Valentine's Day - Love it or Loathe it?!
Alex takes you through the perfect pairings to treat yourself, your girlfriends and, well yes, even your loved ones..
Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us – or, if you’re happily single, then why not fly in the face of organised romance, and celebrate either Galentine’s Day with your girlfriends on the 13th or National Singles Day on the 15th?
Either way, if you need a present – for a girlfriend, a boyfriend or yourself, then a beautiful candle lasts a whole lot longer than flowers (plus you can use our packaging to glam up your desk or dressing table – we use ours for pens, pencils and make-up brushes. You don’t get that with a helium balloon!)
If you want to go that bit further in terms of gifting, then – as dedicated bookworms, and loving being given something to read – we’ve got suggestions for a book to pair up with each of our candle fragrances. Some are classics, some are more recent, but they’re all ideal for curling up with – whether together or on your own.
For our Orange Blossom and Fig, we wanted something super summery – David Nicholls’ Sweet Sorrow fits the bill perfectly. The author of One Day has a knack of writing wonderfully romantic, funny but also sad stories. His latest will make you feel really nostalgic – it’s set in 1997, and features gauche 16 year-old Charlie as he falls in love with Fran, who’s part of a theatre group who are putting on a production of Romeo and Juliet. As Charlie falls for Fran, but also for Shakespeare, it’ll remind you of your first love, those life-changing summers and the terrors and joys of being a teenager. Want to indulge in being read to? Nothing could be better than listening to the fabulous Rory Kinnear, who narrates the audiobook.
Longing for a seaside getaway? Our handsome octopus, star of the Coastal Lime candle grabbed Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life in one of his elegant tentacles. The Times described it as a blend of philosophy and science and said it’s ‘fascinating and often delightful’ – you’ll be full of wonder at the intelligence of the octopus, and will look at them in a whole new light.
Watermint is found on the banks of streams, which made us think of a childhood favourite, Wind in the Willows. A gorgeous celebration of friendship, it’s perfect for a Galentine’s gift – or just as a way of connecting with the countryside. As Ratty says, ‘there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats’. Pack a picnic and take to the river with The Folio Society’s edition, which is particularly beautiful.
What better to accompany our zesty Juniper, Mandarin and Lime than a cocktail-infused evening with The Great Gatsby? (This edition will look particularly glamorous on a coffee table.)
And if you fancy whipping up your own drinks, may we recommend the collection of cocktails with a literary twist in Tequila Mockingbird? We love ‘The Lime of the Ancient Mariner’ or sipping a ‘Gin Eyre’ to pick up the juniper and lime notes.
For the honey-lover in your life, pair up our bestselling Rosemary and Bay with Laline Paull’s gripping The Bees. A thriller told from the viewpoint of lowly bee Flora 717, it shines a light on everything from totalitarian regimes to sexism, the class system to impending eco-disaster. By the time you’ve finished it, you’ll believe you know exactly how bees think. It’s an astonishing feat of imagination – we dare you not to finish it in a day…
If a walk in the woods is your idea of the perfect romantic activity, you’ll love reading The Hidden Life of Trees afterwards, with a Cedar, Birch and Vetiver candle burning. Are trees social beings? Do tree parents live with their children? Do our forest friends warn each other of impending dangers? Reading German forester Peter Wohlleben’s radical theories and observations after two decades of working with trees will transform forests into truly magical places…
Order any of our candles here before 11th February to guarantee receiving it by the 13th February – and enjoy spreading the love (and the literature)!