I can't say exactly when it happened, but I have officially become a fragrance girlie. That said, because I spend most of my days working from home, I only sometimes use the favorites in my growing perfume wardrobe. However, the fragrance assortment I am constantly refilling is my candle collection. My morning ritual includes brewing a homemade Americano in my Nespresso machine, lighting a candle, turning on a Spotify playlist, and sitting at my computer to take on the day.
As I got the idea to light more than one candle at a time, I thought to myself, "Am I doing this right?" What I've realized as I've tested candle scents in my day-to-day life—and for this story—is that, unlike layering the wrong perfume on the skin, candle scents are much more forgiving, and it can be really fun to play alchemist by mixing, matching, and layering my favorite wicks for a unique and signature home scent.
To get the deets on the right way to layer home scents, I connected with Dawn Marie West, founder of La Boticá. This luxury perfumery combines olfactory sensations with contemporary art. You can see that in the brand's handcrafted travertine-stone vessels. I chatted with the perfumer about the dos and don'ts of layering candle scents. Keep reading for more!
Do: Focus on Notes That Complement Each Other
Like layering perfumes, creating the perfect home fragrance pairing requires some thoughtfulness. West says, the first thing to consider before lighting more than one candle is how the notes will harmonize together. "For example, floral and citrus notes are paired often because they play off each other so beautifully and immediately add a level of sophistication," she tells me. "A good example of this would be a vanilla-like orchid and neroli pairing."
Combining the notes of neroli flowers with the zest of citrus, this candle is a great example of how floral and citrus notes can work in harmony.
Secured in the brand's signature pink vessel, this candle has notes of orange blossom neroli alongside pear, mandarin, and cypress notes, the cornerstone of its Body Hero Collection.
Housed in a hand-blown glass vessel, this floral-infused candle fills the home like fresh flowers with the top notes of marigold, carnation, and English pear; middle notes of jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, and ylang-ylang; and anchoring base notes of benzoin resin, and amber.
Featuring notes of vanilla orchid, citrusy clementine, and wild blackberry, this candle boasts up to 50 minutes of burn time. The warm fragrance is housed in a decorative glass vessel that doubles as home décor. For a $30 candle, the glass feels and looks expensive.
Do: Think About the Mood You're Setting
West notes that thinking about the mood you're setting is essential. For example, when preparing a scentscape for a party, she recommends high-spirited citrus notes, like bergamot, neroli, grapefruit, and lemon. "These can invigorate a space and keep the energy high," she adds.
This smoky candle with notes of revered wood, crisp bergamot, and orange is another case study of how citrus can pair well with almost anything.
For a bright ambiance, this candle has a surprise note of yuzu fruit and other mainstays like bergamot and Sichuan pepper, which offer an air of lightness.
If you are setting a grounded, more elegant atmosphere, West recommends merging warm, creamy notes such as vanilla, palo santo, santal, and oud. "These notes are often utilized to create a captivating, rich, warm experience," she says.
With top notes of wild citrus and palo santo at its heart, this candle provides a purifying, smoky olfactory profile and a vessel that instantly adds a notable element of sleek home décor.
Inspired by Harlem's Lenox Avenue, this two-wick candle fills a room with lingering, long-lasting notes of tangerine and tart green apple, gardenia, coconut, sweet bourbon vanilla, and sandalwood.
This Boy Smells favorite boasts husky notes of firewood, smoke, charcoal, palo santo, and hay. Sparkling juniper berry offers a surprising brightness to bring the scent profile full circle.
TPH isn't just giving us excellent haircare. The brand also offers a body collection, including this candle with notes of lemon oil, fresh turmeric, rose water, patchouli coconut cream, cardamom, and geranium.
Do: Consider the Placement of Your Candles
I usually burn my candles side by side, but West says to consider the aesthetic of where your candles sit. "In larger spaces, you might observe one candle's fragrance dominating in one area while the other takes over with a different fragrance in a separate section of the room," she tells me. "This creates an interesting interplay between scents, providing an intriguing experience for guests who encounter different fragrances simultaneously. It is a dynamic way to curate a multisensory environment."
Leave it to Nest to always come up with a unique fragrance combo. It's instantly uplifting thanks to notes of lime zest, green tea, clary sage, and bergamot.
The hand-blown glass vessel made in Poland isn't the only detail that makes this Egyptian-cotton wick and paraffin wax candle a showstopper. The candle merges jasmine notes and musk developed in Grasse, France's historical center of perfumery.
Made with 100% natural dual wick and boasting 140 hours of burn time, this Santal Vanille candle is infused with smooth vanilla notes and warm woody santal notes.
Don't: Be Afraid to Try a Surprising Pairing
Getting a scent pairing wrong might be anxiety inducing, especially if you're preparing a scentscape for an event. But as I mentioned, candle pairing is much more forgiving than traditional perfume layering. For a mysterious moment with an element of surprise, West says she'd pair something gourmand like nutmeg with a citrus note such as orange peel, bring in a spice of cardamom, and round it off with oud. "The earthy depth of oud, in turn, contributes to a more profound, grounding blend, making the fragrance feel mysterious and all-encompassing for the space," she shares.
This candle is worth the investment. In addition to the oud wood notes, it has notes of rosewood, cardamon, sandalwood, vetiver, and the added warmth of tonka bean and amber.
Presented in a minimal glass jar, this candle burns warm and spicy notes of cardamom, clove, and nutmeg with a touch of citrus.
We love a refillable candle, and it just so happens that this one is both refillable and is crafted with unexpected notes of moss absolute, cedar essence, and matcha accord inspired by the Saihoji temple—a Japanese zen garden nestled just outside of Kyoto.
One of Tom Ford's most popular fragrances is also available in candle form. Clary sage, lavender, almond, and vanilla work in tandem with tonka bean and leather to make it an instant hit. Think "What's that smell?" in the best possible way.
Cardamom, mimosa, and slight tobacco notes weave through this clean, floral, and spicy candle, making it ideal for parties and solo self-care moments alike.
Do: Mix Holiday Scents
I'm burning Bath Body Works' Balsam and Firewood Candle with La Boticá's Nolita 96 while I work on this story. I assumed pairing a holiday candle with a non-holiday fragrance would be a no-no because they can be so aromatic, but it was a surprising success!
West says she wholly encourages this. "Considering these fragrances are typically associated with the holidays, pairing two distinct candles can result in a more custom holiday fragrance," she says. "I would recommend a combination of a balsam or fir-needle candle paired with a creamy santal instead of the more traditional frankincense. It is unexpected for the holidays but still has the nature of the season in the experience."
This candle is in my top five because it's putting me in the holiday spirit, and I got it on sale! Infused with natural essential oils and notes of woodland balsam, crisp eucalyptus, fir branches, and cedarwood, this candle brings on the holiday with the lighting of its three lead-free wicks. I also enjoyed pairing it with this Maggie Valley Collective Lemon Lilac candle ($34).
Featuring a blend of pomegranate, mandarin orange, pine, cloves, and cinnamon with a hint of vanilla and amber, this candle is a holiday cult classic and the number one luxury candle sold in the U.S. Currently, the brand is partnering with the Fifth Avenue Association to scent the iconic stretch of Fifth Avenue —46th through 61st streets—with 50 tree displays lining Fifth Avenue and historic landmarks like Bergdorf Goodman and Central Park.
If you're like me and are opting for an artificial Christmas tree, this candle layered with notes of myrrh and incense absolute, Siberian pine, and fir tree brings the essence of a live tree.
Housed in a white glass container, this candle offers notes of cedar and pine scent, taking you on a scent journey to the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.
You don't need a fireplace because this beloved fragrance manages a sweet and warm essence with notes of pink pepper, orange flower petals, clove oil chestnut accord, guaiac wood oil, cade oil vanilla accord, Peru balsam, and cashmeran while making us feel like we're reading a book by the crackling fire in front of the Christmas tree.