Fragrance Review: Shy Wolf Candles

First off this will be a fairly complimentary review because I absolutely love this brand. They’re a small-batch candle company from my very own country of Canada (and the scents are so good Ill even forgive them for being from Ontario) with unique scent collections based on things like tarot cards and classic vinyl. I’ve tried a number of their candles at this point and across the board these candles arrive packaged very well, the jars feel heavy and solid, the labels stay on and look nice, and the scents typically fill a room but don’t cause an asthma attack. Granted, I have relatively small space in which to burn my candles (thank you BC cost of living), so feel free to leave a comment on how the scent throw performs in your mansion if you happen to have one. With those details out of the way, let’s get into the candles.

Fails

Candle Name: Free Fallin’ (Vinyl Collection)

Notes: peaches, blood orange, goji berry

I have only one true fail from this brand and it was unfortunately a fail on two fronts. First, this is the only candle from among my numerous orders that had an actual problem. Unfortunately, this one leaked all over the place in transit and although the label stayed on it did get oil(?) stained and the jar was pretty greasy. Because that was a one-out-of-however-many I wouldn’t even call this a fail if I had liked the scent, but alas dear reader I did not. This one is probably on me rather than being a bad scent as I am not typically the biggest fan of fruity smells and this very fruity. The peach is really sweet and it went a little sickly for me in way that was more peach-gummies-left-on-the-dashboard-of-a-hot-car than the fresh, zesty citrus I was hoping for.

Mid

Candle Name: Cherry Bomb (Vinyl Collection)

Notes: black cherry, vanilla, spice

Fruit notes strike again with this one, but I am a Joan Jett devotee so I had to give it a try. This one is a delicious and dare I say sexy vanilla dressed up in artificial cherry goodness. This is not a natural cherry, this is a bright red slurpee that leaves you with an incandescent tongue for the next 48 hours or cherry kiss chapstick in a squishy pink tube. My favourite thing about this scent is the intriguing combination of sophisticated dark vanilla and spice with the juvenile candy smell of the cherry - it reminds me of being a teenager and dousing myself in a scandalously adult perfume at Sephora then strutting through the mall feeling like a Next Top Model. As yummy as this one is, it can veer toothachingly sweet and I’m not always in the mood for reliving my teenage years so its not a constant burn for me. I should also note for the record that this is the candle I burned while cutting my hair with fabric scissors and blasting the Strokes after being Hurt By A Man™ – so take that as you will.

Candle Name: I Walk the Line (Vinyl Collection)

Notes: spiced honey, tobacco, smoked oud

I have to be very careful burning this candle because it literally smells like a baked good and has a tendency to make me hungry. It edges right up against my too sweet limit so I have to be in the correct mood for it, but when I am it is delicious. This is a thick golden drizzle of that spiced honey over a bowl of rich vanilla ice cream and if you’re a gourmand person you’ll love it. Fair warning: this might be the strongest scent throw I’ve experienced so far from this brand it and the smell sticks around so maybe don’t burn it in your 10x10 shoebox bedroom on pain of never smelling anything else ever again.

Candle Name: The Emperor (Tarot Collection)

Notes: redwood, cypress, oakmoss

Forgive me Shywolf for putting this candle in the mid category. I do like this one, it’s a slightly incens-y warm, woodsy scent that suffers from being a little too similar to The Magician (see below). This one lacks the cinnamon note that makes The Magician so memorable, but if that’s a note you really can’t get into then give this one a try.

Candle Name: Sympathy for the Devil (Vinyl Collection)

Notes: cassia, allspice, hemp seed

Candle Name: Gold Dust Woman (Vinyl Collection)

Notes: nag champa, nutmeg, incense

I’m combining the review for these two candles because they have a similar olfactory profile. These are both warm and spicy with a kind of hippie-head-shop vibe from the nag champa and hemp seed respectively. They’re certainly not identical, Sympathy for the Devil leans a little dustier and spicier, while Gold Dust Woman has more warmth from the nutmeg and incense, but I’d call them joint-rolling, cousins.

Immediate Repurchase

Candle Name: The Hermit (Tarot Collection)

Notes: leather, tobacco, coffee, cedar

I love a cozy, woodsy, winter-appropriate candle scent and the combination of cedar and coffee in this one checks all of those boxes, along with just a hint of complexity coming from the leather note. I find the tobacco very subtle in this one, it just deepens and darkens up the other notes while adding a touch of sweet smokiness. Overall, its cozy, rich, and smells like being curled up with a cup of black coffee in an old, cracked leather armchair in a cedarwood cabin somewhere in the woods. But don’t just take my nose for it – I gifted this one to my boyfriend and he loved it just as much as I did.

Candle Name: Thunder Struck (Vinyl Collection)

Notes: mint, grass, fields after rain

This is my favourite candle to light after I’ve vacuumed and changed the sheets because it smells so clean. It’s very fresh and light and the mint is present without going toothpasty. Its doesn’t smell to me like photorealistic grass or cut lawn in any way, its more of an interpretation of grass as an idea. I think this is how grass must smell to herbivorous animals because its so refreshing that I kind of want to take a bite out of it.

Candle Name: The Magician (Tarot Collection)

Notes: cypress, cinnamon, smoky vetiver

I was concerned about the spice level on this one when I first read the cinnamon note, because I am not typically a fan of the “spiced fall candle” scent profile. But instead of reading pumpkin spice this one comes off like a beautiful, very classy boutique hotel or spa in some gorgeous European city. Picture the kind of place with crisp white sheets, hundred-year-old wooden floors glistening with wax, and a view of cathedral spires through jewel-toned velvet curtains. Its woodsy, incense-y, and makes me feel expensive every time I burn it.

Candle Name: Whole Lotta Love (Vinyl Collection)

Notes: cannabis, wildflower, cedar

Don’t let the note of cannabis in this one scare you away, this is another crisp, fresh, almost clean-laundry-esque scent. The cannabis note adds a little green earthiness without smelling dank or skunky, and combined with the light airiness of the wildflower it creates a delicious springtime scent. Clean is the word I keep coming back to this one – picture hanging freshly-washed white sheets on a clothesline in a field full of tall dry grasses and smelling the broken stalks of those grasses in combination with the soapy detergent scent of the laundry.  

Candle Name: Aurora (Vinyl Collection)

Notes: suede, bourbon, tobacco, grit

I was initially very confused upon reading the note of “grit” in this candle, but one sniff and I got it. This is a gritty, dirty, sexy, very masculine candle scent that does better in the cold months. In the jar I do find the bitter alcoholic note from the bourbon a little strong, but once its burning and the smell is out in the room its not unpleasantly bitter at all. I think the best scent analogy I have for this one is an well-worn leather jacket that’s been worn and scuffed up and maybe not washed very often, but in a good way. This one took me a minute to really get into, but it sneakily crept up on my frequent burn list and was one of the first ones I finished last winter.  

Candle Name: Death (Tarot Collection)

Notes: fallen leaves, sandalwood, teakwood

Not only does my inner emo child (and outer emo adult) rejoice at the fact that this candle has moody black wax, but this is the ultimate spooky fall candle. Instead of ultra-sweet pumpkin spice and bright blue September skies, this is a crisp November night that smell of dried leaves, oncoming frost, and just a hint of woodsmoke. It’s gloriously woodsy and the second the days start getting a little shorter and the Halloween decorations begin to come out I am burning this one non-stop.