Archipelago Botanicals: AB Home Soy Candle review

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I love candles. I especially love them when they’re soy-based and have a lead-free wick because they burn clean and I don’t worry about breathing in things that just can’t be good for me. I’ll also only really buy them if they look good as well as smell good because my hubby argues that candles are “burning money”. So, I buy them as part of my decor and burn them gently and infrequently, always trimming wicks along the way. I’m so careful with my candles and can’t bear to part with them, that I have some that I’ve owned for years.

In the pursuit of the perfect candle, I’ve run across many brands, some bad, some good and some excellent. A brand I would classify as “excellent” is Archipelago Botanicals. Trust me: they’re worthy of hoarding for years and years…and so fab you’ll want to burn through them immediately.

I’ve had a love affair with Archipelago candles for years now, ever since I received one as a housewarming gift. I count their Pineapple Ginger Signature Soy candle as my all-time favorite.

Imagine my excitement when we heart this received a few candles from the AB Home soy candle collection for review! I did a little happy dance. There were no witnesses, but believe me, it happened.

Thanks to the kind and generous folks at Archipelago Botanicals, we received their small soy candles ($20) in three incredible scents:
Arugula – the smell of greens with a hint of basil.
Verbena – a clean, lemon citrus scent
Tuberose – an exotic floral fragrance

I took the Verbena candle for a test drive. First impression: this candle is so cute! The glass jar and the printing on the square yellow label reflect a simple elegance that practically begs to have a place of honor on an end table.

I took a sniff of the unburned wax and it smells like a tart lemon. As a lover of fruity candles, especially citrus-based, I’m in heaven. I trimmed the wick before lighting it up (1/4″ is recommended for slow, even burning). Almost immediately, the room filled up with the scent of citrus.

Thanks to the soy and lead-free wick, the smoke contained no traces of soot, something my lungs require in a candle (I haven’t had an asthma attack in years and I like to keep it that way).

I let it burn for about an hour before extinguishing it. My house smelled like heaven for about a half an hour later. The hubby arrived home from work and asked me if I made lemon cookies. Sucker.

I’ve continued to use the candle a couple more times and the have barely made a dent in this little beauty; the smaller soy candles retail at $20, so knowing I’ll have it for a long while helps me justify this purchase.

Pros:
Packaging is attractive, great for gift-giving.
Variety of fragrances to choose from (over 25 in this collection).
Soy-based wax with lead-free wicks that are friendly to your lungs and decor.

Cons:
Convincing hubby to plunk down $20+ for candles.

The Verbena fragrance is great for freshening up the house and a product worthy of 5 stars. I can’t wait to try some of their other offerings in the AB Home line. Join me in the comments where the wht team will be reviewing their candles.

we heartsters and testers – are you a fellow candle hoarder? How many Archipelago Botanicals Candles are in your home right now?

Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.

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    Lives in the middle of nowhere with her amazing hubby and two codependent dogs that love to hate each other. She enjoys dance parties of one and last minute road trips, prays for Angela Lansbury's immortality and can never own enough blush. She averages one "Silence of the Lambs" quote a week and feels no shame over this. Perhaps she should. skin tone: NW15 skin type: sensitive/oily favorite beauty product: Blush, lots and lots of blush

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13 Comments

  1. I very happily tested Tuberose. I love this scent. It’s very floral and smells very girly to me. Upon opening the box, I knew this candle would be the perfect scent for me. It smelled amazing! Not too overpowering, but just the right amount of oomph a candle needs. It’s become one of my favorites that I burn when company is coming over. It fills the house with it’s soft scent very quickly. I don’t mind spending a little more $ for a candle if it’s worth it and the Archipelago candles are definitely worth the cost. These make great gifts too. I’ve been a fan of them for awhile and love to give them as hostess gifts or to my kid’s teachers. 5 stars!

  2. I’m a sucker for verbena, and a sucker for candles! Haven’t lit any in awhile, since I’ve been using my Scentsy warmers, but now that it’s getting colder, there’s nothing like an evening of candles, wine, and a nice warm dinner! These really do look cute.

  3. It’s funny that you used the phrase “smelled like heaven” in your review, @krista , because that’s exactly what I was going to say about Archipelago’s Tuberose candle. I’m so happy I got to test this particular scent, a clean floral which is so mood-lifting. And the scent lingers in my house for days after burning the candle for an hour or two, which is an extra bonus.

    I’ve been burning it a lot with very little loss of wax. I never realized how sturdy soy candles are! And the packaging is so beautiful. When I think of what ordinary mall jar candles cost, $20 does not seem pricey at all for such quality. More Archipelago candles are in my very near future, and I plan to give a few as gifts, too. 5 stars.

  4. I received the Verbena candle and it is heavenly indeed. The sugary lemon smell was delightful right as I opened up the box. These candles are very classy and I adore the little label too! It’s true, the smell DOES linger for a while after your candle has been put out. It’s soooo good. I can totally imagine the other two scents being amazing as well. I love citrus scents so this really was a treat. I felt instantly comforted and cozy. I’m giving this 5 stars because it’s a flawless candle and I am going to get tons of use from it even though it’s the “small” size.

  5. SO worth the cash – I love the Arugula reed diffuser and all the delicious candle scents (swoon!)

  6. As soon as I opened my package I could smell this candle. I received the Verbena candle also, and I echo your sentiments! It smells fantastic, and the label design feels classier than most other scented candles. And while I’m not careful about burning my candles (no wick trimming or short burning here) it’s still going strong. I think I’ll get a lot of use out of this one!
    Arugula is tempting me something awful. Greens and basil? Yes, please!

    I’m giving AB Home Soy Candle in Verbena 4 stars. If I could knock down the price just a touch my husband wouldn’t mind so terribly, leaving me better candle enjoyment. Totally going high on my “gifts to give” list, though!

  7. I adore candles, but my husband is sensitive to scents (or so he says) so I burn them sparingly. Happily, though, I got to try Arugula and my husband’s complaint have been far and few between. Arugula is a very green scent, like walking through a wet garden. The basil comes through and reminds me of Mrs. Meyer’s Basil soap, a big favorite of mine. But don’t think this is a basil-fest, it’s very subtle. This is a perfect unisex scent; I’d definitely include it in a housewarming gift. I like different scents for different parts of the house and I’ve claimed this as my kitchen scent!

    I’ve had one Archipelago candle before and it lasted me FOREVER. As long as you don’t over burn them and make that well in the middle, they will burn evenly and perfectly for months. Plus soy and lead-free wicks makes this a five star product for me, DEFINITELY.

    1. The Arugula candle intrigued me and now that you say it smells like the Mrs. Meyers Basil soap….I am ready to shell out $20 for this candle. We love that scent in my household.
      I have never tried a soy candle before, (where have I been?) so I must find these Archipelago candles asap!

  8. We are big candle burners at my house. There is nothing like coming into the house and having a nice fresh scent. I am also lemon verbena lover. I like soy candles because they DO NOT have as big of tendency to stain your walls or ceiling. Sorry the bearer of bad of bad news but, the dark marks that may be on your walls and ceilings are from burning candles. The marks do not stop me from burning them because I have a paranoia of having a bad smelling house due to having a Great Dane and a cat in the house.

  9. These sound so nice! I havn’t burned a candle all summer, but reading this review is making me want to get some out. Verbena and Arugula sound like they need me to order them immediately!

  10. I’m so jealous of these, especially the arugula and verbena. Both scents sound great. I’m very picky when it comes to scented candles in my home. I’ll have to remember these when I have some extra cash on hand.

  11. I received Arugula – and the first thing I noticed was that before I even started burning the candle, I could smell it. I was pretty impressed! I love the scent, it fills the whole room without being too overpowering. I almost don’t want to use it all up, haha. But I actually would buy it again once this one is used up. Worth the $20, in my opinion. 5 stars from me!

  12. Arugula and Verbena…sounds like my favorite salad. What a great kitchen scent!

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