Votivo - Red Currant

Prior to writing this post, I had only heard of Votivo in passing while flipping through InStyle or O magazine. In fact, back in 2002, Votivo was actually included on The O List, and that's saying something. I mean clearly Oprah is used to the finer things and would only recommend the best of the best. Anyway, Red Currant supposedly is Votivo's most popular scent and after trying it, I say rightly so. It's an outstanding candle. However, the description tells of tart currants and vanilla ice cream with sugar cookies, so I was expecting something sweet and fruity. This is not so. I found Red Currant to smell of an intoxicating perfume from another era; like crushed English rose petals from an enchanted garden.

In researching Votivo, a company whose product I had never before had the pleasure of testing, I discovered just what it is that sets them into a class all their own. The fragrances are developed by perfumers and that is what truly makes all the difference. "A perfumer, however, needs more than a passably fine nose. He needs an incorruptible, hard working organ that has been trained to smell for many decades, enabling him to decipher even the most complicated odours by composition and proportion, as well as to create new, unknown mixtures of scent."1 It is this difference that makes Votivo so unique in a market so often plagued by mediocrity. Votivo's candles are created using high quality soy wax which enables the candle to burn slowly thus giving the consumer a long lasting product. Their fragrances, I read, were apparently famous for their ability to quickly fill a room. I put that theory to the test and I found that to be an understatement of gargantuan proportions. They actually engulf a room in what feels like the blink of an eye. But do not be mistaken by my phrasing, Red Currant was not overwhelming. It simply filled my home completely with the most beautiful aroma and lingered well after it had been snuffed out. It left a sillage, as the French would say. It felt as if it had become the natural smell of my home. That is why I can say without question that these candles are nothing short of totally spectacular.

From the design of the charming little box, to the strong glass candle that is wrapped delicately in tissue paper, everything about my first experience with Votivo was wonderful. I've already purchased two as gifts for the upcoming holidays, just in case CandlesToMyDoor should sell out. Next I look forward to testing the Vanilla Grapefruit. It smelled so delicious that I almost passed out in the aisle. I must admit that of all the candles I've had the pleasure to review, this is now by far my absolute favourite (sorry Olive and Patchouli, I've found another love.)

~lisa*


1 taken from Patrick Süskind's novel "Perfume" as translated by John E. Woods (In perfumery, the wake of lingering notes that follow a woman wearing scent are known as sillage. - inthenews.co.uk)