Where were you the last summer you did not have to go to work? A beach, perhaps? Summer school? Your grandmother’s house?
Maybe your summer involved ice fishing or maybe it involved going back home to your native country. Either way, we all have this idea in our heads of what the perfect summer is supposed to look like.
For me, that unrealistic dream is a longwinded road trip with a handsome stranger to a beach far away from where we would then continue our summer romance, the scent of fresh linen, ocean salt and tangerines wafting through the air. And while that fantasy remains unfulfilled, these seven candles help me relight that proverbial flame with their sweet summer scent. Candle enthusiasts, rejoice!
For someone who can name every flower in their garden
It excites me that Boy Smells has strayed from their original packaging with this chromesthesia collection, a phenomenon that produces a visual impression of color based on a heard stimuli. This lime green candle gets bonus points for looking the most like summer. The delicate floral notes blend effortlessly with rosemary, vanilla and mandarin. A sticky summer day is now more enjoyable with this scent drifting through your home.
For someone who wants to smell like the ocean
Some people smell sunblock in an effort to remember what summer smells like. Another better idea is to buy this candle. With notes of sea salt, white tea and coconut you will be back at the beach (mentally) in no time.
For someone who loves a fresh linen scent but hates laundry
How did we all come to a consensus that the smell of laundry day is wonderful and should be replicated through whatever means possible? The comforting scent of blue chamomile and white cedarwood fused with clean linen isn’t overpowering. Although a BYREDO candle with its signature black wax does not scream summer, we are willing to take that loss, since it screams luxury instead.
For someone who would rather be anywhere but here
I have never been to Montauk. But I fully trust TOCCA that this candle is what Montauk smells like. Maybe it is a manufactured lie, but with its notes of cucumber and salty ocean air, you will not be mad about it.
For someone who makes Henry David Thoreau references regularly
Imagine this, a cabin somewhere far away with a small window that overlooks a pond. You are a great American writer working on a piece that will change history forever. This environmentally friendly soy-wax candle is hand-poured in New York but takes you somewhere completely different. Social isolation (in the best way) comes to mind when I smell this blend of bergamot, mandarin and basil alongside cedarwood and skin musk.
For the friend who stops to pet dogs and sniff flowers at every corner
You know your obsession has gotten out of hand when everyone gifts you a candle for your birthday. This gifted Kai candle is easily one of my summer staples due to its vacation-in-a-jar nature. Physically I might be sitting here, but mentally I am at the gardens of Versailles staring off into the sunset. I thank white flowers and gardenia for evoking this particular image.
For someone who enjoys the finer things in life
This fig tree scented candle allows your mind to wander off — a mental vacation. Why buy a plane ticket when you can light this candle, close your eyes and allow your mind to wander?
Our Greek editor, Drew Carlos, has confirmed that this candle does, in fact, smell like a Mediterranean summer.
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