Normally, I wouldn’t pay almost $30 for a candle, regardless of how much I like the scent. However, after trying out JimmyJane’s Contour M, which I absolutely loved, I decided to try out the massage candle as well.

Afterglow comes packaged in a small cardboard box. The box is simple, yet very attractive. It doesn’t display any sex toys or anything on it, allowing the candle to be given as a gift to just about anyone. The box states that this candle is multipurpose, since it can work as just a regular candle as well as being used for massage and skincare. It also says the estimated burn time is 32 hours. I have burned this about 45 minutes and it hasn’t even really made much of a dent in the wax yet. The box has some cardboard inside to hold the candle in place, which works well to keep the candle safe. Inside the box is a small guide on how to properly use the candle. Recommendations include allowing this to burn for 30 minutes before use, so as to get the wax melting evenly across the surface of the candle and to re-center the wick before the wax dries to allow it to burn cleanly the next time the candle is used.

The ingredient list, found on the bottom of the box, includes:
Soybean oil, shea butter, palmarosa oil, jojoba oil, aloe vera, vitamin E, ambrettolide, anisic aldehyde, anisyl alcohol, bacdanol, cedarwood oil Texas light, cedramber, coumarin, delta dodecalactone, delta nonalactone, delta undelacalatone, dihydromyrcenol, dioctyl adipate, ethyl vanillin, eugenol, gamma decalactone, gamma dodecalactone, heliotropine, hexyl salicylate, iso E super, isopropyl quinolone, methyl laitone 10 TEC, veltol plus, vertenex, vertofix.

Afterglow’s massage wax comes in a small square ceramic candleholder. One corner of the top is folded out into a spout, for easy pouring. While the wax is easy to pour out of the spout, it is also very easy to drip all over the place when you are done pouring. Mine has some wax dribbled all down underneath the spout. I recommend keeping a napkin or a plate or something underneath the candle when you go to set it down, so that you don’t spill wax on furniture. I got some on my bedside table, which was not all too easy to clean off and has left a greasy smudge regardless of how many times I go over it with various furniture cleaners. The wax is white when solid and clear when it is melting, so there should be no worry about staining fabrics. Just spot-treat any fabrics and wash according to the directions on the fabric’s label.

The first bunch of ingredients, oils and vitamins, allow for a good slick massage while softening and nurturing the skin. I looked up a bunch of the ingredients that sound like chemicals and found that many of them are fragrances or used to flavor other products. Some of them, such as dihydromyrcenol, can be found in soap.

I’m a huge fan of vanilla scented candles, so I decided to try the Dark Vanilla scent out first. I was kind of worried that it might be stinky, especially since I couldn’t smell it before I bought it. Thankfully, the scent is delicious. To me, it smells like a mix of vanilla and coconut, which I have never smelled in a candle before. The scent is just right, not overwhelming or barely there. I keep my massage candle on my bedside table, which allows me to just smell it if I am lying with my head on my pillow. When it is lit, the scent is stronger, but again, not overpowering. I can easily smell it when my boyfriend is rubbing the massage oil into my back.

While this has an awesomely delicious scent, I noticed no vanilla flavor to this whatsoever. Instead, it has a funky kind of chemical flavor to it. Because of the amount of oil in it, the funky flavor sits on my tongue for quite a while.

The feel of the wax, both when lit and not lit, is pretty smooth and oily. The wax doesn’t really need to be melted before being used for a massage. Simply scooping some out with fingers and rubbing it in hands can give a decent massage, though doing this may wreck the candle, since the wax will not be evenly leveled. I find the feel of this on my skin pleasant, not heavy or greasy. When I rub some onto my dry hands, it leaves the cracks in my hands feeling soothed. Paired with the Contour M, this allows for an awesome back and shoulder massage that leaves my achy shoulders soothed and me ready for anything.

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When the candle has been lit for half an hour and wax is ready to be poured out, it does not feel too hot on skin. I was a bit worried that it would feel as hot as a regular paraffin wax candle can feel to the touch, but this reaches only a comfortable temperature. The massage oil spreads out well for a massage. The packaging recommends using only about a quarter-sized amount, which we found covered my back, arms, and legs pretty well.

Cleaning this off is pretty simple. Hands can be cleaned in the sink with soap and warm water. After a massage, you may want to take a shower to get the oil off. I had no trouble removing it with some Olay body wash and an exfoliating mesh sponge. After use, the wick should be re-centered and the candle should be left alone to cool. I recommend then putting it away in the box. I made the mistake of leaving mine sitting out, so now the wax is full of dust. Whichever way you choose to store this, it’s pretty discreet looking. My nosy mother didn’t even take another look at this when she came to visit, since it just looks like a candle when sitting out.

Overall, I found this candle pretty enjoyable, though somewhat a hassle, since it has to be taken out of the box and lit for half an hour prior to use. The melted wax/massage oil compares pretty well to Shunga’s exotic massage oil, as far as the feel of it goes. I do find myself preferring the ease of use of bottled massage oil to this.

After having to be moved from my air conditioned apartment into stuffy, warm storage for a month, I am glad to say the heat and humidity did not affect my Afterglow candle in any way. Some candles seem to develop a sweat over the top of them after being exposed to heat, but the Afterglow did not. The fragrance has also not faded in any way.