.:: CybeleSays ::.

Now that the holidays are officially over and the cinnamon and spruce candles are tucked away for next year, I just realized I had this THOMPSON FERRIER Candle that I forgot to try. It was from the Thompson Ferrier Holiday Candle Tins collection and is in Elegant Gardenia, so I think the timing is perfect since it’s not really a holiday scent to me.

It uses cosmetic grade soy paraffin and the scents are really nice - fruity guava, delicate freesia, gardenia, frangipani, warm amber and sheer musk. I’d venture to say this is the most pungent candle I have come across in some time. I just take off the top and wham, gor-ge-ous scent, and that’s just without lighting it. Once lit, it lights dusts the room with its beautiful notes.

And the price is right too @ $15/6.7oz = 30 hours burn time. Choose from 11 scents total @ thompsonferrier.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

If you are looking for a last minute gift for the girl who has to be totally unique, might I suggest LEILA LOU BY ROSIE JANE’s Leila Lou Holiday Gift Set for $28. It contains a 3.5ml Leila Lou Fragrance Oil and 3oz Leila Lou Candle packed in a cute canvas tote that has an Eleanor Roosevelt quote on one side.

Though the frangrance may be a tad bit springy for now with notes of pear blossom, fresh cut grass and tangerine, at least the recipient will be armed and ready for the new season!! Such a great scent. This set is only @ beautyofasite.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

The first order of business when it comes to getting into the holiday spirit is scent and getting your nose to feel festive. This Holiday Three-Piece Natural Soy Massage Candle set by SPA RITUAL is a double-dutier. Burn, burn, you candles but as the title states, tip some of the melted wax into your palms and rub it into your skin. Each 2oz candle is poured by hand and contains a 100% cotton, lead-free wick and this set contains three lovely scents - Close Your Eyes (features Geranium), Look Inside (features Frankincense), and Infinitely Loving (features Chinese Jasmine). Big recommendation. $36 @ skinbotanica.com.

Wanna see more pictures? Click after the picture below.

Click here to read more

I think the month of October is my favorite month of fall as here in LA, it’s still nice but the eves have more of a bite to them. The smells are different than the rest of the year, not to mention we start getting rain (yeah!!). Candle usage in the house also increases around this time of year and here are a few room scents I’ve been loving.

INFUSION ORGANIQUE Sands of Morocco Scent Diffuser ($56/6.4oz, $90/16oz @ infusionorganique.com) – I’ve been sitting on this scent for a few months now as it wasn’t quite fitting for summer but oh-so-yes for fall. Unleash a combination of vanilla, sandalwood, warm oak moss and certified organic lemongrass oil in any room to warm it up this season.

MRS. MEYER’S Iowa Pine Scented Soy Candle ($6.99/4.9oz = 25 hours @ mrsmeyers.com) – I kind of jumping the guy with this pine scent but it’s really getting me in the mood for the upcoming season so I can’t help it! Fill the room with a touch of clove and cedar with this baby. Also available are Orange Clove, Cranberry and Spice Cake.

SLATKIN & CO. Candle in Apple Crumble ($19.50/40-65 hours @ bathandbodyworks.com) – I’m not much for the food-smelling candles but who doesn’t love the smells of apples? This one smells like Granny Smith and McIntosh apples with a touch of vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Smells good enough to eat.

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes.

Are you looking for a new candle line these days? I have one you might want to investigate. The sexy INFUSION ORGANIQUE’s Soy Blend Candle in Indochine is simply rocking my world right now. This one combines organic extracts and oils of kumquat (the word kumquat is Chinese for golden orange. Didn’t know that!), peach, water lily, muguet and vanilla. The blend then dances with certified organic grapefruit extract, orange, and ylang-ylang essential oils. And the scent throw – it fills up the whole room with the subtle notes but not in an overpowering way.

And what I like about this line overall is that it combines two of what I truly have come to believe is the best after trying out products for the past 10+ years here on the site – organic materials + science = fantastic. $38/65 hours burn time @ infusionorganique.com.

I just stuck my toe into the BARONESSA CALI water and I must say, I like it so far! As you can see from the picture, this is their Tarocco Single Wick Soy Candle with Sicilian Red Orange Extracts. Wow, the throw from this scent is, well, there! Think of the largest and juiciest orange you’ve ever tasted and you have the scent of this candle. $26/11oz = 65 to 75 hours @ calicosmetics.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

When I was in college, I took the mandatory literature classes but come senior year, I wanted a relatively easy semester and decided to forgo the Shakespeare class given by one of my favorite teachers, Meera Tamaya. And as you can probably guess since I am mentioning it in the post, I do regret it to this day! She was just one of those teachers.

At this point, I guess the least I can do is dedicate this review to her and what better way than with the PADDYWAX Library Collection. Now that I’ve burned these two down to their nubs, I’m onto the next candle. There are five different scent collections that pay homage to some influential writers – Jane Austen (gardenia, tuberose, jasmine. Love this one!!), Edgar Allen Poe (cardamom, absinthe, sandalwood), Walt Whitman (grass, thyme, red clover) and Henry David Thoreau (cedar, moss, juniper). And the packaging is also just so fitting with the schoolbook looking matte colors and each bestows some of their famous quotes on the outside. Choose from a glass packed candle, a travel tin candle or a diffuser. So here’s to you Ms. Meera Tamaya! $25/9oz/glass container, $28/4oz/Diffuser, $8/2-wick travel tin candle @ paddywax.com.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

Sometimes I’m not in the mood for your typical holiday scent, especially after the holiday, like this coming week. Here are two that are fitting the bill right now.

TOCCA Candle in Brigitte ($36/10.6oz @ tocca.com) – combines ginger, rhubarb and papaya. Surprisingly pleasant.

SLATKIN & CO. Scented Candle in Autumn ($9.50/4oz, $19.50/14.5oz @ bathandbodyworks.com) – blends the lush smells of red delicious apples, fig and notes of fir balsam and rich cedarwood.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.

Still not getting in the mood for the holidays? Try one of these to scent up your house and you just might find yourself feeling oh-so-festive by the time you know it.

CRABTREE & EVELYN Three Fragranced Candles ($24 @ crabtree-evelyn.com) – limited-edition Christmas scent of a blend of spices and citrus. Mmm…

Click here to read more

So today is a pretty exciting day! Not only is it the busiest shopping day of the year but it’s the day I kick off my Annual Holiday Gift Guide. From now until Christmas Day, I'll be rolling out picks I all across the beauty board - from fragrances to makeup to hair and of course bath and body care. If you see the below wreath in a review, you'll know it's a Cybelesays gift pick! Enjoy.

To celebrate the holidays, BLUEWICK just put out their Tarro Collection of four Soy Candles and it was hard to pick just one favorite so I narrowed it down to two scents – the Tamarind Fur (crisp winter forest Siberian Fir and Balsam blended with Sweet Tamarind, Lemon Leaf and Bamboo) and Festival (Dewfruit Zest, Loganberry, Heliotrope blended with Sweet Muguet Vanilla, Allspice, Quince and Valencia Orange). So each of these fulfill a mood! $24.50/16oz = 90 hours burn time @ bluewick.com.

And know that these burn down to the very last drop. Major quality in these candles!

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.