Take 7: Scented candles

L’Occitane
Along with every other L’Occitane product that smells good enough to eat, this Candied Fruit scented candle in a tin was burning for just under half an hour when the room suddenly filled with a warm, tantalising aroma. The candle, made from vegetable and beeswax, combines flowers and dried fruit coated in honey with a patchouli, vanilla and caramel base. Couldn’t get enough of it and had to report on a detail I find sums up L’Occitane’s excellence: the product name on the lid is in Braille too.
Burning time: Approximately 20 hours.
Price: €15.50

The Body Shop

Perhaps the smallest of the lot, The Body Shop’s version of a scented candle consists of cute packaging and an irresistible citrus aroma. The Satsuma candle comes in a tinted, patterned glass that looks great on a shelf or even in your bathroom. Actually I’d say that’s where Satsuma works its magic best; in a small, confined area preferably accompanied by a hot bubble bath. If you love nothing more than a citrus scent released into the atmosphere, this is the one for you.
Burning time: Approximately 20 hours
Price: €12

Terrano Mobili

Among an abundance of quirky furniture and colourful vases, Terrano has a vast range of scented candles: square ones, round ones, long ones and short ones, all made in Italy by a brand called EDG in rich, elegant colours. As soon as I spotted the word ‘butterscotch’ on the label, I was sold and rightly so. EDG candles have a strong aroma produced from essential oils but most importantly they are hand poured with food grade fully refined wax and only lead free cotton or linen fabric wicks are used.
Burning time: Approximately 60 hours
Price: from €15

Crabtree & Evelyn

Even before I took off the lid of the cardboard box the candle is sold in, I could sense the harmonious, uplifting notes of Pineapple and Ginger filling the air. This natural, clean-burning blend of plant waxes and beeswax with cotton wicking also comes in Mint, Fennel and Ivy; Pink Grapefruit and Pomegranate; and Cocoa, Nutmeg and Cardamom. It comes in a misty yellow glass with leafy details all around and within minutes exudes its natural aromas, which come from the oils settling around the base of the wick.
Burning time: Approximately 50 hours
Price: €26

Melissa

If I can get my hands on a handmade candle, money is not an issue. If I’m lucky enough to find a candle that is safe even to be burnt in an infant’s room, I’m sold. Melissa, a small candle shop in Limassol, is where you can purchase such a product. Irene, owner and candle-maker, is adamant about safety and this is why her candles are made from specific German ingredients, all natural, of course, and that includes natural wicks. You can find a range of handcrafted scented candles in all shapes and sizes and even request a customisation.
Burning time: Approximately 40 hours
Price: €13.50

Candlelit Day

>From the suppliers of some of the leading hotels of the world and two of the best European spas, I give you Candlelit Day, a signature line of scented candles made from 100 per cent natural soy wax and premium grade fragrance oil. And yes, it’s based in Cyprus. Attention to detail, excellent quality and a love for candles is the reason why Candlelit Day is the ultimate, as far as I’m concerned, in luxury scented candles. Each candle is presented in a stylish jar and finished with a luxurious black satin ribbon. The variety of creamy colours, exquisite design, carefully selected aroma blends and exceptionally long burning times are the reasons my friend didn’t get a candle for Christmas, as promised.
Burning time: Approximately 70 hours
Price: from €15

Lily Flame

You can find Lily Flame in Debenhams, packaged in fabulous, coloured tins with cute labels and names: Fairy Dust, Coffee Galore, Chocolate Truffle, Cut Grass, Fresh Linen, Blue Hyacinth, Lavender and Lime, and White Lily. Prepare to be dazzled however as every single one sends an intense, inviting aroma straight to your head. Since I was testing so many candles and not sharing, I thought it would be a good idea to bring one to the office. I opted for Lily Flame’s Blue Hyacinth. The office immediately filled up with the most mesmerising floral notes and everyone was noting how amazing it was to discover an itsy bitsy candle was creating it.
Burning time: Approximately 60 hours
Price: €13.67

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.