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Jonathan Ward – Roscuro Candle

We don’t know about you, but when we eventually flop down on our sofa after work, we think that there’s nothing better than relaxing, watching a flickering candle flame and surrounding ourselves with a gorgeous fragrance. And as regular readers will know, at The Amazing Blog we’re big fans of candles! As the nights draw in with this unpleasant dank autumnal weather, it’s speeded up our search to find exotic scented candles to uplift our flagging spirits. Today we wanted to share with you one of our latest #amazingfinds and candle discoveries with ‘Roscuro’ from Jonathan Ward.

Jonathan Ward is a British home fragrance producer, who makes hand-poured candles using organic coconut oil, bees and vegetable waxes. They are all about clean-burning. These candles are certified organic by the Soil Association and the brand has fast become something of a pioneer in the world of home fragrances. Jonathan Ward made his foray into fragrance back in 1979 developing his first-ever perfume. Fast forward into 2018, where together with his European partners in Greece and London he developed his first candle collection ‘Scent of Time’.

This collection is a combination of thirteen candles all inspired by historical figures and their legacies, but in a rather unique way represented through fragrance. We were very kindly sent ‘Roscuro’ to try. This is candle is inspired by the artist Caravaggio, where ‘chiaroscuro’ defines his painting technique of creating ‘light and shade’. For those not familiar with Caravaggio, let us explain, he is probably best known for his painting ‘The Calling of Saint Matthew where he uses a painting technique bringing people and objects from the shadows into the light. Talking of light, we lit this candle last night and can happily confirm that it gave a glorious aroma with a heart-warming fragrance blending base notes of Bailloni wood and amber; hints of iris, honey, and hay giving it a delicacy, and shots of prune and patchouli as top notes. Particularly now with the sun so low in the sky creating dramatic shadows as the days shorten, this candle’s fragrance takes us seamlessly through a journey from autumn to winter. Best of all, its hypnotic aroma fills the room without being overpowering.

This elegant candle is contained in a glamorous double old fashioned style whisky glass which is perfect for repurposing for a second life. We also love their use of the traditional GF Smith British papers used for the stylish boxes and labels. Not forgetting to mention their double cotton wick which allows the candle to burn cleanly for up to 45 hours. Jonathan describes this candle as ‘warm nostalgia’, and we couldn’t agree more. He has an excellent nose for an enticing fragrance and now we’ve experienced the mesmerising Roscuro - we’ll certainly be returning to try more. These candles are available exclusively online here for £40 (240 mg); or at one of their eight partner shops here in London, Los Angeles, Hove, Stockport or Fife.

 

Penhaligon's Cornubia Eau de Toilette

There are few times when atThe Amazing Blog we have the chance to review fragrances, so whenever we come across a fragrance that we adore, we just have to write about it. Let's just say that as with lipsticks, I'm very picky with perfumes. The scent has to be intense, musky and quite sweet; my best friend once told me that my perfume taste was like a granny's - its scent must be really rich. It's not that I like my perfume to be very strong when I wear it, it's just that I like full-bodied fragrances. Penhaligon's is a fragrance house that has always intrigued me everytime I walked down Regent Street - I was always tempted to pop into their shop and have a look, but for whatever reason I just didn't end up doing it. So when a package from Penhaligon's came through our office door, I had to be the one who unboxed the bottle. And there it was, Penhaligon's Cornubia - pure luxury and boldness in a bottle. I fell in love with Cornubia in the same moment that I smelled it... it automatically became one of my all time favourite perfumes. Penhaligon's Cornubia was created in 1991 - it's an oriental, musky scent comprising notes of wood, cherry-sweet vanilla and heliotrope. The fragrance is seductive, intense and dark - perfect for those of you who love to wrap yourselves in your perfume. Cornubia was chosen by the designer Meadham Kirchhoff to scent his SS13 Collection at London Fashion Week earlier this year.

Penhaligon’s fragrance bottle is simply beautiful; designed by William Penhaligon himself it's a simple yet elegant clear glass with a distinctive ribbon-wrapped top. Today Penhaligon's scents are still made in England using the finest and rarest ingredients - from hand squeezed bergamot, to jasmin at twice the price of gold. The frangrance house offers 34 unusual and distinctive fragrances, so if you have the chance visit their shop on Regent Street - at The Amazing Blog we can't express our love for Penhaligon's enough.

Penhaligon's Cornubia is available in two different sizes - 50 ml (£58) and 100ml (£80) - in our opinion it is a worthy investment.