Otherland’s New Candle Collection Is Making Our ’90s Dreams Come True

If you came of age in the '90s, it'll be a long time before you forget the aroma of vanilla-scented lip gloss, fruity body mists, and clouds of Elnett hairspray. (And then there are the scents we'd prefer to forget: Crowded basement parties, grungy club bathrooms, and the like.) Well, leave it to Otherland to perfectly capture the olfactory nostalgia of our favorite decade in the form of its latest candle collection, Carefree '90s. "This collection is all about a throwback to simpler, nostalgic times, where the internet was new, lips were smackered, and our favorite spices were Baby, Scary, and Posh," Otherland founder Abigail Cook Stone tells R29 from the brand's SoHo store, which looks like a Candy Land board come to life — and features a (functioning!) pink iMac for the collection's launch.

Carefree '90s spans three delectable scents that capture the easy, breezy, turn-of-the-century vibe: Dreamlight, Glosspop, and Blue Jean Baby. In true Otherland fashion, each one is cuter than the next, in frosted pastel votives and artist-designed labels that are a visual nod to the candle's scent profile. "The Otherland approach is that candles are a consumable objet d’art and a consumable experience," Stone says. "Especially since we launched digital-first, it's like, 'How do you sell scent through the internet?' We wanted to make the [candle] artwork something that really created an emotional connection." Each candle retails for $36, but if you simply can't choose, a trio can be yours for $89.

Ahead, let's hop in a time machine back to 1998 take a closer look at each candle in the rad lineup.

Notes: Wild Freesia, Plush Plumeria, and Juicy Tangerine

"Dreamlight is a great place to start," Stone says. "This is really a mall scent for me. It brings me back to the Gap, having fun, eating candy, and messing around with friends.

Notes: Strawberry Gloss, Hard Candy, and Frosted Rose

"Then we have Glosspop, which reminds me of the cool babysitter or your best friend’s older sister — this is her lip gloss that you aspired to have," she explains. 

Notes: Washed Denim, White Musk, and Mimosa Flower

"[Think] of the perfect white baby tee and faded Calvins," Stone says of this light-as-air scent. "It's really clean and fresh, but also has this cotton feeling."