Unwinding in candlelight
Originally uploaded by lools.
I frequently find myself turning off the lights at home in the evenings and turning on the candles I have in every room. I immediately feel uplifted a few notches and transported far away from all the urban stress that Manhattan generates in me all day. I love the calming and soothing effect of candlelight and amazed at the tenderness it always evokes.
This is the season for giving and if your friends live in tiny apartments like mine, candles could be the perfect gift that they'd appreciate. Candles come in all shapes, sizes and special secnts these days so you'll have no shortage of options. I especially enjoy the aromatherapy scents that are wonderfully relaxing. I picked up a Eucalyptus-scented candle jar from Bath & Body Works that I just adore. The Body Shop has a cranberry scent that is pretty potent if you're in the mood to be overpowered. You should also check out Illuminations for a terrific variety of gifts that you can buy online.
posted by lulu at 7:35 PM
4 Comments:
yes,it is indeed very soothing.it is a good destresser.also,it has a romantic appeal.'dinner by candlenight'.and if different aroma options are available,that is icing on the cake.
i would love to be gifted with some of these candles,particularly the eucalyptus.and is their sandalwood too? don't forget to add to your shopping cart,lulu.the countdown has already started.
ok now i know what to give you when we meet next :) anyway, candles and pottery are my favourite gifts. i've made several candle and tea light holders for friends' house warmings.
btw, try out mandarin, it's delectable. apart from candles, i also buy tons of aromatherapy oils that i use during relaxing hot baths and tea light holders.
lulu, have to say it again, we share so many things in common that it's amazing, i guess that is why, even though, we have never been close pals, we always kept in touch.
and uncle, tell me something why do all south indians dig sandalwood? my mom-in-law (she is a konkani) is crazy about that fragrance and recently begged us to get her some mysore sandalwood soap for her. do they make it anymore?
I agree with Rumy on South Indians' fascination with sandalwood. What's up with that? I'm sure there's an interesting reason here..
I have to say that I did not like this scent at all growing up. I'll never forget how strongly the sandalwood scent hit me every time I opened my grandma's cupboard in Madurai. I loved hunting through her cupboard for treasured gifts from America and England like soaps, perfumes, powders etc that she had collected over the years but I did it while pinching my nose to keep the sandalwood scent away!
In fact, I positively disliked it just like I disliked brinjal! I've warmed up to brinjal over the years and use "eggplant" quite often in my cooking but I haven't been able to overcome my childhood memories and cozy up with sandalwood ;)
i must first answer rumy's poser on the si connection with sandalwood.it is an interesting observation which set me thinking.
firstly,i think,sandalwood trees grow mostly in south india particularly in the karnataka-tamilnadu region.veerappan made a fortune and many politicians shared the booty.
secondly,the mysore sandal soap factory was set up in bangalore, and mss became a household name throughout the south.it is soft on the skin,works up a reasonably good lather and has a great fragrance and one that lasts for a long long time.
in my grandmother's place which is a village 100 miles from chennai,the only soap used was mysore sandal.the soap has a nice elliptical shape,not too long or wide and easy on the grip.after competition set in,it lost a lot of its lustre but has now regained it with some aggressive marketing.there have been numerous me-toos but none has caught the imagination of the people more than mss.it is still being manufactured in bangalore in the karnataka soaps and detergents factory in yeshwantpur/rajajinagar.there are many families in malleshwaram and basavangudi who still swear by this soap.and sandalwood paste freshly prepared is an offering to the lord during worship and de rigouer in most south indian poojas.sandalwood has antiseptic and antifungal properties.welcoming vips with sandalwood garlands is very common in karnataka.
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