The aquiesse embers candle is the sort of fragrance that fills a room with a warm hush. It is dark and spicy, and it is more polished than it first seems.
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New to the Aquiesse Portfolio Collection is the new Embers fragrance. It’s a blend of blend of saffron, cardamom, English leather, tobacco, olibanum, and musk. If you like spicy, masculine fragrances – this one is for you.
The saffron and cardamom come across very strong initially, but what I like about this fragrance is exactly what Aquiesse excels at – the ability to balance a fragrance so it doesn’t lean to heavily in any one direction.
The bold and strong spicy notes are comforted by a soft foundation of olibanum and musk. The leather and tobacco add to the masculine feel and provide rich character. This fragrance is warming and relaxing. It would be perfect for a den, office or bachelor pad.
If I were to give this fragrance a:
Color – Medium brown like a milk chocolate bar
Age – 48 (for the fragrance, not the purchaser)
Celebrity – Clint Eastwood
Name – Moroccan Leather
Place – the Middle East
Room – Den
Time of Day – Anytime
Weather – Gray Skies, 50 degrees
Given the description, when would you use this fragrance?
If you’ve tried this fragrance, do you agree or disagree with my description?
Photo from Celebrity9.com.
What is in the jar
The notes we listed are saffron, cardamom, English leather, tobacco, olibanum and musk. Saffron smells dry, a little honeyed and slightly metallic. Cardamom adds a bright, green spice.
Leather and tobacco bring the dark, masculine weight. They are the reason this fragrance feels like an armchair and a closed door.
Olibanum is another name for frankincense, and you can read about the resin on Wikipedia. In a candle it gives a smoky, balsamic softness, like the air in an old stone building. Musk sits underneath and rounds off the edges.
I should say what this fragrance is not. It is not smoky like a campfire, and it is not sweet like a candy shop. The name suggests glowing coals, but the picture in my head is a warm study at dusk.
The Aquiesse Embers candle is part of the Portfolio Collection from the brand.
How the aquiesse embers candle behaves when lit
The first minutes are loud, with saffron and cardamom in the lead, so give it time. As the wax pool widens, the spice settles into the background and the leather steps forward. That is exactly the balance I praised above.
Many strong spice candles lean too hard in one direction. The aquiesse embers candle avoids that, which is why I keep going back to the brand for dark, grown-up fragrances.
If you are weighing it against a sweeter candle, think of it as the opposite of a bakery scent. There is no sugar here, only warmth. It suits people who say they dislike candles because most of them smell like dessert.
Judge the aquiesse embers candle at three moments: when you lift the lid, when it first melts, and an hour in. Each tells a different story, and the hour mark is the one that counts.
The Aquiesse Embers candle burns with a steady glow in dark glass.
Where I would burn it
A den, a home office or a bachelor pad, as I wrote earlier. I do not think it needs to be quite so narrow, though. It would also suit a cold-weather living room, a library corner or a hallway you pass through on dark afternoons.
Keep it out of tiny, closed bedrooms. Strong spice can feel heavy in a small space, and a candle this assertive deserves some air around it.
Burn it long enough for a full wax pool, trim the wick between sessions, and let the jar cool before you move it. Those habits matter most with a dark candle, because soot on the glass shows.
A gift thought: a man who says he never wears fragrance may still like a room that smells like leather and spice. Saffron and cardamom are familiar from cooking, so the scent feels friendly more than fancy. If you plan to give it, tuck in a note about wick trimming.
For layering, keep other candles in the room light and clean. Dark spice plus a heavy vanilla gets muddy fast. A plain citrus or a crisp green scent in the next room works better.
I would give the Aquiesse Embers candle to a friend who loves leather and spice.
Playing the description game
The profile at the end of the original post, with its brown color, its celebrity and its gray fifty degree day, was just a game. Still, it shows how I think about scent: as a person you can picture walking into the room.
Try it with your own favorite by giving your candle an age, a weather report and a name. If you disagree with mine, tell me, since I am always curious how Embers reads to someone else.
If you enjoy this family, our post on why tobacco works in a candle covers the sweeter side of the same idea, and the review of the Carrière Frères sandalwood candle offers a gentler wood to compare.
Tell me which room in your house you would give it to. I still think the best rooms have a door you can close and a lamp you can turn low. The aquiesse embers candle likes a bit of shadow.
If you try it, do not rush the first burn. A slow start lets the leather and olibanum catch up with the spice, and that is when the fragrance finally feels finished.
The Aquiesse Embers candle also begs a question: do you agree or disagree with my description?
One more thing about the Aquiesse Embers candle: it asks for a quiet room and a dim lamp.
Write to us with your own thoughts on aquiesse embers candle.
That, in short, is aquiesse embers candle, and I stand by it.
