Up North Candle Company is an online store located in Michigan and centers their candle line to celebrate the Great Lakes region.  I love it when candle companies do that. I've said this before but I think it adds such a nice flair and personal touch to their products.

I had an easy time browsing this website as it's very simply stated and simple to navigate through.  Currently, Up North Candle Co. offers 3 different style candles from apothecary, tumblers and tins in various sizes as well as votives and melts.  Their scent selection which they call their "Michigan selection" is currently offered in 20 scents.  Not a huge amount and when I asked the owner of Up North, Lisa Butcher about her scent list, she explained that because their scents are centered toward their local region, the scent selection is more limited and specialized. Interesting,

I didn't really have any specific scents in mind and decided to instead pick whatever caught my eye.  It was pretty tough because most of the scent names were different and attention getters. I suggest if you plan on ordering from this company, buy a bunch of tarts along with some candles.  That way you get to sample everything they have to offer and won't kick yourself for not doing it the first time around.  So, in the end, I ended up with Sleeping Bear Dunes & Saugatuck Sunset.

What Do My Candles from Up North Candle Co. Look Like?

My candles are 18oz and in what I consider more modern style apothecary jars.  Both candles were also double wicked which I prefer.  Sleeping Bear Dunes is Orange/Brown in color and Saugatuck Sunset was Peach in color.

How Did My Candles from Up North Candle Co. Smell?

Sleeping Bear Dunes:

I loved the name of this candle.  I think it's so cool when companies name their scents after objects or places in their area.  It makes me wonder where or what Sleeping Bear Dunes is?  Let's start off with the scent description from Up North's website:

"Sun-washed Dunes, sandcastles, and crystal blue surf.  A perfect day at the Dunes."

Not really much to go on with that description, so now it's up to my imagination and nose to figure this one out,¦ yikes!!  Here goes.

Sandcastles and crystal blue surf indicates the ocean (yeah, duh, I did get that one) and it does have that ocean ozoney type note. When I first sniffed this candle, fresh was the first word that came to mind.  Now that I've had it burning for several days, I think it's very crisp reminding me the most of soap or a man's after shave.  It has that soapy type scent that smells great in a bathroom.  I would definitely categorize this one in the fresh/clean category for sure.

The scent throw was pretty good.  If I rated it on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it an 8.  This candle scented my bedroom and open bathroom easily with the fragrance loud and clear.  No going in and out of the room to smell this candle which I really liked.

Soap smelling lovers, this is a nice clean fragrance and I did enjoy it.

I must have been in a "resh" mood when I picked out my candles because I definitely consider Saugatuck Sunset in that category too.  I found it to be very clean & vibrant and a nice bathroom/bedroom type scent.  Here is the scent description from Up North's website:

"Sit back and watch the boats coming into the harbor; fruits and flowers from nearby vendors blend in perfect harmony."

So, fruits & flowers make up this scent. Problem is, my nose couldn't figure out what fruit and flowers.  So, I cheated and emailed Lisa asking her to please describe this scent better for me.  Here's what she said:

"Saugatuck Sunset is a water inspired blend with a fresh ozone base, mid sections of green, jasmine and rose, top notes of a fruit blend ( orange, peach, mango & pomegranate)  When we came up with this blend I loved the fresh, fruitiness it had.  Kind of like a summer cocktail, but not overly sweet.....oh, wait, your the one doing the review...lol : )"

Don't you just love smart-alick candle makers?  I do, LOL!  At any rate, her new description makes it much easier for me to break this scent down.  Honestly, I really don't smell any floral which suited me just fine. I did smell fruit and if I had to pick which one I smelled the most, it would be orange and maybe with a slight mango/pomegranate in the mix it was really hard to tell.  The ozone base (whatever that is) surely dominates this scent the most because ozone scents always remind me of soap for some reason.  I could totally picture this scent in a soap because it was so fresh.

The scent throw was a little under medium to me.  I tried this candle in my bedroom at first and it didn't really saturate the room like I expected so I ended up moving it into a smaller room where it did much better.  Rating it on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd have to say 6, maybe 6 1/2 but that's pushing it.

Would I buy this scent again?  Mmmmm,. maybe, I liked it but I think I liked Sleeping Bear Dunes better.  If you like fresh and crisp scents though, you would probably like Saugatuck Sunset.  The name alone makes you want to buy it just to see what it smells like.

How Did My Candles Burn?

My candles burned pretty good.  Both candles were double wicked ensuring a clean and even burn.

I enjoyed both candles from this company. They also sent me a bunch of tarts too which I'm still going through and so far so good. This whole candle line was created to represent the Great Lakes region and I think that's the coolest concept.  There are so many interesting scent names such as Charlevoix Picnic, Lake Huron Sunrise, Mackinac Island, & Tahquamenon Falls, just to name several, it makes you want to try them just to experience what place they represent.

I also recently found out this site offers a flat rate shipping charge of $5.95 for orders up to $100 bucks.  That's a great deal and I love it when candle companies offer specials like this.  It gives me more incentive to order which is the last thing I need but oh well, such is the life of an obsessive candle lover.

Happy Candle Shopping Everyone.

~ Christina