0 lucky me!

after i did that post on the delectable maison balzac candles i was lucky enough to be sent one from the very kind elise of maison balzac to try out for myself and boy, did this one impress! i have not been to the south of france but i imagine this is exactly what it would smell like, now every time i light it that's where i'm transported. elise was kind enough to answer some questions for me.

Tell me a bit about Maison Balzac, who is involved and how did it begin? the idea of Maison Balzac started a couple of years ago, when after 6 years in Australia I began to seriously miss home (the south of France). I could have gone back but instead I decided to bring home to Sydney (as I am also seriously in love with Australia). I recreated every important perfume of the South of France based on my memories and captured them in wax. I did considerable research on the best & latest waxes too. It took years of testing, trying, perfecting, until the label started in June this year. Now I miss France a little less!

how do you develop the scents? what is the inspiration behind them? I was lucky enough to find a great boutique perfumer based in Sydney who sat down with me to discuss each fragrance. She created each of them based on my stories so the collection is a very personal affair.

the packaging is beautiful, can you tell me a bit about it? It was created in collaboration with Jim Parry from Mine Design. We wanted something minimal, French, efficient and timeless. What matters is inside the box!

are you planning on keeping the range small or expanding? Maison means house in French; I have chosen this word because I wanted to be able to add eclectic ideas & products under the Balzac brand. Watch this space!

any exciting new scents coming up? Yes I am working on 5 new scents all related to the Mediterranean gardens and nature.

where are they manufactured? They are hand made in Sydney by an artisan who has been making candles for 15 years. They are in good hands.

how many do you have burning in your house at any one time? I have such a ridiculous amount of candles in my house (including samples and testers of all sorts) that I don't need to turn on lamps at night.

any candle care tips? Burn them! Too many people keep them unlit... Once on, make sure you burn it for a couple of hours to get an even pool of wax on top. Then trim the wick before you use it again. Oh and use a match not a lighter, it's  just terribly more elegant!

thank you thank you thank you elise, you have made my month with this one!

your now MB devotee,

xxx c