Spring is now upon us and days are getting longer, but candle season is still very much in full swing. We’ve all spent a lot of time indoors this year, and snuggling up on the sofa with a warm drink and a flickering scented candle has been my idea of heaven. This year I came across the Scottish word Còsagach, you may know it as Hygge in Denmark, Lagom in Sweden or Koselig in Norway. It basically translates into feeling cosy, warm and sheltered. To me, candles are the ultimate Còsagach essential, helping me unwind, creating ambience and transporting me to distant places. With a plethora of choices, I thought I’d take this opportunity to share my favourite scented candles that has seen me through the dark Scottish winter.
Founded by perfumer Jonathan Ward, these exceptional hand-poured candles are beautifully constructed to reveal a harmonious blend of high-quality complex fragrance. Made in Britain using a wax blend of organic coconut oil, beeswax and vegetable wax, the candles have an extremely even burn along with unrivalled projection. Kartushya is one of my favourites from the range and is an enriching marriage of spiced cognac, birchwood and pine which makes it perfect for this time of the year. The delicate scent along with its deep red frosted vessel and glimmering etched label, provides a full-on Jonathan Ward experience.
Like his renowned fragrances, perfumer Roja Dove’s candles exude the same qualities, filled to the brim with opulent ingredients. Housed in a heavy-based black glass vessel embellished with a gold Roja Perfumes plaque, the quality is second to none. Musk Aoud is an oriental scent that combines an array of sweet, spicy, warm and sensual aromas echoing the fragrance that I wrote about last year. It adds a sense of luxury to any space, enveloping the air with its sumptuous notes which can be noticed throughout the whole house.
Created in Edinburgh by Vicki Boudali in 2018, Ariska Scotland is a beautiful range of environmentally friendly candles with ethically sourced ingredients. After recently discovering the range, I burned my way through a few of them over the winter but the one that stood out for me was their unique Wild Mint scent. The crushed peppermint and spearmint notes add a natural and uplifting scent to the air which provided me with a refreshing little lift.
Based on his Maison de Couture at number 6 Rue De Budapest in Paris, Couturier Marc-Antoine Barrois has created a candle to encapsulate the very essence of his place of creativity. This complex candle housed in a black vessel contains a selection of leather, woody and spicy notes, which represent the refined materials that surround him on a daily basis. With a remarkable composition of plum, cumin, cistus absolute, storax, leather accord, sandalwood, patchouli and white musk, the candle laces the air with a sensual, rich and enveloping scent.
Jo Loves – White Rose & Lemon Leaves
I don’t need to introduce you to Jo Loves, as their fragrances and candles are renowned the world over. If you are looking for a candle to take you into spring then their White Rose & Lemon Leaves candle is a perfect choice and is one that I keep going back to again and again. This beautiful candle is such an impressive rendition of rose. It is elegant, radiant and light yet still packs a punch with that rose accord. The combination with the lemon leaves adds an airy and ethereal aura and when I burn this, it instantly revives my day. I especially like the silver and glass lid provided with these candles, perfect to protect your candle from dust and to prolong the scent.
D.S. & Durga – Concrete After Lightning
Founded in 2007 in NYC by musician David Seth Moltz and architect Kavi Moltz, D.S. & Durga is a niche perfume house that creates the most unusual scents. Along with the fragrances, they also translate this uniqueness through a range of creative candles. Concrete After Lighting was my first experience of their candles and it made an instant impression on me. We all remember that smell after a huge storm as the raindrops evaporate from the pavement, so envisage that scent reimagined in candle form. With notes such as electricity, ozone and steam to name but a few, this is certainly not your usual candle. Its subtle fresh scent penetrates the air just like that evaporated rainwater, intermingled with the slight nuance of wet green foliage.
Candles have been a a stable home comfort for many and are great gift ideas for yourself or others. Why not sit back with a good book or a cup of tea, light your favourite candle and enjoy a well deserved Còsagach experience.
BLU BLAZER GUY 