Thursday 5 July 2018

"Let's drip together": Roja Parfums sandalwood candle, and thoughts on all things hot and bothered

It seems to have been hot for as long as I can remember - easily since time immemorial - though realistically it has probably only been two weeks so far, with a further heatwave forecast for the next two. I could well say it is too hot to blog, as my office upstairs is an absolute sun trap, and there are times of day when the glare on the screen makes my desktop computer unusable. Well, I do have a Venetian blind, but it is such a faff interacting with cords, and a bunch of bunched up slats invariably lands on my head in the process. So I just accept a lesser window of computer activity, and a greater window of doing jobs round the house and in the garden.

Then later this month I am going to the 60th birthday party of a friend in London, and although the date is still a way off, my mind turned to possible presents for him. Thinking about it, the train fare was rather steep this time, so my presence may have to be a major part of his present, as it were. ;) Anyway, the first idea I had was this Roja Dove candle, which I have had for a while now. I always meant to give it to someone, as it is an inherently gifty sort of item that is suitable for pretty much anyone, except people who only like silver or who think that burning candles is an environmentally suspect practice (see my post on Aldi's scented candle range, which touches on this very matter). I had carefully kept the candle in its protective bubble wrap bag, but when I went to pick it up I noticed spots of what looked like black ink on the packaging, but which was of course molten black wax. Eeeugh, was my first thought, as I quickly discarded the wrapping and considered the candle itself. The label was also splattered in spots of black wax, while the surface had started to pool and bubble, not unlike a very sluggish geyser.




So clearly Roja Dove the candle has got a little bit hot under the collar in this weather, and sadly must be demoted forthwith from gift status. I was jolly interested to see how readily it started to melt though, even without the application of any incendiary material, like a match, say! Someone could write a bestselling song about the phenomenon, calling it 'Candle in the sun'...IAnd it is also a bit like the sunshine equivalent of that cake in MacArthur Park - though obviously substitute candle for cake and black wax for green icing.

MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark
All the sweet, green icing flowing down
Someone left the cake out in the rain


Ooh, rain, that would be novel?!

Anyway, this got me thinking about the trials and tribulations generally of being hot. I am managing to function by dint of sleeping only under a sheet, and changing my clothes a lot, but from time to time I do worry about my perfume collection. It is all upstairs in the warmest part of the house - in the dark, admittedly, in a variety of drawers and wardrobes - but the ambient temperature is still too warm. Are you experiencing unusually high temperatures where you are at the moment? And if so, have you altered the storage arrangements of your perfume collection?

I think I am going to do something about mine sharpish. And I guess I have the dripping Roja candle to thank in fact for bringing it home to me in such a dramatic fashion quite how hot it has got in my home...!

Ooh, it's left a little puddle!



10 comments:

Undina said...

Our house rarely gets too hot. But since I worry about my perfumes, I have a thermometer on one of the shelves where they are stored in the walk-in closet (covered from the light by a curtain made from a black-out fabric). And if I see that temperature goes higher than 22-23C, I turn on the AC.

But after reading many people's complaints about the hot weather, a while ago I decided that I won't be buying/swapping partial/used bottles of perfumes that are older than a couple of months from their release, and the same goes for buying decants.

Tara said...

Oh to be able to turn on the AC like Undina.
I hadn't thought about the effect of the weather on my perfume collection. It's not in direct sunlight, but upstairs where it has been getting very hot during the day. I can't be bothered to do anything though. I'll take my chances. Too much else going on but yes, it would be sensible considering the amount of money involved. Look what has happened to your Roja!
MacArthur Park must be the weirdest pop song ever.

Unknown said...

It’s super hot here in Bordeaux as well, and my study is upstairs under the roof. I can’t really work there without a massive tower fan running, and my perfumes are (don’t shout at me) in the bathroom right now. In the dark. But I will have to find a better place quickly, as the washing machine and tumble dryer live there as well and make things pretty warm.

crikey said...

I live in a big basement flat with metre-thick walls. Without any heat on, the temperature is pretty much stable within five degrees all year from 12 to 16 degrees. My perfumes and are are pretty comfortable. Right now, it's gorgeously cool compared to the frankly confusing heat outside.

Glad not to be in my last place this summer--it was like a greenhouse that froze in winter and baked in the slightest warmth. I would have been wilting.

I hope you have some cool spots in your house.

Ingeborg said...

I have been thinking about putting some of my typical winter perfumes in a box in the basement since the temperatures have been higher than usual since early May. The storage rooms are easy to break into and smell faintly of mildew or something, so I have so far not bothered. Anyway, it seems so unpredictable which juice will turn. No AC here, obviously. I keep the perfumes in their boxes and blinds and curtains keep the sunlight out of the bedroom, or nearly. In normal years the heat is not a big issue. A wine cabinet only for perfume would have been the ideal solution perhaps.

Vanessa said...

Hi Undina,

That is very organised of you to monitor the temperature of your perfume storage area, most impressed. Of course I used to have dedicated perfume fridges, but those days are long behind me.

That is a fine aim too to only deal in very young perfume bottles - I am not sure I have any of those at all, hehe.

Vanessa said...

Hi Tara,

I am not normally a fan of AC, but I wouldn't mind a localised option for my perfume collection!

I still haven't moved any of my perfumes - the cupboard under the stairs is the obvious place, but you can barely move in there as it is for luggage, wine, and dead - or dying - hoovers.

Vanessa said...

Hi Sabine,

Promise I won't shout at you about your...ahem...bathroom storage transgression, though I know it is only temporary.;) White goods do make things pretty hot I agree, which reminds me that my washing has just finished and I should go and hang it up in the garden!

Vanessa said...

Hi crikey,

You are lucky to have such a consistently low ambient temperature in your flat, from your perfumes' point of view, and yours in the hot weather. I don't have any cool spots in the house really - apart from the cupboard under the stairs, which isn't exactly habitable - though the dining room isn't too bad. Truffle spends a lot of time lying under the sofa there, so that is probably why.

Vanessa said...

Hi Ingeborg,

I can see why you might not wish to use the basement - I always think a mildew smell is not ideal. And as you say, it is hard to tell which perfumes might go off first. If anything, I would imagine the winter ones could withstand the heat better than the lighter citrus numbers, on account of their richer base.

A wine cabinet is a bit like my two fridges - one was a beer fridge, the other a regular fridge for food but which could be set to a higher temperature. Perfumes need about 10C I believe generally, with citrus ones preferring it cooler, around the 4C mark. I seem to remember that from when I blogged about my system. At this stage in my life, even if half my collection turned, I would still have ample stocks to last me till I 'turn' myself!