Oh, candles. The freaks' home décor mainstay. Even if the only furniture around is a mattress on the floor, the average goth/punk/freak type will have their weight in candles. It's the perfect accessory. Its glorious light hides that hideous couch and the cigarette burns on the coffee table. Flattering to partner and décor alike, how can one resist its naughty little flame?

I have a candle philosophy. Burn early and burn often. Every occasion is perfect for candle burning. I've been know to watch TV and surf the net under the soft glow of a candle or 4.

There is no point in spending big bucks on any unscented candle. I don't care whose name is stamped on it, a big white candle is a big white hunk of wax. Standard tealights? Don't bother spending much on them, it's a waste. Good scented candles, on the other hand, are worth dropping money on.

Things to look for in a candle:

1. One solid color all the way through. It sucks to burn a pretty colored candle and discover it's just on the outside. If you look at the bottom of a candle, you should be able to tell.
2. scented all the way though. Cheaper candles may only have the outsides scented, or a core through the center. How can you tell? Look at how the candle is constructed. If it looks like its all the same piece of wax, you're probably all right, although its no guarantee.

There are four basic types of candle. The votive, tea light, pillar, and taper.

The lovely votive is the staple of the candle family, available in every color and fragrance. Of the four types, I find the votive distributes scent the best. However, a votive can also be super messy if the holder is the wrong size. A too small container is a surface kiss of death with a votive in it.

The tea light is cheap cheap cheap. You can get a bag of 100 for $6 at Ikea. They are the best candle for giving the effect of tons of candles everywhere without going broke or burning your house down.

Also, if you have a patio/balcony or like the scent of citronella, Target has a nice line of black citronella candles. I swear by the tealights. Bug blocking is a really good time to have tons of candles burning. They are softer than your average candle; so don't leave them in direct sunlight.

I love the look of pillar candles, but in terms of light and fragrance, they are kind of the weak sisters of the candle family. But the sheer decadent atmosphere they provide more than makes up for their weaknesses.

The taper is a workhorse. And I do so love a full candelabra on a table during a meal. There is a certain elegance that tapers lend to most any occasion. They can make the most prosaic meal pure ambrosia.

Safety Tips:

1. Use your common sense.
2. Don't leave candles unattended. That includes falling asleep with them blazing away. It's part of that common sense thing.
3. Don't let your candles hang out under drapes or other flammable things. It gets really hot pretty far out from the actual flame, so just be aware.
4. Check your surfaces! Not only do you want to protect your furniture from wax, but candles can get very hot and how dumb would it be to set your dresser on fire?
5. Invest in smoke detectors!!!! Especially important in rooms with people sleeping in them. I think fire departments push for a minimum of one in each bedroom, and one for each floor. Smoke detectors can be really cheap ($5-10), so just get some. And if you have them, change the batteries when every the clock changes (that whole daylight savings thing)
6. Pick up a fire extinguisher. One for the kitchen, one for the bedroom.