CANDLE SPOTLIGHT: Lemon Verbena

Product: candle
Area used in:  living room
Time Period: March -

Description: The luscious lemon scent of the plant that grows on country roads in Provence inspired a sunny blend of verbena blossoms and lily if the valley leaves

So first of all I have some news. I made this announcement on Facebook but haven't talked about it here on my blog. So recently, a couple of days ago to be exact, my bf and I moved from my hometown of New Orleans to Newark New Jersey. Quite a jump to say the very least but both of us needed a change and an adventure and there are more opportunities up here for both of us than down there. We're only about 20-30 minutes away from NYC by train/subway and , what has me even more giddy with excitement, we're about 30-40 minutes away from Garden State Plaza in Paramus which means.... *fanfare

I GET TO SEE, SNIFF AND BUY TEST STORE CANDLES!!!!!

HALLELUJAH...HALLELUJAH...HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH, HALLEEEELUUUJAAAHH!!!!

So get ready for all kinds of fun posts and reviews in the nearby future!

Now to back to your regularly scheduled program...

So let's be real, the Provence (not Providence) candles are a B..U..S..T BUST! This candle and French Lavender are the ONLY worthwhile candles in this entire line. And much like with FL, I was beyond thrilled that there was a straight up verbena candle as verbena is one of my all time favorite scents. And as soon as I sniffed it in the store, I had to have it!

Performance wise, this has been one of the best burning candles I've had in awhile - PERFECTION in every way. The flames have been dancing their little asses off! And the wax pool, so far, has been consistently deep and even. And the throw...man, the throw is beast. It's pretty damn strong; it's not strong enough to give anyone a headache but it will certainly fill room with lemony goodness!

Now let's rap a taste about the scent... *sigh

To the average untrained nose, this just smells lemony. Some have compared LV to Limoncello and Lemon Drops, even goin so far by sayin that not only does LV smell similar to both scents and could be a repackage of either scent...

*SLAP

THIS DOES NOT SMELL LIKE NO DAMN LIMONCELLO OR LEMON DROPS!!!

I'll admit because they're all lemony, on first sniff one could be tricked into thinking that they smell similar. But that's like comparing Apple Crumble or Autumn to Leaves cuz they all have appley notes. I'm here to tell you that LV is NOT a repackage of nor smells exactly like Limoncello or Lemon Drops. First of all, LV isn't nearly as tart or acrid or mouth puckering as Limoncello or especially Lemon Drops because unlike those two LV doesn't have a lemon note but rather a lemon-like note i.e. verbena. Also LV has different kind of sweetness to it; it doesn't have the candy-like sugariness of Limoncello or LD. It has lily, which is a very subdued, fresh slightly powdery note. It sorta calms LV down and keeps it from bein a bam in-your-face lemony scent and makes more fresh, slightly floral and springy.

Now there is one lemony scent that I think LV smells slightly similar to and unfortunately most folks didn't get to smell it cuz it didn't go wide. It's Lemon Cucumber from this spring's Fresh Picked (I'll be doin a review on that bad boy soon) While LC is way more tart and fresh than LV, the lemony aspect to me is a little similar. And both, as well as Fleur de Provence, smell like yellow/green Fruity Pebbles..not that I'm complainin cuz I love me some Fruity Pebbles!

Now as y'all know, lemony scents fall into two categories - candy or cleaner. LV is definitely cleaner. I could see a dish soap or floor cleaner or detergent or air freshener  smelling like LV. With that said, lately I've been burning it while I cleaned or packed/boxed stuff; I don't think it's a candle that I would burn all the time but on days that I need a little pick me up i.e. when I'm cleaning. It's just so fresh and sunny and happy smelling, if that makes any sense.

In conclusion, LV is pretty nice! Is it a scent fabulous enough to throw a parade for? Eh, not really but it's still very nice. And I stand by my opinion that LV, along with FL, is one of the best candles in the Provence line. For all of yall lemony lovers, this bud's for you! It's a nice candle to burn on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and it's perfect for a day of spring cleaning. Just try it, I promise you won't regret it!