How to choose your candle

Tin candles and shaped candles are not the same purchase

Tins are made to be lit: they last, they keep the wax off the table and you can put the lid back on between uses. Shaped candles — the balloon dog, the tiger, the evil eye, the heart — are half candle and half ornament, and plenty of people buy them to display and never light them at all. If you want to burn it, buy a tin. If you want it seen, buy a shape.

The first burn decides how long it lasts

This is the tip that pays for itself and almost nobody knows it. The first time you light it, leave it until the wax has melted right across the surface, edge to edge. Put it out too early and the candle remembers that small crater: from then on it only burns down the middle, leaving a wall of wax stuck to the sides. Get the first burn right and you get roughly twice the candle.

Scented or unscented?

We stock both, and every product page says which is which, precisely so nobody ends up with a surprise in a small room. Scent works in a bedroom or a bathroom. In a living room where you also eat, unscented is the safer call — and if you are buying for someone whose taste you do not know well, unscented is the safe call full stop.

Where to put it

On something heat-resistant, away from curtains and wooden shelves, and out of a draught. A draught does more than blow it out: it makes the flame dance, melts the wax crookedly and burns through the candle much faster. And the obvious one that still bears repeating — never leave it burning in an empty room.

Making it last

Trim the wick to about five millimetres before each use; a long wick means a big flame, smoke and wasted wax. Burn it for a couple of hours at a time, not five minutes and not a whole evening. And snuff it or put the lid on rather than blowing it out — far less smoke.

What to do with the tin

Do not bin it. Warm water lifts the last of the wax and leaves you a pot that works for pens, clips, hair grips or a very small plant. It is what keeps the candle in the house long after the wax has gone.

Why it rarely fails as a gift

No sizes, no taste to second-guess, and it gets used. It works on its own as a small gift and works better paired — a candle with a decorative lamp, or with something from home decor, makes a complete present without pushing the budget up much.

Frequently asked questions about our candles

How long do they burn for?

It depends on the size, and the burn time is listed on each product page. As a rule, let it burn long enough the first time for the whole surface to melt: it stops the candle tunnelling and doubles its useful life.

Are they scented?

Some are, some are purely decorative. The scent is always stated on the product page, so nobody ends up with an unexpected candle in a small room.

Can the tins be reused?

Yes, and they should be. Once the wax is gone, the tins make good pen pots, small planters or somewhere to lose your hair clips.

Are they a safe gift?

Candles are the closest thing to a guaranteed present: no sizes, no allergies to worry about with the unscented ones, and everyone uses them. Combine one with something from home decor.

More ideas in original gifts and special moments.