The Best Candles from Budget to Bougie

Are you looking to literally burn some money? If so, then scented candles are the way to do it! Not to mention, they make great gifts. Below, I have listed almost all the candles I own in order from the lowest cost per hour of burn time to the highest cost. Why did I choose to order them based on cost per hour of burn time? Because burn time is what determines how long your candle lasts. Besides fragrance and aesthetic, burn time is the most important factors when choosing whether or not to purchase a candle. And unlike fragrance and aesthetics, it’s easily quantifiable. Generally, all the burn times listed below are maximums, so it’s possible that a candle would not last quite that long. However, if you practice good candle safety and care, your candles should be able to last close to the maximum burn time.

Sand + Fog

Price: $8+ for 12 oz ($0.67 per oz)

Burn Time: 35 hours ($0.22 per hour)

Materials: Soy wax blend, cotton wick

Thoughts: I have purchased two of these candles at TJMaxx and really enjoy them. They come in cute colorful vessels and the scents are quite strong. But as you might except with budget candles like these, the scents are pleasant but not particularly complex. Personally, I can find them overwhelming and get sick of them if I burn them for too long at a time.

Where to Buy: Bed, Bath and Beyond, Sand + Fog, TJMaxx

Chesapeake Bay Candles

Price: $11 for 8.8 oz ($1.25 per oz)

Burn Time: 50 hours for 8.8 oz ($0.22 per hour)

Materials: Soy wax blend

Thoughts: I have a Chesapeake Bay candle in the scent Balance + Harmony, it’s a truly beautiful fruity and floral scent. The scent is surprisingly strong and can certainly fill a room, but I don’t like to burn this for too long or in a small space. Like the Sand + Fog candles, I can get overwhelmed and start to get sick of this scent. That being said, I still really enjoy this candle and it’s probably my favorite budget option.

Where to Buy: Target, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Amazon

Vicinity Candles

Price: $28 for 9 oz ($3.11 per oz)

Burn Time: 50 hours ($0.56 per hour)

Materials: Soy wax

Thoughts: My friend is the founder of Vicinity, and she creates her candles inspired by the different neighborhoods of Chicago. I purchased two of her candles, Hyde Park and Andersonville. They come in simple yet elegant glass vessels, and have decent throw, both hot and cold. Of the two, Andersonville is definitely my favorite, it is one of the most beautiful floral scents I own. I highly recommend Vicinity for any candle lover who has ties to Chicago.

Where to Buy: Vicinity

Love Notes Candles

Price: $32 for 12.5 oz ($2.56 per oz)

Burn Time: 50 hours ($0.64 per hour)

Materials: 100% soy wax, cotton wick

Thoughts: Love Notes is a small black-owned brand that makes gorgeous candles with unique fragrances and packaging. I really like the scents that they offer, they are complex and include some interesting fragrance combinations. When burned, the throw isn’t too far, and while the fragrance is there, it’s quite gentle. Despite that, I still enjoy these a lot and find that they work well in small rooms (like the bathroom).

Where to Buy: Love Notes

Boy Smells

Price: $32 for 8.5 oz ($3.76 per oz)

Burn Time: 50 hours ($0.64 per hour)

Materials: Coconut and beeswax blend, braided cotton wick

Thoughts: I recently purchased my first Boy Smells candle in the scent Les, and I was both surprised and impressed. Boy Smells makes some really unique fragrances, often using unexpected ingredients. I haven’t tried any of their more “out-there” scents, but Les is a really lovely complex and sophisticated floral. I would definitely consider buying more from then in the future.

Where to Buy: Boy Smells, Nordstrom, Amazon

Otherland Candles

Price: $36 for 8 oz ($4.5 per oz)

Burn Time: 55 hours ($0.65 per hour)

Materials: Coconut and soy wax blend, cotton wick

Thoughts: Otherland is one of my all-time favorite candle brands. I have 6 of their candles now, with my absolute favorites being Daybed and Stone Fruit (from their summer collection). They have beautiful ceramic vessels and their packaging shows a lot of attention to detail. Their candles have a nice cold throw. When lit, the fragrance isn’t too powerful or overwhelming but it’s enough to fill a small room.

Where to Buy: Otherland, Nordstrom, Sephora

NEST New York Candles

Price: $42 for 8.1 oz ($5.29 per oz)

Burn Time: 60 hours ($0.70 per hour)

Thoughts: I don’t personally own a NEST candle, but my sister does, so I’m talking about it on her behalf. She has their holiday candle, and it really does smell like the holidays. It’s spicy, citrusy, and very well balanced. NEST candles also come in beautiful glass vessels. Unfortunately, I cannot describe the throw because my sister refuses to light it. Alas, that is one of the downsides of expensive candles, you may never want to actually light them!

Materials: Paraffin wax blend, cotton and paper wicks

Where to Buy: NEST, Sephora, Walmart, Bloomingdales

Lafco Candles*

Price: $65 for 15.5 oz ($4.19 per oz)

Burn Time: 90 hours ($0.72 per hour)

Materials: Soy Wax and “a touch of” Paraffin Wax, cotton wick

Thoughts: First of all, Lafco has some of the best candle vessels – they are hand-blown colored glass and they look absolutely beautiful when the candle is lit. Lacfo candles have decent throw and a pretty impressive burn time. I had the scent Spike Lavender, which was a nice calming scent, that was well balanced and not overwhelmingly floral. I actually didn’t like the scent much when I first smelled the candle (cold), but once I lit it, it was much more pleasant.

Where to Buy: Lafco, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus

Diptyque Candles*

Price: $68 for 6.7 oz ($10.15 per oz)

Burn Time: 60 hours ($1.13 per hour)

Materials: Paraffin and Vegetable Wax, Cotton wick

Thoughts: Diptyque candles come in beautiful, classic glass vessels and have a truly impressive throw. It does depend on the scent, but some of them can really fill a room. The scents are also very luxurious and sophisticated. The florals smell like real flowers. I really enjoy these, but I also feel a twinge of guilt every time I burn one because of the high price.

Where to Buy: Diptyque, Nordstrom, Space NK

La Perla*

Price: $85 for 6.34 oz ($13.41 per oz)

Burn Time: 50 hours ($1.70 per hour)

Materials: Paraffin Wax, Cotton wick

Thoughts: The best part of this candle has to be the vessel. It is heavy and just looks and feels classy and high quality. One of the nice things about this candle is that you can choose the color of your vessel when you purchase it. I have the scent Spicy Macrame, which isn’t what I would usually go for, but I actually find it very enjoyable. It’s warm and complex. But considering that this uses paraffin wax, the throw is not as strong as I would expect. It’s a rather gentle scent and it’s enough to fill a small room but not a large one.

Where to Buy: Neiman Marcus

Conclusions

In general, bougie and mid-range candles do tend to last longer than budget candles. For example, the 6.5 oz Diptyque candle lasts almost twice as long as the 12 oz Sand + Fog candle, despite being almost half the size. Bougie candles also tend to have better throw (the fragrance fills the room more), although this is not always the case. Budget candles can also have strong scents with good throw, although these scents do tend to be more artificial and less complex. I actually find that they can be too strong and overwhelming. Personally, I think that bougie and mid-range candles also tend to look much nicer than budget candles, and they often come in more unique and high quality vessels.

One trend I was surprised to see is that larger candles are not necessarily the way to go in terms of value for your money. While large candles may offer you a better value in terms of cost per oz, they often offer worse value in terms of cost per hour of burn time. And when it comes to candles, burn time is what really matters! Another surprising trend is how ingredients change (or don’t change) with price. While the mid-range brands may be using higher quality ingredients, they tend to use the same types of waxes and wicks as less expensive brands. Interestingly, the most expensive brands, Diptyque, Lafco, NEST, and La Perla, use Paraffin wax in their candles. Paraffin does increase fragrance strength, however many newer brands are using natural wax alternatives. (There are some concerns that burning Paraffin wax may be hazardous to your health, but no scientific studies have confirmed this so far.) And natural waxes can still offer a decently strong fragrance.

Overall, I have to say that I have been most impressed with the mid-range candles. To me, candles in the $20 to $36 range seem to offer the best blend of aesthetics, ingredients, fragrances, and burn time. I still love my bougie and budget candles, but I think I am most likely to repurchase the mid-range ones myself.

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Disclaimer: This Site contains both non-affiliate and affiliate links, and I may receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links.  Some products marked by (*) were gifted to me for review purposes, but all thoughts are my own honest opinions. I am not an expert, these are just my personal experiences, and what works for me might not work for you.