Power; the Scent of Home

Very few people don’t enjoy a lovely scented candle. When in doubt, a perfumed candle works wonders as a gift for other or of course, for yourself.  But beware, there is a reason why good candles don’t cost £3.99.

Bad quality candles are made with cheap wax and tend to only have a small amount of wax in the first inch or so at the top of the candle. So when you take your first sniff, it gives the impression of scent but, once you burn it for a while the scent is completely gone, or they use the cheapest available synthetic oils to create a rather nasty fake or sickly smell. There is of course nothing wrong with synthetics in perfumery per se , as some can be more expensive than naturals. But these are the good synthetics used in the real high-end perfumery, not the same ones used in washing up liquid or fabric conditioner. So what should you look for when buying such as a gift?  A good candle will burn cleanly and fill a room or even a house with the most magnificent of scents.

Let’s take for example the British niche candle and scent maker Jonathan Ward.  Firstly comes the wax he uses. A British made fully-certified organic blend which has been certified by the soil association as organic, composed of organic coconut oil, beeswax and vegetable wax from the purest sources. This not only means by purchasing one of these you help the environment , but that the candle burns super cleanly too. This is very evident when you do finally come to the end of a burn. The glass container is so easy to wash clean because of the purity of content , but if that were not enough then know this of the glass container. The glass container is solid and nicely heavy and is akin to a styled whiskey glass, so boom you have a stunning glass to actually utilise after enjoying the scent, which means no more added waste. The glass itself is faceted, classic with a twist of modernity and just the right side of weighty.

The candles themselves are hand-poured, which is a sign of real quality and shows how much time spent is spent and invested into the process. Each and every candle is poured over three stages to ensure a beautifully engineered burn. And unlike most candles, these have a double wick, again ensuring a perfectly smooth burn down , alongside a silage that is next to none.

But most importantly are the magnificent scents magically infused into each and every candle. 

Jonathan says of  the scent of time collection  he says 

‘The Scent of Time collection ignites the olfactory legacies bequeathed by artists, visionaries, prophets, and poets—bringing fresh light to their thoughts and ideas’.

( Linked into the post is the story to each fragrance so you can fully immerse yourself in Jonathan vivid storytelling)

His approach is far more conceptual than most other candle makers when it comes to the fragrance.  Working toward each scent as a perfumer would thinking about an idea and works out ‘on paper’ his thoughts ideas and translating his concept.  Then he refines the perfume with his partners in Greece to ensure it works perfectly for a candle as opposed to a body scent. Eight percent of fragrance oils are used (the highest amount you can use without wastage) although certain mixes will be tickled with according to need. Hence the skill in the initial perfumery of the candles is of evidence.

The Scent of time collection comprises of seven candles each with a unique scent Broken into the purple and then the pink collection.  Each pot of deliciousness is exquisite and has a divine cut through which means you dive straight into the fragrance yet like a long stall sturdy tree the subtle ‘scent branches’ of perfumes reveal themselves wafting into your aura in the most elegant of waves. Each part distinctive yet in total harmony with each other. This allows each candle to have a depth rarely experienced.

Most candles burn a ‘one-tone’, smell if you like where these have a subtleness usually only felt with high-end perfumes. This collection is all about the layers of scents that gather together like the lacing up of a Victorian boot. 

Afreet is described as:-

“Recreating tincture and recipe within forest lair”. 

So at the top find luscious blackberry leaf and sparkling neroli.  This delves into spicy black pepper, woody-spicy licorice root . with the base holding the deepness of the scent with black amber, jasmine, and guaiac wood.

Carmen is next and talked of as:-

“From the streets to the stage. Sexuality in Citrus”

Bright and herby opening of spearmint and sage moving towards the middle find delightful honeysuckle, fusing with clover & kamatka and strawy-earthy organic vetiver with a base of fresh Scottish pine, succulent jasmine & earthy green wet moss.

Then there is Dahetshe which is described thus:-

Black and white images fluttering in disparate sequence on the final close of the eyelid.

The stepping of notes starts with spicy organic black pepper, with warming nutmeg explodes to a centre of divine jasmine absolute, saffron, patchouli finally flourishing into deepbBlack amber, guaiac wood, and dry leather.

Onwards is  Mistigris

“An aerial charge of wildcard luck. Spiced & smoked pheromone floral”.

Think here of a top with fizzy white grapefruit with fresh bergamot moving into the heart of opulent carnation, carrot seed & pink pepper finishing with mystical amber, myrrh, and rich tonka bean.

Next in this collection comes Roscuro

“A poetic journey from darkness to light. Oud, Amber, and Iris entangle in warm nostalgic sensuality”.

The top is deep dried fruit of prune, powdery iris root, with sweet honey and dry hay with a base of deep warming bailloni wood, amber, doblis Leather, patchouli, and vanilla-chocolate tonka bean.

Lastly in the purple collection comes Vita

An unabashed Iris roar marries stamen and root. Masculine floral.

A to of delicate yet fresh mandarin, and green tea towards a centre of spicy black pepper and iris stamen with the base of coumarin, guaiac wood & iris root. A celebration of the enigmatic iris.

Then in the pink collection comes The Gyspy:-

A floral citizen of the world. Floral heart and global spirit. This bombastic floral does take hostage.

Fresh bergamot and dazzling  jasmine flow at the opening introducing the floral makeup with voluptuous tuberose, mimosa, violet held in the middle cushioned by a base of vetiver, Ccdar, and amber. A powerful floral that delivers its punch via the softest ever suede glove.

Next is Kartushya

Spiced cognac, birchwood and pine. Paid homage to soldier spirit.

The wild outdoors of pine rosemary birch, dill seed open this fragrance which moves to a heart of warm fragrant cognac, tobacco, black pepper held in place with the wood and warmth of cedar, patchouli, amber.

Finally comes  Fig Ultimatum

Choose rich sumptuous and bold or perfumed green. Not much of an ultimatum really. The former wins every time.

opening with lush fruity cassis, purple fig, and spicy warm ginger melds into rich date patchouli and light woody sandalwood will fall into a base of amber, iris, and musk giving a totally new take on the much-loved fig where it meets with wood.

All candles Weight615g Burn time40 – 45 hoursDimensions H105mm, W90mm, D90mm

Yet if these multi-faceted deeply felt scents and the recycled glass tumbler and organic wax were not enough in quality then the final touches add to the of the luxury of the brand.  Each is boxed in the card by British luxury G.F smith paper makers.  And on top of that, every single candle box has a stipe embossed with the chemical; the makeup of each scented oil included in the candle. All the paper and card used is created on a British 1966 lithographic press.

So literally every level of the process shouts craft, care and highest if values.  With all this in mind, its quite amazing these superior candles come in for sale and a very very fairly price of £40.00 This is really incredible for a handmade, hand-poured well portioned high-quality fragrance candle.  One that will throw its scent far yet linger with you taking you to places that are unexpected and raise the heart soul and mind.

Coming soon to the company is a differ collection and a Christmas candle too but we will keep you posted on that.

Find out all you need to know at  jonathanward.me

Please note, when burning candles for the first time let it burn for an hour or until the top goes completely liquid this way the candle will burn down evenly

Any samples giving in order to test the candles are done so by Jonathan ward candles