Ever since I could remember I was an avid fan of Bath & Body Works. One of my first memories of beauty products is their 'Art Stuff' line from the late 90s/early 2000s and it was even my first 'real' job for a solid three months until I quit because retail is hard.
When I graduated college, started making my own money and wanted to create a little oasis for my bedroom, Bath and Body Works is where I headed. I could not get enough of their candles and each one made me happier than the next.
For a long time, they were the only candles I used because why would I try anything else? BBW had the best scents, the cutest candle accessories, and the best names for their scents. Why would I buy anything that wasn't named Maghony Teakwood?
Eventually, I started to expand my candle horizons and if I wasn't buying BB&W it was Evil Queen Candles, which I have been raving about for years. I loved them probably more than BB&W but they still weren't the majority of my collection. This was also around the time that I realized that Bath & Body Works weren't the best candles to be burning. I knew that the ingredients weren't the best but I looked past it because I had so many favorite scents I didn't want to give up.
Over the course of the past two years though, I have been trying a lot of different luxury candles and have found that they are a true experience for me versus just trying to scent a room and create an ambiance. As I discovered more candle brands I started buying Bath & Body Works less and less, and with good reason.
This past year I noticed that whenever I lit a Bath & Body Works candle I couldn't breathe. It was like my lungs were filling with up dust and it was one of the most uncomfortable feelings I've ever experienced. In addition to the breathing issues, the candles were causing me to sneeze and my eyes to water. I was finally allergic to my Bath & Body Works candles.
I tried a few more times during the Christmas season to light my favorite scents but it was just too much, I was in pain and that's when I realized I could not use these candles anymore. It was time to invest in high quality, good ingredients, and safe candles and I have noticed a difference in the quality of air in my bedroom (which is where I usually spend my time and where I burn candles).
It's been a few months since I burned my last BBW candle and I don't think I'll ever go back. It was just time to use different candles and to use candles less which is always the case in the spring and summer. At some point, I need to think more about quality than cost and I think that's an important lesson in shopping.
*I have no proof of this but my walls are full of soot and I feel like it's because of the Bath & Body Works candles. Once I paint my room over and stop using BB&W I will be better suited to make that assumption but I don't think I've seen any new black spots on my beautiful white walls since I stopped using BB&W.
In the same breath, you don't have to spend a stupid amount on candles to get good quality. Evil Queen candles are priced at around $20 and they are the best candles I've ever used.
So, that is a very long-winded way of saying I'm suddenly allergic to Bath & Body Works candles and I'm investing in better quality candles that make my space more luxurious and don't make me suffocate.
See below for some other favorite candle picks that are scented beautifully, good quality, and just fun to have!
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