If there is one item I love to decorate my house with, it’s a candle. Simple and elegant, they make even the most plain of rooms a heavenly scented haven you never want to leave.

My favourite candle brand has to be Owen Drew Candles. From classic fresh scents to candles with more sensual notes, Owen Drew has them all and I’ve fallen in love with each and every candle. After divulging the details of my love affair with Owen Drew Candles I noticed comments regarding how similar they appear to those by Jo Malone. So I thought this would be a great opportunity to do a comparison, spill the tea as it were and let you decide which home fragrance you need in your life.

Now first I want to say, this post is in no way going to be me just bashing Jo Malone. In fact, when it comes to perfume, Jo Malone have some of my favourites fragrances: Lime, Basil & Mandarin is the perfect summer scent and I adore Pomegranate Noir so much I actually splurged on getting a large bottle after finishing several of the smaller size. However, now that I own candles from both brands, there are things that have stood out to me that I simply must share.

Price

First up and it’s a biggie, Price.

At £45, Jo Malone candles are far from cheap. In my young lifetime (whispers 28), I’ve only owned four Jo Malone candles. This is largely in part due to the fact I can’t afford to regularly purchase such pricey candles. I’ve usually bought them as a treat to myself after passing my degree or moving into my first house. Even then, I still felt that twang of guilt about spending so much on one single candle, but what was a girl to do? I wanted that luxury feel. I wanted high-end candles. I was a damsel in candle distress, a Cinderella until Owen answered my cry for help and said you shall fill your home with luxury candles and all at the affordable price of £25. At nearly half the price you not only get the same size candle as Jo Malone but one that burns for just as long!

Throw

You’re paying for the incredible fragrance throw.

That’s what I’d expect most people to say when justifying the price of a Jo Malone candle. After owning both, I can honestly say this is not the case. Yes, my Pomegranate Noir smells incredible and fills the whole room with scent but so does every one of my Owen Drew candles. Barely twenty minutes after being lit, my Mulled Pear & Cranberry smells so amazing I know I won’t just be lighting this festive scent at Christmas and as I mentioned in my first review, I’ve even had friends commenting on how lovely my house smells moments after walking through the front door. Ultimately, Owen Drew candles have some serious throw and they do it all made out of 100% soy wax.

Ingredients

Yup. 100% gen-u-wine soy wax. This not only makes Owen Drew candles completely vegan but they also happen to be cruelty free and for someone like me who is concerned with buying more ethical products, this is a really important factor. As most of you may know Jo Malone do not test on animals here in the UK, but the fragrances are required to be tested by law in countries like China and therefore as a brand it’s not really cruelty free. Plus after spending a long time putting my beauty spy skills to use, I found that Jo Malone do not disclose what sort of wax they use to make their candles. Maybe they use soy wax but considering this is a plus point to a luxury candle you’d think they would say this at least somewhere on the site. What’s likely is that like many other well-known brands they use a mix of waxes, one of which could be paraffin.

Health & Home

The biggest reason Owen starting his company was because soot and smoke produced by paraffin based candles was collecting on the walls and ceilings, ruining his home. It’s not just damage to your house you should be worried about either. When burnt, paraffin wax produces waste products that can have extremely adverse effects on your health, as well as produce carcinogens that have been linked to lung cancer. Take a look at the rim of my Jo Malone candle, completely black with soot. This didn’t just happen to my Pomegranate Noir but every Jo Malone scented candle I’ve owned. The worst thing was I just assumed this was normal. Yes I could clean it, but I don’t think I should have to considering the price. It wasn’t until I tried my Owen Drew Candles, which have been lit every chance I’ve had, that I realised all natural soy wax is better for the care of your health and home.

So does this mean I won’t ever use a Jo Malone candle again? Well, use is the operative word here, given as a birthday or Christmas gift I’d certainly have it in my home but would be wary of burning it too long. Personally, I would always choose to spend my hard earned cash on an Owen Drew or two, scoring high across the board they really are England’s finest luxury candles.

*These candles were sent for review purposes but I always give an honest review, where all opinions and views are 100% my own.

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