Love: Ecoya’s Decadence range Zhou Xuan candle

Just before Christmas I was lucky enough to get my hands on one very special candle – the Zhou Xuan (pictured) from Ecoya’s brand new Decadence range.
Ecoya are a company that in my mind can do no wrong, but they seriously raised the bar on luxury with this exquisite collection. The Decadence range pays homage to powerful, iconic and sassy women of the 1920s, an era later referred to as the Art-Deco period, which was defined by unprecedented social change, freedom of speech and women’s liberation.

Widely acknowledged as the most creative era of the 20th Century, the Art-Deco period is the inspiration behind the bold and artistic packaging of the range, with each soy wax candle poured into the most beautiful cut glass, Deco-style holder.

The cities of London, Paris, New York and Shanghai grew to embrace and exemplify the Art-Deco world of the 1920’s and ‘Decadence by Ecoya’ celebrates the contribution made by four women whose spirit epitomised these cities.
But let’s talk about Zhou Xuan, the candle that’s been top of my list of ‘what to burn’ this holiday season. 1930’s Shanghai was known as the ‘Paris of the Orient’, and the jewel in its crown was the glamorous Zhou Xuan. A singer and star of the screen, she was singlehandedly responsible for the transformation of the Qipao dress or Cheongsam, which during her era took on a life of its own due to a higher hemline and dramatic figure hugging lines. Known for her collection of beautiful Qipao, Zhou was a style leader for her time and this beautiful candle does more than honour her memory.
The oriental exoticism and romance that is Shanghai is captured here in dark wood and musk, with just a hint of Vanilla, Bergamot and Lemon in a rich, floral heart of Jasmine, Ylang Ylang and Rosewood. In other words: to die for.
Next on my list? The Dorothy Parker candle inspired by the heady days of 1920’s New York… divine.