BURN BABY, BURN
MAXIMISE YOUR HOME FRAGRANCE WITH THESE CANDLE RULES
RULE 1: The initial burn must be for at least two hours.
“The first burn is the most important,” says Nick Smart, director of Agence de Parfum and Cire Trudon candle guru. “You need to ensure the top of the candle has completely melted before you extinguish it. This is because wax has a memory. If you leave the candle with a small rim, the candle will remember to only burn to this rim and you will not get the full burn time from the candle.”
RULE 2: Limit subsequent burns to three hours.
“After three hours the candle won’t throw any more scent, so you are just wasting wax at that point,” says Smart.
RULE 3: Trim the wick.
“This is extremely important for the life of the candle. The wick should be kept at approximately 5mm. If a candle is creating black smoke when it’s lit, then it’s time for a trim,” advises Smart.
RULE 4: Never burn to the base.
Leave approximately 0.5cm of wax at the bottom, which will prevent the base from overheating and also make it easy to freeze the wax so it constricts and pops out thus allowing you to…
RULE 5: Reuse the glass jar (or at least recycle it). CRYSTALS ARE THE NEW POTPOURRI. AND SO, SO CHIC
Harvested from acacia tree sap, these golden nuggets infuse any space with a warm patchouli, sandalwood and sweet musk blend. 1. Ambre d’or Potpourri Crystals, $117,
BASTIDE, mecca.com.au These chunky sea salt crystals infused with Fornasetti’s sexy Otto scent will leave anyone who gets a whiff searching for the incense burner. 2. Otto Scented Crystals, $163,
FORNASETTI, mecca.com.au
TWO NEW WAYS TO DIFFUSE:
Handbag queen Anya Hindmarch is venturing into home fragrance with her quirky brand Anya Smells. Her pencil jar riff on the traditional reed diffuser is playful, but don’t be fooled by the fun, the scents are refined. 3. Diffuser kit in Lollipop, $196,
ANYA SMELLS, mecca.com.au Enjoy Diptyque’s famed Baies scent (rose, blackcurrant leaves and berries) with each turn of this unique hourglass diffuser, designed with sophisticated glass and metal accents. DIPTYQUE, mecca.com.au