Winter is upon us. The mild days of weeks past seem like little more than a distant memory. The crisp, autumn air that once flowed through open windows has been shut out, replaced only by icy winds. Your only viable option to combat your impending winter dread is to light a scented candle and hope that its artificial aroma will be strong enough to carry you through the winter months. So sit down, buckle up and disregard whatever it is you should be doing, and get ready for a list of the best places to buy them in Dublin. Additionally, if the trip to Dublin doesn’t turn out to be a success in finding scented candles for some reason, knowing that there are options like buying Scentsy wax melts (if you have a wax warmer) and scented products online could help take some of the pressure off. Either way, enjoy what Dublin has to offer!
Folkster
Folkster is the Dublin mecca for bourgeoisie candle enthusiasts. The shop has an excellent selection of scents, with multiple high-quality brands like Paddywax and Villa Collection Denmark. Coming from an on-trend shop in Temple Bar, the candles are, unsurprisingly, quite expensive, with decently sized candles starting at 30. The issue I have with Folkster candles, as with any expensive candle, is that I rarely actually light them, because for every minute that it burns, my (parents) hard-earned money is quite literally going up in flames.
Avoca and Kilkenny Shop
Avoca and Kilkenny Shop carry essentially the same selection of candles so Ive decided to group them together for the sake of brevity. Of the brands they carry, Max Benjamin is the stand out, both in terms of selection and strength of scent. In regards to the latter, my friend Ellen Pentony remarked, “Its still in my nose. Get it out. However, the selection of candles isnt as well curated as Folkster. For example, Kilkenny Shop has a large selection of bog standard candles, which smell like trash that has been doused with air freshener and talcum powder. Still, if youre going to blow loads of money on candles, its always nice to support Irish businesses.
TK Maxx
TK Maxx is the wild card of candle sellers, as their stock is either incredibly priced designer candles or rows of endless cinnamon-scented scum. As a lowly college student, TK Maxx is my personal favourite for candles, as I can continue to indulge my elitist attitude towards candles while trying to spend less than a tenner. If you do happen to find a few good candles in TK Maxx, its best to buy them, because chances are that in a week they will be replaced by utter garbage.
Yankees
Yankees, as the name might suggest, exclusively sells Yankee Candles. The Yankee Candle is the quintessential candle choice of the American middle class. Favoured by soccer moms and homemakers, what this brand lacks in trendiness or aesthetic value, it makes up for with is consistency. You can count on a Yankee candle. Unless its one of their weird candles like A Childs Wish. Seriously, who decided that was a good or marketable idea? Probably someone involved in a brand whose main customers are soccer moms.
Penneys and Dunnes
Penneys and Dunnes are the Avoca and Kilkenny Shops of the financially strained college student. They are for the Trinity student that would rather have food on their plate than the smell of posh artifice wafting through their bedroom. Because candles are not at the forefront of these stores market, their range of candles lack diversity and imagination, but are affordably priced and decently scented. Realistically, if youre going to buy candles, youre going to buy them here because theyre cheap and get the job done. Theyre like the eau de toilette of candles you can pretend you have the real thing, but deep down you know you just have a watered down version of something you cant afford.
