A Candle to Covet: Told London Dancing Light, Lake Como

I was recently invited to the Zoom launch of Told London’s latest candle, Dancing Light, Lake Como.  The launch was hosted by Thomas Dunckley, who interviewed founders Lillie and Chris Edgar, as well as perfumer Nic Mastenbroek. I’m a big fan of Nic’s Mum Ruth Mastenbroek, with whom he trained.

Founders Lillie and Chris are emphatically pro-sustainability.  This is perfectly executed in the stunning porcelain candle pot and heavy gilt lid. The porcelain is beautifully illustrated with lakeside vignettes in elaborate line drawings. In the words of Keats, “A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever”, and that’s what Lillie and Chris were looking to achieve, successfully, may I add.

The proof of the candle is in the throw. The cold throw (the scent of a candle not yet lit) is impressively floral and aquatic. The hot throw (warm throw?) has a stunning floral reach that fills a large room with high ceilings (this makes my end terrace living room sound grander than it is, but it’s an old house and they did high ceilings then).

Those of us who attended the launch were sent smelling strips and samples of the three main accords: aquatic, sandalwood and wisteria. Every separate sniff came alive and brought together a beautiful accord that is full of summery optimism and nature’s finest fare. When lit, the candle gives off a glorious lily, jasmine, wisteria bloom that makes you look around the room for an extravagant floral display, but there isn’t one, it’s all coming from this beautiful candle.

The inspiration came from Lillie and Chris’s home on the banks of Lake Como. Poor things, having to live there! Lillie spoke eloquently of how the light on the lake dances. The difference between lake water and sea water is captured with deep, dark green notes, like the reeds of sparking blue water among mountains. As a sporadic wild swimmer, lake water gets my senses tingling. There’s nothing like it.

I love a candle, but many are out of my budget, and I’ll confess, this one is too. However,  Dancing Light Lake Como is something really special and makes a perfect wedding or housewarming gift. After all, the beautiful gilt lidded china pot is truly collectable in its own right, and the fragrance of the candle when lit impressed me more than any other I had smelled, within and above this price bracket.  Luckily, Dancing Light Lake Como also comes in a smaller size, in equally beautifully packaging. I like it when brands do that.

Where to buy it

You can buy Told London Dancing Light Lake Como from the brand website. The large 300g candle that I reviewed is £70 and the smaller 80g is just £25. The 300g claims to have a 60 hours burn and it kept its promise.

Disclosure

I was invited to the Zoom launch and sent a 300g Dancing Light, Lake Como candle with a snuffer and wick snipper. No matter what I’m sent, opinions are always my own and cannot be bought.