Love these Lilin + Co Soy Candles which smell more luxurious than they cost!

Most of you know that my guilty pleasure is scented candles. No, not for use in a blackout, but a lovely, warm, comforting way to scent a room. Room scents work the same way as a body scent or fragrance – it makes it smell better, and you know, it’s a great way to kill any odours, especially if you live in an apartment and have to contend with cooking smells.

As much as I love my luxury candles, I too love finding affordable scented candles made locally, that do not smell artificial. I have a great beef with artificially scented candles, which unfortunately abound. Sorry, not going there. I value my olfactory sense too much to abuse it!

So when I was contacted by one such local company, with the most intriguing name of Lilin + Co, I knew I had to give them a try. They very kindly sent me one custom-made candle, which thrilled me to no end! 😀 I mean, look at that! How often do I see My Women Stuff on merchandise?! Not often! 😀 Looks so good, I should ask them to brew me a customized scent! Haha 😀

When I found out how affordable they were, and that they are soy candles (burns longer, better for the environment) I immediately ordered a few more of their other scents to try, so I have a more rounded opinion of the brand and their scents. Lilin + Co have also kindly provided a special discount code for you guys, so look for that at the end of this post! 😀

What makes the Lilin + Co candles special is this – they make wood-wick candles. Now, why is this special? Wood-wick candles, unlike regular cotton wick candles give of a satisfying crackle and pop as you burn your candles. I’d been so curious about them when I came across them online a few years back, but it’s impossible to ship candles – they’re heavy and very fragile. So, I was very pleased that Lilin + Co makes these, and that they are available locally, and above all, affordable!

It is worth noting that the wood-wick candles are the larger 170g candles that have up to 40 hours burning time. If you don’t burn often, that is a long time indeed, for as I’ll tell you below you can make candles last by observing a few tricks.

The smaller 65g candles, that have about 20 hours burning time come with a regular cotton wick, and are packaged in little cotton drawstring bags. The large 170g candles come in a box. I do find that the wood doesn’t crackle as much or as loudly as I thought it would. You’d have to go near to hear it unless in a silent room. But it is unique, and it is a very interesting touch, so I’m still happy about it.

I bought quite a few, to try out the different scents, and I noticed that the Lilin + Co candles have a more floral and gourmand slant to them as compared to a different brand I tried before. Their candles tend to have a stronger, sweeter scent, with an underlying richness. The only one with a fresher scent is the Lemongrass & Lime candle, with a very fresh and refreshing smell that fits its name perfectly.

I bought Lemongrass & Lime in the small 65g size (only RM20!) and it smells lovely, with a little fizz in the jar. I do find however, that the 65g candles work best in a small room e.g. your bedroom. If you want to burn these in your living hall, you need the 170g candles for better scent throw. Or you could burn a few 65g candles for a stronger scent, or to blend the scents. While Lemongrass & Lime smells refreshing, I did find that to me, it wasn’t as strong as I expected it to be so the scent was a little lost in the air.

The other scents in the Lilin + Co candles are more floral or gourmand and in my view, perform better as room scents, as the throw is better and the scent lingers better too.

I was sent Neroli & Ylang Ylang, which is a fresh floral scent that scents the room very nicely without being overpowering. It is fresh and refreshing in the way that flowers are fresh and refreshing. I liked this one and I can understand why it’s a bestseller.

I also found that I rather liked Burnt Fig & Cassis, which smells quite strong and sweet when you smell the candle, but which isn’t as strong when you burn it. It is lovely in the bedroom, giving off a warm, cosy vibe. I placed the 65g one in my room left uncovered, and I get a subtle hint of the scent in the air. Just a hint of sweetness.

The other 2 I bought were Black Tea & Lychee and Strawberries & Champagne, because I was curious how they would smell. I find these two the strongest smelling, for they are very sweet. If you like sweet, food-based scents, then you will love these. For me, both of these work best in the living hall, because the scent disperses over a wider space and is less cloying. They aren’t bad. They just aren’t quite my personal tastes. That said, I like how the Black Tea grounds the sweetness of the Lychee scent, so it does not smell as sickly, giving off instead a slightly smokey base. I’d happily repurchase that one. But Strawberries & Champagne smells like fresh, crushed, sweet strawberries – good if you like that sort of scent! I’d have liked a bit of the sourness of champagne to come through, but unfortunately it doesn’t for me.

It so happens that Lilin + Co made a special limited edition candle called Je T’aime. It is still currently available, and as the name implies, it is a candle for romantics. It is strongly scented with the scent of Tuberose which is a very strong rose floral scent, but rounded off with other florals – jasmine, ylang ylang, violet and vanilla. It isn’t one I’d pick at normal times, but I was intrigued because while I don’t favour smelling rose scents on me, I do like it in a room.

Je T’aime is a strongly scented candle that works best in a larger space, so it doesn’t overwhelm. I like it in my living hall (which isn’t that large) but it overwhelms me in my bedroom. But if you love the scent of roses, and want a lovely romantic atmosphere, then the bedroom might be where you want it! 😀

Here are some bonus candle burning tips based on my experience through the years.

Candle burning tips

• Burn your candles for at least 1 hour each time. This is the optimum burn time, as it will allow the top layer of wax to melt evenly, and avoid tunnelling (where your candle dips in the middle at the wick, leaving the wax along the sides like a tunnel). This also allows the scent to travel further and saturate the air more evenly.
• Blow off your candles after an hour. I find that if it’s longer than an hour, it doesn’t make anymore difference to how long the scent remains in the air. So I usually blow off my candles. If you are entertaining, then you naturally shouldn’t, because the flickering candles add to the mood.
• Don’t burn your candles near a window or where there is wind. You will find that the scent will be very weak and your candle may not burn evenly. Also, I find that burning candles in cool envionments e.g. with air-conditioning on, gives off a better throw. Closing doors and windows keeps the scent longer too.
• Trim your candle wick. If your candle wick is very long, your flame will be larger and it can cause a lot of soot to form, and will burn more quickly. Before burning your candle, trim its wick to about 3mm for a more even burn.
• Burn a few different scents to customize your room fragrance. If you find complementary scents, you can burn them together, to create a custom scent. It’s actually very nice this way, and allows you to get a stronger scent from smaller (more affordable) candles. However, not every scent works, so play around to your tastes. I found that the Lilin + Co ones work well, because they have a similar theme – floral and gourmand – running through their candles, that complement each other well. Some others that have a more complex scent, don’t work as well when blended.

Now, a few words about my experience shopping on Lilin + Co (which is based in Malaysia and will ship internationally). Their website is clean, and it is easy to pick the candles you want, and add them to your cart. They have standardized their pricing, so the 65g candles are just RM20 each, and the larger 170g candles are RM61 (RM65 for the limited edition Je T’aime one). That is very affordable, for a good quality candle with a lovely scent 🙂

Soy candles are naturally softer in texture, so I do find that if it is a very hot day (as we have been experiencing lately) the wax is rather soft. This also means that it will melt more quickly when you burn. They ship by Poslaju and the items arrived to me well packaged and wrapped, so they all arrived safely. None of them melted, thankfully.

However, while I understand the need to charge for shipping, I do think that it is also possible to allow for free shipping when you purchase above a certain amount. I paid about RM14 for shipping 5 candles (1 large, 4 small) and I know that isn’t very much. But I did spend close to RM150 so complimentary shipping would have been nice. Or even if you hit RM200. It’s an inducement to add to your order and I would have! 😛

The other comment I have is the lack of a payment portal through the website. Once you complete your purchase, you will have to manually pay them by way of bank transfer and then email them your proof of payment. This isn’t mentioned on the website, and truth be told, if I did not have faith in their business, I would not have made a purchase. Secondly, this involves extra steps which means many people will be turned off, as we are now accustomed to making payment directly from a website through bank transfer or our credit cards. It is the cornerstone of online shopping and I do think they should consider this.

I would encourage the folks at Lilin + Co to invest in a payment portal, or at least payment via PayPal which I understand isn’t hard to set up (albeit involves an element of cost by way of a percentage). But still, that’s something to consider. That said, they also have some limited stockists in Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and Maldives, so if you prefer smelling your candles before buying them, you can check those out.

Otherwise, it was a seamless transaction. I am very happy with my purchases and I will consider repurchasing and purchasing more, should new scents be released, that are to my tastes. I try to support local (legitimate) business wherever possible, and it’s always nice to know that I can get good quality, affordable scented candles locally. They also take custom orders, so if you’re looking for gifts or favours, this is an option too.

Incidentally, for those who don’t speak the language, “Lilin” means “Candle” in the Malay language, and I loved the use of it in the name, with their nod to their Malaysian heritage. If anything, I’d buy from them just for that alone haha! 😀

IN A NUTSHELL

Lilin + Co is a company that sells soy candles in Malaysia and they ship internationally. I found that their scent selection tends to the floral and gourmand, which will suit the tastes of those who prefer scents like these. The floral and gourmand scented candles have a stronger scent and better throw, and linger longer in the air. The sole citrus scent Lemongrass & Lime is weaker albeit refreshing. The large 170g candles come with a wood-wick which gives off a lovely crackling sound as they burn, and adds to the mood. All in all, lovely candles and proudly Malaysian 🙂

PROS: Affordable, Soy candles burn evenly, Wood-wick candles are unique and give off a lovely crackle, Scents are quite unique and the floral or fruity gourmand scents give off a good throw and linger longer in the air

CONS: Shipping is charged irrespective of order size but is affordable, Website does not have a payment portal so payment must be paid manually, I found the Lemongrass & Lime candle a little light

WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who enjoys scented candles, Anyone who wants to try a scented candle at an affordable price, Anyone who prefers floral and gourmand scents

PRICE: RM20 for 65g and RM61 for 170g – limited edition or special scents cost a little more

WHERE TO BUY: Lilin + Co website or their selected stockists

SPECIAL DISCOUNT CODE: Specially for MWS readers, use code MWS10 to get 10% off your purchase! It will defray your shipping costs. Valid to 9 June 2017.

Might these interest you in trying a scented candle?

For the most part, good quality scented candles tend to be a little pricey. But because these start at just RM20 for 20 hours, I think it’s very affordable. Perfect for the coming festive season when you are expecting guests! 😉

Paris B