I used to be obsessed with candles. I like REALLY obsessed. I don’t buy or burn them as much as I used to as I’ve generally become a bit disinterested, especially with a certain mainstream brand starting with the letters Y and C. I’ve been leaning more and more to independent brands, and over the last year, I’ve found some incredible ones, offering beautiful scents and incredible quality wax that make me wonder why inferior brands managed to become quite so popular. One brand that has seriously impressed me with everything I’ve tried and has quite possibly become my favorite candle brand, is M&J London, which I’ve spoken raved about a couple of times before on this blog.
Founded by Jennifer McNabb, M&J London Ethical Luxury Candles produce beautiful soy wax candles in a variety of stunning scents, all inspired by Jennifer’s travels, and experiences in different areas of the world. M&J London puts ethical practices, sustainability, and quality at the heart of the brand. This emphasis on ethics comes from Jennifer’s past as a designer of high street fashion, experiencing firsthand the effect ‘fast fashion’ had on labor and environmental standards. She wanted to ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’, and it certainly is refreshing. The brand even donates a proportion of profits (50p small candle/£1 large candle) to women’s charity nia, and uses recycled glass jars.
M&J London candles use Rainforest soy wax and a lead-free cotton and linen wick for a clean and purified burn, and the scents are custom-made by a perfumer. Essential oils aren’t always ethically sourced, so the brand uses a smaller proportion, combined with aroma chemicals to maintain the balance between ethics and luxury. The candles definitely have that luxury feel, without quite the eye-watering price tag of the likes of Diptyque and Jo Malone. Initially, I felt that £35 was still in that luxury price range for me, but for candles that I genuinely get joy out of, and for scents that I will return to year after year, I’d be more than happy to invest.
Launching on the first official day of Summer (June 21st) is the newest scent from M&J. Larkin* (from £25) takes inspiration from the Skylark, soaring between heaven and earth with its beautiful song, embodying the feeling of serenity, tranquillity, and calm. As the bird flies, the breeze ruffles the stunning blue blooms of the larkspur, representing joy. Larkin takes a mix of gorgeous white florals, headed by uplifting neroli which immediately transports you to a spa setting. Ylang-ylang aids relaxation, whilst sweet geranium imparts balance, harmonized by a basil note. It is a beautiful scent and one that could work in a variety of settings. Instinctively, I thought of this as a bathroom scent, one to pop on while you fill the tub, but its uplifting nature would also be great for an office.
This is the first time that I have had one of the small candles, and it’s a great size, burning for around 30 hours. To minimize tunneling, you need to burn long enough so the wax pools over the entire width of the candle, which can take 2-3 hours for a large candle, but with a smaller one, it only takes about an hour so it’s great when you don’t have as much time. I also love burning candles on my bedside table, and the smaller size is fab for popping on the side of the bath. Once again, this brand has really impressed me, and it’ll only be so long before I delve into the rest of their repertoire (well, once I’ve gotten through my ridiculously large stash…).