New Indy Candle Shop Hazeltine
If Houbigant’s Fougère Royale brought fantasy narrative to perfume at the end of the 19th century, adding scent to a fern that had none through the story of a forest, then the beginning of the 21st century has seen, in the fulfillment of a post-modernist dream, the destruction of that fantasy and much of the value of fine perfumery. Do I need to see Johnny Depp in the desert? Can I unsee that?
In an ironic twist, the worthy quest of postmodernism to destroy the oppressive meta-narrative of the capitalist machine infected all of narrative, reducing much of postmodern culture to the even more oppressive production of spectacle, climax without prelude, character, or denouement.
And so we search for a new structure to provide meaning. Perhaps another form of postmodernism in the guise of naturopathy. But there is no new metanarrative.
As much pain as it causes, we must introduce you to post-postmodernism or metamodernism according to Vermeulen and van den Akker. The idea is that the binary modern/postmodern is losing meaning, that a new locus of meaning emerges that is capable of oscillating between the modern and postmodern while going beyond. This is the “pragmatic idealism,” “informed naivete,” or “moderate fanaticism” or youth now responding to racism, climate change, gun violence, and other threats.
Finally to what candle you should buy. The truth of the 21st century is an embodied truth. Pragmatic idealism is an earnestness of spirit as an antidote to the cynicism of postmodernism and the guile of modernism.
We are overjoyed to have received our first candle from Hazeltine as well as the explorer set of the whole line at launch. Hazeltine’s founder is an old friend of ours and an inspiration for our own journey in DIY perfumery and in our exploration of the role that scent plays in life.
The idea behind the six scented candles at launch is to share a series of joyful memories across one person’s life. Hazeltine was created to, “… satisfy the longing that accompanies nostalgia.” The meaning, and the longing, is personal. The bitter-sweetness of nostalgia is the pith we seek. The scents do not seem archetypal to the memory described, but very particular to a moment. In reading a memoir, there is a joy in visiting the moment with the person as much as finding out about the person. The memoir transports in the way that these scents do.
The use of candles instead of oil- or alcohol-based perfume, much as we despise candles in their consumerist holiday appearance, invokes the transcendental meaning of incense, an invisible, shared connection to the divine.
A note with the explorer set brought a laugh/smile/smirk/sigh, “Each candle will burn for one hour, which is about the amount of time it takes to fall in love.” Do you use each one with a different person, or keep trying on the same person until you use the right scent?
The full-sized candles burn for 40 hours.
We have the full-sized River Daze. The blending of the funky and the sweet creates a tension that is ultimately resolved in comfort. The use of benzoin instead of vanillin or vanilla, adds a powdery spice that prevents the sweet from becoming cloying. The vetiver note comes through clearly, the rooty, grassiness connecting to a sense of the river. The cannabis top note is funky, but restrained. Unless you were told, you might not be able to identify the note, but the funkiness pervades. The hot wax applied as a skin scent has performed well for more than 4 hours, if somewhat linearly.
Our favorite of the explorer set is Saint Enzo. This is the most subdued of the set of six, which is odd in that the memory is from one of the most intensely scented regions represented. The citrus notes are delicate, yet exuberant. Check out our Cinque Terre Aromatherapy Room Spray recipe. The scent is fresh, alive, yet restrained, perhaps a memory from one living a narrative of informed naivete.
These candles are time well-spent alone, meditating on love and memory, but perhaps better as an accompaniment to your own joyful night.