Yankee Candle Facebook Fans Say a Riding Mower™ is Dad's Perfect Gift!

Hot sun. Cool breeze. And the intensely summery scent of freshly cut grass. 

This is the aroma of Yankee Candle's Riding Mower™ one of a new collection of fragranced candles designed for and inspired by men. The Man Candle line also includes scents like 2x4™, Man Town™, and First Down™. While their names evoke a smile, their fragrances are as authentic and spot-on as can be expected from the Yankee Candle Company. From the freshly planed wood of 2x4™ to  leathery First Down™, one of these candles is sure to ignite fond memories of hanging out in Dad's workshop or watching the game from his favorite recliner. But when asked to choose which among all of these great scents would be the perfect Father's Day gift, facebook fans said, "Why just mow Dad's lawn on Father's Day when you can give him a Riding Mower™ too!"

The Man Candle line is a limited special edition collection available now in Yankee Candle stores and online. Follow us on facebook!

Yankee Candle's Top 5 Scents for Dad's Day

While some think scented candles are appreciated only by women, I know differently. Growing up, my sisters and I knew that our Dad was waxing nostalgic when he would light all the candles on the porch and turn on the radio to the oldies station. We fondly remember stopping by the Pottery Factory in Virginia and loading the trunk with candles in as many sizes, styles, and scents as we could fit. For our family, candles signified relaxing at the end of a busy week and we delighted in fun summer evenings lit by fireflies and the warm glow of candles. It's no surprise then that while others may think of candles for Mother’s Day, I turn to them just as often for my Dad. So, what is an appropriate candle for a man? Of course it depends on the person and his taste in scents but here are my personal Top 5 Scents for Dad:

1. Fireside™- the scent of a warm, crackling wood fire brings back a flood of backyard cookout memories.
2. Storm Watch®- a classic scent for a classic dad; reminiscent of the ocean air before a storm.
3. Midsummer's Night®- the ultimate in masculinity, this is my pick for a new Dad.
4. Let Freedom Ring™ - part of our 2011 patriotic collection this makes a nice gift for a Navy veteran like my Dad.
5. Conceal® - Our mosquito-blocking candle is great for anyone who spends time outside.

Yankee Candle's "Scent of Your First Boyfriend" Turns 16!

I just read that actress Kate Walsh is developing a perfume she hopes will remind you of a boyfriend. The article reminded me of a favorite Yankee Candle scent. Officially described as "an intoxicating and masculine blend of musk, patchouli, sage and mahogany cologne" Midsummer's Night® by Yankee Candle is better known to its millions of fans as the "first boyfriend scent". Since its debut in 1994 Midsummer's Night® has been there for first dates and weddings and it often provides soothing comfort for the brokenhearted. It’s one of those candle scents with an unmistakably powerful aroma. I once blogged about candles that become the “scent-track” of your life in the same way that special music can become the soundtrack of your life. Midsummer’s Night® is one of those fragrances. It is the underscore for a new romance and the trigger for memories of an old flame. And like every great romance, once you experience it you will never forget it! Happy 16^th birthday Midsummer’s Night®!

Midsummer's Night® is available in candles and home fragrance products online, in Yankee Candle Company retail stores, and other fine gift shops.

Yankee Candle Scents & Nonsense

Not too long ago my family and I visited the home of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in Vermont. In their typical tongue-in-cheek fashion, the Ben & Jerry's marketers have decided to acknowledge the flavors that did not quite make the grade by displaying them on tombstones in a faux flavor graveyard. This got me to thinking about the Yankee Candle hits and misses over the years. What products and fragrances had real glow and which were no more than a pool of melted wax? In no one’s opinion but my own, here are the top 3 hits and misses in my Yankee Candle history:

Wax On

MacIntosh & Sage & Citrus – When introduced in 1998, MacIntosh and Sage & Citrus were enormously popular right from the first sniff. We’d had other scents that struck chords with our fans over the years, but these two were so uniquely wonderful that they led the way for other signature scents like Midsummer’s Night®, Clean Cotton®, and Mistletoe™.

Car Jars® - It’s been a decade since the launch of our candle-shaped auto fragrancers and boy has the Yankee Candle fan’s life changed since. This was our first non-candle product and since then fragrance fanatics the world over have been able to enjoy Yankee Candle scents in room sprays, potpourri, reeds, and even lip balm and anti-bac soap!

Fan Feedback – If there is one thing that changes the dynamic of everything we do, it’s hearing from and listening to all of the people who use our products. Whether we’re talking to customers face-to-face in our stores, reading what they write on facebook, or analyzing sales, our fans speak to us loud and clear!

Wax Off

Rhubarb Plum & Gooseberry Jam – These are two recent examples of when some scents can be a little too true-to-life!

Fragrant Shades of White – This out-of-the-box concept was developed on the notion that people may buy a candle if only its color didn’t clash with home décor. We poured all our best-selling fragrances in colorless wax so that if you wanted MacIntosh but detest the color red you could still enjoy the scent. Interest in these Fragrant Shades quickly faded away!

Discontinuing Storm Watch® & Fireside™ – And, I could add such other fan favorites as Eucalyptus and Patchouli. You all spoke loud and clear when these scents went away and we certainly learned an important lesson. We welcomed these favorites back into the line and you’ve welcomed them back into your homes!

A Scented Memory

Some people remember their first day on the job because they were excited or nervous or overwhelmed. I remember my first day on the job because of the way it smelled. February 16 1993 I arrived to my new job at the Yankee Candle Company and the air was filled with a mix of whatever they were making that day. I remember it being a strong floral - maybe Country Heather - with a sweet French Vanilla twist. To this day that scent will return and it will carry me back to that moment in time. The sense of smell is amazing that way. I remember in those early years when candles were poured where our store's Candle Emporium is today, I went home smelling like the fragrance that was being made. It was a good day if the scent was something like Sage & Citrus or the refreshing MacIntosh. Look out when an overpowering citronella was being made (thank goodness we now have Conceal® to ward off mosquitoes in a much more pleasant way)! On a Midsummer's Night® day, people at the local grocery store assumed I was wearing my boyfriend's clothes. When Spiced Pumpkin was on the menu I always felt like there would be something yummy waiting for me when I got home. Our factory is just down the road apiece from where it was back then and new technology allows us to keep much more of that precious scent in the wax rather than allowing it to waft away in the air. When the atmosphere is just right, though, and our candlemakers are crafting certain scents, I get a whiff of something wonderfully familiar and I feel that same first day of work excitement again. Yankee Candle, thanks for the memories!

How to Create Your Own Custom Yankee Candle® Scent

A favorite activity among candle fans is creating their own custom blend with Tarts® wax potpourri. Dubbed Fragrance Mixology™ by the Yankee Candle Company, this kind of DIY home fragrance is two parts art and one part science. It's sort of Iron Chef meets Bill Nye the Science Guy! For the artistic part, mixologists need to know which fragrances would make a great blend. Would you try mixing Coconut Bay™ and Midsummer's Night®? What about Honeydew Melon and Storm Watch®? Just as different foods will bring out different tastes when combined, different scents will also bring out the best (or the worst) in each other. Once you decide on the combo, you need to determine how much of each fragrance to combine. That's the science part. Do you make each part equal, or would you rather have more of one scent shine through? Through trial and error, mixologists will come up with just the right recipe and then don their artistic cap again to craft the perfect - and perfectly clever - name for their creation.

Fragrance mixologist extraordinaire Leigh Silas Hanrihan catalogued all of the recipes tried in the test kitchens of Yankee Candle® fans around the world and posted them on this website:

http://candlemixarchive.weebly.com/ .

The next time you want to provide just the right fragrance for your home, have fun developing your own custom blend!

Yankee® Candles Glow With Style

Last week, super model and business woman Tyra Banks asked her Twitter followers if they light candles. She tweeted that although she loves candles she very rarely lights them and she wondered if there were others like her. Almost immediately many of her followers responded with their own tweets proclaiming their addiction not just to candles, but to Yankee® candles! And, just as strongly, they talked about their love for lighting candles. Yankee Candle fans know that the beauty of a scented candle is not just the cold fragrance that you get when you lift the lid of the jar, but it is also in the glow and the warming of the fragrance. When the scent is warmed, the fragrance will intensify and it will spread throughout the area. Beyond the fragrance, the glow from a lit candle adds ambiance like no other light can. A lit candle joins music and accessories in really defining your personal style. I say, don't hold back Tyra - let your candles glow!