When I bought the Liberty Ultimate Beauty Gift, there was a Byredo Body Lotion amongst the many products in the make up bag… which reminded me that at the back of my beauty cupboard, there was a Byredo Candle waiting to be experienced. Usually when I buy a candle, it is about the fragrance, but I distinctly remember buying this candle because of the colour. Purple.
Byredo’s Twilight candle is a gorgeous imperial purple wax in a smoky grey glass holder which intensifies the colour of the wax. The initially white, wick burns black which intensifies the nocturnal feel and look of the candle. Based on looks alone, this is a bedroom candle…however, I chose to light this candle during my week without heating and hot water, when I spent evenings after work, wrapped up in a blanket, on my sofa composing complaint letters to boiler installers and suppliers and making mugs of coffee for my excellent plumber!
The concept behind the candle is the Mexican Jungle at Twilight. I have never had the pleasure of going to Mexico so I cannot confirm whether the fragrance accurately reflects the concept. The imperial purple colour of the wax, for me is more like deepest night rather than twilight. This candle looks truly beautiful when it is lit, the wax burns evenly with the smoky grey glass and inky wax contrasting with the yellow flame. Visually it is quite intense.
The fragrance in the box is quite interesting. There is an intense heady floral that is blended with something sweet. When the candle is burned there is much less of the sweetness, much less headiness and the woodiness kicks in.
The top notes are blackcurrant and mango. Whilst the wax is definitely blackcurrant in colour, the sweetness is definitely from mango rather then the acidic blackcurrant. The middle notes are the ones that come through strongest for me, gardenia, tiger orchid, and the heady white frangipani. The patchouli and cedar wood give it depth, but it is the leather, which is not a note that I usually like which balances the heady floral. I find this fragrance interesting, not in a bad way but it took a couple of days for me to decide whether I liked it or not. I think that this is a beautiful blend. The ingredients are quite tropical , although I am not sure what the blackcurrant contributed other than the colour . Despite it’s gorgeous look, this fragrance for me is not a bedroom scent, mainly because even after burning it seven nights in a row, I am still too aware of the fragrance when I burn it – it does not become part of the room, it retains its identity. This is also not the easiest fragrance to cocktail. I found that citrus did not really blend with it and surprisingly ginger did not enhance the fragrance either. So this candle is a loner, one that works well on cold evenings and surprisingly is conducive to complaint letter writing.