Previous to Spring of last year, I don't think I ever spent more than $10 on a candle!! They were all purchased at Target (usually on sale!), T.J. Maxx or Nordstrom Rack. The more blogs I read and the more I was on Instagram, the more curious I became as to whether or not the fancier and significantly more expensive candle were that much better??? Let's take a gander!!!

***Each purchased by me or was a GWP. Links are non-affiliate links.***

Pictured above: 

Anthropologie mini candle in Fir & Firewood, $12

Anthropologie candle in Volcano, $28

Jo Malone travel candle in Wild Fig & Cassis, $35

Jo Malone candle in Blackberry & Bay, $65

Diptyque super mini candle (gwp) in Feu de Bois

Diptyque mini candle in Baies, $28

Diptyque super mini candle (gwp) in Oranger

Diptyque Holiday 2013 mini candle in Pine Bark , $32

Not pictured because I gave it away: Diqtyque mini candle in Mimosa, $28

I won't go into trying to describe these fragrances because I simply don't have that kind of talent! Plus, this is more an exercise about the experience vs. what the fragrance notes are. And to that...please don't take my opinion on what candles I do or don't like personally because especially when it comes to scents - hey, we like what we like...and there's really no explaining it otherwise ha ha :-) 

Starting out with the least expensive of the bunch...Anthropologie!

I really like the way both of these candles smell, as does Mr. G - we picked them out together after Bronzer Bunny kept telling me to give them a whiff! The jars give off a beautiful glow when lit, since the flame lights up the little speckles in the glass. A very pretty experience all around!! We've burned these quite a bit and have been very happy with them. The prices on these don't seem so bad, especially for the larger one. Even so, I'm not sure these fragrances are so terribly unique that I'd want to pay for them again?? 

Next up...Jo Malone!!

Ouch. These hurt. $35 for such a small candle??? And $65 for the normal size?? It's all relative, I guess but geeeeeez. Anyway this IS a post on fancy candles so enough about that! Ha ha ha!! I really like the way Wild Fig & Cassis smells...I might even say REALLY REALLY like it! There's something about it that's very homey and comforting. Blackberry & Bay on the other hand - eh, it's ok. It's been a chore to burn it because I'm just not that into it. The SA said you only have to burn these for 15 minutes and your whole house will smell amazing. I haven't found that to be true. They definitely fill the room up for a bit, but not the whole house...or in our case, apartment. I'm on the fence about Wild Fig & Cassis...would I buy again...I dunno...not for awhile anyway...it might be one of those that ends up on a birthday or Christmas list when I'm not sure what else to write down??

Let's talk Diptyque!!!

Baies and Mimosa were purchased sight unseen - or is it unsniffed?!! The Mimosa description sounded delicious, and Baies was such a popular one I thought it couldn't be bad! UGH. I couldn't have been more wrong. I didn't like Mimosa at all, and couldn't stand it enough to even try to burn it up and keep the jar. I gave that one away! Baies. Hmmm...this one I don't get?? It didn't smell like much and didn't seem so unique and I'm still not sure why it's so popular?? I burned through it in a few days so that I could get to the nitty gritty of cleaning it out and using the empty jar. I absolutely will not buy these again. 

Pine Bark...this one smells really good, but there are tons of candles that are in this Christmas tree smelling genre so I don't think it's super unique either. However, I think the jar is absolutely gorgeous and that's the main reason I wanted it LOL! Pretty packaging - yes, please!! 

Oranger...this one was a gwp when I ordered the Pine Bark, so I could hardly say no. It's a nice smell, but not one I'd normally buy. Nor will I make a regular purchase out of it. 

FEU DE BOIS!!! 

This was another one that was a gwp when I ordered the Pine Bark, and I'm pretty certain it was divine intervention because I find the smell so utterly amazing, and complex and surreal and downright addicting and I can't get enough of it!!!! I've ready purchased a regular mini version :-) Love it so much that even if it cost twice as much I would still buy it. Seriously. Even before burning it, I had Mr. G sniff and he said, OH MY GAWD...OH MY GAWD...OH MY GAWD!  Yep...he said it three times. I counted! LOL! 

Soooooo...where does that leave me?!! Feu de Bois is a non-negotiable now!!! Other than that, think I'll stick to my $10 candles with an only an occasional venture to the other side. I mean...hey...you never know what's out there until you try, and what if there's something else as amazing as FdB?!! :-) 

What say you?? Are you a candle lover?!! What's your favorite?