The Voice Of Reason Candle

While I refuse to watch nature programs because of how emotional I get when any animal dies, despite knowing that it is a completely normal and natural part of life, I still refer back to the videos of lions stalking their prey when I think about me and certain Lush products. 

On my initial couple of visits to Oxford Street, back when the flagship store was in its opening week, I was so excited to see four candles sitting on the shelves of the lower level section. While they wouldn't have been my first choice for scents, I was ecstatic to know that they were going to be permanent fixtures in the shop, and items I could purchase at a moment's notice. 

Unfortunately, the company were forced to recall them a few weeks after they initially appeared due to a worrying incident that happened to a consumer very soon after they were made available. As a way of producing environmentally friendly substitutes, Lush chose to encase the wax between the walls of a bamboo shoot - a component that although very natural, also happened to be rather flammable. Not a good design for a product that needs fire to work, and a feature that caused these beauties to be lifted from the shelves faster than you can say: snap, crackle and pop!

As I was so engrossed in buying up every other new item that Lush had released at that time, I chose to forego the candles until I had secured every other product available, which meant that when they were recalled, I was missing three from my collection. 

Referring back to the lion reference, my instincts kicked in when this happened and those three unobtainable candles became the most sought out items on my wish list. My hunt for them was fierce, relentless and determined, and it was only recently when I managed to obtain two out of the three, that I was able to relax a little and enjoy my conquest.

As Lush use bamboo shoots to carve their 'cups' to pour the wax in, no two sticks are the same width - so what you end up with is an array of thin, fat, stubby and slender candles - all weighing the same but looking very different indeed. Intent of getting my money's worth, I went for the biggest one I could find.

While this seems fairly small for the price tag it comes with, this candle is a slow burner - barely creating a wax puddle more than a few millimetres deep with each and every use. I've used my candle a good few times now and the wick has not burned any lower than what it was when I first purchased it.

Much like the liquid perfume of the same name, the smell of this reminds me of whiskey with a note of vanilla; that dry, smoky scent not unlike the smell you'd expect to come from a simmering bonfire, albeit much lighter on the senses. It's a very pungent, masculine and powdery scent with the slightest hint of the rose oil coming through, giving it a gentle sweetness that pads the fragrance out a little. 

In candle format, the sandalwood is far softer and lighter - giving off a potent but equally warm and inviting aroma when it burns. You can also detect the different layers a lot easier than you can with the original perfume - a characteristic that makes this candle so wonderful. When I burn mine, it really helps me to relax and unwind, and it's definitely a scent I want to experience more in the winter months. 

Much like Vanilla Brûlée, The Voice Of Reason is a great addition to the Lush family, and I only hope that the little 'blip' with the original release of these beauties doesn't influence the discontinuation of these for good. I really hope that Lush bring these back into circulation as the candles are perfectly safe. As long as they're rested on something that won't catch alight, set somewhere away from anything that the flame could reach and watched while lit, these candles are a beautiful addition to any home, and it's such a shame that I am unable to enjoy any potential new fragrances until the problem has been dealt with.

Quantitative Ingredients: Rapeseed Container Wax (Brassica napus), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocoa nucifera), Perfume, Sandalwood Oil (Santalum austro-caledonicum viell), Buddha Wood Oil (Eremophillia mitchelii), Rose Oil (Rosa damascena). 

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £30.00 for 80g.

Year Of Original Release: ? 

Scent Family:
The Voice of Reason Candle

The Voice Of Reason Liquid Perfume