Bookish Candles: To Burn or Not to Burn

Lately bookish candles have been all the rage in the bookish community. Many book lovers are starting their own soy wax candle companies. I love to see some of my favorite books and bookish characters be represented in candle form. However, when people buy these candles, do they actually use them? Most of the time I see the candles on instagram and they are unlit. Do people just collect the candles for instagram photo shoots? Some people have tons of candles.

I love supporting fellow indie candle makers. I love to take photos of my candles but I also like to use them as well. What is the point of candles if they just sit on the shelf looking all pretty? I understand that some people have emotional attachment to their candles and don't want to use them but what is the purpose of candles besides taking photos of them? You can still take photos to promote your love for the books, characters or setting as well as promoting the indie candle maker. Nevertheless, you can still use the candles for their intended purpose.

Listening to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince soundtrack with my Popsiclesticks Dumbledore candle lit in the background 🕯 ⚡. https://www.etsy.com/shop/Popsiclesticks?ref=search_shop_redirect #HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince #bookishcandles #Dumbledore #PopsiclesticksEtsy #Potterhead #HarryPotter #harrypotterforever #soycandle #handmadecandles

A photo posted by Nicole Moy (@nicolecmoy) on Oct 22, 2016 at 1:51pm PDT

Soy wax candles are great for the environment compared to the paraffin wax candles. The candle on cold sniff is usually different from the throw you get from a lit candle. Sometimes upon cold sniff, you might not like the fragrance but once the wax warms up, you may fall in love! Candle fragrances invoke memories. Enjoy the magic a candle can provide.

The throw for a candle is very important to me. If I have to be right next to the candle just to smell it, it's usually an issue for me. I usually buy candles for the scent and I want to smell the fragrance from across the room. However, I will only buy candles for the fragrance that I know I will like. I cannot fathom why people buy candles just because of the name or because of how nice it looks.

I do have to admit aesthetics for a candle is equally important to me as the fragrance. But they go hand and hand. I love good packaging and design. If the candle has good packaging and a wonderful fragrance, I will be more inclined to purchase it. The name of the candle is just the icing on top.

So what do you do with you bookish candles? Do you burn them? Do you only use candles for you photos? Or do you use them for your photo ops but also burn them? Leave your comments below.