I love Verbena; love, love, love it. It reminds me of being a kid as we always used to have the hand soap in the bathrooms. It’s fresh, it’s authentic, it’s light and boy does it pack in the citrus.

Aloysia citrodora, or lemon verbena is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family Verbenaceae; it was brought to Europe in the 17th century by the Spanish and is cultivated massively for its oil. L’Occitane Verbena is a fabulous blend of top, heart and base notes with an overriding flourish of lemon verbena.

The top is zingy and citrusy lemon and orange oils. Heart notes of verbena and petit grain give the fragrance it’s fresh, outdoorsy and grassy qualities. Finally the base is a soft yet striking base of rose and geranium oil. On the most miserable, grey, English day, Verbena brings the lusciousness of a wild, French garden into your home.

The candle encapsulates this fragrance to a ‘T’ which is a welcomed surprise as many fabulous fragrances don’t always translate well into compelling candles.

On opening the box and presented with the cold throw, you’re really not overwhelmed by fragrance; in fact you really need to give it a good sniff to get much of anything. However, once you start burning, your room will fill up with a hot throw of the soft but definite scent of L’Occitane Verbena. It pretty much fills my living room and also livens up my office (I have it burning as I sit and type); you’re also gently yet noticeably greeted with it as you re-enter the room but unlike some candles, it’s not like hitting a brick wall of fragrance.

If you’re after something to freshen the place up with a gentle, authentic and natural fragrance, then I think this is your ticket. It’ll give you around 20 hours burn time and comes presented in a gorgeous, solid glass tumbler. What’s more, it’s not all that expensive and is available for £17 from L’Occitane Online (they’ve just updated the site and it looks gorgeous!). Anyway, get yourself one and let me know what you think.