My name is Eleanor, and I have a candle obsession. From Diptyque to Byredo and Jo Malone London to Cire Trudon, you could say that I’ve tried a lot of luxury candles. As a beauty editor, I’m lucky enough to be sent some of the most expensive candles out there to try. However, if it were not for my job, there is no way I’d be able to regularly afford these designer candles. As wonderful as they are, I can’t I wince at lighting an luxury £60 candle—you’re quite literally burning money, after all.
However, I love the ritual of lighting a fresh candle, whether it be create a cosy atmosphere or to fill my home with a scent I love. For me, its my favourite way to wind down in the evening, it’s like a ritual. But at the rate I burn my candles, I like to swap in some affordable candles that I don’t feel guilty about lighting. Which is why I often turn to the high street. In recent years, high street retailers like & Other Stories, and Marks & Spencer have debuted their own affordable candle collections—and are all amongst my go-tos for luxury smelling candles that don’t break the bank. But my favourite affordable candles have to be from Zara. Just like Zara’s perfume dupes, the brand’s candles smell just as good as its luxury counterparts.
Zara has not only nailed it with its scents, but the candle vessels look so chic too. Place one on your coffee table or fireplace mantel, and you’d never know that they weren’t designer. In fact, my friends with the best-smelling homes often have Zara candles dotted around, and coming in at around the £16-£30 mark, they’re more bank account friendly than some of the designer candle brands out there.
If you want to know the best Zara candles to try, scroll ahead for the very best ones that both look and smell expensive.
Clean girls, assemble. If you love the scent of freshly laundered bed linen, this candle is for you. Fig leaf, iris and musk fills a room with an fresh springtime scent. The candles in this range have 620g worth of product, meaning they’ll burn for roughly 80 hours. However, they also come in smaller 200g size at £16 and a miniature 70g size for £10. Personally, I think its worth shelling out a few pounds more for the larger, three-wick size to get the most bang for your buck. You can also find these scents in diffuser and room spray form, and even hand soap and car fragrance, so you can scent your spaces further.
Love florals? Jasmine, lily of the valley and white musk form the base of this candle, which is both floral, refreshing and creamy. A great scent for a bedroom, living room, study or anywhere where you want a light and not overpowering scent.
Autumn and winter are the ideal time to give in to cosy candles with vanilla notes, and Zara’s Black Vanilla is almost good enough to eat. Madagascan vanilla, bergamot and jasmine unfurl into a warm praline scent that makes you want to bury under blankets, ideally with a sweet treat in hand.
I’m bookmarking this candle for spring, which centres around notes of orange, saffron, cotton flower, almond blossom and cosy musk. It’s both fresh yet warm—a real crowd pleaser that suits any room.
Poetic Mind is for those who love woody scents, with grounding white woods, lemon zest and creamy magnolia. It’s one of my favourites.
Want to emulate the expensive scent of expensive hotel lobbies? Try this. Dark Amber pairs smooth sandalwood with glowing amber and creamy ylang-ylang. If I didn’t know this was Zara. I’d guess it was three times its price tag.
You’re telling me this is a Zara candle? Not only does this coloured glass vessel look expensive, but the scent inside is exquisite too. The notes of basil, mint and lemon make this a great scent for a kitchen, or anywhere you’d like to add a herbaceous touch.
This candle scent is pure luxury. Centring around cedar wood, this woody scent is paired with citrus, jasmine and freesia, and given an unexpected sweet twist with sugar cane.
If you like floral candles, this is a really pretty take on white lotus and violet tempered with smooth woods and uplifting citrus.
Zara describes this candle as a sun-drenched jasmine and musk scent, and I’m sold. It’s also peppered with citrus, tea leaves and mimosa, which makes it bright yet smooth with the musk base notes.
I had to do a double take, because this candle label resembles a premium apothecary candle. The scent is inspired by an oasis in the desert, combining aquatic notes with creamy vanilla, sandalwood, tonka bean and musk.
If you want to bring all the smells of the woodland into your home, lighting this candle will do the trick. With notes of earthy akigalawood, cardamon, cedar wood and oak moss, this is like forest bathing in a candle.
The packaging on these candles could easily pass for a designer brand, and once you’ve burnt the wax, this is such a pretty vessel to re-use. The scent is based around lillies, heliotrope, sandalwood and musk, making this a pretty scent to see you from spring through to summer.
This is another pretty take on florals, with cherry blossom, peony, rose, heliotrope and musk.
If herby, aromatic scents are your vibe, this sleek candle will be up your street. With revitalising eucalpytus, sweet fig, woodsy notes and tobacco flower, this candle fragrance is sophisticated, and looks way more expensive than its price tage suggests.
Want to feel like you’re frolicking through poppy fields? This candle captures a sunny day in the countryside, with jasmine, rose and amber.
Tuberose is such an underrated scent, and this candle captures the creamy floral with a hint of spiciness and smooth, creamy vanilla. And how beautiful is the frosted glass vessel?
Like a bouquet of peonies, this candle scent is floral, powdery and pretty and versatile to light in any room.
