True Grace Candle Eco Product Review

Regular readers may realise at Life Goggles we enjoy reviewing candles, and they don’t really get more special than ones from True Grace.

Created by husband and wife team Philippa Nolan and Roger Biles, handmade in England with 100% natural soya wax, that is locally sourced, True Grace candles exude luxury from the box. They come in plain boxes and ‘hatboxes’, they’re smart and presumably recyclable.

The wording on the back of the box links smell with memory and emotion, which is immediately what happened when my girlfriend took the candle out. The one we received was the Library scented candle and it has flavours of cedar and sandlewood with a smoky resonance. She couldn’t get enough of it, the smell taking her back to a childhood memory of log burning fires. And this is before we even lit it.

With a burn time of 40 hours, the candle looks beautiful in its the etched glass holder and it doesn’t take long for the aroma to fill the room. I was a little worried it would overwhelm the room as it’s such a strong smelling candle when held close, but it’s more subtle when lit and is lovely.

The flame is more orange in colour than other candles I’ve got, which adds to my fascination even more. I regularly light candles and have been choosing this one more often than others just to get that delightful scent in the house. I might be addicted!

The are a whole range of different flavours and sizes available online at True Grace or in shops around the UK. The one I tested costs £18 for 190g or 6.5oz.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil Pillar Candle Eco Product Review

After reviewing a few candles, I decided to give someone else a go. Step in my friend Kate who spent some happy hours with the a Ylang Ylang candle from the Scented Candle Shop. She liked it as much as the Stone Glow Pillar Candle I reviewed:

“With the cold winter nights well and truly here and Christmas fast approaching it seems the perfect time of year to be road testing the Essentail Oil Ylang Ylang pillar candle, which is made from 100% organic plant wax, making it not only environmentally friendly but vegan friendly too.

“I love the light that candles give off and really look forward to winter when I can really go to town with them, but I have to admit I’m not usually a fan of scented candles, which, all too often, give off overpowering artificial smells. As Essential Oil candles are made using only natural plant extracts the ylang ylang candle emits a very subtle scent. Although a very delicate scent, it still managed to radiate throughout the room and disguise the smell of the onions that were caramlizing in my kitchen at the time of testing. These eco friendly candles come in a real array of scents ranging from lemongrass to the very Christmas sounding orange and clove which I can’t wait to try.

“The candle has approximately 12 hours of burning time but the manufacturers recommend not lighting for more than five hours at a time. The one that I tested burnt beautifully and looked so pretty on the vintage blue saucer I placed it on. So much nicer than the candles that come in glass jars which look fabulous until 30 minutes or so after they’ve been lit when the glass becomes covered with a film of black smoke.

“My only bugbear is that the candles are made in Malaysia which somewhat detracts from it’s eco friendly status but in spite of this I’d still give the Essential Oil Ylang Ylang Pillar Candle a big thumbs up.”

The Ylang Ylang Essential Oil Pillar Candle from the Scented Candle Shop costs £4.99.

Stone Glow Natural Pillar Candle Eco Product Review

I’m a big fan of candles for some reason. In fact I’m fascinated by fire I think and a candle is just a small version for me to play with. I have lots around the house and I was very excited when the Scented Candle Shop asked me to review a candle for them.

The Stone Glow Wild Clematis arrived packaged in bubble wrap which was a bit of a disappointment but I’ll reuse it. However the strong smell coming through the wrapping made up for it and once I opened it all up I was excited to burn it. Strange I know but as I said I like to burn candles and I even read with candlelight sometimes, it gives off a much better light than bulbs in my opinion.

As the candle is made in the UK from 100% natural (vegetable) wax the instructions say not to burn it for more than five hours at a time, presumably as the wax may run more than artificial candles. On the first burn five hours didn’t even get to the edge of the candle - a good sign for a long burn time. It says it will last 35-40 hours in fact.

Also the candle still smells nice when it’s lit. It’s not overpowering but the room smelt nice when it was lit which doesn’t always happen with other ’smelly’ candles. I’ve been really pleased with it and it gives off a nice glow as well as smell.

The Stone Glow Natural Pillar Candle costs £9.99 from Scented Candle Shop with free delivery.

Method Soy Candle Eco Product Review

Big Green Smile sent us a Method Soy Candle for testing. It’s a bit tricky to test a candle, so took a picture of it lit along with one of our Wizard of Oz placemats – nice isn’t it?

Anyway I’d put off reviewing this candle for a while as I love the smell of it when it’s not lit. I have the pear and grapefruit flavour and it’s lovely. I was worried it would disappear when lit but it actually doesn’t and dissipates into the room. We’ve been using candles for a while now instead of air fresheners and this is a great eco-friendly alternative.

Made from renewable, natural soy and with cotton wicks, the only gripe I would have is the ceramic holder. Perhaps the soy doesn’t hold it’s shape that well so needs a holder but we’ll definitely reuse it once the candle is finished – it would be good if you could buy refills. It seems to be lasting a while though and compares favourable with other candles I have - and we have quite a few.

Also available in other scents - sweet water, lavender lemongrass and vanilla apple, Method candles are said to produce 90 per cent less soot for healthier air quality than regular candles. They cost a nice round £5 and are available from Big Green Smile.