Candles are the new "it" accessory

It’s not surprising that luxury fragrance companies have seen a major uptick in home-scent sales over the past month or so (according to WWD’s Beauty Inc)—despite stores being closed. I’ve been blowing through them like never before thanks to spending more time in my office, and there’s usually one going on the bar between my kitchen and family room since if I’m not at my desk, I’m probably whipping up some sort of meal or snack for someone.

I’m not a major snob when it comes to candles (but I am a minor snob), so I love luminaries that come in display-worthy packaging, and a scent I can actually smell when I walk into the room is a must. And for the record, I don’t like candles that smell like food—and I do like candles that smell “clean” or woody.

So when I received an email from one of the founders of Pigmint a few weeks ago, I was more than happy to give a few of their candles a whirl. (Fun fact: This fragrance company began as a fancy florist). I am burning the Exotic Fig as I write this and loving every whiff of its blend of fig leaves, Mediterranean fig and exotic woods. Up next is the Currant Noir (which features red currant, jasmine petals and raw honey)—and both come in hefty black and white frosted glass, respectively. Since I take fragrance very seriously, I like that each scent has top, middle and base notes (which means these fragrances were carefully crafted), and these hand-poured candles are made in the U.S. with soy and coconut waxes—and non-toxic, cruelty-free and free of sulfates, dyes and parabens . Even the outer packaging is luxe (and ready to give (no wrapping required)—which means I may have to replenish my stockpile so I have hostess gifts at the ready when I actually start going to other people’s houses again.

Even better, each of the candle scents comes in Room & Body Mist version, so you can literally scent every square inch of your home and skin if you fall head over heels for a certain fragrance (or two)!