Aura Candles - The Women Behind the Brand

We finally got to meet up with the great ladies, Jasmine Parks and Chelsea Wilson, from Aura Candles.  They are as effortless and natural as their setting on the southern California coastline.  The brand they created is a perfect representation of their personalities - chic yet approachable, fun loving and quirky.

They live a busy but balanced lives raising their children and building a business while their husbands golf and surf.  (Ok, that last part was a stretch. Chelsea's husband, Steve, is a golf pro.)

With names like Karma and Clairvoyant and colors ranging from blazing yellow to Mykonos blue, the line is bursting with energy and character.  Their fragrances are unique with unexpected notes like wild celery and cayenne.  Many of their descriptions read like a menu (Tahitian vanilla, pink grapefruit, agave nectar, cardamom and sea salt - yum!). The Aura candle, Radiant, is all the rage right now with grapefruit, goji berries and bergamot. My favorites are Luscious  when I crave something deep, Cosmic when I want something cozy and comforting, Clairvoyant when I need something clean and energizing and Obscure when I want something just totally off-the-wall different.

Aura offers a high quality candle at an affordable price.  Their creamy custom blended soy candles are generously scented with the essential and natural fragrance oils. Each creative blend is designed to burn slowly, cleanly and completely.


If you haven't tried their candles yet, be sure to do so!  You won't be disappointed.

Trapp Fine Linen, Mandarin Goji, Teak & Oud Wood and Fig & Mimosa Candles

In early 2013, Trapp candles released 4 new fragrances: Fine Linen, Fig & Mimosa, Teak & Oud Wood and Mandarin Goji.

Trapp Fine Linen exudes freshly laundered fine linens radiating the lush scents of white rose petals, passion fruit nectar and blooming vanilla orchids.

This fragrance smells just as you think it would - like clean sheets.  It's along the lines of K. Hall Washed Cotton and Votivo Clean Crisp White.  If you like fresh fragrances, such as Trapp Water or Ocean Marine, you will enjoy this scent.  It also makes a great gift as most customers are seeking clean fragrances when they shop. 

Mandarin Goji is a zesty and fruity blend of crisp goji berries and fresh mandarin to uplift and revitalize your senses.

Goji has become a popular fragrance recently and this one is well done.  It's bright, vibrant and slightly pungent.  It is very similar to the top-selling Voluspa Goji Tarocco Orange.  If you like Trapp Guava Mango or Quince & Pomegranate you might want to try this fragrance.

Trapp Teak & Oud Wood creates a modern combination of dark woody and sophisticated sweet notes. Madagascar vanilla and tonka bean balance out this fragrance to create a smooth and spicy aroma.

This isn't as deep, dark and edgy as most oud fragrance,  It's a little more powdery and is a beautiful wood fragrance by Trapp.  Teak & Oud is perfect for you if you like Archipelago Botanicals Burl Wood or Trapp Burmese Wood. 

Trapp Fig & Mimosa is the perfect balance of bright and spicy. Ripe figs and delicate mimosa blooms are complemented by the richness of blonde woods.

We're a little thrown off by this fragrance because it doesn't have a strong fig smell, like Trapp Mediterranean Fig, nor does it have a strong floral fragrance from the mimosa.  It actually comes across a little menthol, like a cough drop or Vick vapor rub.  We haven't tried it burning yet, though.  Let us know what you think if you've tried it. 

All of the new Trapp fragrances are available in the 7oz candle, votive candle and room spray.  http://www.candlesoffmain.com/trapp-private-gardens-candles.aspx

Fragrances for Mother's Day

As a native of New England, I am and extremely seasonal person.  I enjoy roasted/heartier foods and warmer/sweeter fragrances in the fall and winter months.  In the spring and summer I enjoy brighter fragrances and lighter foods.  I also change by the weather, opting for cozy scents on rainy days with some pasta and clean fragrances on sunny days with fresh vegetables.  On top of all that, I also have preferences by the time of the day - invigorating scents in the morning to help me and the house wake up and more relaxing scents at night to wind down.

It seems like a lot to manage but it's all very intuitive and enjoyable (for my neurotic self anyway).  So many times customers come into the shop looking for their new fragrance and I can't imagine an entire season of just one fragrance.   When they can't choose between Baltic Amber or Acadia I say get them both!  That way they can enjoy whatever fragrance their soul is craving at the time.  As they say, variety is the spice of life.  Live it up people!  Or smell it up?  Anyway...

At Thanksgiving I like to transition the fragrances from Nest Wasabi Pear to Nest Wild Oats & Bourbon to Nest Pumpkin Chai.  Yes, it's a Nest Fest.  With Mother's Day quickly approaching, I thought it would be fun to come up with the same type of "fragrance menu" for the day.  So here we go...

photo from wine.about.com

In the morning, wouldn't it be nice for your Mom (or the Mother of your children) to wake up to the smell of bubbly champagne?!  I'm thinking that would be fab!  A little fresh squeezed orange juice and a splash of champagne in a fluted glass served bedside on a tray with fresh strawberries, fine chocolates and an Aura Bubbly candle.   Heaven!  I know you're thinking - What? What?! Chocolates at breakfast?  Yes and absolutely.  Dark chocolate works any time and all the time.  The Breakfast of Champion Moms.  Aura Bubbly is effervescent, festive and fresh.  They perfect way to start her celebratory day.

In the afternoon surround her with Voluspa Macaron.   Mid-day, when she typically wants to pick things up and get thing done, this cozy, comforting scent will help her relax and let the day unfold slowly.  I like Macaron because it isn't overly sweet or heavy and it won't give her a belly ache.  It's sophisticated and delicate just like the exquisite French cookies.  Speaking of cookies, it would be lovely if you treated her to a box of fine macarons for her afternoon snack...  just a thought.

As the afternoon winds down it's time to transition to an exquisite floral bouquet.  It may be cliche, but chocolates and flowers always work.  (And we can't forget wine - wine is to women like duck tape is to men - it fixes everything.)  Of all the floral fragrances in the store, there's only one that smells like a true bouquet of flowers and that's Bob's Flower Shoppe by Trapp.

photo from stylemepretty.com

Most floral fragrances have one note that takes center stage , but Bob's is a blend of so many different flowers that there isn't one specific note that jumps out.  Bob Trapp initially owned a flower shop and he wanted to create the fragrance you smell when you walk into his flower cooler.  Crisp, fresh and alive with everything coming together all at once with green notes from the newly cut stems.  That is exactly what Bob's Flower shop smells like.

Unless your Mom loves a specific flower (gardenia, tuberose, jasmine, rose...) I would go for this one.  It covers everything and smells amazing.  When the house quiets down and the kids are in bed, she can sip some wine as she's is surrounded by the scent of an intricate floral bouquet and feel like the most luxurious Mom on the planet - just as she should.

Oh, yeah, and don't forget more chocolates.  They are key.

photo from luxist.com of L. A. Burdick Chocolates

What fragrance menu would you create for your Mother on her special day?

6 Scents for Spring

Spring is a time of renewal - to clear out the old and bring in the new.  A time for fresh fragrance and clean air.  Here are six scents that are sure to breathe new life into your home.

Seda French Tulip
If you want to feel like your sitting in the middle of a spring flower garden, this is it!
The Seda French Tulip candle will transport you to Paris in the spring and open air flower markets. This green fresh blend includes jasmine, rose, lemon, clove, sage and rosewood for a complex green note. 14oz. 60 hour burn time. Made in the USA. $31

Lafco Powder Room (Dutchess Peony)
Like a breath of fresh air on a sunny day, this spring-time scent will have you smiling in no time. 
The soft, round fragrance of a peony in full bloom is combined with camellia and just a hint of rain mist and cassis to create a floral that seems to embrace a brand new spring morning. 16oz. 90+ hour burn time. $60

Belle Fleur Grapefruit Muguet
Better than any cleaning service, this candle will obliterate stale, winter air and fill your home with the zesty scent of citrus and vibrant florals. 
Fresh & exuberant. Grapefruit, lily of the valley and bergamot with fresh star jasmine. 7.5 oz / 210 g. Burn time approximately 45-50 hours. Cotton wick. Made in the USA. $58

Aura Obscure
If you’re looking for something to put a little pep in your step, checkout this peppery blend by Aura featuring black ginger and white pepper. 
Obscure: vague; inconspicuous. An exotic and botanical spicy blend of black ginger, musk and white pepper. 10 oz. Burn time: 70 hours. Soy wax. Cotton wick. Hand-poured in the USA. $26

NEST Fragrances Blue Garden
This fragrance will make you feel good in more ways than one. The watery floral will wash away your winter blues and a percentage of the proceeds are donated to Autism Speaks. 
Blue Garden has lush green notes, a dew drop accord and hyacinth top notes, forget me not, blue hydrangea and honeysuckle mid notes, and plush oak moss, sandalwood and cotton flower base notes. 8.1oz. Burn time: approx 50 hours. $32

Voluspa Goji Tarocco Orange
This top-selling fragrance by Voluspa brings a pow-factor with it’s pungent fruity notes. You’re home will never be the same again.
This Voluspa Goji & Torocco Orange 3-wick tin candle is scented with a ripe rich combination of ruby tarocco orange peel and tart goji berry. The 3-wick Japonica candle by Voluspa is packaged in an exquisite tin and has an 80 hour burn time. $18

What is your favorite springtime scent?

Fragrance Tour of Boston

photo from viewallpap.com

With the recent bombings at the Boston Marathon, our native city has been on our minds a lot lately.  I was born and raised just north of Boston and lived there until my mid-twenties.  Dave and I met in Boston and we both worked there just after we were married.  It's a great city and definitely one of my favorites in the country.

photo from www.lovenewengland.net

We thought it would be nice to take you on a fragrance tour of this great place.  We're going to start at the New England Aquarium.  It's one of the best in the country and worth visiting if you're in the area.  I love walking around the giant tank. 

The fragrance that most reminds us of the aquarium is the Lafco Bathroom (Marine) candle.  It's a neutral, watery scent that is perfect for gift-giving.  The blue color is pale but beautiful when burning.  Lafco candles last about 100 hours and are poured in a hand-blown glass vessel that will become a keepsake for years.

photo from running.competitor.com

The next stop is The Esplanade.  It's a long stretch of grass and paths along the Charles River and makes a great place to walk, bike or picnic.  At The Esplanade you'll find the Hatch Shell.  You can find great free outside concerts here.  It's especially magical when the Boston Pops are playing.  For the 4th of July the fireworks are synced to the music and the show is just amazing.

We decided on the Linnea's Lights Sweetgrass fragrance for this location because of the scenic stretch of grass.  The Linnea's Lights Sweetgrass candle is one of her best-selling scents.  It smells like fresh, dewy, tender baby grass.  This fragrance is also good for gift-giving.

photo from kids.britannica.com

After that we're going to head to Faneuil Hall for lunch.  In the middle of Faneuil Hall you'll find Quincy Market.  It's a long building and you can walk down the middle and find unique food stalls on either side.  At the end, years ago, you'd find Steve's Ice Cream.  Steve Herrel was the first to invent mixing fun treats into home-made ice cream on a frozen slab.  The ice cream was amazing!

The Aquiesse Boardwalk fragrance reminds us a lot of those days.  It's a sweet, sugary blend of waffle cone, sand, surf and driftwood.  I love how the lid for Aquiesse candles doubles as a base when the candle is in use and a cover when not in use to keep the dust out and fragrance in.  Aquiesse candles are very long lasting - about 100 hours each.

photo from destination360.com

After lunch we head to The Commons.  This is Boston's equivalent for Central Park.  The ponds are filled with swan boats and it's a nice place to walk and play.  

In the spring The Commons are filled with colorful tulips which reminds us of the Seda France French Tulip candle.  This blend is perfect for spring or anytime you're looking for a fresh-cut flower fragrance.  Seda candles are packaged in a pagoda box with tassel - another one perfect for gifts!

photo from event1001.com

After an afternoon in the park we head to the Top of the Hub for drinks or dinner.  This fine restaurant sits at the top of the Prudential Center (a.k.a. "The Pru"), the highest building in Boston.  The skyline view is spectacular and sets the stage for a great evening.  

Since the Top of the Hub is such a great place to celebrate, we selected the Aura Bubbly candle.  This effervescent scent is bubbling with champagne, pinot noir, chardonnay, and rock sugar. I love this champagne fragrance as it isn't too sweet or too citrus.  The blend of champagne and wine is intoxicating;)

photo from wikipedia

Lastly, if there's a game playing at Fenway, you have to go. Nothing beats this icon in the sports industry and Boston fans are diehard and loyal.  Back in the days the air would be filled with the scent of hot dogs and tobacco.  There are also some of the best and oldest bars in Boston.

For those reasons we selected the Voluspa Warm Perique Tabac candle to represent this area.  It's blend of worn wooden floors, antique leather and tabac are the perfect representation for the history you'll find in the pubs around Boston.  

We hope you enjoyed the tour, and more importantly, we hope you get to visit this great city some day if you haven't already!

The Voluspa L. Florem Collection

Here's what I love about Voluspa: they are continuously launching new COLLECTIONS (not just new fragrances), and each one is more stunning than the last.  Earlier this year Voluspa launched the new L. Florem Collection.  (L. Florem is a latin botanical term discovered in an antique botany journal.) The fragrances were inspired by classic flowers, groves and shrubs found in gardens around the world.


Over 20 oils were blended for each scent to to create a luxurious fragrance in their creamy all natural coconut wax. Voluspa's Creative Director and Co-Founder, Traci Arnsten, designed the custom beaded vase for the candles. Each piece of glass is carefully hand crafted, fire polished and finished with a shimmery iridescent coating. The vessels were designed to be re-used as an elegant flower vase or candy dish when the candle is complete.

The collection features 5 fragrances with 6 products available in each fragrance.

Voluspa Flora Di Mare 
Notes: ozonic air and sea, white blossoms of gardenia, freesia and tuberose, agave, beach salt and shaded tree moss.  
River meets the sea. The surrounding lush forest opens to a brilliant blue ocean and rolling hills of sand. White blooms absorb the winds of sea salt and woods and breathe back a heady concoction of sweet succulence.  
This is one of the best fragrances ever created by Voluspa.  If you like the clean, crisp, contemporary white florals that Voluspa does so well, be sure to try this fragrance. Flora Di Mare is along the lines of Tuberosa di Notte, Laguna and Mokara.  The neutral color works in any decor and is perfect for gift-giving. 

Voluspa J. P. B. (Japanese Plum Bloom) 
Notes:  Japanese plum blossoms, orchard leaves, nectar of plum fruit and crushed currants.  
Voluspa Japanese Plum Bloom offers ripening blossoms of plum and rich red fruits. Flower petals and nectar sweet extracts blend to create a rich, succulent floral melody. 
Japanese Plum Bloom was in the old Seasons Collection by Volupsa.  This fragrance isn't overly fruity or too sweet. 

Voluspa Taporo 
Notes: lime blossoms and leaf, green mandarin rind, cassis and white strawberry.  
Snapped branches of green mandarin mingled with honeyed lime blossom. Wild white strawberries add a tart succulence.  
This fragrance is a nice blend of fruits and florals.  This scent is not overwhelming.

Voluspa Temple Grove 
Notes: apricots, peach fruit and leaves, kumquat, grapefruit rind and citron blossoms.  
Grove peach, apricot and citrus trees are surrounded by ancient temple walls. Lovingly cultivated terracotta pots filled with kumquats accent the grounds. Sun shines onto the protected grove and gently warms the leaves and fruit evoking divine bliss
If you like Voluspa Makassar Ebony & Peach or Creme de Peche be sure to try this one!  It's a great blend of peach and apricot. 

Voluspa Tiares 
Notes: Tiares blooms (Tahitian gardenia), honeyed milk, coconut husk and fruit, freesia stalks and blooms.  
The gardenia of the Polynesian islands, Tiares captures the warmth and unadulterated beauty of the islands themselves. A creamy combination of crushed gardenia petals and freesia with a hint of tropical coconut. A lux tropical blend. 
This is the most bold floral in this collection.  It's strong with gardenia offering a robust floral.  You should give this a try if you like heavier florals or Voluspa Gardenia Colonia.

The candles are available in 3 sizes: Petite, Corta and Alta.   The petite size is great for hostess gifts at just $15 each.  Their dainty size would be lovely in a powder room.  If you're looking for the most fragrance, go for the Corta size.  The 2 wicks and larger width will allow more fragrance as this one creates the largest wax pool of all the sizes.  The Corta size will make a lovely candy dish or jewelry dish when the candle is done.  The Alta size is stunning and long lasting with 18 of coconut wax.  This size will make a stunning vase when the candle is done.

The Voluspa L. Florem hand cream is luxurious.  This nourishing formula is rich without being heavy or greasy.  I definitely recommend trying this hand cream!

Voluspa L. Florem roll-on perfume is tiny and perfect for gifts and to tuck in your purse for on the go fragrance.

While Voluspa made separate products for room and body (thank you!!), they still made their room spray with cosmetic grade ingredients, so should you want to use your room spray as a body spray, go for it.  This is a popular trend for Voluspa fans and so the tradition continues. All of the fragrances would make a fantastic body spray.

You can enjoy Voluspa products with peace of mind knowing they are made without parabens, sulfates or phthalates.  The body products are not tested on animals.  The candles are made with a coconut wax blend, 100% cotton wick and hand-made in the USA.  Go Voluspa!!

Mother's Day Gift Ideas 2013

Mother's Day is on the way! Here are some great gift ideas to take her breath away:

Everyone is swooning over the Voluspa Flora Di Mare fragrance in the new L. Florem Collection. If your Mom likes luxurious fragrances, make her day special with rich hand cream, roll-on perfume and petite candle. The hand cream is amazing and she'll love the little perfume that she can easily tuck in her purse. The Voluspa Flora Di Mare petite candle would look beautiful in her bathroom.

If your Mom is more casual the Barr-Co Collection by K. Hall Designs is the perfect match. This fragrance is relaxed and comfortable and will help put your Mom at ease. Treat her to the thick bubble bath, milk glass candle and perfume. She'll smell beautiful and feel good too.

For Moms that like a keepsake to remember your special gift always, the new Nest White Narcisse candle is just what she needs. This crisp floral is poured in a sculpted porcelain vessel that she'll keep for years to come. The light shines through the porcelain creating an elegant ambiance. The picture-perfect box makes this a great gift for Mother's Day.

Moms that like to be pampered every day will love the Thymes Kimono Rose body wash and body lotion. She'll love the fragrance and they way her skin feels. Thymes body lotion is nourishing without being heavy or greasy.

If you really want to knock her socks off set her up with a Lafco diffuser, candle and bar soap. Lafco diffusers are the most fragrance diffuser we offer and they're long lasting with 15 oz of fragrance oil. The diffuser vessel is made with the same hand-blown glass as the over-sized candle. The candle vessel can be reused once she gets through all the 100 hours of fragrance it offers. Lafco bar soaps are quadruple milled and made in Italy with olive oil, refined sweet almond oil and cold pressed coconut oil to be ultra moisturizing. The Powder Room (Dutchess Peony) fragrance is perfect for Mother's Day, offering an exquisite floral all pretty in pink.

Looking for more gift ideas?  Check out our full selection of fragrances and products for Mother's Day gifts here: http://www.candlesoffmain.com/mothers-day-candles.aspx.

Wishing you (if you're a Mom) and your Mother a fabulous day!