
Seasonal Scents: Our Favourite Fragrant Candles
Scented candles are really a wonderful fleeting interior accessory throughout the year. It may be due to the cosy glow of the flame that we usually only acquire a taste for it – or perhaps better, a smell for it – in autumn and winter and stock up with a new collection. This year the olfactory trend moves away from apple, cinnamon or pumpkin pie, at least according to the consulting firm Seven Scent. Instead the mysterious scent of Oud wood as well as rose and masculine leather notes are on the rise.
The Allude team, too, loves scented candles, so we have put together some of our personal favourites here:
„Antique Library“ by Cloon Keen Atelier
Richly decorated old books that contain the knowledge of many centuries, lined up on shelves made of dark, heavy wood, reaching up to a domed ceiling … These are the first images that this unique mix of beeswax, cedar, incense and rockrose brings to mind.
Available at Ludwig Beck and Aus Liebe zum Duft
„Oliban“ by Diptique
Fantastic forests are the rich source of inspiration for this limited-edition line of three scented candles called “Forêts Imaginaires”. “Oliban” combines beguiling incense with precious woods, balsamic aromas and some fresh notes. The glasses are adorned with atmospheric forest motifs by painter Julien Colombier.
Available at Ludwig Beck and Aus Liebe zum Duft
„Prune Glacée“ by Byredo Parfums
Just like the perfumes created by Swedish-born Ben Gorham, who grew up in North America, his scented candles too are wonderfully idiosyncratic. This composition from the series “Subzero” is fruity and woody at the same time, thanks to its aroma of plum and dates, combined with Acai berries, wintergreen, leathery birch and heavy patchouli.
Available at Ludwig Beck and Aus Liebe zum Duft
„Extravagance Russe“ by Diana Vreeland Parfums
In honour of his grandmother, the legendary fashion luminary and “Vogue” editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland, Alexander Vreeland launched a line of perfumes and scented candles whose design would have delighted his granny. In this fragrance mystical amber, bourbon vanilla and musk combine to form a tribute to Vreeland’s fondness for the Orient.
Available at the Departmentstore Quartier 206 and at Meister Parfümerie
„Le Salon en Hiver“ by David Mallett
His Paris hair salon is well loved by the jetset crowd, and star hair stylist David Mallett proves to have an immaculate sense of style with his perfumes and scented candles as well. From autumn to spring this scent brings a pleasant freshness inside the house with its notes of bergamot, cinnamon, rose vetiver and fresh hay. The mix was inspired by a wintry journey Mallett took through the mountainous Caucasus regions.
Available at Aus Liebe zum Duft
„Lotus Secret“ by Rituals
Clarifying White Lotus and the Southeast Asian grass Yi Yi Ren, also known as Job’s-tears and used as a medicinal herb in the millennia-old TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), provide a soothing scent, while the purist design of these candles relaxes one’s gaze. A perfect accessory for your own wellness oasis in the bathroom.
Available directly at Rituals
And what fragrances will determine the winter of 2016/2017? Even that question has already been answered by experts Seven Scent: We can look forward to iced blackberries and currants, violets, and, again, the mysterious Oud wood.
Here are some tips to help your scented candles reach their maximum burning time:
- 1. Do not burn them outdoors or in drafts.
- 2. Do not place them on surfaces that are sensitive to heat.
- 3. Allow the entire top layer of wax to liquefy when you first light your candles. This makes them burn more evenly.
- 4. Use candle snuffers to extinguish your candles, to avoid excess soot.
- 5. Regularly trim the wick to about 5 millimetres.
- 6. Let candles burn no longer than four hours at a time.