Meet our new candle obsession: 11 Questions with sent.

We are so excited to be able to range sent. candles at Floraly. These natural soy wax candles are truly the perfect complement to any Floraly bouquet you might be sending to someone you care about, especially heading into winter.

If you're unfamiliar with sent., you won't be for long! They're a new, up-and-coming candle-making boutique, but they're quickly taking the candle world by storm. They've already been featured in articles by the likes of TimeOut, Who Magazine, Marie Claire and Vogue Australia, so we know it won't be long until they're a household name!

To help you fall in love with this amazing Aussie candle brand like we have, we asked the two girlbosses behind sent. some of our most pressing questions. Keep reading to learn more about them, and be inspired to add a sent. candle to your next Floraly flower order!

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Who are you?

Image credit: @sent.studio via Instagram

We’re Joanne and Michelle, the brains behind sent., a 100% hand-poured soy wax candle company founded right here in Sydney! We are female founded and proud to be an Asian-Australian small business.

We started making candles after we noticed there weren’t any unique scents in the market and that there was a lack of personalised, one-of-a-kind scents. Our focus is on creamy and citrus-based candles, as well as our custom candle service.

We also place a big emphasis on sustainability and doing good for our planet. Almost everything we use, from our actual candle making to our packaging, is plastic-free, and we give back to our Earth as much as we can with environmental partnerships and practices.

How did you get started in candle making?

We were both working in corporate before we launched sent. and eventually lost our jobs due to COVID. We had always wanted to start a business together so we thought it was the right time. We first launched a social media management company that we worked on for the majority of 2020.

In the beginning of 2021, we wanted to launch a product-based company instead. Jo became interested in candle making after watching the process online, and six months of testing and product research later, sent. was born!  

How are your candles made?

Image credit: sent.

We start by lining up our candle tin vessels, which are made from recycled materials, and can also be reused and recycled. We use FSC-certified wood wicks and 100% natural soy wax, and high-quality fragrance and essential oils in our scents. All candle making ingredients are sourced right here in Australia from other small businesses!

Each candle is then hand-prepped, hand-made, hand-poured and hand-packed by us in our Sydney studio. 

How did you come up with The Candle Bar concept?

Before sent., we searched far and wide for the perfect personalised one-of-a-kind candle service. We know our sense of smell is closely tied to memory, and Jo really wanted a candle scent that could bring back unique memories for her (like a wedding day, for example). The idea of custom candles existed, but they only allowed you to customise the vessel or the name, never the scent.

With The Candle Bar, we decided that our customers would be in charge of creating and describing their perfect one-of-a-kind scent inspired by their life's memories!

What candle is your favourite from your collection?

Jo:  Mine is a toss between Smooth Affogato and Thé Noir (from our newest Autumn line). Smooth Affogato is such a rich and creamy coffee scent, and we really hit the nail on the head with how strong the scent is. Thé Noir is more fresh with notes of black tea. It seriously reminds me of a luxe hotel lobby!

Mich: My favourites are definitely Smooth Affogato and Morning Zest! When we started making candles, those were the scents we made first! I love coffee and I couldn't live without it, so the rich, creamy coffee scent just hits the spot. Morning Zest is the perfect citrus scent with notes of lime and lemon myrtle. I am a sucker for anything fruity or citrus so its a perfect background scent for me.

We're ranging your Beachside and Smooth Affogato candles – what kinds of fragrances can our customers expect from these?

Smooth Affogato is rich, creamy and cosy all at once, with inspiration from the Italian dessert. Michelle loves drinking coffee and wanted something that would burn to a decadent, sweet scent. Our Smooth Affogato has been a winner ever since we launched, with notes of vanilla cream and freshly brewed coffee.

Beachside was inspired by a customer’s custom candle; she wanted a scent to remind her of Bondi. It perfectly captures all your favourite summer memories: lazy days spent by the sand, ocean water and lots of time under the sun. Paired with notes of lemongrass and coconut for a hint of sweetness and tropical vibes.

What are your top candle care tips?

Image credit: Sent Studio

Our top two tips to care for our wood wick candles are:

1) Trim your wick before lighting or relighting. Trimming wicks is important for all candles, but especially when they have wooden wicks, as they are all natural. If the wick is too high it can burn out, and if it's too low it can sink into the wax. You need it to be just right so that the flame touches the wax to act as a fuel. We always recommend trimming our wood wicks to 3-5mm every burn for that optimal flame. 

2) Allow your first burn to reach all the way to the edge of the vessel before extinguishing to avoid any future tunnelling. The first burn acts like a memory ring, so it's important to get it right that first time. Burn for a minimum of 2 to 3 hours to ensure the wax melts all the way to the edge, and to get the most out of future burns.

What has been your greatest achievement/success since launching sent.?

Our pre-launch and launch were quite incredible! We posted on all platforms of social media and built up an amazing community and huge hype even before we launched. Because of this, we were able to reach our goal of 100 orders on launch day, and we even sold out of a couple of scents, too!

Moving into our new studio was also a dream come true. Before this, we had been working in Jo’s garage, which was still great but we wanted our own space to operate from. Now we make, pack and operate from our studio and it’s been so great!

What’s something you struggled with when starting your own business?

People think that once you become a business owner or your business takes off, you’ve made it in life and can take vacations whenever you want and ‘be your own boss’. To be honest, it really doesn’t look like that at all! With your own business, you carry all the responsibilities, the good and the bad. All the money that you earn gets reinvested back into your business and you’ll never be able to ‘leave work at work’.

The first few months of launching sent., we were working 10-12 hour days, sometimes weekends, too! Time management and learning things we’ve never learnt before (logistics, inventory, financials) was definitely something we struggled with.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of starting their own business?

Two of our best tips:

1. Always test your products before launching! We went through 50 or so candles with different scent/wax/vessel combinations until we found the right formula. Especially with products you make yourself, you want to know it like the back of your hand before selling it to customers! We didn't launch until we were fully ready, and we prioritised the product quality even if it meant pushing back the date if need be.
   
   
2. Go on every social media platform you can think of and just post! Social media is amazing because it has the potential to connect you to millions of people worldwide. It’s one of the best marketing tools available and, best of all, it’s free to use. A month before we launched, we started posting on Youtube, Instagram and Tiktok, because what’s there to lose? We shared content daily and slowly built a community through that! 

What’s your favourite Floraly bouquet?

Jo: Because we’re now in Autumn, I feel like Freyja just speaks to me. I love the deeper tones and the colours are so striking compared to other Floraly bouquets! Really love the roses too.

Mich: I’d have to say The Lauren! Pastels are my favourite and this bouquet is just full of bright colours and a beautiful mix of different florals. It makes me feel so warm and colourful when I see it!

Shop sent. candles at Floraly

You can add a sent. candle to your next Floraly flower order. Choose between 3 great scents: Smooth Affogato, Beachside and Garden Picnic. Simply add any bouquet to cart, and choose your sent. candle from the list of add-on options.

Happy gifting!

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