Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Illume Hinoki Sage Glass Candle Review


 I am trying to get all my summer travels..and maybe a fall trip planned at the moment.  Or not really planned but just figuring out when I want to do certain things. I am definitely going stateside this summer and I am beyond excited about it. I have a lot of things I plan on doing while there. I need to make a list so that way I don't forget anything. 


Illume claims:

Grounded in soothing cypress, with a heart of gathered garden herbs, and kissed with salted citrus.

Thoughtfully designed from wax to wick, put our candles anywhere and everywhere in the home or office.

A timeless staple designed with a soft frost finish, colored wax, and a translucent foot for added elegance. Once burned, reuse the glass with our plant-based candle refill.



* Fill Weight: 10oz
* Product Size: 3.75" x 3.75" x 4.5"
* Burn Time: 50 hours
* Wick Count: 1
* Vegan
* Cruelty-free
* Plant-based wax
Made In China

Trying yet another candle brand...my goal is always to try five new brands of something this year and I'm pretty sure I have already hit that. I can sometimes get into a slump and keep buying the same brands over and over. I haven't heard a lot about this particular brand except that it's sold in Target. I bought this one from Nordstrom. They seem to carry a few select brands but you can also find them on Amazon. That's definitely a range of stores. 

One thing I didn't know about the brand is they sell candle refills. So your refill comes in a paper cup, you pop it out and into the re-useable glass jars and the box and cup are easily recyclable. It saves the world some glass. Which I love. Because there are only so many I can repurposes before I have way too many. I tend to save my faves and recycle the rest. The refills are very reasonably priced too, especially if you buy the ones from Amazon.

Hinoki Sage is definitely not a scent I would pick on my own, I just kinda got on Nordstrom- sort and buy. Hinoki is a type of Japanese Cypress. I have no idea what it smells like but I do like the smell of the Cypress I have smelled before. 


I like the work "hinoki" and it seems to be popular buzz word to use in candles these days. So the notes are basically cypress, sage (or other garden herbs), and salted citrus. I don't know about describing the notes except the say this smells like a man's cologne. A very stinky one. I don't know what it is about this candle but it literally stinks. It might be the worst candle scent I have ever smelled. I was trying to be open-minded and thought maybe I would change my mind when burning it- but nope! Luckily it doesn't have a big throw. One time when I let it, I did pick up a nice citrus..but I never got that note again in the hours I have been burning through it.

It scents maybe about four feet around it. Any further and you can pick it up kinda but not really. Which is a good thing because I don't like the scent.

I do like the packaging. The glass jar is heavy and feels  like nice quality. It's also a very pretty green color. I wasn't sure I would repurchase from the brand....but I will keep the jar and tuck it away somewhere so I can try the refills. 

Another thing I don't like is the wicks- you can cut them down and the flame still looks wild. First lighting I had sooting and smoking....to the point where the sooting and smoking seemed continuous. It almost reminded me of the Byredo candle- but worse. I am not a fan of the way the candle burns. Supposedly it's vegetable wax. In my experience it is usually Paraffin that makes the candle burn badly so I'm thinking it has Paraffin. 

It does seem to have a very long burn time-but then again maybe all candles that I hate seem to burn forever. I will light this one and spend a lot of the time out the room. Which is how I know I don't like the candle- for my good candles I like sitting there and just inhaling all the good scented air! Don't wanna miss a second.

I do like to pay attention to where the things I buy are made. They definitely claim to be made in the US but the candle I have has a sticker that says it's Made in China.  UPDATE- Just the Jar is made in China, the wax is poured in the US.



I don't like this candle- there isn't really anything good I have to say about it. I'm not in a hurry to try anything else from the brand- but I may give them another go if just to try out the refill.  I think that's a genius idea and I am not quite ready to write them off. Even though reflecting on this review I probably should.


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