St. Barths Destinations – Colonial Candle Review

Introduction to my Colonial Candle Review:

So thrilled to be back reviewing for Candlefind!  I’ve been on hiatus for a few years now ”“ life happens ”“ but my wax addiction has been going strong all this time.  How great is it that I can pick up where I left off with four new summery scents from Colonial Candle!As you can tell from past reviews, Colonial’s a favorite company of mine.  Their website is super easy to order from and the shipping is quick.  They can be a teeny bit pricey if you’re used to shopping the small “indie” vendors, but they’re right in line with most other major candle companies.  Even though I see Colonial Candles sold in quite a few stores where I live, the website’s the only place where you can find all of Colonial’s scents in one place, in season or not.  (My only quibble ”“ and this is universal to all candle companies ”“ is that some old faves (Harvest Bounty, Aromatic Pear, ahem) have been discontinued for good.)  But I love the way they put their own unique spin on fragrances, and recently they’ve come out with themed scent lines.  Which brings me to my review…

What do my Colonial Candles Look Like?

As always, Colonial Candles are some of the best looking around.  Most of you fellow candle lovers are already familiar with them, and these elegant, reusable, clear glass oval jars with the double wicks, flat glass tops and peelable labels have become classics, and even have some imitators out there.  Colonial’s jars come in several sizes from 3 oz. votive to 22 oz.  I tested four of the 8 oz jars, which are the medium size, from their new St. Barth’s line. And I must say these candles were just beautiful, with exotic print labeling and marbleized wax in cheerful tropical colors that match the Caribbean scents they evoke:  turquoise blue for Topaz Waters, bright orange ”“ Colonial calls it “flamingo” ”“ for Coral Hibiscus, a deep purple for Cocoa Plum, and lime green for Melon Mojito. The four of them looked gorgeous grouped together!!

Topaz Waters

If you’ve read any of my past reviews, you’ve picked up on the fact that I’m a bakery nut and am very partial to any kind of foodie scent, especially if it has vanilla in it.  Fresh and floral aren’t usually at the top of my list, or even in the top five.Topaz Waters is both fresh and floral ”“ no bakery here for miles ”“ and it just blew me away. The description says:

“Sail away in the crystal clear water of St. Barth’s with sparkling bergamot, blue freesia, and driftwood.”

Its floral notes are perfectly balanced by slightly stronger notes of vibrant fresh water and smoky oriental woods ”“ this one smells wonderful cold and even more fabulous burning.  The ambery wood notes totally fit the name Topaz Waters and bring the usual ho-hum, everyone does it, “fresh-ocean-water” scent up to new levels.  I think this fragrance would work well for men, but it’s still quite feminine too.  Oh, and the throw was outstanding ”“ it filled not only the great room with its high ceilings but most of the house.  Definitely two thumbs up.

Coral Hibiscus

Another “big room, big throw” scent and another keeper.  This appealing little floral has definite fruit tones at the bottom and the balance is lovely, though it can be a tad hard to get used to at first.  The description reads:“A vibrant, tropical experience of exotic papaya, sweet citrus, and white jasmine.”

As florals go, this one’s pretty sweet smelling with both the jasmine and all that fruit, so those of you who like honeysuckle types of scents would do well with it.  Though it wouldn’t be my first choice ”“ and this is totally personal preference ”“ I liked Coral Hibiscus because it was so different from some of those migraine-inducing florals I’ve burned in the past. Despite the great throw, it really has a soft, pleasant, non-cloying aroma.   Perfect for a warm, sunny, summer afternoon with the hammock, sundress and a glass of iced tea.

Melon Mojito

OK, I have to say this was the one candle I was really looking forward to trying!  The scent description reads,

“Sit back and enjoy a sparkling medley of lime, papaya and pineapple topped with whipped meringue.” Sounds delish… I love mojitos and anticipated a cool, fresh lime fragrance mixed with vanilla sugar with a slice of sweet fruit added to mellow it out.  Mojitos have mint in them, too, so despite the scent description I was hoping for a tiny hint of spearmint in the under-notes.  Unfortunately, nada.  The lime is there, all right, and the sugar, but not much else ”“ my nose didn’t detect a fruit scent but rather just a generalized creamy sweetness to the lime. And this scent fell victim to what I think of as the “citrus curse” ”“ that sneaky fuel odor that can creep in on lime or lemon scented candles.  This one’s a big thrower, though, and the longer it burns the more the fuel smell seems to dissipate.  To sum it up, Melon Mojito’s not a bad fragrance, just an under-performer, and if you’re looking for a sweet lime scent you could do a lot worse.

Cocoa Plum

My Cocoa Plum is absolutely scrumptious.  This is a beautiful, drop-dead sexy scent and to my nose, a dead ringer for BBW’s Dark Kiss body lotion. The name Cocoa Plum totally gets it right, although there’s not a hint of true chocolate in it.  It’s more like the idea of chocolate, if you will ”“ a dark, slightly exotic, velvety sweet underlay to the strong top notes of plum and ripe blackberries. The description reads:“A delicious blend of dark raspberry and plum infused with creamy vanilla suede and sandalwood.”

Yum… but despite this description Cocoa Plum is much more sophisticated then the usual fruit scents…maybe it’s the sandalwood. I want to burn this one for a romantic evening or while taking a spa bubble bath. I’ve always been a sucker for vanilla and berries, and when you add those grown-up layers to the mix heaven.

A word about the throw… Cocoa Plum is one of those scents that’s more complex than the norm.  Close up, it just didn’t seem super strong like the others (though I could definitely still smell it), so I moved it to the powder room.  Still not a lot, but when I left it there it began throwing strongly out into the hallway and into the living room.  And after I blew it out, the scent lingered for HOURS. I could still smell it the next day. Love it.

How did my Colonial Candles Burn?

No problems here!  Colonial Candle is famous for its clean edge-to-edge burning with no tunneling or residue, and every one of these candles lived up to the reputation.  I’m not sure if it’s the jar design or the quality of the wax or fragrance oils, but whatever it is, it works.  The wicking is great too — no smoking, overheating, mushrooming, or drowning wicks, just a good ½ inch melt pool with each burn.

Closing to my review… (my overall opinion of Colonial Candle):

Colonial Candle is the real deal:  great quality candles; wonderful, strong, unusual scent blends; lovely packaging that goes with any decor; a variety of products including “simmer snap” melts; and great customer service. Plus they sell in lots of different stores. I’ve found them in card and gift shops where I live as well as the larger linens and bedding stores ”“ so they’re really easy to find.I’d definitely recommend Colonial Candle to anyone who hasn’t tried this line yet.  Oh, and if you’d like to try any of the scents I reviewed, you’d better hurry, Colonial is retiring them after this season!Happy summer scenting!

~ Lisa

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