How do I choose a fragrance?
You may have seen my previous blog post all about where and when to burn your scented candles. It contained lots of information and tips about the best times to light your candles for different purposes. But what if you are wanting to buy a candle for someone else? How do you figure out what they may like? Scents are quite personal and not everyone’s tastes are the same to our own. Below are some pointers for you to consider when choosing the right scented candle fragrance for a loved one. You can also use this for yourself if this may be your first time purchasing with O&R!
“The location inspired fragrance brings back memories…”
O&R is all based around travel and the memories I have with the location names of my candles. I am such a nostalgic person and my sense of smell is by far my strongest sense. So for me, smells are so important in relation to my memories. When choosing a scented candle to gift to someone, perhaps you’d like to select one based on a place that means something to them. Did they have the time of their life backpacking across India? Do they have a bucket list of European cities they’d love to visit? Maybe they used to live in Brazil or honeymooned in Hong Kong! There are plenty of ways in which you could relate the travel idea to your giftee. I recently had a customer who sent a Roman Eventide candle to their auntie who used to live in Rome. She said she wanted her auntie to remember the “good old days”.
“I’d like to evoke a certain mood in my/their home…”
It is nice to consider the vibe that their scented candle will give off when its burning. Roman Eventide is made up of beautiful warming clove notes that smell heavenly and calming. It’s also a fairly festive scent so perfect for your Christmas obsessed friend! Hong Kong Nights and Yuletide in London are also very seasonal with their strong notes of cinnamon which really help set a Christmassy mood in your home.
São Paulo Sundays is fresh and invigorating so if you have a loved one that is in need of a pick me up or suffers from low mood, the blood orange may help alleviate those feelings and the verbena could help with concentration. Goan Fields is similar in the way that it is fragranced with energy boosting blackcurrant and stress relieving cedarwood. Avenida de Rio is a light, sophisticated fragrance that is ideal for someone who enjoys calming perfume-like scents and Florentine Gardens is similar in that it is calming and gentle.
“Which scents are more masculine and feminine?...”
I am often asked which candle fragrances are best suited for a male customer. I believe all my fragrances are totally gender neutral and there doesn’t seem to be any sales patterns to reflect that men prefer a particular fragrance over the others. To be honest, when it comes to perfumes, sometimes I wear my partner's cologne just because I love it - we all like what we like so don’t be afraid to buy a scent that you feel is more suited for the opposite gender.
“I know they like particular scents groups…”
I personally absolutely adore creamy or floral scents in my scented candles, so Florentine Gardens (floral) and Hong Kong Nights (spicy and creamy) are my favourites. You may have a rough idea about what your giftee likes, so below I have outlined the fragrance categories of each scent as a little guide.
Roman Eventide - spicy, woody, herbaceous
Goan Fields - fruity, sweet
Yuletide in London - herbaceous, spicy, sweet, creamy
Florentine Gardens - Floral, fruity
Avenida de Rio - fruity, woody
São Paulo Sundays - herbaceous, citrus, woody
Hong Kong Nights - spicy, creamy, citrus
I hope some of these pointers help you to choose the right fragrance for the right person - but in all honesty, you can’t go wrong as all the scented candles on our site smell fab (if I may say so myself!) Happy gift giving!
Take care,
Charlotte