It’s winter in New England and the romance of lavender fields and perfumed ateliers from my summer in France seem far away, like a favorite dream. I finally have time to write about my trip to France, so I strike a match and light the candle that I created with Officine Oils of Paris in June, and suddenly there it is…. the light, the farms, summer fields, flowers and feelings, all of it.

Recalling the exquisite experience of working with Celine Chappert of Officine Oils in her Parisian atelier, is now effortless.

I take in the aromatic scent of organic oils as they release from our Lavender Milk Candle, and I am reengaged at Celine’s family farm in Provence, where flowers, ferns and herbs are distilled into essential perfume oils to use in candle-making. The aroma transports me to the scented air of lavender fields in summertime, and I relax. Then come the floral notes of softly scented apricot and rapeseed waxes, hand-poured using traditional techniques and tools. Suddenly I am side by side in creative collaboration with Celine at the helm, where no artificial scents or “nature identical compounds” are allowed and aromatic memories are fixed in time within a candle.

Celine was the perfect choice for me when I was searching for a candle artisan. We share a love of working within the dictates of nature. Both of us are committed to preserving a craft passed down through generations. Although countries, and cultures separate us, we share the bond of upholding traditional methods of herbal formulation, whether to create skincare, perfumes, or candles. Both of us have grown up within the influence of more rural environments that honor seasonal cycles- Celine on her Uncle’s farm in Provence, and me on my family’s farm in Texas. Together we embraced the traditional skillsets that follow nature as the driving force in creating and producing our Lavender Milk Candle.

As I light the candle, I am filled with the magic of my time with Celine on her Uncle’s farm in Provence and in her Paris Atelier, where her skillful hand guided us to create a candle that opens the heart of lavender.

“Smells are surer than sounds or sights

To make your heart-strings crack…”

– Rudyard Kipling

XOXO,

Brenda

Brenda Brock

CEO/Founder of Farmaesthetics Sustainable Beauty