Artisan Soy Candles & Home Fragrance

Berry Bright

Smells Like: sugared plums, freshly peeled mandarins, and a pot of mulled citrus simmering before the party starts.

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Velvet Spruce

Smells Like: snow on spruce branches, vanilla custard, and a quiet evening by the fire with nowhere to be.

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A lit candle in a clear glass jar sits on a red pedestal against a solid red background, styled with red ornaments, a sliced apple, cinnamon sticks, and evergreen branches. The label reads 'Fir + Cider'

Fir + Cider

Smells Like: fresh-cut balsam fir, apple cider warming on the stove, and the living room the night the tree goes up.

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Shortbread + Sage

Smells Like: shortbread straight from the oven, butter browning in a pan, and a sprig of sage from the garden on the counter.

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Four glass jar candles with black lids are arranged diagonally on a light textured fabric background. The labels read Moss + Sage, Dark Roast + Cream, Untitled, and Palo Santo + Rosewood.

The Spaces We Live in Should Support How We Feel.

Upsensed is an artisan candle and home fragrance brand created for real homes and everyday rituals — the slow mornings, clean spaces, quiet nights, and small moments that make a room feel cared for. Each scent is created to shift the mood of your space, whether you want it to feel calm, warm, fresh, moody, or more inviting.

This is home fragrance with presence. Elevated, personal, and made to fit into real life.

Our Mission

Our Commitment to Mental Well-being

5% of every Upsensed purchase goes directly to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) - an organization dedicated to the prevention, treatment, and cure of anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, PTSD, and related disorders through education, practice, and research.

Lighting a candle is a small act. What it makes possible isn't.

Our Mission

Upsensed Nocturne 8 oz soy candle, lit, in a clear glass jar with a plum purple label listing black plum, night florals, and warm woods

Two lit Nocturne scented candles in glass jars with purple labels, styled on a dark surface with plum fruit, a flower, and small pedestals against a black background.

Upsensed Palo Santo + Rosewood 8 oz soy candle, lit, in a clear glass jar with a terracotta label listing palo santo, citrus zest, and cedarwood

Two Palo Santo + Rosewood candles in clear glass jars with white wax and brown labels, styled on a dark brown surface with a dried orange slice and wood sticks. One candle is lit and placed on a textured beige pedestal.

Leather + Tabac 8 oz soy candle by Upsensed, lit, in a clear glass jar with a brown label listing suede silk, leather, tobacco, and cherrywood notes.

Leather + Tabac 18 oz and 8 oz soy candles by Upsensed, lit, the 18 oz on stacked leather-bound books, with dried tobacco leaves, a cherrywood block, and star anise on a walnut table against a dark espresso backdrop.

Intention 8 oz soy candle by Upsensed, lit, in a clear glass jar with a pink label listing fig, pear, and tart fruit notes.

Intention 8 oz and 18 oz soy candles by Upsensed, lit, with deep fig purple labels, the 8 oz on a blush plaster riser beside a ripe pear, a halved fig, a whole fig, and red currants against a dark plum backdrop.

Upsensed Sunflowers + Citrus 8 oz soy candle, lit, in a clear glass jar with a butter yellow label listing mandarin orange, sunflower, and suede

Two lit Sunflowers + Citrus soy candles in glass jars, styled with a sunflower, oranges, and petals on a warm brown background.

Upsensed Undertow 8 oz soy candle, lit, in a clear glass jar with a dusty blue label listing marine minerals, coastal driftwood, and cedar

The Upsensed Difference

We pour every candle with 100% soy wax, a plant-based wax made from soybeans grown in the US. Soy burns cooler and slower than paraffin, so your candle lasts longer and fills the room gently instead of all at once. It also burns with less soot, so your jar stays clear and your walls stay the color you painted them. And when the last of the wax is gone, the jar cleans out with warm soapy water, ready for whatever you want to keep in it next.

No metal, just clean-burning, 100% cotton

Every scent starts with what isn't in it. Free from phthalates, parabens, reproductive toxins, carcinogens, mutagens, and organ toxins

Every purchase gives back. 5% goes directly to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America: because we believe fragrance can shift a mood/feeling, but some need more than a candle.

Not a warehouse. Not a production line. Mikayla handcrafts every Upsensed product in her candle studio. Every purchase supports a small woman-owned & operated brand, and an actual person does a happy dance.

Meet the Founder

Mikayla is a labor and delivery nurse, mother of two, and the founder of Upsensed. With 10 years of nursing experience, Mikayla has spent much of her career caring for women and families during some of life’s most emotional and transformative moments.

After years of balancing motherhood, nursing, and her own mental health journey, Mikayla began making candles as a creative outlet: a way to slow down, reconnect with herself, and turn her love of fragrance into something meaningful. What started as a personal ritual eventually became the foundation for Upsensed.

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A person in a dark green sweater holding four Upsensed holiday candles in front of softly glowing Christmas lights

Posted on October 24, 2026

Christmas Candle Gifts: What to Give Everyone on Your List (From $23)

December has a way of making every gift list feel a little longer. There’s the friend who hosts, the coworker exchange with a price limit, and the person who insists they don’t need a thing. A candle can be a thoughtful answer: useful at home, easy to personalize by scent, and simple to give. If you’re looking for candle gift ideas, start with the person and the moment you’re shopping for. Do they love a fresh evergreen scent, or would they rather have something cozy and sweet? Below are Christmas candle gifts for hosts, Secret Santa exchanges, stockings, and everyone in between. Why candles make thoughtful Christmas gifts A candle is both a present and an invitation to make a small moment of your own: lighting it while dinner is in the oven, settling in after a busy day, or welcoming people through the front door. Scent also makes it easy to choose something that feels personal without needing to know someone’s exact size, favorite color, or home decor style. When you’re unsure which fragrance they’ll prefer, a candle gift set offers variety. If you’d rather choose one scent, consider what the recipient already enjoys: fresh greenery, baked treats, or bright fruit. And if you’re shopping for non toxic Christmas candles, check the details rather than relying on a broad label: Upsensed holiday candles use 100% soy wax, cotton wicks, and phthalate-free fragrance. A gift for the holiday host: Fir + Cider For a host who loves putting up the tree, Fir + Cider brings together apple, balsam fir, and pine with cinnamon, warm spice, cedarwood, sugar, and vanilla. It has the green feel of a Christmas tree candle, softened with the warmth of cider on the stove. An 8 oz holiday candle starts at $23, making it a considered hostess gift that feels seasonal without asking you to guess at someone’s clothing or home style. Add a short note (“For the night the tree goes up”) and the gift feels personal in a simple way. Secret Santa or coworker exchange: choose one easy-to-love scent For secret Santa gift ideas or Christmas gift ideas for coworkers, a single 8 oz candle is a straightforward choice. It’s useful, feels special, and fits a range of gifting occasions. The four holiday scents each set a different mood, so you can match the candle to the one clue you know about the person: Fir + Cider is fresh and gently spiced, with apple and evergreen. Shortbread + Sage pairs buttery shortbread and browned butter with wild sage and candied pecan. Think of it as a grown-up Christmas cookie candle. Velvet Spruce layers piñon pine and cracked peppercorn with toasted coconut, cedarwood, forest moss, whipped vanilla, custard, sandalwood, amber, and suede. It feels like a plush, snowed-in-cabin evergreen. Berry Bright blends sugar plum and mandarin with white musk, leafy greens, and mulled citrus for a bright, fruity scent suited to celebrations. If you know just one clue about a coworker’s taste, use it. A person who loves fresh greenery may enjoy Fir + Cider; a devoted baker might gravitate toward Shortbread + Sage. If you’re not sure, a digital gift card lets them choose their own scent. For someone who loves Christmas candle scents: give all four When you’re shopping for someone who enjoys changing the scent of their home with the season, the Holiday Candle Gift Set is the most complete option. It includes four 8 oz candles, one of each holiday scent, for $82, which is 10% off the price of buying them separately, and the set ships free. Each candle also arrives in a black velvet drawstring bag, so it’s ready to give as is. The mix moves through several sides of the season: evergreen and cider, buttery baking, a quiet winter cabin, and bright fruit for a gathering. It’s a lovely Christmas candle gift set for someone who likes variety, or a generous present for a family member who enjoys scent in different rooms. You can also browse each fragrance individually in the Holiday Collection. Orders of $65 or more ship free. Stocking stuffers for women, and anyone who loves trying new scents A stocking gift doesn’t have to be another small object that gets tucked away. It can be something they’ll actually light. An 8 oz holiday candle at $23 slips into a stocking with room to spare, and you can pick the scent from a single clue: Fir + Cider for the one who drags the tree in the day after Thanksgiving, Shortbread + Sage for the baker, Velvet Spruce for the quiet-night-in type, Berry Bright for the friend whose calendar is full of parties. For a smaller, flexible option, the digital gift card is available in $10, $25, $50, and $100 denominations. It’s an easy add-on for a stocking or a useful choice when you know the recipient loves candles but don’t know which notes they prefer. Affordable Christmas gifts for the person who has everything For someone who already has a well-loved home and a full calendar, a small-batch candle offers something they can use up and enjoy. Choose one 8 oz candle from $23 and match the scent to a familiar ritual: Shortbread + Sage for a slow afternoon in the kitchen, Velvet Spruce for a quiet winter evening, or Berry Bright before guests arrive. If their preferences are hard to read, the gift card keeps the choice in their hands. It can be sent digitally, with an optional message, so it’s also helpful if you’re sending a present from out of town or finishing your list close to the holiday. A few details that make a candle gift feel considered The scent is only part of the present. You might pair a candle with a handwritten note about when you imagine them lighting it, or simply choose one that reflects something you know they love. Upsensed candles are hand-poured in small batches in Houston, Texas, and use 100% soy wax and 100% cotton wicks. Five percent of every purchase is donated to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America to support mental health initiatives. A candle won’t suit every person or every home, of course. If someone is sensitive to fragrance, a gift card may be a more comfortable choice. For anyone who does enjoy home fragrance, a thoughtfully chosen candle can become part of an everyday routine long after the wrapping paper is gone. The holiday season is short, and these candles are made in small batches. If one of these Christmas candle gifts feels right for someone on your list, you’re welcome to explore the Holiday Collection and order early.