By Maya Gur
Under Mr. Evans’ assertion, I have been given the nickname “the Sniffer.” With such honor to my name, it is only appropriate that I have the proper jurisdiction to dictate which scents are more or less pleasant. After trips to Target and Yankee Candle, I have constructed the ultimate guide to the best and worst candle scents. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
To begin with, the scents that I decided were the worst were based on cinnamon or earthly elements. As far as cinnamon, I found it in most cases to be too overwhelming and unbalanced. Additionally, earthly scents just don’t smell pleasant. Interestingly, I found a candle scented with tomato leaves and basil. Whatever Italian invented that must have had a field day, but I find those scents to be strange and unappealing. Furthermore, Yankee Candle’s Home Sweet Home scent was by far the worst I experienced. The dominant smell of cinnamon was challenged by other strong scents, leading to an overwhelming experience.
Moving on, many floral candles were nice but weak. While I enjoyed their scent, you really had to try hard to sniff anything out of there. However, these candles all had a nice balance. One such candle was Target’s Lavender and Eucalyptus. While lavender typically overshadows other scents, this candle didn’t allow for such domination. That being said, the scent was not strong enough to get it a higher ranking. Yankee’s Christmas Cookie and Lilac Blossom scents are two more examples of weakness in the fall of an otherwise pleasant candle.
Finally, I found that the best scents were oriented around sweet, clean smells. One of my personal favorites was Clean Cotton – nothing beats the feel or smell of nice, clean laundry. As previously mentioned, balanced lavender or cinnamon is a godsend in the world of candles. I found that Yankee excels at such balance, with Lavender Eucalyptus and Cinnamon Chai being perfectly strong and pleasant. To end with, my favorite candle by far was Tis the Sea Sun in Sydney. Captivating by its name alone, this scent draws you in with its perfectly stimulating strength and soothing sweetness.