Report and photography by Yamine Daaboul

Scented candles have long since been used to help us relax at the end of a long day. For many months now we’ve found ourselves living through a pandemic, shut in our homes with all the stresses that brings.

Lighting a candle with a relaxing scent can help you calm down, drift off to sleep or simply make your environment a more pleasant place to pass the time. But there is such a huge range of scented candles on the market that finding the right one can feel overwhelming.

Our two-part round-up features some of our all-time favourite candles and some new gems mined from smaller independent brands. There’s something to suit all tastes and budgets.

Only candles with an impressive throw (ability to spread the scent around the space), burn time and suitably calming effect on our stress levels have made the cut.

Remember to burn your candle all the way across the first time you light it to prevent hollowing. Keep the wick trimmed short to stop it smoking and put the lid back on your candle after use to keep it clean, if it comes with one. Most importantly, take a deep breath… and enjoy!

Winter Light (Pt 1)