Beauty editor Laura Mulley loves scented candles, especially at this time of year: cosy season. Here’s her tried-and-tested pick of the best ones to buy…
I make no secret of the fact that I absolutely love a scented candle. As soon as the working day is over I’ll light one up, loving not only the way they make the whole house smell but also the cosy ambience they give to the room, especially when the nights are dark, the weather’s cold, and all I want to do is snuggle up in front of a crackling fire and a good boxset.
I like candles from all price ranges too, from high street favourites such as Yankee to luxe favourites including Jo Malone and Diptyque. My key criteria is that they must, obviously, smell amazing (without giving me a headache) and burn cleanly and evenly (no hollowed out core or sooty stains).
READ MORE: Here’s how to get Jo Malone perfumes for £18 each in the lead up to Christmas
READ MORE: ‘I found a way to get £300 of anti-ageing Gatineau skincare for free’
If you too are looking at setting a cosy scene, here are some of my favourite autumnal candles – think notes of smokey woods, warm vanilla and rich red fruits…
Best cosy autumn candles for 2024
Yankee Candle Afternoon Scrapbooking Signature Large Jar Candle
Currently reduced to £20.99 (usual price £29.99) at Debenhams
I won’t hear a bad word said about Yankee by candle snobs; they’re great value for the amount of wax you get, their scent really fills the house and, despite some of the faintly ridiculous fragrance names, they smell really good. You’ll often also find them on offer too, such as this new Afternoon Scrapbooking Large Jar for the Autumn Cottage Getaway collection, with notes of apple, amber and a hint of leather.
Want a new candle every day? I also love the Yankee Candle Advent Calendar, now down from £26 to £19.50.
NEOM Hibernate Scented Candle (3 Wick)
£55 from NEOM
I think NEOM candles are seriously underrated; if you love elegant, spa-like essential oil blends that really do seem to affect your mood, these are brilliant.
The main note in NEOM’s Hibernate scent is warm, comforting vanilla – ideal if you love the current trend for vanilla perfumes – with additional depth from patchouli and cedarwood. It’s also available in a smaller travel size, priced at £20.
NEST New York Autumn Plum Classic Candle
£45 from Cult Beauty
A change from the usual woody, smoky scented candles that usually come out in autumn, this NEST candle hits you with mouthwateringly juicy notes of purple fruits, smelling not unlike a very sophisticated hot Ribena, IMO. It’s stopped from being too sweet, however, with hints of patchouli leaf and woods. The jar is gorgeous, too; definitely one you’ll want to wash out and keep.
Rituals The Alchemy Collection Scented Candle
£34 from Rituals
Rituals’ latest fragrance collection is a rich, warming scent of amber and myrrh, giving it a sweet and smoky scent that’s perfect for this time of year.
It’s not the strongest smelling of this bunch but you can enhance it with lots of other Alchemy products, including body care, a room spray and a very cool-looking stone diffuser.
Jo Loves Amber, Lime & Bergamot A Scented Candle
£55 from Space NK
Almost too gorgeous to ever light, this is the perfect gift for your most fashionable friend (if you can bear to part with it, that is). Jo Loves founder Jo Malone bases all her fragrances on personal moments, and this one is inspired by a posh event at the Hurlingham Club, filled with “vintage cars, champagne and lush, green gardens”. For me, the notes of suede and amber make this a wonderfully deep, heady scent, while the metal lid is ideal for stopping smoke stains.
Jo Malone London Pomegranate Noir Candle
From £28 from LookFantastic
Onto another Jo, and there’s a reason why Jo Malone’s Pomegranate Noir is regularly lusted over, often copied but rarely bettered. I find that Jo Malone candles often don’t throw their scent very far, but this one fills the whole house with an incredibly elegant aroma of pomegranate, plum, lily and spicy wood, even after it’s been blown out.
It’s available in a range of sizes too, from a travel candle up to a deluxe three-wick; I have one of these that I keep for best, and always get compliments from guests.
Diptyque Papier Classic Candle
£56 from Diptyque
This isn’t the strongest-smelling of the bunch, but Papier is my favourite Diptyque scent to wear as a perfume, and so I’m excited that it’s now available as a candle – and some people prefer lighter, more delicate scents anyway, right? It smells crisp, clean and ever so slighlty musky, with the smell of ‘paper’ coming from the unusual ingredient of sesame.
