Cire Trudon Joséphine Candle Review, an Ode to the First Empress of France

"The muffled light of dawn slips through the flower beds. 

A fine shadow sneaks among the roses, jasmine, camelias and irises. 

With her delicate green thumb, she awakens the dazzling fragrances of a garden with an imperial destiny."

Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie conquered the young commander Bonaparte's heart, right before his first Italian Campaign. Although she was known as Rose, Napoléon gave her the name "Joséphine". Joséphine was a socialite but a widow with two children and she was already six years ahead of him in life. This was why their marriage in 1796 was not received well by Napoléon's family and many others but this didn't stop him. They had a tempestuous marriage characterized by denial and affairs, as Napoléon once put it, with much love but no respect. As Napoléon was crowned as the first Emperor of France, she became his Empress. In need of an heir, they had to eventually divorce although she stayed in Empress of his heart.Right before Napoléon died during his Exile in Saint Helena island, his last words were: "France, l'armée, tête d'armée, Joséphine" ("France, army, head of the army, Joséphine").  

After purchasing Chateau de Malmaison in 1799, Joséphine took a personal interest in the gardens and the roses. She hired botanist, horticulturist as well as landscapers from United Kingdom and Scotland. She wanted to collect all the known roses which resulted in Bonaparte ordering his warship commanders search all seized vessels for plants to be forwarded to Malmaison. It is assumed that she had about 250 roses in her garden when she died in 1814.

Patroness of roses, Joséphine, is the muse behind traditional French candle house Cire Trudor's last scented candle creation. Here are my thoughts after spending a quality time with her in form of a candle.

Cire Trudon Joséphine Candle

Although I have given various luxury scented candles, such as ones from Diptyque and Jo Malone a try, from the very moment I opened the package of Cire Trudon, I was positively surprised by the quality, the luxury and the details it provides. Thick carton box was closed with golden seals on both ends. Inside the box there are detailed instructions to use and how to get the best out of the candle. The candle with is protected by styropor placed over it too. The logo, the glass, everything is pure luxury.

Maison de Trudor is notable as the oldest wax-producing factory worldwide and known by their special waxes which is made of soya and copra. The candle wicks are of pure cotton. The manufacturing process of candles are claimed to involve no heavy metals or pesticides and they are said to be entirely biodegradable. The glass is manufactured in Murano, the logo is a homage to the bees who work for the wax production.

Cire Trudon Joséphine Candle

The following notes are provided by company's website. I was surprised to see that these are given in the form of a scent pyramid. When I burn the candle, the olfactory experience is composed of various layers of the notes provided, happening more or less at once.

Top notes

Bergamot, Kaffir Lime, Spices
Heart notes 

Turkish Rose, Egyptian Jasmine, Chinese Camellia
Base notes 

Indonesian Sandalwood, White Musks, Iris

Cire Trudon Joséphine fills the room with its musky, floral and clean presence after a few minutes of being burned. It bears a certain freshness by the citrusy top notes and just a touch of faint spiciness. Her love for roses beats in the heart of the fragrance but not in a very distinct way. The roses are very much blended with the rest of the flowers to form a cyber garden in your living room. Close your eyes and enjoy the breeze as it takes the pleasant scent of newly washed clothes with it to your garden. It may appear a little soapy at times but fortunately not to the degree that you have to warn your servants to collect the laundry. All in all Joséphine is a lovely floral summer candle, which takes you to the gardens of Empress. It doesn't become heavy nor too dominant and fades away quite quickly afterwards. The quality of wax is supreme and can be seen by how homogeneous it wears away.

Cire Trudon Joséphine Candle

Final thoughts: From the glass to the outside packaging, from the candle wick to the wax, Maison de Cire Trudon presents pure luxury in a traditional form. Joséphine is their youngest creation which brings the gardens of the Empress to your living room in a fresh and clean way. A lovely candle for a summer evening.

Cire Trudon Joséphine sets you back 70€ ($105) and can be ordered online or at the stores listed here. To impress you even further, they also have wax busts. I am very tempted to order Napoleon to provide my Joséphine a company.

Have you tried the candles of Cire Trudon before?

Disclaimer: The product in this post was sent free of charge for my consideration.
I am not paid for this review. All opinions are honest and my own.