Just when I think I’ve done it all and there can’t possibly be anything left out there in the sex toy world that is new and thrilling… I receive something in the mail that reminds me that I am not even close to having tried it all. SheVibe is the latest company to remind me just how much of a sex toy baby I really am… There are still heaps and heaps of things left out there for me to try! I can see you wondering just what wild, crazy and totally off the wall product did they send me this time!? A massage candle. Oh, don’t look so disappointed… I know how basic that sounds… and yet… somehow… I HAVE NEVER TRIED ONE! I was a massage candle virgin before this… The Olivia’s Boudoir Tuxedo Luxury Massage Candle took my massage candle cherry… and I am not at all upset by this.
So for real, I have never tried a massage candle before… so I had no idea what to expect. I mean… sure… I’ve watched a Yankee Candle melt and then poured wax on my hands… because who doesn’t do that? But I’ve never tried an actual massage candle with wax meant for your skin. I’ve never used a massage candle while having myself a grand ol’ sexy time with a partner. This candle was uncharted territory for me… but I was super excited to give it a go. After all… I’ve always been a fan of pouring household candles onto my skin and peeling the dried wax off… so this is bound to be just like that, right? Well… it wasn’t like that at all… for starters… Yankee Candles always left my skin red and itchy (something this massage candle definitely does not do)… also, the Olivia’s Boudoir Candle doesn’t dry into a hard wax on your skin… its all oily and delightful. If you are looking for the kind of candle that does dry on hard, you need to be looking for a wax play candle as opposed to a massage candle.
I should note, I have super sensitive skin. I get contact rashes from so many things… laundry soap… people’s perfumes… hand soaps… surface cleaners… you name it, its probably given me a rash. So I was a little leery of this massage candle… mostly because I am not 100% sure what is contained in it. There isn’t really an ingredients list to it. I mean, the outer packaging does say that it contains soy, coconut, and olive oils… but is that it? I mean… if that is all that is in these candles, that’s pretty amazing. But I feel like there must be something else… okay, I’ll admit now that I know nothing of candle making or massage oils… or massage candles… but I feel like if it was made up of only oils… it wouldn’t harden… so there must be some kind of wax or something in this candle, right? Although, I do have a jar of coconut oil in my pantry and as long as the weather isn’t hot… it stays in a firm, non-liquid state. Or perhaps the soy listed in the ingredients isn’t an oil, but rather soy wax? I DON’T KNOW! I am mystified. So, please tell me if I’m wrong… like I said, I know literally nothing about this kind of stuff! I sent an email to Olivia’s Boudoir to find out the full ingredients list, but as of publishing this review, I haven’t heard back. But… I have used the massage candle a few times now and so far, no rashes. No itching, no red bumps… nothing. So, whatever they are using, it is gentle enough for my angry skin!
One of the first things I do with any candle is bury my nose in it and take a great big inhale (which sometimes results in nasty headaches… but the scent of this candle seems pretty docile). I love how the Tuxedo Massage Candle smells… absolutely love it. It isn’t at all overpowering, which was one thing I was worried about… I didn’t want to walk into a room after using the massage oil and have everyone turn to look at me… because they could smell me before they could see me. I’ve just thought of something, so because it has a scent this candle must have essential oils of one type or another mixed in. Essential oils do have the potential of disagreeing with some folks (like my sister… she turns red if there are essential oils in her lotions)… so that is something that isn’t being disclosed on the packaging. I did search Olivia’s Boudoir’s website and did find that the Tuxedo scent is made up of Italian Bergamot, Sandalwood and Musk. This explains why I’m so in love with this scent, I loooooove all things Bergamot. Which… reminds me of a song… (because everything reminds me of a song)… The Fine Art of Poisoning by Jill Tracy
A pleasant parlor gathering
Quicksilver concealed in a ruby ring
Two lumps or three?
I have always adored bergamot tea.
But don’t worry, this massage candle wont poison you. Probably. I mean… I’m still alive, so I am going to assume it is poison free. But until I see a full ingredients list… Its really anyone’s guess.
My first time using the candle… it was not easy to light. Here I am trying to be all sexy and set up some ambiance… but I can’t get the damn candle to light. It took me seven matches before I finally got the wick to catch fire. The wick came to me suuuuper short… I ended up melting away some of the oil with the other lit matches just to uncover enough of the wick in order to get it lit. It was a bit frustrating… and awkward… and reminded me of some kind of horrible trick party candle that never lights and you are standing there in front of all your friends going through match after match, getting more and more embarrassed as all your dumb friends stand their grinning like god awful Cheshire Cats. Also… my candle didn’t stay lit for very long. The flame burned down into the pool of oil and extinguished. So I had to relight it… which took another three matches… and it burned… but hit the pool of oil and extinguished. Very frustrating and very time consuming. I’m not sure if this is just an issue with my particular candle of if all of Olivia’s Boudoir candles will behave in such a way. I am hoping that once I have melted away and used a more substantial chunk of it and have just a little bit more wick to work with, it wont be an issue for me anymore.
My frustrations with trying to light the candle aside… I actually really enjoyed my massage candle experience from start to finish. The candle itself comes in a lovely glass jar, which is thick, sturdy, and arrived nestled in a pretty, black cardboard cylinder. The outer packaging has a sticker on either side, backside sticker has a short blurb about the candle and how to use it, while the front contains the brand and product name. I really think it would make a wonderful gift. I can especially see giving this as a bridal shower gift, anniversary present, for Valentine’s Day or any other romantic holiday you choose to celebrate in your life. This candle is also not overtly sexy or sexual, so its also the kind of gift that I could see giving to a close friend whom you wish to pamper. Or a friend going through a rough patch who might need to take some time for a little self-care. While you may typically see a massage candle as being a partner activity, you most definitely can enjoy it solo as well. My first go-round with the Tuxedo Massage Candle was just me, my David Bowie Spotify playlist, and my ugly, ratty underpants that I refuse to throw away because they are the most comfortable pair I own. I lit the candle (after approximately 100 million tries…) and rubbed the warm oil into my arms, legs, neck, chest, and anywhere else I could reach on my own… it felt absolutely divine.
So, out of the cardboard packaging, the Tuxedo Massage Candle looks just like any other decorative candle I have lying around my house. The only bit of tell-tale evidence that marks this as a massage candle is a half dollar sized sticker with the same bit of branding as the outer packaging. If you really needed to keep your luxurious, massage candle habit a secret, you could easily peel away that sticker… and now it looks no different from any other candle you’ve picked up on clearance at Anthropologie (because honestly… who even pays for anything full price at that store? Not me.). Even with the sticker, I don’t think most people would think twice if they saw this candle just lying about your home… and even if they recognized it as a massage candle… who is really going to care?
Using the Tuxedo Massage Candle is pretty straight forward. First light the candle (I’m going to assume you are much more adept at candle lighting than me and got it on the first match), then allow the candle to melt to the outer edge of the glass, when your desired amount of oil has melted, extinguish the flame and you are ready to rock and roll! The best piece of advice I can offer for this is after you’ve blown out the flame… give it just a second to cool slightly. I made the mistake of pouring the oil immediately onto my skin and it burned for a moment or two. Although, maybe you like the burn… maybe that’s what you’re into… I don’t judge. But, I’m a weenie who doesn’t like extreme temperatures in either direction (I’m the person who complains its too cold all winter then I enjoy about one week in the spring, then complain its too hot until its winter again), so if you are like me… give this just a second or two to cool (but don’t wait so long it hardens back up) before you drizzle onto yourself or your partner. Once you have made oil to skin contact, the rest should be pretty self explanatory… just start rubbing. I am not the worlds greatest masseuse (heck, I can’t even spell masseuse… I just typed letters until spell check knew what I was trying to say), but with a high quality massage oil… it almost didn’t even matter… I just rubbed and the warm, slippery liquid did its thing. As long as my hands were moving, the massage was working. I really love the way the oil feels on my skin and actually… it doesn’t really feel like how I expected an oil to feel… it felt thicker to me, like… mostly melted butter. It isn’t completely slippery, my hands don’t just slip and slide across my skin, there is a bit more drag to it… but it feels good. In the past, my go-to massage “oil” was actually the Butters Lube… it works pretty well, but soaks into my skin really fast… but I’ve always enjoyed when my Stunt Cock gave me a back massage using it… but now that I have tried warm, melty, deliciously scented massage oil… the whole massage experience feels so much more elevated… like… I feel like a classier sort of bitch for just owning this candle. I can never go back to using just Butters Lube for massages! I’ve been spoiled!
I am also a pretty big fan of the smell it leaves behind on my skin. And it is a pretty lasting smell, I used some of the oil earlier this afternoon and the wafting smell of “Tuxedo” (aka bergamot, sandalwood, and musk) is still with me here at 8 pm. Its reasonably subtle and you would have to get pretty close to me to smell it… and even when you do smell it… its not like that person in the office who wears too much perfume and you can tell which direction they are coming and going by the overpowering smell of Midnight Fantasy Britney Spears. I’m pretty sure we have all worked with that person. This oil will not make you that person. It is a much more delicate and earthy smell. But scents are such a personal thing… I could sit here and tell you all day long how great this smell is… but its really hard to know unless you are able to smell it for yourself. As soon as they invite smell-o-vision for the internet, I’ll upload a whiff ASAP.
I do have one tiny complaint though. My biggest issue with the Olivia’s Boudoir Tuxedo Massage Candle (besides my inability to light it on the first try) is that the oil gets caught around the lip of the jar making it difficult to pour out with any kind of precision. I make a dribbling mess down the side of my fancy jar, and don’t always hit my target as I’m pouring it out. I wanted to pour the oil out onto just my forearm… but what I got was oil down my forearm and also inner-thigh and the corner of my chair. I would have loved to have seen a bit of a spout added to one side of the jar… something to help with a more controlled pour. Sure, adding a spout to the jar would make it less discreet… but again I say to you… no one is judging you for your candle. Also… honestly, I’ve seen decorative candles in every manner of jar, bottle, and oddly shaped container… it’s called art, Karen.
Overall though, I have to say I had a very pleasant experience with Olivia’s Boudoir Tuxedo Massage candle. So much so that I think I will be snagging a candle in a couple of their other scents, I’m especially intrigued by the Rose Petals version (I looooove all things rose scented). I can 100% recommend this candle if you are looking to try out (or just looking for a new) massage candle. The oil feels good on my skin, it makes my skin feel softer and more hydrated after using it. It feels good going on and I am a big fan of the smell. I wish I had a little more certainty about the ingredients, but I am going to guess that this is a paraben and preservative free product, but if I hear otherwise, I will update this review. So, go ahead, get this for yourself! Or a friend! Or your favorite, overworked Veterinarian! Everyone deserves a little bit of luxury in their life!
Ready to spoil yourself (or someone else) with a Olivia’s Boudoir Tuxedo Massage Candle? You can pick up the Tuxedo scent, along with Pink Cashmere, Rose Petals, and Caribbean Mist from my friends at SheVibe!
The Olivia’s Boudoir Tuxedo Luxury Massage Candle was provided to me free of charge by SheVibe in exchange for my honest review.
