8 Best Holiday Candles to Add to Cart Before They Sell Out
Sadaf Razi is Adore Beauty's Senior Beauty Editor.
She's a former fashion editor (who worked at various glossy mags) and stylist-turned digital beauty and lifestyle writer. She has been in the lifestyle/media industry for over 10 years and her work has also been featured on international covers like Elle France and Vanity Fair Mexico.
Some of her fave Adore Beauty products include Cicaplast B5, CeraVe Cleansing Oil and Lancôme Renergie Triple Serum.
Tis the season, well, almost, and if you're anything like us, you've been feverishly, yet patiently, waiting for all the limited-edition holiday things.
Usually high on that holiday beauty merch list are Christmas-scented candles, as they rightfully should be. Scented candles have a magical way of transforming your home into a holiday wonderland, bringing in the Christmas cheer early, something we all desperately need right now, and perfectly setting the stage for upcoming joyous moments with family and friends.
After all, Christmas isn't Christmas, and the holiday season isn't the holiday season, without enchanting scents like gingerbread, caramel, cinnamon, oak, or plum creating the right seasonal ambience at home.
We know our savvy Adore Beauty shoppers are eager to get their hands on these beautifully designed, heavenly smelling candles as soon as they launch, and honestly, that's a very smart decision, because holiday merch sells out fast, so I asked Adore Beauty's Junior Category Manager, and part-time Christmas elf, Liz, to share some of her top festive season candle picks.
Best Christmas Candles Australia.
Kicking off this best Christmas candles roundup is none other than Glasshouse Fragrances and Circa Fragrances both of who nail the holiday candle brief every year.
Crafting a range of stunning candles with a nod to your favourite holiday-themed smells both the Glasshouse Christmas candles and the Circa limited edition candles did not disappoint with their holiday offerings.
This year, the gorgeous imagery enveloping the Glasshouse Christmas candles come from the talented hands of Melbourne illustrator Michelle Pereira.
Says Liz, “I love that the Glasshouse ones are metallic this year and are meant to look like a little Christmas village, with windows in the vessels so that as the candle burns down it looks like the light is coming from within the apartments.”
And for those looking to indulge in something even more decadent, we have a couple of luxe Christmas candles at the end of the article for your bougie aunty, housemate or friend.
1. Glasshouse Fragrances Night Before Christmas.
Let the Christmas-conjuring notes of plum, oak and lavender make your senses and your home sing with the Glasshouse Night Before Christmas candle.
If you love that bold Christmas red that’s sure to take centre stage in your home and draw all eyes to your dining table, then this is the vessel for you!
- Top Notes: Blackcurrant, Redcurrant.
- Middle Notes: Plum, Lemon, Lavender, Rose.
- Base Notes: Musk, Oak Moss, Spice.
“The Night before Christmas is their most popular scent, and it’s so easy to see why! This one is all about the fresh and fruity notes - it feels like a juicy Australian take on the smell of Christmas.
I love that it smells like blackcurrants and lemon and a little bit of musk and moss too." says Liz.
One of the most popular Glasshouse Christmas candle smells, Night Before Christmas fans can rejoice as the scent also comes in an interior fragrance and a diffuser!
Shop all the Glasshouse Night Before Christmas-themed merch here:
2. Glasshouse Fragrances Under the Mistletoe.
This is Liz’s second pick for the best Glasshouse holiday candle. She says: “The next favourite is ‘Under The Mistletoe’ because it’s like sniffing a spiced apple cider!! Very cute! It’s sweet, a little spicy and oh-so-festive.”
- Top Notes: Orange, Mandarin.
- Middle Notes: Apple, Red Berries, Cinnamon, Clove Bud.
- Base Notes: Vanilla, Sweet Caramel.
Where Night Before Christmas was filled with deeper and muskier notes, ‘Under The Mistletoe’ leads with zestier, sweeter and spicier notes that take us straight to a Christmas by the fireplace sipping on some rum or mulled wine.
If green is more your Christmas shade of choice this forest green is sure to spice up any nightstand or coffee table.
3. Glasshouse Fragrances White Christmas.
If Christmas joy for you smells like a woody, earthy scent that transports you to a field of pines, or a winter wonderland where eggnog is the beverage of choice, or if you’re home aesthetic calls for calls for a chic white vessel with beautiful accents, your candle of choice is White Christmas.
- Top Notes: Fresh Aldehydes, Greens, Orange.
- Middle Notes: Eucalyptus, Oak Moss, Fir Balsam, Plum, Lemon.
- Base Notes: Cedar Wood, Pine, Amber, Musk.
Adore Beauty copywriter Felicity perfectly captures this candle’s essence with this description:
“White Christmas is a woody wonderland of Fir Balsam, Oak Moss, Eucalyptus, Cedar, Pine and Amber layered with a delightfully crisp blend of fruits and clove.
It’s like sitting in a warm cabin nestled between snow-capped trees. I’m obsessed (even though my holiday climate leans more beach trip than ski season)."
4. CIRCA Pine & Snow Gum Soy Candle.
This champagne-coloured handmade candle is the “perfect Aussie Christmas scent” according to Liz because “it’s like our equivalent of the European Christmas fir tree and smells so fresh and green."
And we couldn't agree more!
- Top Notes: Pine Needles, Eucalyptus.
- Middle Notes: Red Fruits, Fir Balsam, Spruce.
- Base Notes: Cedarwood.
Not to mention the high-quality fragrance oils and lead-free cotton wicks in this fancy glass jar candle.
5. CIRCA Raspberry & Rhubarb Soy Candle.
Circa’s most popular Christmas scent is back!
Unwind with the fruitful notes of Circa’s popular Raspberry and Rhubarb champagne-hued candle which also comes in a diffuser (perfect for the bathroom or kitchen table) and as part of a mini holiday candle set.
- Top Notes: Pine Needles, Eucalyptus.
- Middle Notes: Red Fruits, Fir Balsam, Spruce.
- Base Notes: Cedarwood.
Its festive packaging also makes this the perfect affordable Christmas gift under $50.
6. CIRCA Gingerbread Cookies Soy Candle.
Is there anything that says “I’m inspired by Christmas” quite like the scent of gingerbread cookies? That was a rhetorical question.
Let notes of caramel, ginger, vanilla and cloves spread their sweet and spicy gourmand notes through your home when guests come around for Friendmas dinner.
Circa is the gift that keeps on giving, having not only released this sweet-scented candle but also making a spectacularly cute CIRCA Gingerbread Cookies Hanging Ornament Soy Candle 60g for only $20, and yes I already want 100 of them.
- Top Notes: Orange, Golden Syrup.
- Middle Notes: Apple, Gingerbread, Biscotti.
- Base Notes: Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Dry Ginger Spice.
"At Christmas my usual candle scent taste goes out the window and all I want is sugary, sweet notes!” says Liz.
7. Trudon Fir Festive Candle.
It would be foolish of us not to include our more luxe holiday-inspired candles in this list in case you wanted to treat yourself or looking for a special gift to treat someone else.
And in first place would be this fancy, bougie candle by Trudon (considering adding this to cart for my fancy, bougie aunty - the perfect recipient).
- Top Notes: Leather, Siberian pine, Fir tree.
- Heart Notes: Gaiac wood , Chinese cedar, Myrrh.
- Base Notes: Spanish Cistus, Absolute Incense, Patchouli.
In celebration of its 380th anniversary, luxe fragrance house Trudon have crafted a limited edition candle for the festive season housed in a beautiful blue vessel with gold beams and their gold signature on the front.
Notes of leather, cedar and patchouli are sure to light up anyone’s Christmas!
8. Carrière Frères Siberian Fir & Ginger Candle.
If you're on the hunt for another bougie candle, this opulent, French vessel ( crafted from100% vegetable wax) is perfect for those seeking a Christmas scent in a more non-traditional sense. While notes of ginger are present, this chic candle has a sophisticated, warm woody lean.
“This candle is unbelievably chic - the combination of freshy green fir and warm and spicy ginger together is giving European fireside glamour - and once burning, the warming amber scent of this is totally enveloping." says Liz.
The perfect centrepiece for a Christmas soirée!
For some more fragrant gift or holiday ideas check out these Beauty IQ articles:
