Every family has their own rituals, and while they may seem boring or plain while we still live at home, they often turn out to be the things we miss most after we moved out.

At our place, it was “Teestunde”, probably best translated with “Tea time”.
Every day when it got dark outside my mother would brew a pot of tea from tea leaves (not teabags, mind you!), light some candles and sit down with a book. And slowly, one after the other, me and my sisters would join her, either reading or reflecting on our day while sipping tea and enjoying some cookies.
There was no obligation to join, if you were out, no worries, but if you were at home, you were automatically drawn there for a bit of family time.

Scented Candles Wax Lyrical, Neom

I never realized how much I enjoyed that until I moved out.
Suddenly, when it grew dark, no one would make tea and light candles, and after a few weeks I realized I had to do it myself.

Up until now, living on my own for more than 16 years, my husband and I sit down at around six pm with a cup, calling it a day.

The scent of tea gives me comfort and helps me unwind, so I was excited when I discovered this tea based scented candle line by Wax Lyrical in collaboration with Fired Earth (who usually do wall paint and tiles and that jazz).

Each scent has been inspired by a wall paint (the color, obviously, not the scent of paint) and the glass jars are tinted to match that color.

Out of the seven scents to choose from I picked two: Black Tea & Jasmin, in a black jar, and Chai & Lime Blossom, in a cream jar.

While I paid 24,95 € in store, you can get them for around 22 € from amazon.

According to the website, they will burn for 55 hours. I have yet to track my candles using a stopwatch, so I can’t vouch for that, but thus far they didn’t burn down to quickly.

The scent is strong enough to fill my entire flat within half an hour and I can still smell it in the living room the next morning if I burned it the night before.
Unlit, you can subtly smell the candle within two meters distance.

Wax Lyrical Black Tea & Jasmine

Black Tea & Jasmine is described as a “rich oriental blend”, containing cedar wood, clove leaf, eucalyptus, geranium, guaicwood, lemon, patchouli and black tea.
It is a dark, spicy scent I liked a lot during the colder months. Even though the jasmine is noticeable, it is not in a sweet, floral way, but heavy and with a hint of burning wood.

Wax Lyrical Chai & Lime Blossom

Chai & Lime Blossom is described as “soothing scent of warm chai spices layered with fresh notes of lime blossom and bergamot on a base of sweet cocoa and vanilla”, containing lemon, cinnamon leaf and bark, pimento leaf and geranium.
While the sweetness is undeniably there, this candle smells fresh enough to have me thinking of summer, with the citrus sting watered down by the spices.
It is warm enough not to be confused with cleaning agents, but crisp enough to smell of spring, if that makes sense?

Can you tell I struggle with describing scents?

Sneakily added to the above picture is a small NEOM candle in “Real Luxury”, which I received in a GWP by Cult Beauty. The full size (420g, 3 wicks, 50 hours burn time) retails for 62 € here.
This is my first ever NEOM candle, but the blogosphere is full of excitement about there scent range and all organic ingredients, so I am very happy to finally get to burn one.

Neom Candle Real Luxury

Real Luxury is described as “Cashmere blankets and the flutter of the fireside warmth, a precious moment of utter luxury.”, containing jasmine, lavender and Brazilian rosewood.
To be honest, I don’t get the flutter of fireside warmth. To me, this is a candle best placed near the bath tub. The smell reminds me of the soothing blend of oils they use for a full body massage, and smelling it while I soak in a hot tub is the epitome of relaxation.

Your turn now:
Do you like scented candles?
If so, which brand do you prefer?
And what is the thing you missed most after moving out?