Seasonal favorites: Fall candles

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It’s hard to choose just one thing to love about fall: Maybe it’s carving pumpkins or baking fresh apple pies, or perhaps it’s just sitting by a fire. Whatever your favorite, a candle scented with seasonal aromas like pumpkin, apple or whiskey can help evoke your coziest fall feelings.

Below, Select staffers share their favorite candles for fall, with scents from sugary cinnamon apple to smoky applewood.

Confetti Candle Co. Apple + Earl Grey Candle

If you’re looking for something subtle, this apple-scented candle is a great option, according to Select senior editor Morgan Greenwald. “I have chronic migraines, so I need candles that aren’t overwhelmingly sweet or just generally overpowering. This one fills my apartment with a natural apple smell, as if I’m biting into one,” she said. The candle is made of natural soy wax and the 8-ounce size has a burn time of 40-50 hours, according to the brand.

Confetti Candle Co. Apple + Earl Grey Candle

Confetti Candle Co. Apple + Earl Grey Candle (Etsy / Etsy)
Confetti Candle Co. Apple + Earl Grey Candle (Etsy / Etsy)
  • Confetti Candle Co. Apple + Earl Grey Candle $ at Etsy

  • Confetti Candle Co. Apple + Earl Grey Candle $ at Confetti Candle Co.

Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte Japonica Jar Candle

What’s fall without pumpkin spice? This Spiced Pumpkin Latte candle comes from one of Greenwald’s favorite candle brands – Voluspa. “The candles are on the more expensive side, but they aren’t overbearingly odorous and the jars are ornamental,” she said. Voluspa’s Spiced Pumpkin Latte candle is made with a blend of kabocha pumpkin, coconut milk, vanilla marshmallow and spices, and the 18-ounce jar has a burn time of 100 hours, according to the brand.

Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte Japonica Jar Candle

  • Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte Japonica Jar Candle $ at Anthropologie

  • Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte Japonica Jar Candle $ at Sephora

  • Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte Japonica Jar Candle $ at Bloomingdales

Target Threshold Applewood and Amber Wooden Wick Soy Blend Candle

If you’re looking for a fall candle that can double as decor, Select associate editor Justin Krajeski recommends Target’s Threshold candles, which come with a wooden lid. “They are way cuter than they have any right being, they’re not super expensive [and] they last for a long time,” he said. “Plus, they make a little crackling sound when they burn, which can evoke the fall season.” If you aren’t a fan of applewood and amber, Krajeski also likes the Whiskey & Oak scent.

Target Threshold Applewood and Amber Wooden Wick Soy Blend Candle

Target Threshold Applewood and Amber Wooden Wick Soy Blend Candle (Target / Target)
Target Threshold Applewood and Amber Wooden Wick Soy Blend Candle (Target / Target)

Target Threshold Applewood and Amber Wooden Wick Soy Blend Candle $ at Target

Yankee Candle Sugared Cinnamon Apple 22-Ounce Candle

Nearly everyone knows Yankee Candle, and its offerings are a great option if you’re looking for a stronger, more enveloping scent. Select associate reporter Mili Godio buys the Sugared Cinnamon Apple candle every fall. “This one has a strong, sweet scent that fills up my apartment almost immediately,” she said. The brand says the 22-ounce, two-wick tumbler has a burn time of up to 110 hours, and Godio said the candle usually lasts her several months.

Yankee Candle Sugared Cinnamon Apple 22-Ounce Candle

Yankee Candle Sugared Cinnamon Apple 22-Ounce Candle (Amazon / Amazon)
Yankee Candle Sugared Cinnamon Apple 22-Ounce Candle (Amazon / Amazon)
  • Yankee Candle Sugared Cinnamon Apple 22-Ounce Candle $ at Amazon

  • Yankee Candle Sugared Cinnamon Apple 22-Ounce Candle $ at Yankee Candle

  • Yankee Candle Sugared Cinnamon Apple 22-Ounce Candle $ at Walmart

Redwood Woodwick Candle

Select production coordinator Gabriella DePinho likes to burn this redwood-scented candle in the autumn months and beyond. “It smells just like the redwoods in California, and I love the little crackle of the woodwick,” she said. (The wick is actually wood, meant to evoke the sound of a crackling fire when it burns.) The brand describes the scent as a complex combination of redwood, sandalwood and soft amber, making it a good option if you love camping trips or just enjoy the smell of a bonfire. Woodwick says the candle is designed to melt evenly, and DePinho says hers has always burned to the rim.

Redwood Woodwick Candle

Brooklyn Candle Studio Apple Cider Minimalist Candle

Though apple cider is decidedly a fall scent, Select associate updates editor Zoe Malin burns this chic candle year-round. “You get the most intense fragrance when you burn the candle, but if you just leave it open when it’s not lit, you can still smell it,” she said. In addition to the strong notes of crisp apple, the brand says the candle has middle notes of cinnamon and clove and base notes of cedarwood. Though the candle is 7.5 ounces, Brooklyn Candle Studio says it has a burn time of up to 50 hours.

Brooklyn Candle Studio Apple Cider Minimalist Candle

Capri Blue Pumpkin Clove Jar Candle

If you’ve ever walked into an Anthropologie store and wondered how it smells so fragrant, odds are you were getting a whiff of a Capri Blue candle. Though the brand says the signature Volcano scent is its most popular, Capri Blue also makes a seasonal Pumpkin Clove candle exclusively sold at Anthropologie, which Malin said has an “amazing" scent: It’s "equally spicy and warm, just like pumpkin pie.” The brand says the Pumpkin Clove scent is a combination of pumpkin with orange zest, vanilla and cinnamon. Malin also loves the jar it comes in, which evokes fall, too. “After I use up the candle, I save it as a little dish for home decor,” she said. The 19-ounce candle has a burn time of up to 70 hours, according to the brand.

Capri Blue Pumpkin Clove Jar Candle

Capri Blue Pumpkin Clove Jar Candle $ at Anthropologie

Capri Blue Spiced Cider Printed Candle Tin

Select editorial operations manager Shari Uyehara impulse-buys candles all year, but especially during the fall and winter. One of her current favorites is the Capri Blue Spiced Cider candle, the second Capri Blue on our list. "This one smells like apples with vanilla and cinnamon — it's very soothing," Uyehara said. (Uyehara is also a fan of Malin's pick, the Pumpkin Clove candle.)

Capri Blue Spiced Cider Printed Candle Tin

Capri Blue Spiced Cider Printed Candle Tin $ at Anthropologie

Yankee Candle WoodWick Pumpkin Butter Candle

“The only thing my husband and I love more than the smell of pumpkin is a crackling fire, and this Yankee Candle gives both of those things,” according to Greenwald. The brand, which sent Greenwald the candle to try out, says the candle has a patented wooden wick for a calming crackle, and an extra burst of fragrance. “My apartment smells like a pumpkin latte,” Greenwald said. “And I love that the wick spans half the candle — it makes the scent stronger and helps the candle burn more evenly.” The scent has fresh pumpkin, vanilla and warm spices, according to Yankee Candle.

Yankee Candle WoodWick Pumpkin Butter Candle

  • Yankee Candle WoodWick Pumpkin Butter Candle $ at WoodWick

  • Yankee Candle WoodWick Pumpkin Butter Candle $ at Walmart

  • Yankee Candle WoodWick Pumpkin Butter Candle $ at Bed Bath and Beyond

Related: An essential oil diffuser has become an integral step in my daily routine — both during the week and throughout evenings and weekends.

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