Even though its 2018 and we have modern advances like electricity and lighting, I find it fascinating that we humans still love to burn candles in our homes. I don’t know about you, but I love candles because nothing comes close to the coziness and mood created by a flickering flame. As you might have guessed, I’m one of those people who keeps a steady stock of candles in her home. I tend to gravitate towards spicy, sweet candle scents, so when I discovered Feather and Wax through my friend Landon Lacey I was thrilled. When I saw that she had a scent named “Spine” which evokes the pages of an old book, the bookmaker in me couldn’t help herself and reached out to learn the story behind this Chicago based candle company.
A few weeks ago I met the Feather and Wax founder, Julia Kiley, in her West Chicago candle making studio. Julia’s candles are all about quality. Each candle scent is mixed by Julia herself, soy based and hand poured. From there, the candles are labelled by hand and carefully packaged with Julia’s signature feather logo and black and white ribbon. I watched Julia package her candles for me and witnessed first hand the meticulous attention to detail she gives to each of her candles. She pours (no pun intended) her heart and soul into her candles and loves her product.
Julia was so gracious and kindly offered some of her winter and spring scents for me to review and share. Read on below to see my favorite scents and get inspired to get your own.
The Packaging
The first thing that drew me to Julia’s candles was the presentation. Julia and I have similar aesthetics – we prefer neutrals, love simplicity, and are drawn to vintage, historically inspired looks. She offers candles in three different sizes:
- 6 oz gold tins
- 9 oz amber jars (these are my favorite – I adore the rich color)
- 16 oz clear jars
I even love the signature vintage font type she uses for her labels and logo. It reminds me of 18th century prints.
No. 3 Thorn
Thorn has a rose base that is slightly reminiscent of Jo Malone’s Red Roses cologne. Julia describes it as floral with a spicy undertone, but I think its more sweet. It’s perfect to burn during a bath or in your bedroom when you’re trying to relax after a long day when you need to feel like you’re indulging yourself. The scent of sweet rose reminds me of refinement and luxury and Julia’s Thorn captures that vibe.
No. 16 Smelling Salts
Smelling Salts was a hard one for me to describe – instead being able to nail down the specific notes I am reminded of fresh, clean air mixed with sea salt and hint of sweetness. It’s the most feminine of the four scents I tried and would be perfect to burn while spring cleaning the house.
No. 18 Peel
Peel is another one of my favorites. It smells like what an orange creamsicle tastes like (if that makes any sense) but with a smokey undertone. Like the name suggests I am reminded of fresh orange peels mixed with the musky scent of vanilla. I would burn this on a weekend afternoon or if I was inviting my girlfriends over for an afternoon tea.
No. 20 Spine
Spine was what I was most excited to smell. In college I worked in an archive and know so well what an old books smells like. Spine is surprisingly close to this beloved scent and made the book lover in me swoon. Its just a little fresher than an old book and isn’t as musty, which is a good thing. It captures the organic, grassy notes that come from flipping the pages of an old book and has a little spice to it. This is such a creative scent and is my favorite. I will be burning this when bookmaking.
Candle Making Classes
Feather and Wax also offers candle making classes!! How cool is that? I plan to take one soon and wanted to share because I think this is such a cool feature that let’s Julia share the love of her craft.
Be sure to check out the Feather and Wax shop and social channels and place an order soon! Julia ships all over the U.S. but if you are based in Chicago you also have the option to pick up your orders at Julia’s studio.
I am so thankful to Julia for partnering with me on this post and sharing her beautiful work. Next on my list for purchase will be Seed & Hatchet!
