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What I love about platforms like The Curvy Fashionista, social media and the internet overall, is how fascinatingly brilliant it is to discover new brands, new designers and new concepts. Social media in particular gets a lot of flack these days, perhaps for the overexposure of everything. The beauty of it? We get to a peek into how others “do life”, and in my case, I get to find unique designers and brands to obsess over.
This Black History Month, I want to introduce you to these incredible Black Owned luxury candle brands and the companies that are my absolute favorites.
I’m quite picky when it comes to candles, with a preference for more complex scent profiles. I like to burn my candles throughout the day when I work from home, and need them to perform well.
I also like to repurpose my candle vessels- I use them to store makeup brushes, office supplies, coffee pods, dishwasher pods, and the list goes on; so I need the presentation of my candles to also be equally beautiful in presentation as they are in scenting.
My Mom thought I was absolutely nuts for splurging on black owned luxury candles, but after I gifted her candles and diffusers from these brands, she is now a convert.
I’m a fragrance enthusiast, so it is a hobby of mine to have scenting rituals every day. I swear by room sprays, after I’ve showered and made the bed, spritzing the common areas of my home.
As someone who deals with anxiety, I find lighting a candle each day helps me set my mood and set the tone for my day. I highly recommend this edit for our Curvy Fashionistas who work from home, or you’re preparing to host a dinner party or special event at your home.
What Makes A “Luxury Candle” well….. Luxury?
And I know what you’re going to ask?
Why on earth would I pay $40 or more on a candle when I can buy a $5 or $10 candle?!?
Don’t worry- I hear you. At the end of the day, it truly is about preference.
For me personally, I find that the biggest difference between your “luxury” candle and a more accessible candle that you can find in a grocery store or drug store is going to be the quality.
Luxury candle brands customarily use natural waxes (like beeswax, soy, coconut and other natural wax blends), whereas the cheaper candles are using paraffin wax. And don’t get me wrong- I love a good paraffin wax when I’m getting my summer pedicure- but I wouldn’t want to burn it in my home.
Burning paraffin can cause soot in your candles, can emit harmful toxins and impact the air quality in your home- and remember, we’re breathing all this in for longer periods of time.
In addition to wax grades, there’s also fragrance quality. Many brands that promise cheaper candles are prone to using more simplistic fragrance blends, which allows the cost to be ultra affordable. Luxury candle brands are typically using more complex, oil based fragrances and more sophisticated layers to fragrances.
This is why you typically see perfumeries launching luxury candles in addition to their fragrances and body care: the scientists creating these signature scents are already there, and the expertise and natural ingredients allow for a more enjoyable experience with your candles.
Burning your candles is also a science and art- and while I burn mine throughout the day, it’s generally recommended to burn for 4 hours or less. In my experience, with my luxury candles in my collection, I’m a bit more confident in the candle having an even burn, and a great wick.
Don’t you hate when you burn a candle and halfway through the wick is too stubyy? Or when it’s no longer scented and has lost it’s scent projection?
When candlemakers use simplistic fragrance blends- or simple scenting with one fragrance note, it limits the candle’s ability to have body, depth, projection and impact. You ideally want a candle, that while it has a primary focal point in the notes, also has a top note and a bass note.
Much like music, you need multiple notes in order to sing a song or create a melody. Fragrances, and candles are the same way.
My 3 favorite Black Owned Luxury Candles to Know:
Harlem Candle Company
I discovered these Black owned luxury candles in 2020 on social media, and have been obsessed ever since. Steeped in the rich history of Black culture and the Harlem Renaissance, the Harlem Candle Company fuses the storied legacies of influential artists and writers of the period into its brand.
I love that the motif in the artwork of the vessels, and the scent profiles transport you to a 1920’s speakeasy, or a jazz lounge. I love to pull out my Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington vinyl records when I set the mood with these.
Perfect for dinner parties, special occasions, and work from home.
If you love complex scent profiles that feature warm florals and spicy, musky profiles these will be fun finds.
Forvr Mood
Of course, Jackie Aina fans know this cult classic candle brand. Founded by Jackie Aina and her husband, Dennis Asamoah, the brand has grown from it’s initial launch of candles, expanding into Sephora and now offers fragrances as well.
There are a few favorites to choose from (CHAMPAGNE SHOWERS is my diehard favorite), but I’ve also adored the gourmands as well, and they are part of the brands’ core collection.
Perfect for the girlies who adore edible, gourmand scents.
These candle picks are perfect for work from home, and for movie nights in and bridal showers too.
228 Grant Street
Featuring natural soy candles with unique scent pairings, 228 Grant Street is a Baltimore, Maryland fan favorite. I discovered their offerings during the pandemic as well, and have been a fan of the brand as well. Out of the brands I mentioned, this one is my Mother’s favorite.
The candles are made in apothecary glass vessels, and I love that there is a reference to traditional candle making in both the aesthetic and the scent selections.
228 Grant Street produces their candles in small batches, and if you are in the DMV area, you’ll love to know that they also offer workshops and classes in their store.
Perfect for work from home, dinner parties, and they make lovely, gifts.
This Black History Month, it is crucial that we support and sustain small businesses where we can. With the erosion of Diversity & Inclusion initiatives in corporations, we’re seeing women owned, women of color owned, and businesses owned by folks with disabilities suffer a loss of revenue and a recession of support. If you love a small, independent brand, be sure to support them all year round!
You can subscribe to my LTK shop to stay up to date on products I find here and here and every week, I’ll share something new here on The Curvy Fashionista.
Want to read more? Check Out My Fragrance Edit for Valentine’s Day !
