Candles That Smell Like Summer.

Spotlighting my absolute favorite summer-scented candles for the season ahead —

01. Hotel Lobby Hamptons Candle — My sister called this “our signature scent” last summer because we burned it from May to August. It smells like geranium, basil, tomato, sunshine — fresh, full, happy. Hotel Lobby is offering free shipping through today with code MDW25 and a $20 gift card if you spend over $150. Good incentive to order a few candles and dole out as gifts throughout the summer! Wanted to mention that it comes in the most gorgeous packaging. Gift ready!

02. Linnea Fields Candle — the olfactory notes list “open meadows and golden hay fields.” It smells like a bouquet of flowers cut with grass. I love this one, and I actually keep the diffuser of this scent in our powder room. It has the most beautiful, light, fresh scent — not overpowering, just a clean floral. (Use code MAGPIE10 for 10% off!)

03. Flamingo Estate Roma Tomato Candle — Rich sun-warmed tomato vine scent. I read somewhere that this candle smells more like a tomato vine than a tomato vine does, and that’s definitely the vibe — pulpy, rich, earthy. This is a more full-bodied scent than the previous two, but I love it just as much.

04. Tocca Montauk — Salt air and cucumber. Deeply fresh, like a window thrown open at the beach.

I have a few other scents I’ve read rave reviews of while going deep down random Reddit threads — these are what I’d consider if I want to splurge, or if I’m a big “scent enclave” person:

01. People seem to obsess over Diptyque’s Citronelle candle, which apparently is prone to sell through each season. Verbena, neroli, and orange blossom combine with lemongrass (which is apparently a natural mosquito repellent). Love the label design too, featuring artwork by Marie-Victoire de Bascher.

02. I am always gobsmacked by Cire Trudon’s complex, layered scents. I’ve mentioned this before, but I remember reading a quote by an interior designer who said that you should never quite be able to identify the color of someone’s wall paint — it should always be “it’s sort of gray-blue-green” or “pinkish-brown.” Complexity is sophisticated. This is how I feel about Cire Trudon. You’d be hard-pressed to put your finger on exactly what you’re smelling — rich, evocative, nuanced. Anyway, they’ve released two limited edition summer scents I’d love to test: Under the Trees (cucumber, blackcurrant bud, mint, cedar) and Lost in a Moment (red fruits, macaroon, lily of the valley).

03. Loewe’s cucumber! Someone on Reddit specifically said “the cold throw is wild” — meaning even when not lit, it perfumes the place with a spa-like, cucumber-forward scent. Plus the packaging is so chic!

04. I’ve heard Nest’s Cucumber and White Sage smells incredible, too, if you want the spa vibe without the Loewe price tag. This is a part of Nest’s new “Wellness” line and I’ve heard the scents are all quiet good (and under $50). The Rosewater and Himalayan Salt intrigues me and has been compared to Diptyque’s justly popular Baies.

Chime in share your favorites, too! Curious what you keep burning!

Other Summer Scented Household Products We Love.

Adjacent household scent purchases I love:

+This counter spray in Doheny Drive or Mayfair really make my kitchen smell fresh and summery. It’s currently 30% off! (Promo ends today, 5/26.)

+For hand soap, you have to try Molton Brown’s Rhubarb and Rose (currently 25% off). Smells absolutely divine and I love the consistency of the soap — it doesn’t come out all gelatinous and gloppy. This has been my long-time go-to for our powder room.

+I did pick up the Flamingo Estate Tomato hand soap (currently 20% off!) for this summer as a little treat! Generally, though, we conserve those for the powder room and keep much less expensive hand soap in the sink, as we go through so much of it on a daily basis while cooking. We like Mrs. Meyers and they have some fun new scents out for the season (they also have a tomato vine option!), and for eco reasons, we like the aluminum bottles of Grove Co (scents are pretty muted, fyi) and Clean Cult, which comes in a cardboard box. We decant those hand soap pumps at both of our kitchen sinks. For Clean Cult, we’ve tried and liked the lemon verbena but I’m intrigued by the “sea mineral” option — it’s in my cart for next.

+Santa Maria Novella Pomegranate Clay. This is a year-round obsession for me — I bought this in Florence when we were there last October and keep it in my closet. It perfumes the room (and delicately — the clothes, too) in the most luxurious way. My clay is just now losing its scent, and I am absolutely ordering a replacement. It’s like having a lovely candle lit all the time — smells of bergamot and rose — and looks lovely, too. This would also be pretty on a bookshelf or entryway table.

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