Been on Instagram lately?  Then you might be familiar with the female torso candle.

Poured in all shapes, sizes, and colours, these candles have been dominating social media since last year, boasting detail and design that's almost too pretty to light. Lauren Tracey set up her own candle company, Circe Studios, in Co. Kildare last year. During Ireland's second lockdown, she wanted something to keep her occupied after work and on the weekends - and it soon turned out that hand pouring body positive female shaped candles was it. The project, says Lauren, was born as a means of keeping her sane during Covid, "but it quickly became so much more than that." "I'm a plus-size woman and I feel it's very difficult to find my body type represented positively in society, never mind held up as something beautiful," she tells Her. "I wanted to create candles in the female form so that women of all shapes and sizes could see themselves represented in our products and then proudly display those items at home. Each and every one of our candles celebrates the beauty and sensuality of a woman's body, regardless of shape, size or colour." https://www.instagram.com/p/CPWWphTHQnB/ Inspired by Circe, the femme fatale Greek goddess, Lauren wanted her candles to represent all kinds of female beauty, and so Circe Studios celebrates variations of the natural female form with products named after Greek legends like Persephone, Artemis, Gaia, and Athena. Hand poured and consciously made, the candles start at the very reasonable price of €11 for those in the Nemisis collection, and range from €24 to €42 for bundles. Founding a new brand during the pandemic was, understandably, tough, says Lauren - but the result so far has been very much worth it. "Covid-19 has really slowed supply chains worldwide and that makes procuring materials and sustainable packaging incredibly tough," she says. "Thankfully though, I've established fantastic relationships with local, Irish suppliers and that's really helped me overcome that particular hurdle. It also feels amazing to be able to feedback our success into our local economy." Lauren's candles are hand poured from 100% Irish rapeseed wax and threaded with a cotton wick. The products are aesthetically gorgeous, but candles aren't the only products that Lauren wants to be associated with the Circe Studio brand. "While we will continue to expand our range of torso candles and be as inclusive as we can be, we have plans to expand into scented candles, prints, and a range of other gorgeous items you can showcase in your home," she says. "My dream for Circe Studios is to develop it into an edgy, independent homewares brand where my customers can see their personality reflected in our product." https://www.instagram.com/p/COyWHQHH-RK/ You can check out Circe Studios' website here.