I love nothing more than lighting a bunch of candles, putting the light out and relaxing in the mellow atmosphere. The problem is that candles can be costly over the longer term and I worry about the safety aspect because my cat Simba is a total nutter and loves to jump on all the surfaces to knock things down; in fact he broke my daughter's bedroom lamp last night by jumping on her bedside table even though she had it stuck down after previous mishaps. I've got to admit I was really disappointed when I opened a gift and found the iBotique flameless candle inside thinking it looked a bit tacky and gimicky but I have ended up really loving it.

The candle itself is made of wax and is around the size of a church candle, from a distance it looks like the real thing. The inside of it is hollow and the base contains and LED light which lights up the whole candle in a variety of colours.

The candle is controlled by a tiny remote control which fits inside the hollow of the candle when not in use. You have the option of choosing one of the various colours, having the colours change, having the colour glow steadily or in flickering mode.

I generally use the candle in either a solid block of colour or changing but the colours change too quickly to be really relaxing. My favourite is the red and pink because it goes well with my decor. I dislike the flickering mode because it makes the light look a bit jumpy and does not have the same effect as a candle flickering in the room.

The candle does not look like a realistic candle at all when it is lit, it definitely looks like lamplight but it is really pretty. It gives off roughly the same amount of light as a candle would so is ideal for mood lighting when you have friends over or just want to relax. You can have several of these candles in the room and use one remote to control them all which sounds like it could be stunning but as I only have one at the moment I obviously have not tried this.

The benefits of having a flameless candle is that you can move it about and use it outside without the wind coming and blowing it out. I have also used it as a nightlight where a real candle would obviously not be a safe option.

The candle uses AA batteries, I have owned my candle for over a year and used it quite a bit without needing to change batteries so the 240 hour battery life seems realistic.

The iBotique candle may not be quite as pretty as the real thing but it is a fantastic and safe way to create mood lighting or a nighlight.