Christmas is just around the corner, and that means it’s time to start thinking about the festive aromas that will surround you for the next thirty-one days. Candles are synonymous with Christmas, whether that’s the tall countdown ones or the luxuriously fragranced variety, but choosing a scented centrepiece gets harder every year. The number of candles out there is phenomenal, and that means there are both hits and misses. That’s why I’ve done the legwork for you once again and hunted out some sure-fire winners. So, from Oxfordshire to Cornwall, it’s time to discover my annual Top Five Candles for Christmas.
The question of what inspires us, or what we find inspirational, is something that is intensely personal to each of us. What one person finds extraordinary another may find pedestrian. This also carries over to perfume. Finding the inspiration for a new fragrance, when nearly everything has already been done, is the continual challenge of every perfumer. We’ve had towns, we’ve had desserts, we’ve even had the scents of arousal, but these seem to be on a loop that return every few years. What is more unusual is being inspired by a building, but that’s exactly what we find in Côte Vermeille, the new release from Karen Timson.
“Everything is new to someone” is a phrase that, while probably applicable to most things, should definitely be the eternal mantra of the perfume industry. With so many fragrance releases each year, and new ones forever being created, it’s impossible to stay on top of them all. The great thing about perfumes though is that they sit there quietly waiting to be discovered, and this can often be quite a while after they originally launch. Finding a fragrance after the initial buzz has died down can actually make it feel a little like a personal discovery, and this is exactly how I felt when I came across Betel from Lush.
The combination of history and legend shows up time and again when we talk about the Celts - whether that’s Wales, Scotland, Ireland or Cornwall. The passionate storytelling that passes through generations creates timelines which, even if exaggerated, form the basis of cultural identity and fierce patriotism. Cornwall has its fair share of myths and legends, from King Arthur through to the Mermaid of Zennor, but the addition of its famous tin industry has provided the perfect scented pairing for the new release from Ataratma. So, by taking a pinch of saffron and combining it with a lost land, it’s time to discover the legendary Shakti Saffron.
There are certain rituals that can provide us with a momentary step away from the daily grind and, in a world where “me time” is becoming more of a rarity, can also help to reset our senses. I’m talking about the humble act of washing our hands. From the days of the famous Coal Tar Soap right through to the more modern perfume-inspired offerings, the release of scent that comes from plunging your hands and the bar into water is the perfect way to achieve fragranced cleanliness. So, in an effort to get you to ditch the hand washes and reconnect with this simple pleasure, it’s time for me to share my favourite five.
The United Kingdom and Ireland has, between them, the most standing stones and stone circles in the world. However, with Scotland and Cornwall featuring high in the listings, there’s clearly a Celtic thread. The meaning of them has become lost over the centuries, with popular theories being markers or ceremonial spaces, but one thing is clear about them all - they all have an energy and a connection with the past that is palpable. The vibrations that many pick up on are said to be the energies of past gatherings and occurrences, whether that be peaceful or otherwise, and this is perfectly realised in the new perfume Spirit from Vallense.
There are certain products that, with the best will in the world, seem to defy reinvention. Companies are constantly tweaking bestsellers, adapting award-winners, even persuading customers that the same offering is somehow “new and improved”. It takes a real visionary to look beyond the tried-and-tested, and create something that pushes the accepted norm into a whole new realm. Unsurprisingly, the latest break-through product comes from an independent creator. Jonathan Ward has reinvented the diffuser, thrown in a generous splash of creativity, and is set to scent the season with his new Hermitage Noel Pourri Mouillé.
The horizon is something that often reignites memories, brings thoughts into focus, or even forces us to confront challenges that have lain buried. Looking out onto an expanse of ocean, rolling fields, or even deserts, unlocks feelings and emotions in a way that feels private and unobstructed. This idea of “vastness” has often found itself as part of the inspiration for perfumes, because with vastness comes expanse, and with expanse comes volume. The fashion for voluminous, head-turning fragrances shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, and Soki London has definitely delivered with their new release. All hail Cleopatra.
Fashion and fragrance have a long history of collaboration, from Chanel and Worth through to Gaultier and Versace, but there's another side of the rag trade that has inspired perfumed patterning. The male tailoring industry is one that manages to encompass all age groups and social standings and, thanks in part to the sharp silhouettes and tweed accents of the Peaky Blinders, the resurgence in tailor-made clothing brings with it a need for a fragranced flourish to finish the ensemble. So, if you’re looking for refined elegance with a traditional cut, look no further than Mayfair from The Savile Row Company.
