After a busy working week, we're definitely not the only ones who look forward to a relaxing weekend. With the sun setting later in the day, and summer quickly approaching, we here at The Amazing Blog have been making more use of our gardens. Lately, we've been enjoying the warmer, lighter evenings with a glass of wine in hand, burning a scented candle or two in our new tranquil garden space. This pastime has encouraged us to try some wonderfully natural, handmade and unique candles that we're excited to share with you.
The perfect accessory to a sophisticated garden tea party are these adorable teacup candles from Juliette at Home. The decorative meissen-style cups remind us of Alice in Wonderland, with each of the dainty candles intricately painted in a fashion fit for the highest of high teas. The delicate fragrance of Earl Grey tea, combined with notes of bergamot and green tea, make these hand filled, natural wax candles feel quintessentially British. Any tea lover would be as mad as a hatter not to add one or two to their collection. The teacup candles are available in a variety of beautiful designs, here, for £27 each.
As much as we love a serene garden atmosphere, nothing provides home comfort like great interior design. So it's no surprise that we covet Birch & Brook as much as we do. The luxurious London based brand is designed by Jessica Jones, who has a background in interior design, and knows how to engineer a room to make you feel right at home. Birch & Brook believe in the story telling power of scent, and their candles are designed to evoke certain memories. With aromas like Library and Fireside to choose from, there’s bound to be a fragrance that takes you back to good days gone by. We were enamoured by the aroma of Secret Garden. A sensual summer scent, it combines notes of lily of the valley, hyacinth, and mandarin flower, transporting us to a thriving garden utopia, complete with fruit laden trees and sweetly scented flowers. The candles are also beautifully packaged and made, with the company sourcing from sustainable crops, as well as using vegan ingredients, free from petroleum, paraffin and palm wax. Secret Garden is available here for £36, as well as the rest of the nostalgic candles from the Birch & Brook range.
Our next choice of candle comes courtesy of Milana, a soy based candle company, who hand pour their music inspired candles in the UK. Milana consider candles and music to be fundamentally connected; not only are they relaxing, but they both combine different ‘notes’ to create a perfect symphony. As music has played such an instrumental part in the Milana journey, all of their candles are named after songs, with their fragrances mirroring the moods of certain melodies. We were pleased to try the Drive in Romance candle, in which scents of Bergamot, Cassis, Apricot and Rose work in harmony to provide a beautiful romantic fragrance. Packaged in a sleek, recyclable gift box, the 100% natural soybean, oil-based candles are biodegradable and petroleum free. The Drive in Romance candle can be found here for £25.00, with additional candles sold here.
Luxury candle creators, Wick & Tallow are a favourite of ours here at The Amazing Blog. Their colourful spring candles, Bergamot & Basil and Lemongrass & Neroli have a fresh and unique scent that we adore. Much like Milana and their music, Wick & Tallow combine scent with hue, creating fragrances that reflect the colour of the candle. Our favourite, Bergamot & Basil, has a wonderful fresh, green scent, and makes the perfect alternative for those who prefer something a little less sweet. Encased in classy black packaging, the vivid wax offers a great contrast against the darkness, creating a sultry feel. The most wonderful thing about Wick & Tallow candles is the intoxicating atmosphere they create when they are burned together. Designed to complement each other, the range is one of our top choices for a perfect range of refreshing, striking aromas. The candles are available to purchase here for £35 each.
British brand, Mitchell and Peach offer a beautifully scented, hand poured candle. Cultivated at the Mitchell family farm in Kent, they ensure that only the finest blend of British ingredients go into all of their products. As opposed to having a selection of the same type of product in an array of fragrances, the Mitchell and Peach range focuses on selling a variety of skincare and beauty products which centre on the signature Flora No.1 scent. The gentle floral aroma combines rose, sweet violet and English lavender, and smells just as divine in candle form as it does in their signature Hand Lotion. With a burn time of 40 hours, we really enjoyed using this elegant, British candle, which is available to purchase here for £29. Though we like the pretty, pearlescent packaging, from the 30th June, the candle will be available in a beautiful, limited edition, bone-china casing, adorned with butterflies. Following a collaboration with ceramicist, Polly George, we think that the Butterfly Candle is the perfect design to burn in the garden. It is available to pre-order here for £38.50.
In anticipation of more sunshine in London, we here at The Amazing Blog are getting excited at the very mention of the ‘s’ word. So, of course, we were overjoyed to receive a Body Crème from Ayo, aptly named Salute The Sun. A thoroughly British brand, with everything from manufacturing to formulating taking place in the UK, the botanical brand hosts a luxurious range of vitamin enriched products. We were keen to see whether their creatively named cream really did feel like sunshine in a jar.
