Beeswax tea lights - candle by Bluecorn Naturals - review by Antipova

For surrounding your love's bed with a warm candle glow, for lining the edge of the bath tub to unwind alone or together, or for a steady light at your writing desk on a winter evening, these long-lasting beeswax candles will improve the mood in your room. The lightly-filtered beeswax has a light, natural honey scent, and the candles burn brightly for hours longer than paraffin tea lights. Beeswax's high melting point allows these candles to outshine competitors, but it is far too hot for use in wax play, so plan to use these for mood lighting only.

My six Bluecorn Naturals' beeswax tea lights were all a very even consistency, a light creamy-honey color, and the wicks were clean and sturdy. The wick's bases are lead-free as well. As the makers explain, the wax is lightly filtered to strike a balance between a high-quality, consistent burn and the iconic pleasant fragrance.

Beeswax smells delicious, and (unless you're allergic to pollen) it won't trouble a sensitive nose. The delightful honey smell of these candles is lighter than some I've used before; they lend a little fragrance to a room before they're lit, but if you lean over to sniff one while it's burning you'll smell the heat more than you'll smell honey.

The honey smell fills a room best just after the candles have been snuffed. I do recommend snuffing them rather than blowing them out. These wicks smoked a lot if there was an excess of oxygen when they were extinguished, and the smoke took away from the smell of the wax. Also, if you're burning the tea lights for longer than an hour, burn them in something other than the plastic cups they shipped in, because the plastic didn't smell very good at the wax's melting point.

One of beeswax's best qualities is its long burn time. If you're planning to stay in bed with your lover for hours, you can light these candles and enjoy their soft light all evening. Outside of its plastic cup, I burned one of these candles for 2 hours and 48 minutes! Impressive for a candle a little more than an inch in diameter and a little less than an inch in height. If I had kept the tea light in its cup, or set it in a glass container, it would have lasted many more hours (container-less, it met an untimely end by overflowing its edges). When I've found a glass cup I don't mind sacrificing, I will find the true burn time and update my review.

Beeswax's other major draw is the pleasant scent of honey. These candles were subtly fragrant, and their smell is not particularly long-lasting, but to err on the side of not overpowering a room is a refreshing change for candle-makers.

The candles burn quite brightly, especially for such small candles. If I'm inclined to write by candlelight, I usually use tapers, but perhaps because these candles are so close to desk level, they lit my pages very well. If I were to have only these six tea lights when the power went out, I would feel well prepared. I might still decide to take my lover to bed until the lights came back on, with these lovely little candles to light our faces.

The six beeswax tea lights come in a cardboard topped bag, like you'd see in a gift shop. If you wanted to give these candles as a gift, it might be best to take them from this bag and put them in a small box. But for personal use, the minimal packaging is fine by me.

Each candle comes in a small "heat resistant plastic cup," claims Bluecorn Naturals' website. As I was burning my first candle, this cup seemed to perform well. I blew the candle out when the wax had melted across the candle's whole diameter though, and my roommate quickly asked, "Do you smell burning plastic?" Of course, I did. The plastic cup smelled terrible when the wax heated it, so if you plan to burn your candles for more than an hour, transfer them to glass cups, or tinfoil-lined saucers.

I prefer the tea light form of candles to votives or pillars; the cost of having six or more pillars burning at a time can discourage me from lighting enough to really set a mood. These tea lights are even prettier when lit in pairs or threes.

Inconspicuous beeswax candles can serve a dual purpose if you share your living space with someone you don't share your love life with. The enjoyment of the candles can give you an answer when you're asked "What did UPS bring you?" "Oh, just [a flogger and a butt plug and] some nice natural candles. Want to smell?"