If there is a gift that always makes me happy, it is a scented candle. I don't want to be too much like Martha Stewart here, but on a day that runs smoothly and streamlined, the scented candle is already burning at breakfast.

My beloved no longer blinks when he buys a Diptyque candle for me, but I can imagine that your beloved, or whoever you are going to give a gift to, might have to swallow hard when he has to shell out 45 euros for a candle. I'll serve up some arguments to encourage him to make that purchase and not go for that cheap alternative.

The experience

A scented candle stands prominently in your room. It is a centerpiece. And it is difficult to show off with dull items. The design, the shape of the candle: everything contributes to the pleasure, and that is simply much greater with the more luxurious candles.

The scent

It is so much nicer and more refined in the A-class. And you don't get a headache from it.

They last longer

Needs no further explanation, I think. So just divide the price by the number of burning hours, and suddenly those cheap ones aren't so cheap anymore.

They spread the scent better

Your whole house smells of that wonderful scent.

The wick doesn't collapse

So no hassle of the wick drowning in the wax and you can't light your candle the next day. No matter how cheap it is, if you can't burn it, it doesn't do you much good.

Then here is a selection of my favorites

1. Dyptique

And especially the Baies and the Figuier.

2. AERIN

Definitely a brand that excels in style and taste. AERIN, the granddaughter of Estée Lauder, has inherited her grandmother's taste and entrepreneurial spirit. Her scented candle is stunning (complete with a golden lid and beautiful ribbon) and spreads a subtle and sophisticated scent in your home.

3. Le Labo

The shape of the glass, the label, but especially having a scented candle of my favorite perfume. Santal 26 makes a Sunday morning with coffee and newspapers just a little bit more beautiful.

4. Sisley Bougie Campagne

Close your eyes and you feel like you are in Madame d’Ornano's apartment on the Quai d’Orsée in Paris.