Candles are the new flowers.

That may sound absurd but with genetically modified and dye-injected flora and fauna flooding marketplaces, real flowers have been losing their natural fragrance over the years (case in point being the new nargis kay phool available in Karachi). We all know that other than the visual pleasure of having fresh flowers around, their key attraction is also in the gentle aroma that wafts through the house.

Armed with the aim to find an equally fragrant substitute to fresh flowers, I have been keeping my ears and eyes open and nose clear on new candle companies that offer clean fragrances that can keep the magic alive at home.

There are many, many options, but my new favourite turned out to be a relatively new brand, Honey, I’m Home. My niece gifted me a candle that was just perfect, from name to fragrance. Called Ink and Poetry, its scent was a mix of lavender and chamomile; anyone who knows me also knows my love for lavender.

Honey, I’m Home, it turns out, is a homegrown, “ethical and organic” company focused on creating pure, non-toxic products and upholding the very nature of quality with no corners cut.

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“Our hand-poured artisan candles are created with 100% pure beeswax & soy, the most refined fragrance oils, and pure cotton wicks,” Honey, I’m home creator Anna Bokhari spoke to Instep. “Being an absolute candle hoarder and enthusiast myself, I could never find one in the market that didn’t cause an allergic reaction in me. Lots of research, trial and error, making and remaking candles brought this candle brand into existence.”

According to Anna, Letters to Rose, Oud, Ink & Poetry and Moonlit Meadows are Honey, I’m Home best sellers. Tomato Leaf, though, is the candle I ordered simply to see if anything organic would actually drive those mosquitoes away.