I’ve known for a while that something special was brewing at Jo Loves HQ but I’m not sure anyone could have guessed Candle Shots. It’s so clever – I’m hoping the patent is locked down firm (I’m sure it is) while a million candle makers bang their heads on their desks in regret that it’s never thought of before.
I’m going to explain exactly what a candle shot is first, and then get around to the Candle Shot Studio. Above, you see the shot. A mushroom-ish shaped, fragranced wax insert that neatly slots in the candle below:
The stalk end slots down (with heat or special glue) into the tunnel within the main candle. The lip of the stalk sits over the body of the candle – it’s pressed down so that it seals firm to the main candle. When you light it, you get the ‘shot’ aspect first, and as that melts away, you then start to get the blend of fragrances together.
Now to the Jo Loves Candle Shot Studio. This is the most beautiful white space at the back of the Elizabeth Street Shop where you can have a fragrance consultation and make your own shot candle. There are brushes and bottles so you can ‘paint’ fragrances onto cards and canvasses and smell them to decide what you think will go together well. Jo made my candle with me and she knows my taste so well that she knew before I did what I’d put together, I think. I chose Mint Mojito as my main candle and Mango as my shot. The two together are an explosion of fruit and summer.
So, the ‘shots’ that you can have are Petitgrain, Lemongrass or Mango, while the bases are Mint Mojito, Fig Trees, Charcoaled Lemons and Tahitian Gardenia. Then, it’s up to you to get creative and choose exactly what you think you’d like combined. In test groups, apparently, some people know immediately (like me), and others take ages to decide, going back and forth from combination to combination.
Your candle is then wrapped in the new packaging (pristine white with red ribbons and accents) and away you go. I know I’m going to treat some friends to this service – it seems like such a lovely thing to do and the room is so calm and peaceful that the world outside just drops away.
There will, of course, be a web service, but you can be assured that your candle shots are created in the studio above – just as though you’d done it yourself. There’s currently only one Jo Loves store, at 42 Elizabeth Street (nearest station is Victoria), and if you want to book to make a Shot Candle, you’ll need to do it soon – although the service hasn’t actually fully launched, word of mouth has spread this news fast! Call (0)20 7730 8611 to book. The Candle Shot creation, consultation and all included wrappings comes to £75. It’s such a lovely touch that you get a card (see above) that you can attach to the bag if it’s for someone else and paint on some of the fragrance and add your signature.
In terms of innovation, these candle shots have been three years in the making. You’d think that there’s only so much you can do to reinvent the wheel with candles, but I know there are more surprises coming. I can’t wait. The Jo Loves Shot Candles launch online (HERE) this month (I think Friday but I don’t want to hold them to it!), so you’ll just have to keep an eye on the site or sign up to be notified.
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