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[violininalab]

HOOGA – Cinnamon & Sandalwood (Gourmand series)

"Immerse in the indulging smell of spicy cinnamon with a touch of sandalwood that reminds of a bitter sweet treat."

Greetings, everyone! I'm Caitlyn, and welcome to my blog. This is my very first post here, where I plan to share my collection of candles and lighters. [Occasionally, I would also post some pictures of my drinks in cafés, and write more informally about my thoughts, it's all about the indulgence and life's nuances in this blog.] I might have a bit of an obsession with candles and lighters, I collect all sorts of scented candles, as well as cool lighters, and I'm more than eager to share my collection–as well as my opinion–here. I hope you'd find my collection interesting, and feel free to comment or ask me anything!

For the candle the I'd be introducing to you all today, it's the Cinnamon & Sandalwood candle from HOOGA, which is a part of its Gourmand series. This series features other candles that all give a very "pastel" and soft aesthetic. This candle, as the name suggests, is supposed to smell of "spicy cinnamon with a touch of sandalwood". And I'd say that it does in fact smell exactly as the description describes it as.

This candle definitely has a very strong cinnamon flavour to it. The first thing you'd probably notice about this candle is that it has an especially rich and uniquely thick spicy cinnamon scent, which I personally like. The cinnamon scent leans towards the more spice-heavy side, I'd say. "Cinnamon" scents usually fall on a spectrum where, on one end, they have a sweeter, softer scent akin to vanilla, and the other end a more spice-y scent. I'd safely put this candle in the latter group. This is also likely due how sandalwood, the other key scent as the name suggests, is a pretty spice-centric, vivid, and earthy scent in general. They compliment each other really well.

I like how the candle transforms my boring and serious room a dozen times more cozy and warm. I'd describe the overall atmosphere of the scent as kind of "heavy" and "spicy". A thing with "cozy" candles, in my experience, is that they tend to have a heavy, lingering scent when burned. It's not a bad thing at all, and sometimes it can add to a snug and sultry atmosphere. I wouldn't say that I particularly like or dislike that, but if you're someone who loves "cozy" and "warm" vibes from the candle, I think that this candle would be just right for you. One thing that sets this candle apart from the usual sweet and snuggly ones is the very distinctive and unique smell of spices. So if you love that as well, it might just be the perfect candle for you. However, I must say that the smell can be a little overpowering, so I'd advise that you put it further away.

Cinnamon & Sandalwood burns decently, certainly not the most even, which is one of the things I didn't like that much about it. It certainly wasn't bad, but for someone who cares quite a bit about how even a candle burns, it's not too good in that aspect. [I'm just picky, haha, it's objectively not too bad.] But hey, it's a new candle, perhaps it'd get better as I burn it more. I must say, it does have an awfully stable flame. The wick was also a little bit frayed and dry when new–which is not uncommon–but it did not affect the overall burn at all.

Overall, I'd rate HOOGA's Cinnamon & Sandalwood a solid 7.5/10. I'm not the biggest fan of how overpowering the spice can get, but I do still like how it compliments the cozy atmosphere in a unique way. Also do wish that it could burn just a tad bit more evenly.

It's also decently priced candle, so, all in all, if you're looking for a decent candle that offers a cozy but spicy vibe, this one's a great choice.

[P.S. Oh man, am I too early for this whole cozy cinnamon spice autumn vibe jawn?]