Chocolate Rain Soy Candle

To say I was ill prepared when I moved to Denmark for love is quite an understatement. I did not research the stereotypes; when people starting shoving past me on public transit, I was surprised. The prices still startle me. And while I have a working knowledge of geography, I was not prepared for the darkness that accompanies winters so close to the Arctic Circle.

A South African co-worker recently asked how I survived last winter in Copenhagen. Terrified as it is her first cold season in Scandinavia, I shared with her the tactics of the Danes: huddle in warm blankets, play boardgames, and light candles. By December, the sun will be setting at 3PM. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Some folks fear the estrogenic properties of soy, and those folks are not necessarily misogynist dudes. Women may fear high estrogen because we fear breast cancer. Then again, others claim that Asian women are at lower risk for breast cancer because of their high soy protein intake. I’m vegan, so I’m sort of stuck hoping the skeptics aren’t right.

When it comes to candles, I admit that I used to hate on them. I thought they were a default gift given among co-workers and frenemies on unavoidable holidays. Yet this year, I’ve learned to love them for their heat and light but continue to struggle with the beeswax issue. You see, we oppress the bees; their colonies are dying at a terrifying rate. While their pollination tactics are essential, perhaps taking their honey and wax is unnecessary. Can’t we give the little buggers a break?

Imagine my total delight upon discovering Soy Candles by Phebes. Run by friendly vegan partners Mike and John, their delicious candles are the very best I have ever encountered. It’s high praise, but it’s true. Minutes after lighting my Chocolate Rain candle, my house was full of chocolaty aroma, putting asthma attack-inducing shops like Yankee Candle to shame. The only scent possibly stronger was my tiny, unlit Phebes Festive Fruits tart, a sample from their holiday collection that will save my sanity during the dreary winter months.

The Soy Candles by Phebes chandlers offer pretty much everything I want in a candle. In addition to being vegan (and thus cruelty-free), they are eco-friendly, biodegradable, hypoallergenic, soot-free, and made to order. One color and one size—8.5 ounces—keeps the focus on selecting from their range of over ninety scents rather than on the design. So far, my soy candle has burned significantly slower than paraffin competitors. Soy Candles By Phebes offers free shipping on every single domestic order from their base in Atlanta, Georgia.

Chocolate Rain may make some people think of the viral video of the same name. For me, it simply brings to mind the glorious aroma of my apartment that matches the dark bitters stashed in my cupboard. Soy Candles by Phebes will get my vegan self through this dark winter with style. My partner’s Danish mother, a true master of surviving the frigid darkness now in her sixty-seventh year, may also be receiving a few of these cruelty-free votives for Christmas.

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