The most wonderful aspect of the L'Ambre candle by L'Artisan is its ability to create a festive atmosphere with a gentle relaxing touch. It is not the madness of the last minute holiday dinner preparation nor the mini crisis of a gift not purchased, but the vision of having a glass of mulled wine in front of a large fireplace. The warmth of amber, darkly powdery and vanillic is delectably underpinned by the balsamic accent of labdanum. The pine bark quality prevents L'Ambre from becoming overly sweet and gourmand, even though there are moments when I notice the scent of gingerbread wafting in the air.

As a winter fragrance, L'Ambre tops my list of favourite candles. It is one of the most potently scented L’Artisan room fragrances, and while I have purchased the large size in the past, a votive is just as satisfying. It should not be burned for longer than 20-30 minutes at a time, or else the result might a bit too heady.

L’Artisan candles never fail to please with their strong scent, amazing throw and a lack of soot. L'Ambre was one of my favourites not only for its lovely fragrance, but also for its appearance, sienna red wax in an elegant glass container. On a recent trip to a L’Artisan counter, I noticed that the colour has been altered, with the candle now produced in yellow rather than red, however I have not been able to observe any difference in the smell.

The large size (175g) is approximately $50, the smaller votives are $16.50. For buying information, see the listing for L'Artisan under Perfume Houses.