Lelo flickering touch massage candle by LELO - review by Carrie Ann

The Flickering Touch massage candle from LELO is incredibly multi-purpose. Designed to melt into a spreadable oil that is excellent for body massage, the Flickering Touch also works well to create a sensual ambiance for your romantic times or to lightly scent a room.

These candles are probably best for those who enjoy long, warm massages and sensual, romantic play. The scent is grown up and crisp, the overall look darkly sexy and modern. It would make a wonderful gift, a great addition to the overnight bag for a romantic getaway and, being made of natural ingredients, should be safe for just about anyone to use.

Massage candles are generally soy based and this one is no exception. It contains soy wax as its main ingredient with shea butter and apricot kernel oil added to soften the wax and create a nice body oil, as well as perfume for scent.

This should be fairly safe for use anywhere on the body though I would not use it internally. Wax can coat and inhibit the natural vaginal flora. It shouldn't damage non porous sex toys but should not be used with condoms or latex containing toys.

This candle can be used with massagers - either stone, glass, porcelain or plastic - and doing so can greatly enhance the experience. Try it with a massage stone, with a glass toy rolled across the back or a plug in massager with a plastic or silicone head. It's heaven.

The Flickering Touch candle starts out solid - though a very soft solid. It has the texture of a thick balm with a wick in it. In fact, dragging your finger across the top of the candle allows you to apply a small amount to small areas just as you could with any massage balm or lip balm. It is a creamy white in color and very silky to the touch.

Once lit, it rapidly begins to melt into a pool of oil. Burning for about a half hour to an hour gives you a nice bit of oil - though this candle does not burn entirely to the edges, even after being lit for two or three hours. The oil is thin, as all oils are, thinner than the wax of a traditional candle and cooler to the touch, as well. Soy burns at a low temperature so this is warm, not hot.

After the candle has burned long enough to create enough oil for your purposes, blow it out. Never pour wax from a candle while it is lit! If you're planning on full body, mutual massages, you'll want to let it burn long enough to have a nice, big pool. If you're just doing a back or foot massage, a small pool is fine. When you're ready to use it, simply tip the jar slightly, letting the oil drizzle either directly onto the body for a very warm experience or into your hand, to slightly cool it by rubbing your palms together before applying.

If drizzled onto the body, remember it is thin and may drip. Make sure you're on old sheets or a towel or something under you to catch spills. If poured into the hands it is much easier to control and to apply only a thin layer.

The oil is a medium oil in terms of greasiness. It feels slick and luxurious but definitely coats the body. It eventually absorbs but is not a light, fast absorbing oil. Nor is it a heavy oil that will leave you feeling greasy for long. It's truly a mid weight oil.

DO be sure you clean the sides of the candle holder when you are finished as some wax may drip down and you don't want it to leak onto your furniture or toys if you store this with them.

I received the Flickering Touch in Snow Pear & Cedarwood scent. It smells different than I expected it to! The packaging says:

"Light and crisp as a breeze off the surf set yourself adrift on the playful waves of cedarwood accented with an enticing top note of snow pear."

I expected it to smell more heavily of both scents but, in reality, I don't smell either very strongly. It does have cedar notes and a sweetness to it but primarily it is a very fresh, unisex green scent. It is very grown up, not at all like food or candy but not overly perfume-y, either.

It is a fairly light scent, even when you first open the packaging. Burning, it is enough to very minimally scent a room but not overwhelming or headache inducing.

To me, it smells of rain in the woods.

Once applied to the skin, the scent is noticeable and surrounds you softly as you give or receive a massage but is, again, not so heavy that you feel smothered by it. It lingers on the skin for an hour or two very pleasantly.

The LELO Flickering Touch massage candle performs admirably. It is not the best I have tried but it is absolutely right up there at the top.

A quarter sized pool of oil will sufficiently cover the entire back and shoulders, creating a light slick layer that produces excellent massages; not so much you feel like an oil slick but just right for reduced friction while maintaining the ability to knead muscles and work the flesh well. I found I was able to give a relatively long massage with this, at least as long as I can with normal oils and it never turned waxy or thick.

I would suggest, for a full body massage, that you light the candle and let it burn a few hours to get a good amount of oil. You certainly can burn it less time, pour some out, relight and let burn more to continue but it's much nicer to not have those interruptions.

The wax remains liquid in the container for a little while, longer if you've let more accumulate, but no exact time frames are possible as it all depends upon how long you let it burn in the first place and the temperature of your room.

Even once it begins to solidify, however, you can scoop a small amount out and it will melt between your palms.

Clean up was fairly easy. As mentioned, it is a relatively moderately thick oil in terms of how it feels on the skin so those who dislike the feeling of body oils may want to shower it off when finished but most should be fine just letting it absorb naturally.

Any spills onto sheets, bedding, towels or clothes should be treated as any other oil stain is; pretreat with a spray or detergent, then wash in the warmest water the material can handle.

I did not notice any pore clogging or other issues with this oil so it should be good for just about any skin type.

It also works fantastically as a after bath or shower moisturizer. Light it while you bathe, then smooth on the oil while your skin is still slightly damp and you'll be satiny smooth and lusciously scented.

Great for dry hands, feet and elbows, too!

Packaging is a bit different than most LELO, more disposable, as the candle is not really an item you'd store in its packaging after use.

It came in a simple black box, with green and black accents. Instructions, an image and ingredients are listed on the side of the box. You'll find the candle itself nestled inside.

The candle is in a black glass jar with a silver lid with a green accent loop on top. Inside the cover is a white foam circle to protect the candle.

The jar is gorgeous. It appears completely black with LELO printed in silver upon the front and the scent in very small text along the bottom. When lit, the flame shows thru the glass with a red hue, very romantic and seductive looking.

To store, replace the lid to keep dust out and to help retain scent.

I cannot find a burn time listed on the packaging or instructions but I have burned this candle for at least 5 hours plus used some for massage and it is still more than two thirds full so I would estimate at least a 20 - 30 hour burn time.