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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Best Candle Ever

Best Candle Ever

by | 67 Comments

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I know, an odd open thread, but it does fit the “c” rule (Laura W. can explain). At any rate, I bought the best smelling candle ever: Fresh Expressions Lavender. Smells so damned good.

And I am fully aware that this is going to spawn fifty comments questioning my masculinity, but I don’t care. They smell too good not to share.

Not to mention, I don’t want you to forget that there is a large, smelly, grumpy animal going to the bathroom in my house. Also, I have a cat.

Reader Interactions

67Comments

  2. 2.

    Yutsano

    You are going to get some heat from RedKitten, however. Her hubby is allergic to lavender. And there is nothing wrong with expressing your inner metrosexual.

  4. 4.

    Dan Robinson

    That’s interesting. My candles are all named “Man Sweat”.

    All that woman smelling stuff will shrivel your testicles down to the size of garbanzo beans.

    1 down, 49 to go.

  6. 6.

    Mumphrey

    Ahh, don’t let the ribbing get to you. A guy truly assured of his own masculinity isn’t scared to do things some would think of as “girly”. I even once read what my wife describes as one of her “cheesy romance novels” after she told me it was really good. The story wasn’t half bad, believe it or not…

  10. 10.

    Max

    I beg to differ..

    best candle ever is by Archipelago, called Havana. Bergamot, Cuban Tobacco leaf and Ylang-ylang.

  11. 11.

    ajr22

    I prefer Sex Panther candles by Odeon. They’re illegal in 9 countries, and are made with bits of real panther, so you know they’re good.

  12. 12.

    eco2geek

    Not to mention, I don’t want you to forget that there is a large, smelly, grumpy animal going to the bathroom in my house.

    You got a new boyfriend, and you’re finally getting around to telling us about it?

  13. 13.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    I’m not big on smelly candles and sprays, but during Christmas, I love a good pine candle and come late winter when I’m longing for spring, I have the best lilac candle ever. Hoping when it’s gone I can find another just as nice.

    BTW: I switched to a clumping corn based cat litter that, besides being healthier than clay litters, traps odors like no other litter I’ve used for the cats before.

  14. 14.

    M. Bouffant

    As a smoker in a one room apt. w/o cross-ventilation, it’s candles or incense for me.

    But lavender?

    Try Caramel Pecan. Even Creamy Vanilla Swirl. Or Cinnamon.

  16. 16.

    PurpleGirl

    Thanks for the information. I can look for them at CVS and A.C. Moore. I’m always interested in candles which release a good scent and do it consistently. I found a candle at Ikea that is similar to one I bought years ago made by Renuzit (Aromasense, Relax & Refresh, which they seem not to make anymore).

  18. 18.

    J.

    Not to mention, I don’t want you to forget that there is a large, smelly, grumpy animal going to the bathroom in my house. Also, I have a cat.

    And a dog.

    Though the dog probably isn’t the one catching up on VOGUE and Bazaar while inhaling lavendery goodness in the loo. ;-)

  19. 19.

    PurpleGirl

    Forgot to add as a edit: On a cold, windy night candles can warm a room and add to the general coziness. I often light a bunch of small votive candles besides a larger scented one.

  21. 21.

    The Republic of Stupidity

    Why am I getting this… this… irresistible urge to go shopping for lacy curtains?

  22. 22.

    SIA

    @WaterGirl: I’ve tried lots of different litters – for a while we used pine can litter and it also seems to emit no odor at all. I get it at a local pet place – Kirkwood Feed and Seed.

    We’re still having periodic cat peeing on dog beds. We’ve been keeping those puppy pads that look like giant diapers on the dog beds.

  24. 24.

    Lurker

    This is for kay, in case he or she is reading this.

    I’m halfway through forming a “business” with my spouse so that we can purchase guaranteed-issue group health insurance that does not discriminate against my preexisting condition. So far we’ve done the following:

    – notarized a general partnership agreement
    – obtained a tax ID
    – filed and published a DBA

    The only remaining requirement is a business checking account with the business name on it. The first payment for guaranteed-issue insurance must paid with a check from this business checking account.

    We took the agreement, ID and blue-stamped DBA to our local credit union to open a business checking account. Here, we hit a snag.

    Standards have tightened since the credit crunch. Most credit unions now require a FICO score of 600 or higher to open any checking account. I have a sufficient FICO score, but my spouse has “no credit.” So, we could not open the account at that credit union.

    The staff suggested that we try a big bank, since big banks like Wells Fargo have looser standards and could overlook my spouse’s absence of a credit history. We would prefer to do business with a credit union, though.

    My spouse just needs a FICO credit score above 600. So, here’s what we’re doing to get my spouse a credit history and FICO score:

    – open a member/savings account for the spouse
    – deposit $520 into the account
    – take out a secured loan for $500 on that money
    – set up auto-pay to pay off the loan in twelve monthly installments

    Expected cost: about $15 or so in interest.

    With luck, my spouse should have a FICO score within 30 days. Then we can open a business checking account at the credit union.

    The credit union folks were super-nice, professional and helpful. I would definitely prefer an account there. If all else fails, though, I’ll settle for a business checking account at a bank. I don’t need this account for anything fancy — I just need it for health insurance.

  26. 26.

    mr. whipple

    And I am fully aware that this is going to spawn fifty comments questioning my masculinity, but I don’t care.

    Dood, I planted lavender years ago. It’s an awesome herb.

    If anyone questions my masculinity, I’ll, I’ll slap them silly. Just silly.

    Don’t mess with mr. whipple.

  27. 27.

    jl

    Poor Lily. How does she put up with it?

    Does she like lavender?

    Maybe you should get her a fresh green shit candle to hide the awful smells the others make.

  28. 28.

    The Dangerman

    Thanks! I’ve been watching the Germans in the Olympics and they have these awful gold (and some black) outfits…

    …and finally recalled they remind me of Golddust from the WWE…

    …and he was … um … sexually ambiguous, too!

  29. 29.

    Carrie

    You know, a real manly-man would use a blowtorch and a bag of marshmallows for a nice fresh scent.

  30. 30.

    mai naem

    I got that cat brush that you kind of recommended last year – furby or whatever it was called. Yeah, so your recommendations on consumer products are kinda questionable to me now. Also too, lavender dude? Shouldn’t be like some manly scent like pine or perspiration?

  32. 32.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    @Carrie: Hell, I took up WoW on his suggestion and lost my business, my wife left me and I got tossed outta my co-op.

  33. 33.

    gbear

    I shall also testify to the necessity of candles in a home with a catbox. Being a guy who uses Yardley oatmeal and almond soap in the shower every morning, I’m not going to pass judgement on anyone’s butch factor.

    But when it comes to scented candles, I’m totally vanilla.

  34. 34.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Here’s an O/T for you: The woman in Huntsville, AL who killed three people yesterday and injured three more? According to story in the NYT (and doubtless elsewhere by now), she fatally shot her brother 24 years ago when she was in her late teens. What a terrible thing, the whole saga, and what an incredibly troubled person she must be. Sad and awful. I don’t know her but I do know (slightly) some people on the UA-H faculty. For some reason that makes it personal.

  35. 35.

    Delia

    @WaterGirl:

    I got some at Safeway. The corn-based cat litter, that is. Not the candles (edit). Arm & Hammer makes one, so it’s not real exotic. There are several different kinds. I stood there a good twenty minutes studying the issue. There are some made out of wheat and some made out of pine as well. You put an inch of the clay litter over the new stuff the first month so the cats can get used to it.

    I think it’s great. It weighs a lot less than the clay. Since I have a bad back, I appreciate only having to carry 7 or 8 lbs rather than 20. I’m also allergic to dust and this stuff doesn’t create the dust that the clay does. And the smell factor is a huge reduction. This is my first month using it and I’m never going back.

  41. 41.

    DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)

    @Dan Robinson: My candles are all named “Man Sweat”.

    They explode on lighting, right?

    And I am fully aware that this is going to spawn fifty comments questioning my masculinity, but I don’t care.

    This dirty and greasy incense and scented candle burning DF’ingH manly-man won’t be one of them. While I can enjoy rolling around in gear oil, gasoline, anti-seize compound (really stinky stuff), inhaling welding fumes and all that thoroughly enjoyable stuff, it needs to be purged from the olfactory systems with good smelling shit (as opposed to the bad smelling shit!).

    My wife keeps us well stocked on the candles and I take care of the incense sticks/oils and scented lamp oils. We stink good here (at least it’s good to us!).

  43. 43.

    LuciaMia

    i bet you have a little basket of scented soaps on a doily next to

    Nah, that went out of fashion, right after the teeny ‘guest towels’ you put out in the bathroom if you were having a dinner party. Towels, which of course, nobody ever dared touch.

  46. 46.

    Morbo

    Hey anime fans, new Full Metal Alchemist series starts tonight at 12:00 on Cartoon Network. Granted, if you’re hardcore you’ve been watching the official stream of it. Or maybe you’re like me and considered it inevitable that it would be picked up by Adult Swim. Whatever, should be good.

  48. 48.

    Bad Horse's Filly

    @WaterGirl: Sorry, went away and didn’t see the question. It’s made by a couple of companies, Arm-n-Hammer makes one and two smaller companies make them. I’ve found them at Walmart, King Soopers (Krogers) and PetSmart. Corn based, very little scent and really good clumping. Very little tracking, too.

  49. 49.

    Zach

    Wow, sports are so gay. On the Olympics broadcast just now:

    Chris Collinsworth: I thought the Hollywood thing was the end, but let me tell ya. Four two-hour workouts a day. This guy (Apollo Ohno) is hot!
    __
    Bob Costas: Speaking of hot, Chris, you’re rocking three layers with a silk handkerchief!

    I think K.D. Lang infected them with gay last night. Awesome.

  50. 50.

    Marvin Piff-paff

    very little scent and really good clumping. Very little tracking, too.

    Jesus thank you for not making me a cat person.

  51. 51.

    Svensker

    Had a kinda rough day today and just got home all tired and stressed out. So come here, and John’s talking about a fucking lavender candle.

    I love this place.

    John, why the hell aren’t you married? You are too darn cute.

  54. 54.

    worriedman

    it’s Okay man, let your subtle appreciation of beautiful frangrances flag fly. I work for a large nursery and we spend all day running equipment and fixing pumps and digging holes, wearing our workboots and John Deere caps. We all drive pick-ups. We spit and swear. We’re wind burned and red necked. At the end of a long day we all lean on the beds of our pick-ups and drink Budweiser. We also stop ten times a day a bury our noses in some sweet smeeling bloom and then we;re all “Smell this Lantanna, so beautiful!”
    “I know! So sweet, but with a subtle hint of spice”
    Lavender is the best. I can’t walk through the perennial house without stripping a stem of leaves, rubbing my hands together then cupping them over my nose.

  56. 56.

    RedKitten

    They’re finally opening a Bath & Body Works in Nova Scotia, and I have every intention of buying the Jasmine Vanilla candle. I love jasmine and vanilla, and have actually been combining the perfume oils from The Body Shop for years now, so I’m looking forward to having my entire house smell yummy!

  57. 57.

    Betsy

    I’ve never been able to take lavender. Too cloying, to my nose. I like vanilla a lot, though. Mmmm. But my boyfriend won’t let me have candles because he thinks (probably correctly) that our cat will knock them over and light the whole apartment on fire.

  58. 58.

    Yutsano

    @Betsy: Get the big jar candles. Unless your cat is of Tunch-like dimensions that should be pretty safe around hir. Plus most of the scents are usually amazing, although I’m partial to the evergreen scents.

  60. 60.

    JSD

    @ John Cole
    RE: Your manhood: Just post the number of aliens you’ve fragged in Mass Effect 2, and all will be right.

  62. 62.

    Jim Once

    I like scented candles, especially those with lavendar, vanilla, jasmine and so on – but they kick my mild asthma into killer mode. Last time I went to a home social gathering, I could barely enter the house – hostess opened the door, and the candles sent me to the hospital.

    Off topic – one significant entry here with which I disagree – but that’s what makes these lists fun:

    http://www.buffalobeast.com/?p=1645

  64. 64.

    asiangrrlMN

    @jeffreyw: Ms. Bea is looking feisty as usual. And, Homer looks like a total doll.

    I am allergic to most scents, and I don’t particularly care for lavender. I haven’t burnt candles in awhile….hmmmmm…..

  65. 65.

    Allen

    I don’t think there’s anything unmasculine about liking scented candles. But lavendar??? That’s up there with vanilla as one of the girliest scents.

  67. 67.

    tigrismus

    There was something in the paper a while back about a study on scents and sexual arousal, and apparently pumpkin pie with lavender was the most effective for men, while cucumber and licorice allsorts/Good & Plenty did women in. Also, “men who said they have intercourse most frequently liked lavender, Oriental spice and cola.” So in your FACE, haters.

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