I was pleased at how simply the candle making process was explained on their website so I decided to treat myself and participate in there Ladies' Day "Thursday 20% off" candle making special.
It has a great location in Laguna, although I didn't realize they had validated parking until I had passed the parking structure and ended up paying $6.00 at the garage behind the building. So when you go, make sure to park at "The Collection at Laguna" and get validated.
The store is pleasant & filled with lots of gift goodies. Items were over priced but no more than the normal Laguna establishment. You pay for a little piece of the beach with each purchase. =)
The candle making experience:
Creativity: Lots of fun choosing your candle shape, fragrance, color and embellishments. The process is simple and calming. My candle took about two hours to create from start (picking everything) to finish (having the owner meld the wax together.) The dry time is two hours unless you want to pay extra for faster drying so you'll need to come back. The wait won't bother you since you can spend the two hours relaxing at the beach in anticipation of your wax creation.
The only downside is I couldn't finish my candle by pouring the filler wax and placing the top embellishments. I'm sure this was a safety rule but in my opinion; have me sign a waver (so I don't sue you) and allow me my God given right to get burned if I so choose to. lol
Price: The cost of the candles is expensive. My candle "Moon Shine" and 17 small embellishments cost my close to $60.00. The candle promises to burn for 50hrs. However I think I'm going to need a few days before I can harness my zen teachings of letting go, giving back to the universe and burning it. When compared to how much a candle of it's size costs in another store, $60.00 seems outrageous. BUT consider the creative time you experienced and the joy of creating something from scratch and it makes it well worth the price.
Think of Pure Light as a fine dining experience. It may not be for every day but it's a blast when your ready to splurge a little.
OVERALL: I highly recommend Pure Light. The environment is great, the creative process is fun and it's a great alternative to the normal dinner and a movie.
Happy Candle Making!! read more