And Tonight, I Get Lit

candle and cat

I’d grumble over my long work weekend happening the same time as 420 weekend, but, honestly, it’s been years since I smoked weed, so I’m not really missing out. I occasionally indulge in a small edible, but that’s about it. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to get into the 420 spirit tonight! I’ve had that Malin + Goetz candle for over a year now, and, yes, I only bring it out during 420 time. (Although its bold aroma can work for cold days of late fall and winter.) Does it smell like cannabis? No, but anyone who enjoys that dank woodsy scent would like it. Happy 420, everyone! đź’š

(And watching the flame is my pet “cat” that I got at Trader Joe’s last Halloween. Isn’t he cute?)

A Galentine’s Day Pairing

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Black Cherry Merlot (from Bath & Body Works) really is that scent. I adore all things cherry-scented, so it’s fitting that my newest burn fills my casita with cherry goodness! As for that book, well…why not. It was a thrift store find (duh) and it stuck out in a sea of sappy romance paperbacks. That title with that tagline…I’m sold! Nice girl stories be damned!

Falling For Evelyn

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Has it been over six months since I last reported on my book-and-candle combo of the moment?

I’ve owned that book for over a year now (shout out to the thrift store that sold it for $1), and why it took me till now to finally read it is beyond me. But I’m reading it, and I’m impressed so far. I’m currently at the part where Evelyn describes her first husband, and though it’s tempting to skip to her time with Celia (I hear it’s a juicy read), I’m still that nerd who must read everything in order.

And that candle…I don’t light Bath & Body Works candles as often as I used to, thanks to my preference for pure soy/coconut wax candles. I do have a few of them, though, and the scent coming from Fall In Love…it’s like Burberry’s Her perfume filling up my whole apartment right now. Happy Autumn to me!

Born To Be Bad

bad girl candle & book

The amazing Mae West once said “good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere.” Guess I’m going everywhere this time around with the new candle I have lit and the book I’ll be reading to go with it. The book was a thrift store find; a book with “Bad Girls” in the title that actually features actual bad women (of the Wild West, in this case) is an automatic buy for me. (I also got it to counter all the hackneyed bad boy crap I’ve been seeing from entertainment lately.) While the author makes it known that their stories are based on both fact and folklore, it’s still all intriguing. I just started the book, and I gotta say that Ma Stefflebeck is one bad mutha.

As for the candle, I’m glad it packs a very good throw because I’m enjoying its blend of floral/musky notes. Like a true bad girl, it’s desire and danger in one inviting package. Thanks to a Black Friday sale last year, that candle is one of many candles I own from Bad Ass Candles, a woman-owned company from Texas. If you like your candles paraffin-free, clean-burning, and smelling good in your hood and also want to support a small, woman-owned business for this Women’s History Month and beyond, Bad Ass Candles is where it’s at!

Saturday Night

How am I spending this Saturday evening? Not getting ready to hit the clubs or check out the latest major flick at the movie theater–if it was the mid-2000s, yes to both. Rather, I’m chillaxing to some 80s Madonna (I just watched Who’s That Girl and she was fab in it) while I sip Yogi’s Bedtime tea (the teabag quote is a new one to me) and my apartment fills with the heady tobacco-vanilla aroma from the candle I currently have lit. That candle, which I’ve lit for the past five nights, is superb in throw, by the way. Since it’s also Black History Month, if you’re looking for one way to do some good during BHM, go support the black-owned The 125 Collection and buy their candles! I know I’ll be making another order!

New Year, New Candle

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It’s a new year and I think I’m in love. With this candle, of course! I’m not sure when was the last time a new candle swept me off my feet. In a way, buying Overose’s Euphoriasme was a blind buy since I haven’t seen any Overose candles in stores. Not even Sephora, which sells Overose, carried their candles in their stores. (If you’re wondering what I’ll be reading with this candle, I still haven’t finished Mimi’s autobio yet.) Its notes, according to Sephora’s site, of “Warm Croissant, Cranberries,” and “Crème BrulĂ©e” intrigued me; its sales price at the time (drove me to buy it. Finally, a gourmand candle that’s paraffin-free! Within minutes of lighting this, my apartment was filled with the aromas of a fruit jam factory that also sells fresh-cut rose bouquets. I never had a candle with a pairing of such scents until now, but I like it. And the throw is strong!

Seasons Readings & Burnings

xmas candle & book (watermarked)

Christmas is right around the corner, and here’s what I’ve been burning and reading lately to get into the holiday spirit: Voluspa’s Crushed Candy Cane candle, and the memoir of the Queen of Christmas herself (that I was supposed to have finished up a while back). Mariah is a living legend and I’m glad she’s able to tell her story. And the tea she spills, dahling. As for the candle, its peppermint-vanilla-sugar notes had me hooked from the start. Plus, the adorable tin it’s in! 

No Tricks, Just Treats

new candle + book 2

Happy Halloween, everyone! Check out my IG to see what I’ll be dressing up as this year.

To celebrate my 1st day into my “25th” year on earth, I shall burn one of the most savory-scented candles I’ve ever lit: Voluspa’s Rose Petal Ice Cream. Even in a cold burn, the candle smells delish! (And thanks to my Airbnb host for allowing candles in my vacation rental.) To accompany it, a book that’s been on my must-read-right-now list: Marilyn In Manhattan by Elizabeth Winder. Unlike certain people, I prefer to see Marilyn in a positive, empowering light.Â