The Nelson Mandela of candles
 |
| Burnt Out Solutions makes candles such as this one.. click here to check out the whole lineup! |
As published in the National Post
by Yuki Hayashi
Aside from some pre-teen dabbling in the black arts, candles have never been part of my mise en scène. Outdoors, they're fine on the deck, but indoors they seem like a lot of trouble. Fire hazard. Toddlers love trying to mess with them. Cats singe their whiskers on the flame. And if you are not a smoker, there is the entire why-am-I-paying-to-breathe-in-poison angle, as most candles are paraffin-based, that is to say, derived from petroleum.
Wholesome beeswax? Too buggy-smelling. Upmarket essential-oil-scented candles? Ideal — if you can cadge them as a gift from someone.
That's why, for daily life, Kiss My Face's soy wax candles were a revelation. We're talking paradigm shift. (Almost. I mean, they are still just candles, right?)
The votives come in their own frosted-glass holders, burn for 45 hours, cost only 44 cents per hour(!) and they're the Nelson Mandela of candles. (Perfect if you need a housewarming gift for that socially conscious university student on your list.)
The waxes and wicks are biodegradable, the holders reuseable. They're vegan, free of artificial fragrances or colors, and Kiss My Face has never tested its air-, hair- and body-care products on animals.
But — to use the parlance of the infomercial — that's not all. The U.S. firm's candles are manufactured in Canada, in New Minas, NS, by a company called Burnt Out Solutions, which provides employment to the disabled and other people who have had difficulty finding conventional employment.
Sweet smelling for your air and your conscience too. I've set up the bracing anti-doze Meadow: For Clarity in my office (OK, OK — cubicle).
Perfect, since someone else thought it would be kosher to bring in a tuna sandwich. Dolphin-friendly or not, that just ain't right.
