From cups of coffee and matcha to birthday cakes and martinis, you can get a candle that looks like your favorite food or drink at Charm and Candle.
“A lot of my candles are inspired by drinks that I love, desserts, things like that,” said Christina Scarane, the owner and founder of Charm and Candle. “I really wanted to be creative with it because I feel like, a lot of times, people love [candles] just for the aesthetic of them.”
Last year, Scarane was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on them. After her diagnosis, she knew she needed to make some major lifestyle changes, including what she puts into her home.
“One of those things was paraffin-based candles. So, I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s really interesting, because I love, love, love candles.’ So, one of the things [my doctor] recommended was soy-based candles, coconut-based candles, etcetera. But when I went to go try and find those candles, I wasn’t really impressed with what I was finding. So, I decided to make them myself.”
From there, candle-making became a creative outlet for Scarane, helping her heal both inside and out.
“I honestly got the inspiration from social media,” she explained. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, this would be really cute in a candle.’ So, I kind of just implemented that. As I started the candle-making journey, I found that it was so similar to baking, which I also love doing. So, once I kind of correlated the two, I was able to mesh them together…It’s a lot longer than your stereotypical, regular vessel and wax.”
After a little more than a year in the business, Scarane is thankful she pushed herself out of her comfort zone, helping people of all ages enjoy the beauty of candles in a safer and healthier way.
” I’m super shy and introverted, so I didn’t really want to do it,” she said. “My boyfriend is an entrepreneur, so he was a huge support for me in actually launching and putting myself out there. Once I did, it was so overwhelming with the amount of support and love that I received, and just how much people appreciated the creativity behind my candles…It’s so important that not only myself, but [also] everyone has cleaner products in their homes to protect themselves, their kids and their pets.”