You’ll probably know by now that I’m a bit of a candle fiend. Nothing chills me out more than a cosy evening with something good on the TV, a glass of wine and the subtle, flickering glow of a few candles along the mantelpiece, all oozing out delicious, relaxing aromas.
You may have already read my review of Francis Kurkdjian Pour Le Soir, so you’ll know I’m a man in love: in love with a fragrance that has presence, dignity, depth and class, or in the words of RuPaul, one with “Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent“.
The scent
As with the fragrance, it’s Bulgarian rose, honey, benzoin and incense that are the brute strength behind this scent, reinforced by cedar, caraway and sandalwood, then soothed by gentle rose and ylang-ylang. It makes my mouth water, and every time I describe it I end up feeling like Nigella.
The candle and base
The candle comes with a heavy, solid zinc plate, embossed with the logo like the candle itself. Underneath it’s padded so it won’t scratch your surfaces and protects them from the heat.
Getting the best burn
It’s a very hard-milled wax, so, particularly to start with, burn it for around three hours. The trick with any candle is to let it burn as close to the edge as it’ll go: nine times out of ten, the distance it reaches on that first burn is the distance it keeps for the rest of its life. Burn it only a few centimetres out and you’ll tunnel straight down and waste half of it. For most candles that’s about an hour; with this one it can be anything up to four.
It’s beautifully powerful and will leave your house fragranced all day and night, even when it isn’t lit. I keep mine under a glass bell jar to stop it losing its scent between burns, mine was from M&S. If you like candles, you’ll love this.
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