M&J London Autumn in New England Candle Review | AD-Gifted

Is this the perfect autumnal candle?

- Disclaimer: The following post contains PR samples (*) -

Who doesn't love a good autumnal candle? It's the time of year when the nights draw in early, daylight becomes non-existent (bad luck for blog photos!) and the whole world becomes obsessed with pumpkin spice everything (who can blame them!). Finding the perfect autumnal candle is tricky, balancing the right amount of sweet, spicy and woody. Sometimes, I want my house to smell like Pumpkin Spice waffles, but other times that kind of scent becomes a bit too overpowering and I'd rather have something more akin to a walk on a crisp autumn day.

When my fave candle brand, M&J London announced that they were bringing out a brand new scent for the autumn, I knew it wouldn't disappoint. When I found out that the scent description of Autumn in New England* was cranberry, pumpkin and maple syrup, I was even more excited! What makes this scent unique is that it takes these very essences of autumn and blends them together to create the perfect balance between sweet, fresh and woody. If you think you don't like pumpkin scents, give this a try as it is worlds away from the sickly sweet syrups that douse our drinks this time of year (not that there's anything wrong with that, I've just bought a huge bottle of pumpkin spice syrup to make DIY PSLs, yum!).

I was kindly sent their smaller jar candle, which is my preference out of the two as it is the perfect size to burn on my desk as I'm working or during my nightly Netflix binge, and it doesn't take as long for the wax to pool and avoid tunnelling. The small size costs £23, and burns for approximately 30 hours, a happy medium between cheaper high street candles and the more luxury (read: insanely overpriced) brand ones. Alternatively there's the large size at £35 for around 60 hours burn time, which is better value but requires a longer burn time for the wax to pool.





All of M&J London's candles are inspired by founder Jennifer McNabb's travels around the world, and their latest release is no exception as her partner has origins in New England. It carries the description: "We know it's that time of year on the first morning we step outside into the chill and can see our breath puff in little clouds. That's the signal to unearth wooly sweaters from the back of the closet, and don jackets and scarves as we set out for the day. This is the time we head for the hills - our annual pilgrimage north to the Green Mountains, to lose ourselves driving along winding country roads under and through a blazing canopy of leaves in bright blasts of yellow, flaming oranges, and the maple trees in fire-engine red."

"A white wooden steeple against the crisp blue sky is our beacon, guiding us into the village. At the farmers market on the green, bright orange pumpkins are piled high by the stacks of hay where we sit (carefully) and sip earthy apple cider (he drinks his cold but I know it's best warmed and with cinnamon). In the chill of the evening after dinner, we share our cranberry tart while sitting around a bonfire snuggled under the weight of an ancient handmade quilt - scraps of dresses and skirts stitched together by some thrifty new Englander a generation or two ago. And as the leaves fall and drift to the ground, we inhale deeply and take it all in - giving thanks for finding ourselves here again, with another year to mark the changing of the seasons."  Can you get more autumnal than that?

M&J London remains one of my favourite candle brands for so many reasons. They have the tagline "Ethical Luxury", which perfectly describes them down to the quality of the fragrances and the heavyweight feel of the 100% recycled glass jars (which you can further upcycle into drinking glasses, makeup brush holders etc.). The wax used is 100% rainforest soya, which is a renewable green resource and is also cleaner to burn and kinder to our bodies and the environment, in conjuction with a lead-free cotton and linen blend wick. Lastly, they donate a % of their profits (50p small candle/£1 large candle) to local charity nia, which works to end violence towards women, as well as offer support to those who are victims of domestic abuse. Find out more about M&J's ethical conscience here. I'm in love with Autumn in New England, and much like the other seasonal M&J London scents, it perfectly embodies the season, which makes them gorgeous to come back to year after year. So now I have Fall covered, as well as having Bavarian Winter (review) and English Summer (review) which are gorgeous for their respective seasons , now all that's left to do is find that perfect Spring candle... 

What scent reminds you most of autumn?

- PR samples (*) are kindly sent for consideration, which in no way alters my opinion 

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