I Imprinted On A Candle From Brooklinen’s New Home Fragrance Line

In no way, shape, or form did luxury bedding and home goods retailer Brooklinen launch its new Home Fragrance Collection this morning with romance in mind. In fact, the motive for these votives — specifically, eight scented candles, two room sprays, two diffusers, and a hodgepodge of sets — is, per the brand's press release, "to guide you through the day." Regardless of the objective, the fact of the matter is that the $35 Bright Idea Candle's deep, spicy scent gave me a stirring.

Don't look at me like that. The fragrance industry thrives off of seductive wafts and sensual aromas — and smell dating solidified a space in the mainstream not too long ago. So, I find my attraction to Brooklinen's Bright Idea candle (an alluring mix of geranium and cardamom) candle not necessarily natural, but perfectly understandable. And far be it from me to be content with candle monogamy; I also swooned over a second scent in the line, Good Intentions. While I cannot attest to the tantalizing nature of the remaining six fragrances (I received two Candle & Diffuser Sets complements of Brooklinen), I can tell you pretty much everything else one should know about these life-enhancing home decor treasures.

The new home fragrance launch is a full revamp of its original line first launched in 2013 and is designed to set the scene for various parts of your day, from waking up and working to settling down and even sexy time. Based on these new luxurious scents, I expected the nine-ounce candles to retail around $50 to $60 — but they're only $35. The diffusers land at $49, room sprays at $35, candle & diffuser Sets at $79, and four-candle votive sets at $59. (Important to note: the entire Home Fragrance Collection is final sale!) For the candles, choose from eight scents: Rise, Good Intentions, Bright Idea, Interlude, Happy Hour, Restore, Gather, and Love Note — all concocted with a soy-coconut wax blend (plus a cotton wick) and named with intention and with an approximate burn time of 60 hours. Meanwhile, the Diffusers and Room Sprays skip the burn but deliver just as much aroma that's guaranteed to last 90 days. Unlike the candles, both the Diffusers and Room Sprays are only available in my pride and joy Bright Idea as well as Good Intentions.

The collection takes an aromatherapy approach with essential oils rather than simply focus on fanciful fragrances. Brooklinen's press release mentions that the line's purpose is to "improve your performance and mood." For example, Rise's Himalayan salt and citrus notes should "revive the mind," while Good Intentions "brings focus" with basil, eucalyptus, and bergamot. Lastly, each candle, diffuser, and room spray comes packaged in sleek frosted-glass jars that look quite dashing around the house.

Imprinting, if you don't know (or are not familiar with Jacob Black's famous scene in Stephanie Meyer's hit novel Breaking Dawn), is defined by PBS.org as "a critical period of time early in an animal’s life when it forms attachments." In less dramatic (but still dramatic) animalistic terms, I guess I would call this experience love at first waft. I ripped open the ultra-protective packaging, began to read the description on the box, and boom, the scent abruptly greeted my olfactory system before I could even put down the lid.

Let's just say this, Bright Idea is what masculine dreams are made of. On its own, that powerful punch of spicy fresh pepper reminds me of a man's luxe, yet overly-pungent cologne. But, get this: Before my nose even had time to tell my brain about the authoritative aroma, that sweet and soothing smell of fresh cardamom curbed its overbearing nature. If only the residual smoke from the cotton wick solidified into the man of my dreams. Alas, this is not a Disney movie, and quite frankly, that would probably be terrifying.

Romance novel description aside, the throw of the candle was lovely — it's not the strongest candle I ever owned, but it's what my allergies prefer. The Bright Idea candle filled up my apartment living room with ease. As for Good Intentions, I placed its diffuser form in my bedroom and enjoyed the joyous, lighthearted smells of basil, eucalyptus, and bergamot. If you want your living space to smell amazing and expensive without people thinking you're burning a candle, that's the one for you. MHSBB (my home smell but better).

While I'm not sure my candle and diffuser duos necessarily guide me through the day or improve my performance like Brooklinen planned, they, without a doubt, have a tight grip on my senses. If you couldn't tell by this way-too-descriptive article, my brain often diverges from the norm — so perhaps Brooklinen's Home Fragrance will bring focus, brighten your day, and do as intended for your olfactory system. Regardless, I fully recommend trying out the scent of the hour: Bright Idea or any of the other seven. Funny enough, Bright Idea's jar writes "The spark you're looking for." And yes, yes it was.