Afterglow - massage candle by Jimmyjane - review by Sam (aka Jul!a)

Massage candles offer you the chance to set the mood for your massage with a little bit of mood lighting first. They are fantastic because even if you decide you don't want a massage, you can still use it as a regular candle. You could even use the wax as a moisturizer, either in its liquid or solid state, as the wax is easily melted by the temperature of your skin.

These can be used by just about anybody, although it does help if you have a steadier hand while trying to pour the wax out, if that's the route you choose to take. Otherwise, brush away and have yourselves a sensual time.

Unlike my Ember, the extreme temperatures that our bedroom sometimes soars to doesn't seem to make a difference in the solidity of the wax. Either it's solid, or it's melted when lit. While it is solid however, the temperature of your skin is enough to melt small enough layers that you could rub your finger around for a quick moisturizing of the hands.

In its liquid state, it pours just like water or oil, if you choose to pour it, and brushes on just like a massage oil, only warm. If you choose to pour it out, make sure you have a steadier hand as the wax will just start dripping down wherever it happens to fall.

In either state, the wax will absorb into the skin decently, but leaving an oily residue for a short period of time.

Afterglow is available in a number of scents from Eden, ranging from Fig Leaf, Pink Lotus, Bourbon, Cucumber Water, Black Currant, and Dark Vanilla. On JimmyJane's website, you can also get a Milk Chocolate scented one.

I've got both the dark vanilla and the black currant and so far I really enjoy them both. To my fiance and myself, the dark vanilla one smells a lot like your run of the mill "vanilla cookie" scent that you might find at a lot of candle shops. The black currant has a heavier floral scent to it. Neither one can be smelled unlit from more than about 10" or so away, and even when lit, they don't overpower the space they occupy.

JimmyJane offers descriptions of each scent, and if you click here you can read them.

For the massage itself, I prefer the wax of the Afterglow over that of the Ember. It seems to glide better, but does leave a bit more of a greasy after-feeling.

The packaging says that you should let a pool of wax melt across the entire top of the candle's surface before extinguishing and then using for massage. I've found than in warmer rooms it takes about 20-25 minutes, where the packaging says it should take roughly 30.

When the wax goes on as a liquid it's as close to hot as you can get without being uncomfortable. Like the perfect shower temperature during the winter. It smooths around just like an oil, and feels like one too. Since the Afterglow comes with a brush, it was a lot easier for me to spread out the wax that I wanted, rather than hoping I can pour the right amount out. With 2 dips about halfway up the brush into the wax, I was easily able to rub my fiance's entire back for a good 10-15 minutes or so before things progressed onward. He opted to pour onto my back, and actually managed to get the quarter size they recommend and it lasted for a good 15 to 20 minutes before he felt it had soaked into my skin too much to continue. Unlike the Ember's wax, when he felt like he had run out, I hadn't noticed.

The scent lingers on the skin well enough to be smelled if pressed against it for about a day or so. We used ours at night and the next night I could keep catching little whiffs here and there.

If you do accidentally end up pouring too much, just go with it and wipe off any extra that you may have. You won't be left with a waxy residue, and any greasy feeling will go away within a relatively short period of time. However if you feel you must wash this off, a washcloth with some warm water and soap will take care of it.

Afterglow comes packaged in yet another lovely box from JimmyJane. The outside advertises that it's a massage candle, what scent you have, and also the description of the scent. If you're trying to hide that the box contains a massage candle, ditch it right away, but the candle itself is definitely discreet enough to leave out and about.

Inside the box you'll first find the little instruction pamphlet, a small box of matches, and the applicator brush. The brush is about the size of a large rouge brush, and should you ever lose the one that came with the candle, I don't see why you couldn't just substitute a clean makeup brush instead. The instruction pamphlet tells you how long you should burn your candle each time, how long it will burn for (42 hours), general safety instructions such as where you shouldn't burn your candle, and an ingredient list for each scent except the milk chocolate, as that one is still really new.

The little brush they give you is really awesome, and to keep it that way, you should always make sure to extinguish the flame before dipping the brush into the wax as the brush can catch on fire, and then you wouldn't have it anymore, and that would be bad.

Also, there were no instructions for how to clean the brush, and since I didn't want mine to just sit with a bunch of wax in it, I squeezed out all the wax and washed the brush with some liquid antibacterial soap under warm water. The brush doesn't look exactly like it did when I first got it, but it's still soft and smooth, and still works just fine.

Also please make sure to never burn this or any other candle on an unstable surface like a bed.

You could also use the wax in its solid or liquid state as a moisturizer before bed. It goes on a little too greasy for me to be comfortable going right out and starting my day, but if all I have planned after that is to lay in bed for a while, I've used it.

I really like my Afterglow candle, especially since it stays more solid than my Ember while it's hot out. The little lid on my Ember kept getting knocked into the candle and making divots in the wax and I don't have that problem with the Afterglow. It still gets the same sweaty look to it in warmer temperatures, however this doesn't seem to affect anything but burn time, making it a bit shorter.

I love that no matter which scent I'm burning, whether it's for a massage or just to burn it, I can't seem to get enough of the scent. And I love that it makes both my fiance's skin and my own nice and soft. Our answer to the slightly greasy residue is to use it before bed and let it sit on our skin overnight, or to wipe off any excess with a spare towel.