Kacey Musgraves: You know her, and so do I. (Though not personally.) (Unless you do, in which case are you sure, or have you just met her? Would she say she knew you? It’s something to think about before you bring it up again.) Back in the blissfully unaware month of February, Musgraves collaborated with the popular candle brand Boy Smells to release a candle named after and inspired by her very good song “Slow Burn.” The limited release candle sold so well that the release became unlimited, and they are now in fact releasing it in a whole other size: large.

Yes, for the holidays you will be able to purchase, if you desire, a three-wick version of the “Slow Burn” candle. If you desire even more than that, you will be able to purchase it in a bundle with a Kacey Musgraves wick trimmer. The wick trimmer has the words “burn in a hurry” written on its arm, which is at once a play on the “born in a hurry” opening lyric of “Slow Burn” and a highly unsafe piece of advice about how to burn a candle.

Here is how Boy Smells and Kacey Musgraves describe the scent of the candle:

Glowing and dark—incense, black pepper, and guaiac wood take center stage with whiffs of embers in the distance. A little dank, a little crisp: accords of smoked papyrus and amber add an earthy expensiveness. Commanding, but not in a hurry, like the last sips of a Negroni at the bar down the street, expressed through hints of elemi and tonka bean. The “scentiment” of SLOW BURN is about pausing along the way to relax and enjoy exactly where you are right now.

Very atmospheric! But is it good? Let’s revisit and see.

IS THE CANDLE GOOD?

Yes. It smells like dark fruity amber incense perfume. My candle taste is not generally situated in the realm of fruit (it is more situated in the realm of wet forest and old church), but this candle is pleasing even to me, a snob. It is very warm, and comes right up to the line of migraine-inducing without crossing it. It is so unlike the scents I normally burn that it does even evoke the feeling of a “bar down the street,” maybe some kind of a bar that might have the Kacey Musgraves candle burning. That feeling of novelty is genuinely appreciated at the moment.

IF YOU BUY IT FOR THE HOLIDAYS, CAN IT FUNCTION AS A HOLIDAY CANDLE?

Yes. Although I assume its intended purpose is to be purchased as a gift for someone, it doesn’t not make sense for you to purchase it for yourself as a holiday candle. Its sweet warmth and spicy darkness are very “holiday,” and in fact if you told me it was a candle meant exclusively for holiday use I would tell you that I thought that made sense, sure.

DOES IT SMELL LIKE THE SONG?

According to this Fast Company article about the candle, the experience creating this candle has inspired Kacey Musgraves to “consider making a whole sensory album where each song has a different scent.” Damn. Aren’t you so jealous? I’d love to do something like that. Do you think they’d ever consider doing that with blog posts? Maybe they’d like to create a sensory scrolling experience. Or for a dog book? Maybe they can do a candle that smells like a dog?

BUT DOES IT SMELL LIKE THE SONG?

Oh, yes.

DOES ONE REALLY NEED A WICK TRIMMER?

If you regularly burn candles, yes. Do you notice when you burn a candle it gets that little bloom at the top of the wick? You have to trim that off so it doesn’t explode into soot. It doesn’t have to be this wick trimmer but I would suggest buying one eventually, if you burn candles. What you don’t need however, in my opinion, is one of the little hats that puts out a candle flame. In terms of candle accoutrements, that to me is the least necessary. You can just use your mouth to blow out a candle if you are alone or within your COVID pod.

AND HOW IS THE FAKE SNOW FROM THE KACEY MUSGRAVES WEBSTORE?

Great question, though I do not know how to answer it. The white powder packet comes with instructions to mix four teaspoons of it with one cup of water, which I did, which made a lot of fake snow, shown here with a nutcracker for holiday effect.

I do not know what to do with this snow. As you can see, it still sits in a measuring cup, one that I will ostensibly someday use again for measuring food although I do not foresee myself getting the fake snow out easily as it is very sticky and its bag tells you not to put it down the drain. What do I do with this substance? What is meant to be done with it? It is a mystery, one as beguiling as a warm scent on a cool breeze. I do not recommend it.

FINAL CANDLE SCORE:
• Three checkmarks
• Two question marks
• One candle snuffer
• One X

Pretty good!