherwise unknown or uncomfortable situation. It's one of the reasons why essential oils is such a strong practice in healing and relaxation.
Key
Image 1: Ri-Ri-Ku atom candle (I got this from Garmentory, also comes in other color combos)
Image 2: Anais Venus candle + Lex Pott twist candle (Lex Pott comes in different color options)
Image 3: Prospect Hannah candle in Noir
Image 4: Anais Venus candle + Prospect Hannah candle in Noir
<< For fun, also got this Goober candle, in El Purple (the farthest right)
Definitely doesn't really fit with the black and white/ivory/cream vibes for the other candles, but still whimsical and playful!
Here's an "after" photo of the Ri-Ri-Ku candle after the doggo got into it. Who knew soy smelled tasty?!
Thankfully, the dog didn't have to be sent to the vet, because the candle is all soy and 100% natural.
Fun fact: get candles made will all natural ingredients, because 1) it can help you avoid emergency vet trips to your psycho pets tasting candles, and 2) whatever is in the candle will eventually burn off and enter the air you breathe so you want the ingredients to be fresh and clean