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Jan
30

Tobacco + Sandalwood: A Sydney Hale Co Review

History

Several weeks ago I saw Valet. make mention of Sydney Hale Co., a hand poured candle making company based in Virginia.  Valet. boasted the company as:

a family owned fragrance house making small-batch candles out of Arlington, VA in a variety of subtle, masculine scents at an affordable price. The wax is soy, made from American-grown beans, which means no soot or smoke and a less intense fragrance compared to traditional paraffin candles.

The Cocoa + Espresso scent is what brought me to the website, hoping to find reviews of the candle.  Alas, none were on the site and Google didn’t yield any results along the lines of what I was looking for.  Chocolate scents tend not to translate very well, although the essence of coffee and chocolate is an attractive one to me.

The Decision

Also present on the list of candles was Tobacco + Sandalwood.  Although I’m not a smoker, I do enjoy the smell of a good pipe being thoughtfully puffed on nearby.  Sandalwood is a scent that I don’t care for when it comes directly from a piece of the wood, however, I’m absolutely thrilled with the scent of The Art of Shaving’s Sandalwood Preshave Oil.

I decided I’d give it a go.  The cost after shipping was $27 which translates into $0.54 per hour of burn.

The Review

The first thing that I noticed is that the jar is as beautiful and classic as it appears in the pictures.  The second thing I noticed was that the smell is nothing like what I’d imagined.

The closest thing I know to describe the scent as is baby powder.  It’s a light scent that’s also sort of refreshing.  Although it’s not what I expected, it does make for a nice winter scent. (I’m big on dividing scents by season.)  Its light, reserved and mellow nature makes it a natural to keep in the bathroom, a room that’s usually too small and poorly circulated to keep a scented candle without being knocked out of your boots every time you walk into the room.

Will I buy another Tobacco + Sandalwood candle?  I don’t know.  But I do like it enough that I think I’ll try some of the other scents.  Possibly the Mint + Geranium or the Agave + Honeysuckle for Spring or the Sea Salt + Bay Rum or Grapefruit + Orange for Summer.

Who knows — maybe I’ll even get around to taking a gamble on the Cocoa + Espresso.