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Today’s post is about Scent. Nice ones! Tell me if you ever have done this before, if not I highly recommend it…
So a couple of weeks back, I went to a luxurious apothecary shop in West London and I looked and smelt all the products that I wanted and fell utterly in love with so many of them.
So much that I decided to write a blog post about it. A blog post that I would probably the link to anyone I know close to special dates where it would be socially appropriate for me to receive a luxury candle (if you get this link, that was the hint). Hope you find some inspiration and the desire to explore more the world of luxurious candles and in general of using smell to create a relaxing atmosphere at home. Seating in a room with a lovely scented burning candle is a mindful activity that helps you enjoy the present moment by focusing on your sense of smell.
This experience made me question about scent in general. One sense that I feel is so poorly stimulated in our hyper-visual world. I felt that there are so much more to explore and decided for this blog to focus on Home Fragrance more specifically candles. I will explore sense further with other blog posts. Watch this space.
Just before starting the list, I must that I am very sensitive to smells and at home, I avoid synthetic smells (yet really struggle to find clear information on the average candle labels). I have noticed some synthetic smells give me a headache hence why I use 99% unscented candles. This also means that until recently I hardly had any scented candle at home. However, the world of Luxury Candle is a different game as most of them use natural scents as their key ingredients which piqued my curiosity.
The smells at the apothecary shop were soft yet strong and divine. It was overwhelming and a bit magical too.
It is hard to write about sensory experiences because they are very much subjective but I do hope they will make you inquisitive about a new brand or new fragrance to explore on your own time. I wouldn’t recommend buying online unless you smell the candle first… and if you are offering a candle to someone. Remember to ask for a gift receipt.
About Natural fragrances: Most Luxury Candles use only or a blend of natural fragrances. This means the essential oils used in the composition of the fragrance originates from natural organic elements. It could be petals, citrus peel, wood pieces etc and they may be from a specific species and part of the world which results in almost esoteric scent definition. Natural Fragrance as I was told by a store specialist are 3 dimensional, they change over time and can reveal different facets. Natural fragrances are also very precious because it takes a huge amount of organic elements to create the essential oils and therefore is one of the reasons these fragrances are expensive. On the contrary, synthetic smells are very constant and reliable and yes more affordable as they are produced in large qualities and benefit from production scale savings.
Let’s get started…
Ashley & Co
310g Candle from £44, shop here (exclusive to Selfridges in UK). Made with 100% natural biodegradable wax sustainable plantation. Burning Time: 50 to 70 hours
Bamford
300g Candle from £75, shop here. Burning Time: 50 to 70 hours. Bamford candles contain 100% natural waxes and are fragranced with essential oils.
Byredo
70g and 240g Candles available from £27. Shop here
Claus Porto
270g Candle from £55, shop here. Burning Time: 50 to 70 hours
Housed in a diamond-cut white porcelain vessel. Claus Porto offers 6 candles to choose from with a unique scent blend and with leading notes of: Acacia, Red Poppy, Eucalyptus, Cedar, Citrus or Ocean Marine scents
I visited their flagship store in Porto when I was in Portugal recently and I smelt all of the candles. They are very unique, beautiful. You can find them at Liberty in London as well if you fancy a sneeze before you buy.
BOY SMELLS
Made with Coconut and beeswax blend. 249g Candle from £32, shop here. Made in the USA
Diptyque
190g Candle, from ££47. Burning time: Up to 60H. A sacred wood, so precious that its dry and mysterious fragrance has filled the centuries. Made in France
Fern + Moss
227g Candle, from ££19.78. Burning time: Up to 50H. Made in Brooklyn, New York with 100% soy-derived from American-grown soybeans for an eco-friendly, clean burn. Uses a lead-free cotton wick primed with vegetable-based wax and premium grade fragrance oil and essential oils. No additives, dyes, preservatives, phthalates, or petroleum. shop on etsy*
Le Labo – Verveine 32
245g Candle, from ££52. Burning time: Up to 60H. Soy-based wax and comes with a pure cotton wick. Le Labo offers 11 scented candles – amongst which Verveine 32- each with a unique fragrance blends focus on a cool urban vibe.
Maison Louis Marie
240g Candle from £26. Burning time: Up to 60H. Soy blend wax. Maison Louis Marie offers a generous choice with 15 candles with a variety of fragrance blends focus on a rich botanical heritage.
OVEROSE
220g Candle from £46. Burning time: Up to 60H. Vegan / Cruelty-free candle composition. Breaded cotton & linen wick. Shop here.
Perfumer H London
I am yet to visit the shop that I heard so much good of located at 106A Crawford St, Marylebone, London W1H 2HZ.
Her owner, Lyn Harris, is sought for her perfumery skills worldwide and her signature shop is a tribute to of course the products she creates but also an introduction to a new British perfumery.
She also creates scented candles that are praised by her customers and the media. (source)
Replica
165g Candle from £47. Burning time: Up to 40H. Shop here.
SKANDINAVISK
300g Candle from £47. Escapes Collection. Made from a combination of perfume and a rapeseed wax blend with a pure cotton wick and engraved oiled oak lid, within a ceramic vase. Burning time: up to 65 hours. Shop here.
Escapes Collection Lysning Scented Candle – Image credit: nest.co.uk
Urban Apothecary
300g Candle for £30. Made with Soy-blend wax and natural oil. With a pure cotton wick, within a black glass vessel and simple bold font label. These candles are designed and made in England. Burning time: up to 60 hours. Shop here.
Thanks for reading!
Hope this was helpful. Feel free to this blog post on if you found it useful.
Links: besides the last picture, credits are mentioned in the picture caption or courtesy of the mentioned brands.
ashley and co, bamford, boy smells, byredo, calm, candles, claus porto, design, dyptique, essential oil, fern+moss, home, home fragrance, hygge, ideas, inspiration, le labo, luxury, maison louis marie, minimalist candle, natural wax, overose, perfurmerh, relaxing, replica, scandinavisk, scented candles, simple, soy blend, soy-blend wax
