The £6 Home Bargains item that 'completely transformed' my living room in five minutes
When I'm snuggled down under my blanket after a long day at work, I have found myself reliant upon a £6 Home Bargains item to ramp my cosy vibes up from 'snug little house in south Birmingham' to 'wintery log cabin in heaven'. Just before Christmas, a shopping trip to the discount store resulted in a purchase of a Crackle Wick crackling wooden double-wick candle that I had no idea would make me so much happier.
I know that's a serious statement, but it's true. I am a candle sniffer, prone to spending ages in that aisle in TK Maxx on the hunt for a new home scent.
I always loved a Yankee Candle, but in recent years, I feel they've lost some of their power. When I lit my 'Winter Nights' Home Bargains wicks just to find the whole room transformed within minutes, my brain struggled to comprehend what was happening.
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I want to preface this by saying that I bought and paid for the candle myself with no intention of ever writing a word about it. I need to say that, because I'm aware that the love story I'm about to tell you might smack of an over-romanticised advertisement, such is my appreciation for this little bargain.
The eye-shaped candle has two long wooden wicks inside, spanning much of the width of the candle. Because of them, the candle throws out a lot of flickering light, which is the first thing you notice when you light it.
The second thing you notice is the sound it makes. I'm a sucker of that 'Fireplace For Your Home' show on Netflix, the crackling pops of the burning wood offering a sense of calm. This candle does the same thing.
Within a couple of short minutes, it's the fragrance that hits you. The one I have, has a 'sharp, edgy profile with spiced sanda, ruby wood and glowing embers' according to Home Bargains. My untrained nose will tell you that it's 'just lovely'.
It's not as fiery as my favourite perfume, Maison Margiela's By The Fireplace (they offer that in candle form too but I can't afford the £55 splurge) but there's definitely warmth there. I can be really picky with smells, even if I do struggle to articular them in articles on the internet.
It's got such a good scent throw that fills my house within an hour. If I'm feeling particularly headachey or overstimulated, I sometimes have to blow it out after that, because it has real power - ideal for a room much bigger than mine.
It's been weeks now since I bought it and the wide wicks have burnt the candle down, evenly, until there's just a centimetre left in the clean glass jar with none of that annoying tunnelling. I reckon once it's burnt out, a little wash will leave it clean and ready to be used as decor, perhaps with some flowers in for spring. It's got a wooden lid too, if you want to use it as a trinket box.
My only concern now is that I won't find it again. Home Bargains can be like that, sometimes. It's showing as out of stock online.
That said, I'm inspired to go and sniff the other scents. In a dream life, there'll be a delicate lavender one, perfect for calming vibes at bedtime. Fingers crossed!
This review was independent and the item was purchased by the reviewer.