You can never be too vanilla...

Following on from yesterday's post featuring the sweet Churned Ice Cream, I wanted to do a blog around the varying vanilla fragrances that Yankee Candle do (and oh so well!).
Mummy fandle's all time favourite Yankee Candle is French Vanilla, and I know from talking to other fandle's, that seems to be a popular choice. There's currently four vanilla fragrances on the Yankee Candle website, and they are a fab mixture: Vanilla, Vanilla Cupcake, Vanilla Lime and Vanilla Satin. Retired fragrances include Vanilla Lavender, Vanilla Cookie, Vanilla Chai, Vanilla Bourbon...The list goes on.

One of our very first Yankee Candles was the classic Vanilla Lime. We chose it because it had such a powerful fragrance. After a fair few burns, we found the scent to be quite overpowering. Luckily, our friend thought that the candle was the best thing they had ever smelt and happily took it off our hands. Fandles won't like every candle that Yankee release, I really like how there's a candle for everyone. (Mmm... Bacon! anyone?)

French Vanilla is currently only available in the USA, and is a retired fragrance over here in the UK. (It is available on some authorised online Yankee Candle retailers though as a Special Appearance). Yankee Candle describe it as "sweet and traditional". I personally think this has a typical scent you would expect from a vanilla candle, similar to a vanilla-essence.
It is rich but not over-powering, sweet but not sickly. It isn't the strongest on cold sniff, but it does fill a room nicely. Mummy fandle loves it because it's such a classic scent.

Cinnamon Vanilla has a real spice to it. The cinnamon, unsurprisingly, makes so many people think of Christmas, but for me, the mix with vanilla, and a slight coffee element, really makes me want to rush to Starbucks! This fragrance was previously available as a Special Appearance from Yankee Candle UK and is currently available from Yankee Candle outlets. I love this one, it is so rich and has a fantastic throw.

Vanilla was released in Europe at the beginning of the year as a new addition to the Pure Essence collection (Pure Essence 2), along with Verbena and White Tea. Now, this one really is true to life and smells just like fresh vanilla.
The rich scent really gives this one a spa like quality. A beautiful scent that is currently available directly from Yankee Candle and pretty much all Yankee Candle retailers in Europe.










The thing I love about Yankee Candle is their vast selection of fragrances and how they can re-invent a scent (hey, I'm a poet!). They really surprise us with new variation of classic fragrances.

Do you have a favourite vanilla Yankee fragrance? If so, leave a comment below and let us know!

Twitter: @YankeeFandle Instagram: YankeeFandle

Review: USA Specials, Summer Street Party Large Jars

This gorgeous red, white and blue collection was recently on QVC as a special surprise throughout Yankee Candle's 12th year anniversary month. This set, titled Summer Street Party, is designed to evoke the fresh and sweet air during a fun get together with friends.

It's another case of... Unusual label alert! USA Special alert! Rare, VHTF!

Triple Berry Punch - a strong and fruity mixture of berries and sweet vanilla (this fragrance has a sharpness to it similar to other cranberry Yankee Candle fragrances).

Churned Ice Cream - wow! If you like fresh vanilla ice cream, you're going to LOVE this (it's very similar to French Vanilla mixed with the Sweet Vanilla Simply Home fragrance).

Bright Summer Sky - this fragrance is a lovely colour, really fresh if a little soapy smelling (it's almost a cross between Catching Rays and Blue Summer Sky, but a headier version).












I absolutely love the labels on these jars. They're so cute and really emphasise that these are USA exclusives (which are only being sold at QVC UK and one retail outlet in the US.)

They're still available to grab at QVC UK and a bit of a bargain price £29.97 (plus P&P) remember, three large jars direct from Yankee Candle would normally set you back £65.97.


Out of the three, the Churned Ice Cream is my favourite as it is so sweet and true to life. If you like a mix of fragrances and a collection that looks great, then this is for you. Of course, with it being an exclusive set, I HAD to buy two sets. My Treasure Wall would never forgive me otherwise.

Did you pick this set up? Which is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.

Twitter: @YankeeFandle Instagram: YankeeFandle

Review: USA Specials, Botanical large jars

A really cute set with unusual tapestry style labels (closeup images at the bottom of the page) that popped up on QVC during the Yankee Candle anniversary shows, details of price etc at the bottom of this review.

Ocean Treasures - notes of white tea, sandalwood and cool salt air.
Fresh is definitely the best way to describe this. Really pretty and pleasant smelling, I like to burn this in the bathroom, especially on grey, cold days so that the bathroom has a spa-like smell.

Sweet Mandarin - Juicy sweet mandarin oranges.
If you like fruity fragrances then this won't disappoint, smells like a jar full of freshly squeezed oranges. Gives a nice burst of sherbet citrus and quickly envelopes the room but isn't overpowering.

Yankee Candle Botanical Large Jars

Unusual label alert! USA Special alert! Rare, VHTF! 
These were an exclusive set sold through QVC recently for a bargain price of £22 (plus p&p) - remember large jars are usually £21.99 each!

This is the first time I've seen them in the UK and I understand they were exclusively sold through outlet stores in the USA. That makes them VHTF - that's 'very hard to find', an acronym you'll often see on eBay listings and in blogs/reviews. Fandles tend to collect jars for display and that's exactly why I had to have them.

But I did buy an extra set to burn, I mean I had to at that price.

Ocean Treasures label close up

Sweet Mandarin label close up

 Twitter: @YankeeFandle Instagram: YankeeFandle

Welcome Fandles - but what's a fandle?

Fandle
(Definition)

noun
someone who particularly adores (buys, burns and collects) the products of America's best loved candle brand Yankee Candle. Examples of use:
Thousands of fandles purchased the recent QVC Yankee Candle TSV He's been a Yankee fandle for many yearsI'm pleased you've found our blog - we also run the Yankee Fandle Instagram and Twitter accounts. We like to talk all things Yankee, take pretty pictures with our latest hauls and chat to other fandles.
Whether you're a long established fandle, or just starting out, we hope you enjoy the posts which won't just be pretty pictures, there'll be plenty of reviews, hints and tips for getting the best out of your candles and the odd bit of candle gossip that comes our way. 

But who's behind the fandle accounts? 

Well, we're actually a fandle duo, both obsessed with all things Yankee Candle having amassed a collection of around 200 unused yankee candle jars - and yes these are predominantly large jars, eeek! 
One of us creates those lovely pictures you see on Instagram (and soon to be on here) and looks after twitter and all things candle gossip. The other helps with ideas, lighting, deal hunting and will be looking after all things blog. So, FYI, our future blog posts will be written first person (I rather than we) but will capture both our thoughts.

Why so many candles and why Yankee Candle specifically?

It's all mummy fandle's fault. You may see us refer to mummy fandle occasionally, and that's because she has a lot to answer for! She's an original fandle, with an impressive collection gathered from the likes of QVC, garden centres, direct from America and outlet centres. Many of her candles are 'rare treasures' which means they're super hard to find and no longer made. Her enthusiasm and passion for all things Yankee is so infectious and her home smells absolutely delicious - she gifted us a gorgeous Christmas Cupcake jar and it spiralled from there. 

The first purchases of our own were Wild Fig and Black Plum Blossom large jars. We were blown away with the gorgeous and realistic smell - something Yankee refer to as 'true to life', a phrase you'll hear a lot FYI. 
From there we started picking up sets on QVC, we liked the bargain prices and the sets they put together - a USA special Grandma's Kitchen set that featured Banana Nut Bread (in our top 5 ever!) was the first of countless QVC purchases.

The large jars last FOREVER (150hrs roughly) as long as you burn them correctly (future blogs will cover candle care), the images on the labels are really cute and the smells really are scentsational haha.

We have used other brands but found they smell a little artificial or samey, they don't last that long and they tunnel easily (tunnelling will come up in candle care).  

What can we expect from the blog?

Just us chatting about Yankee Candles, new ones, old ones, rare treasures, the different types of candle, ways to get the best out of them and maybe even some hints for where to find them at bargain prices. 

If you want to ask us anything please chuck a comment below or you can drop us an email at yankeefandle@hotmail.com

Follow us: Twitter @YankeeFandle and Instagram YankeeFandle 

And you can learn more about the history of Yankee Candle over at the Yankee Candle (Europe) website.