candles
Festive fragrance guide
The aromas of winter are one of the best parts of this time of year and there is an ever-growing market for home fragrance options in the scents we love to be surrounded with over the Christmas season. Traditional cinnamon and pine are now blended with more tantalising notes to create new and inviting scents as Emily Bird offers her Christmas fragrance guide.
Christmas spicePerhaps the most classic of festive fragrances. Traditionally cinnamon and clove have ruled the roost, however, as the industry has grown, fragrances have evolved for more discerning tastes. Cinnamon and clove are still keynotes, with more spices such as ginger, cardamom and the ancient Christmas elements of frankincense and myrrh now seen more frequently. These notes are frequently paired with woods or musk to create a rich, refined fragrance full of winter warmth.
Festive forest
Woody notes of pine or spruce have long been firm Christmas favourites thanks to their link to the smell of fresh Christmas trees, either crisp and light or hearty and rich depending on the wood. Pine, spruce and fir tend to offer that classic Christmas tree scent with its crisp undertones, however, log fire inspired scents which are gaining in popularity tend to have rich base notes of cedar, sandalwood and rosewood. Woody notes are excellent as standalone scents or are often used as warm bases to ground other notes. They can be perfectly paired with fruity, spicy or sweet notes to add a sumptuous, sophisticated air to any fragrance.
Sparkling fruits
Fruit and Christmas go hand in hand, from the orange in stockings on Christmas morning, to the candied fruits in Christmas puddings and mince pies. The key fruit is orange as it has long been a symbol of the season and gives any scent a seductive tang. Often found alongside festive spices, fruits add a fresh, juicy hint to traditional seasonal scents, which can be overbearing. Other popular fruits such as berries and citrus fruits such as lemons and mandarins all offer tartness, which is again refreshing rather than overly sweet. A perfect choice for those that love invigorating scents year round, but still want a festive touch for a home fragrance as winter sets in.
Fresh and frosty
In response to a need for fresh festive scents for those that dislike the classic spicy, woody aromas, there has been an influx of fragrances best described as frosty. Reminiscent of freshly fallen snow that glitters in pale winter sunlight, these frost-filled fragrances are often infused with notes of Scandinavian wood, fresh citrus and cool mint. Also becoming increasingly popular are notes of white wine and prosecco which add a sparkling edge to these Christmas scents making them ideal for parties and gatherings. Delicate florals can also be utilised to achieve the desired frosty effect and are perfect for floral fragrance lovers to transition into the winter months.
Sugary sweet
For every person that loathes sugary sweet home fragrances, there is another who simply can’t get enough of them. To cater for those of us with a sweet tooth, there are numerous sweet fragrances to fill the home with scents reminiscent of our favourite puddings and pastries. From classic vanilla notes to warm caramel, these scents are delightfully buttery at the base and many notes are combined with spices to form fragrant representations of favourite sweet treats. Fabulous for kitchens or dining rooms as the dessert course is served, they will infuse the home with sumptuous sweetness this Christmas.
essence info
Websites: www.amara.com
This article first appeared in The Lux Pad, www.amara.com/luxpad
Divine wax
Cire Trudon candles have an air of history about them from first glance: there’s something in their design and distinctive scents that emanate years of expertise. Jane Pople found out more about the world’s oldest and most prestigious French wax manufacturer.
Formed in the seventeenth century, Cire Trudon was founded by grocer and candler Claude Trudon and made its name by supplying the court of Louis XIV, as well as many large and prominent churches in Paris and the region. The company’s success has always been attributed to the extremely high quality of wax used, which continues to the present day.
Today Cire Trudon is known as the French specialist in manufacturing perfumed candles, and it enlists the very best ‘noses’ to create perfumes for stories it wishes to tell. Each candle is still made by hand in Normandy, continuing the luxury manufacturing process.
Cire Trudon has created many scents and each and every one is created around historical themes and famous patrons. Choosing raw materials, testing formula in the laboratory and mixing perfume with the wax are some of the steps that lead the way to a scented candle.
Each of the perfumes are created as sophisticated compositions rather than single note fragrances, producing exquisite and distinctive smells. Cire Trudon uses the very highest concentration of fragrance possible within its wax, which ranges from 12% to 14.5%.
Extreme care and years of know-how are demonstrated within each candle. From choosing the raw materials and testing the formula in the laboratory, to mixing the perfume with unique wax, all scent creation processes are completed by experts.
At the bottom of each meticulously crafted glass the wicks are set, ensuring they stay perfectly centred. All the glasses are then aligned on wooden counters before pouring. Straight after the molten wax is mixed with the perfume it is carefully poured, still by hand, into the aligned glasses.
Once the wax is poured, the wicks are softened due to the effect of the heat, and they slightly bend inside the glass. As the wax cools and starts to solidify, the wicks are carefully straightened by hand to ensure they stay perfectly centred.
The candles are then surfaced as the next step in the process, which means the top is carefully slightly melted to make sure the surface is perfectly smooth.
The Cire Trudon craftsmen then cut the wicks to a specific height to ensure an optimal first burning. The final step in this meticulous process is that, once cooled, every candle is inspected, wiped and packaged by hand.
Every wick found within a Cire Trudon candle is made of cotton and they are carefully chosen, depending on the burning characteristics of each candle. The prestigious and historic wax used in each scented candle is the culmination of intense research and years of expertise. It is this special wax that offers the exceptional olfactory and burning qualities of Cire Trudon scented candles. As long as the candles are properly cared for, no smoke will leave a Trudon candle and no wax will be left on the sides of the glass.
Inspired by the shape of Champagne buckets, each glass is unique and carefully handcrafted in Tuscany. The iconic Cire Trudon emblem can be found across every candle and was originally inspired by a bas relief found at the old Royal Wax Manufacture which used to belong to the Trudon family. Situated in Antony, near Paris, it now belongs to the church, and hosts the nuns of the Saint-Joseph de Cluny congregation.
Bring centuries of perfume expertise home with the Cire Trudon range of scents available now at Amara.
essence info
Websites: www.amara.com and www.trudon.com
This article first appeared in The Lux Pad, www.amara.com/luxpad
Handcrafted fragrances
08/06/16 12:03 Filed in: Baobab
All photos copyright: Serge Anton
Baobab Collection is a Belgium brand of candles, diffusers and accessories committed to high-quality craftsmanship and respect for the environment. Project M celebrates Madagascar and has been created in collaboration with a Malagasy cooperative. The range utilises the natural beauty of raffia and creates unique handmade decorations that beautifully complement the new fragrances. Jane Pople set off on the scent trail to find out more.
Home to the most stunning species of Baobab trees, Madagascar was the perfect choice for a collaboration with Baobab Collection and its Project M. The close-knit Malagasy communities pass down their specialist art of raffia weaving from generation to generation, and, based on this expertise, Baobab, together with a local cooperative, created five new limited edition scented candles, each carrying a Malagasy name.
Each candle cover requires several hours of dedicated craftsmanship and contributes to the fair economic development of the island.
Raffia is a special material, a completely natural fibre, made from a kind of palm found mainly in the northwest of Madagascar. Totally organic, it is harvested, sorted, dried and then tinted with pigments of varying colours. The hand-made layers reveal unique geometric patterns, and thanks to its flexibility, can be woven or knitted as wool.
Website: www.amara.com
Image courtesy of Baobab Collection – Photograph by Serge Anton
Project M
Project M also has perfumes created in harmony with the brand’s approach. The five new scents contain essences such as ylang ylang, eucalyptus and aromatic herbs found on the island. Choose from five limited editions:
• Mahary, featuring a woody scent evoking the wild trails of Madagascar.
• Mainty, meaning black in Malagasy, which remains Baobab Collection’s signature colour; the raffia covering this candle is a deep black with linear elements that constitute a striking geometric pattern.
• Mankafy, with its distinct red and beige raffia crochet detail and lime and mint scent, evokes the freshness of exotic gardens in the early morning.
• Mena, which means ‘red’ in Malagasy, a homage to the island of Madagascar, sometimes called the red island.
• Malala, which has natural raffia dotted with multi-coloured tassels making this candle the perfect decorative object for summer evenings.
Each raffia tassle is custom made, dyed in a bright colour, and sewn individually onto the raffia, making each candle unique. The Baobab Collection is now available at Amara.
About Jane Pople
Jane Pople has over five years experience writing about interiors and the design industry, favouring emerging designers and new talent. This article first appeared in The Lux Pad, www.amara.com/luxpad.