Non-perfumey candles, eh?

February 5, 2007 5:36 PM

Not-so-girly Girly-Man Filter: Help a Canadian find scented candles that won't clash with his Y-chromosome.

I recently discovered that my favourite scented candles (a couple from the Glade 3-in-1 line) have been discontinued, and the other department store candles aren't tickling my fancy. I like herbal/green/fresh/woody/earthy, but the stores I've checked seem to only have really floral stuff or generic pinesol-ish evergreen.

Googling and AskMe-searching has revealed two stumbling blocks to my olfactory satisfaction. The American sites I've found have huge selections of interesting-sounding candles, but either won't ship to Canada or charge outrageous shipping fees (20-30 USD!). The Canadian sites I've found will (obviously) ship to me, but don't have a much of an inspiring selection.

So, does anyone know of a good Canada / Canada-friendly site with awesome candles? Or possibly a store in Montreal with similar stock?

posted by CKmtl to Shopping (20 answers total)

Have you checked out the candle store on St-Denis? It's on the west side between Duluth and Rachel. They have oodles of stuff, and if you can't find something you like there, that neighbourhood's full of other places where such things turn up.
posted by zadcat at 5:50 PM on February 5, 2007

This Ebay store looks to meet your needs. I personally use similar soy candles by Henri Bendel, for their true, natural clean burning scent, but can't find any stores in Canada that sell them.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 5:59 PM on February 5, 2007

Yankee Candle's Midsummer Night is a good one. My husband likes it a lot, it smells a bit like cologne. But manly, not perfumey.

You can get them at Linens 'N'Things Canada, who I believe has normal shipping rates to Canada (since they're in Canada already). The drawback is that they don't appear to have any stores in Quebec, though, so you can't really try before you buy.
posted by AV at 6:01 PM on February 5, 2007

If you have a car, you can probably get them sent to the post office in Champlain NY and pick them up there. Or just go to a store in Plattsburgh or Burlington, hang out by the lake for a bit, and go back.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:09 PM on February 5, 2007

Go to the Body Shop. Oceanus is delicious, Activist is quite nice too.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:12 PM on February 5, 2007

Aveda candles might be worth a sniff -- not cheap, but good, and not particularly girly. "Fresh, herbaceous aroma..."

Mtl Aveda store: 880, rue Sainte-Catherine.
posted by kmennie at 6:17 PM on February 5, 2007

Here's a list of some candle stores in Canada.
posted by amyms at 6:21 PM on February 5, 2007

Have you thought about beeswax candles? They have a really nice scent to them, and didn't strike me (a guy) as girly at all.

There's a very good Canadian beeswax candle company, philoxia.com; their candle brand is Pheylonian. While the website is just loaded with superlatives, they actually are very good candles. They won't last as long as they say, but they do last a LOT longer than standard candles do.

I've tried other beeswax candles, but they don't smell as good, and the wicking is inferior. The Pheylonians are much better, and what with them being Canadian and all, you should be able to get very good pricing.
posted by Malor at 7:17 PM on February 5, 2007

i (female) also dont like perfumey candles, but love this selection from Kiehl's as well as a lot of the diptyque candles, especially cedar. aint cheap, but do last a while.
posted by fillsthepews at 7:24 PM on February 5, 2007

Smokin Tire Candles

Candles in the shape of a tire with the scent of burning rubber. This might be too manly.
posted by Emo Squid at 7:50 PM on February 5, 2007

Take anything that smells good to you (oranges, bananas, cedar, whatever) and soak or roast it in olive oil. Then burn the oil in a lamp. You can even make your own lamp for cheap out of a beer bottle. You can experiment and find your favorite manly odor. (Manly odor joke? Anyone?)
posted by shanevsevil at 8:49 PM on February 5, 2007

Candle Delirium's Candle Scents for Men page has some excellent suggestions, including the fabulous-smelling-but-dear-lord-expensive D.L. & Co. line.
posted by judith at 9:24 PM on February 5, 2007

oops. US only, sorry. Perhaps that will give you some brands to search for, though...
posted by judith at 9:31 PM on February 5, 2007

Have you checked out Pier One? They usually carry an assortment of candles, and not all of them fall under the floral girly category. There are several Pier One stores around Montreal, so you might want to drop by one of them when you get a chance. Store locations: http://www.pier1.com/storelocator/canada.aspx
posted by Jade Dragon at 3:11 AM on February 6, 2007

Winners has a variety of scented, non-floral candles. And bonus, they're always discounted. Montreal Winners locations.
posted by Blue Buddha at 8:01 AM on February 6, 2007

I got a candle at Pier One that smells like a fireplace burning. I loooove it. I'm not sure they still sell it (I should check) but it's worth a try.
posted by loiseau at 10:19 AM on February 6, 2007

There is also Country Home Candles that you can order from online (they're located in rural Southwestern Ontario) and their products are avaliable @ Green Earth.
posted by googlebombed at 4:04 PM on February 6, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions. I'll check that store on St Denis when the deepfreeze eases off a bit.

Ambrosia Voyeur: Sweet, those Archipelago candles look interesting.

Malor: I stumbled upon those beeswax candles too... but I was slightly afraid that I'd end up receiving a hash candle or something, judging by the "superlatives". Might give 'em a go sometime.

judith: Yegads! I nearly choked on my hot chocolate at those prices. I don't think I'd be able to bring myself to burn a $50 / $85 / $125 candle.

shanevsevil: Hmm. Intriguing idea. Any web instructions that you know of?

Any other suggestions are still welcome.
posted by CKmtl at 5:48 PM on February 6, 2007

Oooh, I've just discovered that the same brand featured in my link and the top of judith's is the one that makes this scent, which I remember commenting on at my landlord's place. It was a damn sexy smell, in a scotch drinkin' man's man way. Glade can't do sexy.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 8:20 PM on February 6, 2007

CK, I've got a couple of the Pheylonian candles: they're really nice. You might be right about hash being involved with writing that website, but the candles themselves seem entirely free of anything but beeswax. :) They smell good... it's not overpowering, but mild and pleasant.

If you do get some, remember that beeswax burns hotter than paraffin, so keep it well clear of flammable things.
posted by Malor at 10:50 PM on February 6, 2007