If you can walk past the Target dollar spot without stopping to look at the $3 candles, I applaud you. I do not have that willpower. Every time I go, they have a new set of candles that always have good scents with strong hot throws in cute little jars. They are also the perfect size to put in the corner of a bathroom counter or an end table. I’ve purchased so many of these candles over the years and I have justified that to myself by re-using the jars. After I’m done with each candle, I clean out the leftover wax with boiling water and then recycle the jar to make a new candle. The boiling water method is easy: just fill the empty candle with boiling water. It will melt the leftover wax and bring it up to the top of the jar where you can easily scoop it out and throw it away.
I have cleaned out a lot of Target empties recently. I like testing new fragrance oils in small candle jars like these because if I don’t like a scent, I don’t have to put up with it for very long. Today, I used a set of 4 empty candle jars to test out 2 new fragrance oils – basil and blueberry. These were both from a brand that I had never tried before and will probably not be ordering from again. I don’t think I’ll do a full review post, but the short version is that both scents were disappointing. Blueberry didn’t have a good cold throw no matter how much fragrance oil I added. Basil did not smell like real basil or anything approximating an actual herb.
Basil is one of my favorite fragrances for a candle so it is my go to order when I’m sampling a new brand. I still have 2 more scents from this brand to try out (lemon and lavender). I also have a lot more Target empties to fill so I won’t rule this brand out yet, but it doesn’t look promising.
Despite the fact that I didn’t like the scents, I do love the way the candles look. I used a blend of mostly soy wax (about 80%) and a little bit of paraffin (the other 20%). I have never been a fan of 100% soy wax candles. I don’t think the hot throw is that great (the way the candle smells when it is lit) so I tend to add some paraffin to help with that. I also think that 100% soy wax candles always look bad after the first burn. They tend to go from being creamy and white to becoming uneven with lots of surface imperfections and various shades of off white or even yellow.
I am ordering more fragrance samples from a different brand as we speak. I have a lot more empty Target candle jars to reuse and I want to try a set of citrus-y candles for summer. Look out for that project soon!
