Back when I was single, I would buy candles (and by candles I mean expensive, fancy, and SCENTED candles) mainly because I knew it was the safest way to make my apartment smell NOT like a cat potty.
After years of trying room deodorizers, plug-ins, perfume, etc. I always seemed to use either too much or too little (or at least told that my apartment smelled like a cheap attempt to cover something up…which I wasn’t!). But candles (and regular cleaning of the litter box of course) seemed to be the difference between friends wanting to come over to my place to watch that movie or coercing me to go to their house.
Strangely though, my burning candles started to make friends comment more on the smell of my apartment (after all, who would walk into someone’s house and say first thing “Oh, your apartment smells like cat poop!”; however, saying “Oh wow, your apartment smells just like pumpkin pie!” is socially more acceptable). After a while, I started to notice strange trends. For example, a candle to one friend would be perfectly pleasant, while to another would smell awful. I think this more than anything else started my fascination with smells. Also, the combination of different candles, (I soon learned), was very important. Apparently, there are certain smell combos that just shouldn’t be.
On the list of candles I don’t burn because they are offensive to friends:
- Lavender
- Ginger
- Gardenia
- Seaside Mist
- Orchid
- Caramel
- Mint
The above list is interesting to me, yet I’m not sure why. What I do find interesting, is that the majority of the above fragrances are mainly floral. How could someone love the smell of flowers, yet hate the smell of flower-scented candles? I’ve never really had any complaints about any fruit-scented candles. Maybe I’ve just befriended “fruity” people. Ha!
There is one candle, which was a Partylite candle, that everyone across the board seemed to love the smell of…a candle called “Zen,” which I’m not sure if Partylite still makes. But, I’ve always been curious as to what “Zen” smells like. I still have a few votives that I have yet to burn in case anyone else wants to have a go at describing it for me.
- Jul 14, 12:46 PM
- 6 Comments
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1 · Janet · Jul 22, 02:59 PM
Hmmm…very interesting. All the scents on your list would be fine by me. My favorite candles to burn, however, is rose or one that smells like freshly baked cinnamon rolls or honey butter. I really like the combination of amber and sandalwood, but I can never find that scent. I don’t think it is very popular.
2 · Katie · Jul 31, 03:42 PM
I am exactly the same way… I am anosmic (acquired 2.5 years ago) and I still burn incense (and wear perfume, picked by friends). A few of my friends are VERY supportive and inform me if my litter box needs changing, and also inform me if the incense is making people choke it’s so strong! I get friends to describe smells to me by comparing it to something that can be experienced through other senses… and that actually helps me understand.
3 · Heather · Jul 31, 04:22 PM
Wow! You still wear perfume!
I just can’t seem to get the amount right. Either I use too little or use too much.
And as for having friends pick it out, I seem to have friends with very conflicting tastes when it comes to scents…it’s all so confusing that I usually just forgo the perfume entirely.
4 · Jeana · Oct 25, 04:18 PM
perfume? ohhh baaaad! I have one bottle of after bath body spray-that my daughter left when she moved out four years ago-I am guessing that when it says spray over body after bathing-it means it is not at all strong. at least no one has ever commented on it. and since my husband gets migraines from certain scents-who knows which ones-best that I keep on refraining from that little adventure of perfume.
5 · Rachael · Jan 14, 08:26 PM
Why do people like flowers, but not floral-scented candles?
A lot of times, floral-scented candles don’t really smell like flowers; they are just labelled as such. Also, people are used to the scent of flowers being gentle and unassuming, and scented candles have a stronger smell that commands attention. I guess that is one reason that people like the smell of flowers – the smell can’t usually be detected from across the room, but if their nose is put up next to it, they can easily smell it. Since the smells of candles can be so loud, competing candles can be worse. The smells mix into a scent that is NOT pleasing. It is like eating two things that do not go together.
6 · Heather · Jan 15, 11:22 AM
Thanks Rachael! I’ve been wondering about that for a really long time!