Ah! Illume Candles. How many times I've scrolled through the Illume catalog on Edenfantasys, dropping these luxurious (and rather pricey) candles into my online shopping basket only to immediately take them out. So pretty, I'd think. But how, oh how, can I possibly justify a $30 candle?

Well, when the opportunity to review an Illume Pearls Collection candle came up, you best believe I snatched it up with all the vigor of an actual pearl diver grabbing at a real life specimen. I wanted to test it on all of its merits and see if it stood up to my scrutinizing and ever thrift-seeking eye. To be completely, 100% honest with all of you, I think this is an incredible product and if you have $30 in your pocket to spend frivolously? Hell yes you should be pulling this baby from the virtual shelf immediately. Why? Because for the price, this candle gives you a whole lot of bang for your buck and then a little extra. It's gorgeous, economic, sensual and smells like sweet, sugary heaven.

First of all, this is BIG daddy of a candle, weighing in at nearly ten ounces, although I believe that includes the weight of the jar. Nevertheless, this is one hefty candle, about the size of an average mug of coffee. Each Illume Pearls Collection candle is made from lush, earth-friendly soy wax, which is a cleaner burning alternative to petroleum based waxes like paraffin, and you are promised up to eighty hours of burning time.

Yeah. Want me rewind? Okay, can do. I said up to eighty hours of burning time. Eighty hours of burning time. That is a really, really very long time for a candle that you could fit in a coffee mug. Soy wax burns at a much lower temperature than paraffin wax and has a significantly longer burning time, which in the end makes them worth the extra money. Plus you can tell all your friends that you're minimizing your carbon footprint every time you spark a few candles and make love. See, saving the earth is fun and easy! The Illume Pearl Candle burns very evenly and with significantly less in the way of "smoke trails" as well.

As I've mentioned, this candle is made from soy wax, which is very greasy and oily. By running your finger tips lightly over this one you'll pick up a slippery and yummy smelling film. Between the unctuous feel to the wax and the lower burning point, this candle could be used theoretically for some massage. However, it isn't really intended for massage and when I tested it out on my hands I was left with a heavy, waxy feel to my skin. I do however, highly recommend this candle for those that are new to wax play. It gives you an arousing little tingle, but doesn't pack the sharp bite of paraffin wax. A rather expensive candle to use just for wax play, but it's definitely an option for those with a low pain threshold or beginners that are curious about the kink.

By far the thing that most endears this candle to me is its scent. I got the Keshi. Keshi pearls are, by the way, actually less valuable kind of pearl that is necessarily a byproduct of human cultivation (natural pearls are more valuable.) Keshi pearls are also not specific to saltwater as the names of the two products side by side would seem to imply. However, in spite of all of the egregious taxonomy errors, Keshi sounded most delightful. Clove and citrus? Sounds like Thanksgiving! And a little sandalwood never hurt anyone, so sure, throw that in the equation! I thought for sure I would be opening my mail to the heady, earthy musk of autumn table ornaments.

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It turned out to be quite the opposite, though I can't really say I mind. Through the plastic bag and cardboard box, the scent was absolutely unmistakable. Instantly I was able to identify it specifically by that brand, that flavor: good old pink Bubblicious chewing gum, the kind you go for when you want to blow the most absurdly large and indestructible bubble in the whole class. The fragrance is potent and absolutely undeniable, but for my sensitive nose it managed to remain unoffensive and not give me a headache. I am one of those people that gets intense headaches from "real" perfume and can only stomach those watered down body sprays. No Chanel for me. But this candle, strong as it is, has a kind of mild, confection-like bouquet to it when actually lit. Sweet enough to give you a toothache, with incredibly faint and fruity (citrus?) notes drifting mysteriously somewhere in the background. NOTHING like what the description had led me to expect, but still pretty delicious. In 10 minute maximum a small room will reek of angel food cake or vanilla cupcakes or some kind of comfort food. I'm not sure if it's everyone's idea of sensual, and in fact it kind of makes my partner hungry, but I think it creates a nice backdrop for love makin'.

Finally, I really, really need to say how much I love the packaging. As you can see in the above video, the Illume Pearl Collection candles come in a shimmering cardboard tube that looks like an old-fashioned canister of talc power. The tube features the name of the company and product in reflective copper writing and a ribbon hook at the top to remove the lid with. It's beautiful, elegant and very simple; to me, it's an ideal gift because it comes already wrapped. I've been storing my candle in this box when I'm not using it because it keeps dust from collecting on the surface of the candle, but I've also considering using it to store other sensual items like condoms or lube samples.

I do wish the box featured some kind of ingredient list, mostly because I'm dying to know what is *actually* in this candle to make it smell the way it does. I can tell you one thing, it sure as heck isn't clove and citrus.

I love this candle! I check almost every week to see if the freshwater pearl scent is back in stock because I want to try it so very much! Seriously a delicious, clean burning, beautiful and long-lasting candle that cannot be beat. The price is a bit steep but I'd gladly pay it for another; they last forever and are so gloriously sensual and warm a room right up. The only thing I wish is that it had a little lid like some of the Jimmyjane candles do. I hate to store this in the clunky box in came in but I also don't like the wax collecting dust. Very minor thing though!