Pure Senses Blog - Raves and Rants About Home Fragrances

Operation Smile, the first beneficiary of Pure Senses’ Inaugural Series of Charity Candles

Wan Pin — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 16:42:54 +0000

Even blind babies are able to smile.

Yes, we are born with the ability to smile. It is not something that we copy or imitate. Yet smiling is something that we do so naturally that we take it for granted.

Approximately one in every 500 babies in Asia is born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate. These children are faced with challenges many of us cannot ever imagine. Many have difficulty drinking, eating, speaking or even smiling and in some parts of the world, they are hidden away, kept from socializing, even attending school.

Without reconstructive surgery, many of them suffer from malnutrition, medical and psychological problems.

The Singapore chapter of Operation Smile sets out to create smiles for these children throughout Asia. In as little as 45 minutes, and for as little as S$360, one cleft lip surgery can change a child’s life forever. However, children from low income families might not receive this life-changing surgery. Operation Smile Singapore provides free surgeries to repair such facial deformities for children throughout Asia.

We have chosen Operation Smile Singapore to be the beneficiary of this inaugural series of charity candles. With each charity candle that you buy, S$3 will be donated to Operation Smile Singapore.

Together, we can create smiles, change lives and heal humanity. Watch this space to find out how you can buy these candles so that you too, can make a difference to bringing back a smile to a child’s heart.

The Birthday Parade by Mariann Johansen Ellis Chosen as Featured Art for Pure Senses’ Inaugural Series of Charity Candles

Logan Wong — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:41:31 +0000

Wan Pin and I have chosen The Birthday Parade by Mariann Johansen-Ellis as the featured art on our inaugural series of charity candles. Mariann has so many beautiful art pieces that it actually is a challenge to pick one as the featured art for our charity candles.

The Birthday Parade depicts four friends, each on a unicycle, on their way to a birthday party. We didn’t know this initially but there is actually a name for each etching. The etching with the Tiger carrying a birthday cake is Celebrations, the Panda with a chirping bird on its arm is A Song for you, the Giraffe with a cute teddy bear in its hand is A Friend for you, and lastly, the Elephant holding a present is The Gift.

The Birthday Parade is timeless and has some sort of a vintage feel, and I can already imagine how lovely these happy animals will look on the charity candles.

2 Simple Ways to Get the Best Out of Your Candle (Part 2 of 2)

Wan Pin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:27:50 +0000

Besides the burn time, the wick is really important to getting a candle to burn clean and well.

Of course, the quality of the candles from Yankee Candle and Price’s are very good to begin with, with continuous tests to ensure that the candles burn cleanly, with minimal soot.

But maintaining the wick trimmed to 0.3 cm all the time ensures a good, clean burn from the candle throughout its life span.

Sometimes, when I neglect my candle a bit, the candle wick sometimes become mushroom-shaped (like enoki mushrooms, haha). This happens when the candle is consuming wax more quickly than the flame can burn completely. So an easy, instant fix will be to blow out the flame, trim off the wick and carbon deposit and relight. Just be careful not to let the wick trimmings or other stuff fall into the wax pool. And voila, your candle is set to go again!

Now, have YOU been burning your candles the right way?

Price’s Ecological Lantern Chosen as Pure Senses’ Inaugural Series of Charity Candles

Logan Wong — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:29:02 +0000

We have decided on Price’s Ecological Lantern as the candle form for our inaugural series of charity candles. The ecological lantern is an international patent of Price’s Candles and it is made of layers of biodegradable materials.

There are a number of reasons why we picked the ecological lantern as the candle form. First, we thought the effect of printing on the special paper used to manufacture Price’s lanterns will do justice to Mariann’s original print. Second, what’s unique about Price’s lanterns is the entire container lights up when the candle is lit, accentuating Mariann’s lovely artwork. Last, but not least, the minimum order quantity of 5,000 pieces per design is a lot more manageable (as compared to a minimum order quantity of 120,000 pieces per design for travel tins).

The candles are also scented, and we picked four fragrances from Price’s Fragrance Range. They are (1)Garden Lavender (2)Sweet Vanilla (3)Tea Rose and (4)Winter Jasmine.

Each candle burns for 40 hours. The retail price of the charity candle will be S$11.90, same price as the candle lantern from Price’s Fragrance Range.

Mariann Johansen-Ellis the Featured Artist for Pure Senses’ Inaugural Series of Charity Candles

Logan Wong — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 04:07:21 +0000

Today when I opened the mailbox, I was delighted to find the agreement with Mariann signed and mailed back to us. Ms. Mariann Johansen-Ellis is a Danish artist based in Singapore. I first came across her work when I was making a delivery to Scandic Wonders at Tanglin Mall, one of our trade customers.

I saw this small, squarish painting on canvas of this happy elephant flying an airplane across a clear blue sky. It puts a smile on my face instantly. When we came up with the idea of Light up a heART, and we were talking about working with artists whose art expresses joy, happiness and celebration of life, that happy elephant came to my mind.

Through Scandic Wonders’ website, I managed to find Mariann’s website and when I clicked on About The Artist, the first paragraph is:

“Did I make you smile?
Did I make you look twice, discovering something new?
… as an artist, a goal as simple
as that, is what I strive for…

That was enough for me to pick up the phone and call her. When I introduced myself as a candle supplier, she thought I was trying to peddle scented candles to her. I think this is something we both will have a good laugh over in many years to come. We then had a few email exchanges before Wan Pin, Min Yi and I met up with her at her lovely studio, where the three of us behaved like kids in a candy store. It was in that meeting she agreed to be the featured artist for our inaugural series of charity candles.

2 Simple Ways to Get the Best Out of Your Candle (Part 1 of 2)

Wan Pin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:38:14 +0000

How do you get the best out of your candle? Is there a ‘right’ way to burn a candle?

Definitely!

The essential basic ‘technique’ to burning a candle, is BURN TIME, especially in the first burn. You should burn the candle until the wax is liquefied from edge to edge of the jar. If you extinguish it before that, it will create a ‘memory ring’ and will continue to burn that way for the life of the candle.

More importantly, the larger the wax pool, the more fragrance is produced à maximum fragrancing!

A rule of thumb should be to burn the candle 1 hour for every 2.5 cm in diameter of the candle size.

Now, why didn’t someone tell me this earlier?

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Leave Home Without A Price’s Travel Candle

Wan Pin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:35:31 +0000

Why would anyone want to bring a candle along when they travel overseas? As if I don’t have enough toiletries to pack, and the last thing I’d want to do is to burn my hotel down!

Well, our customers have taught us creative and practical uses for our Price’s Fresh Air Travel Candles, so read on!

1. Rid the Bad Smell
If you’re stuck in a hotel room with a murky stink or tobacco smell, these odour-eliminating candles will save the day! The Anti Tobacco (extracts of orange, clove) or Housekeeper (extracts of beeswax, mandarin, lemon) Travel Candle will definitely give your room a fresh lift.

2. Fight Jetlag
What could be more uplifting and invigorating than grapefruit and peppermint? Try lighting a Globe Trotter Travel Candle the next time jetlag creeps in.

3. Create Ambiance
Though the name doesn’t suggest anything remotely romantic, but extracts of lily, violet and orange flower in the Open Window Travel Candle will definitely set the mood for a relaxing, alluring evening.

4. Curb Home-Sickness
Recreate the familiar scent of home with the Lullaby Travel Candle (camomile & lime tree). A candle brings warmth to even the most sterile hotel room.

5. Reuse the Tin
Play your part to be kind to Mother Earth by reusing the tin for your knick-knacks and trinkets.

I’m convinced. Now it’s just to ensure that I keep my travel candles away from flammable materials and blow them out before sleep.

Can you think of any more uses of these handy tin candles?

Why We Love LAVENDER

Wan Pin — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 10:22:09 +0000

Our customers LOVE lavender. They would buy any lavender-based fragrance so their homes can smell like a spa.

What’s so great about lavender? Let’s see…

The Merriam-Webster dictionary states:

Main Entry: lav·en·der

Pronunciation: \ˈla-vən-dər\

Etymology: Middle English lavendre, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin lavandula

Date: 13th century

a Mediterranean mint (Lavandula angustifolia syn. L. officinalis) widely cultivated for its narrow aromatic leaves and spikes of lilac-purple flowers which are dried and used in sachets and from which is extracted an aromatic oil used chiefly in perfumery

Uses of lavender are aplenty: aromatic, medicinal, cleansing, and even flavouring your dishes!

Lavender essential oil is the mother of all oils, a caring nurturing oil that has many uses. Of all the oils, this is the most versatile and essential in a first aid kit. It is useful for treating nervous disorders including depression, migraines and insomnia. Its antiseptic properties make it ideal for treating coughs, colds, flu as well as burns and ulcers. Lavender encourages compassion, emotional balance, comfort and security. (I like this!)

It’s no wonder then, that lavender is so popular. Check out the lavender-based products we have:

Yankee Candle

-        Lemon Lavender (Housewarmer)

-        Lavender Vanilla (Housewarmer)

-        Lavender, Geranium, Ylang-Ylang (Aromatherapy Spa)

Price’s Candles

-        White Lavender & Camomile (Luxury Medium Glass Jar)

Pure Senses’ CSR Project – Light up a heART

Logan Wong — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:07:56 +0000

I am happy to announce that our company’s CSR project has just been created in July 2010 out of the possibility of joy, abundance and making a difference in the world. Through this project, Pure Senses Pte Ltd will raise funds for various charitable and non-profit organizations by manufacturing and selling series of charity candles designed by artists whose art expresses joy and celebrates life.

The process of naming the project was rather fun and we came up with lots of different ideas, many of which we had a good laugh about. Noteworthy ones include Burn A Smile, which conjures up an image of children burning in flames, and Joy on Wax, which sounded rather kinky. Wan Pin eventually came up with the name Light up a heART and we both thought it sounded great. (Not to belabour the point but heART is spelt in CAPS since part of the expression of this project is through art. Anyway…)

This project really came out of a broader conversation Wan Pin and I had about where we see our business going. As we started to create the future for our business, the notion of having a business that contributes back to society kept showing up. This isn’t really unique to us because I believe all human beings, when free of constraints in life, would love to contribute to other people. However the way we talked about “giving back” lives inside of a someday conversation. Let’s do this someday when our business is stable; let’s do this someday when we make lots of money; let’s do this someday when our company is bigger and stronger. We know that if we continue to relate to this as a someday to-do, predictably it will not happen.

When we gave up this someday conversation, what showed up for us was the possibility of doing this now. And as we started to entertain the thought of doing it now, resources started to show up for us. We are the sole distributor for such fine candle makers as Yankee Candle and Price’s Candles, who are more than happy to customize products for us. We already have channels to sell these charity candles since our customers include such fine stores as Robinsons, Scandic Wonder, Takashimaya, Tangs and The American Club. Hence we decided we are going to work with various artists, both established and emerging, to create different series of charity candles, to support multiple charitable and non-profit organizations.

We are in the midst of formalizing our partnership with the artist for our inaugural series of charity candles and I am really excited to have her art featured on our inaugural series because her art puts a smile on my face every time. I’m sure you will feel the same. Once I receive the signed agreement, I will be able to announce who she is.

Aromatherapy Spa A Surprise Winner

Wan Pin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:08:00 +0000

Every time I thought I have developed a sharper judgement on what sells, something shows up that humbles me.

When I first received the samples of the Aromatherapy Spa collection by Yankee Candle, I didn’t think much of it. First it’s the packaging. The tumbler doesn’t look as distinctive as the signature Housewarmer jar; it isn’t as cool as the Beanswax jar; and it doesn’t look as luxurious as the World Journeys’ tumbler.

Second, the names are boring: Cinnamon & Frankincense, Lavender, Ylang Ylang & Geranium, Shea Butter & Cedarwood, Chamomile & Honey, Sea Salt & Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Basil & Rosemary, Tangerine & Vanilla, and Sage & White Tea blah blah blah. I thought Yankee Candle lost their creativity and sense of humor. How come they don’t have cool names like Midsummer’s Night, Island Spa, Honeydew You Love Me or Spice Spice Baby?

The only consolation was the Aromatherapy Spa fragrances at least smelt real good. But I still wasn’t expecting the collection to do well since I assumed customers would pick the Housewarmer jar candles or the Beanswax soy candles over the Aromatherapy Spa candles. At S$39.90, the Aromatherapy Spa tumbler candle is twice the price of the Housewarmer small jar candle and Beanswax travel tin, both priced at S$19.90 each. I thought the price would be a deterrent.

Boy was I wrong! When we put them on the shelves, they just flew. Within a week, they were all sold out.

Of course, now it’s easy for me to “analyze” why Aromatherapy Spa is so well-received. The candles are made with pure essential oils and hence are perceived as premium products. The 8 fragrances come under 4 categories – Relax, Stress Relief, Invigorate and True Bliss. So it’s very “solution-oriented”.

In addition to the candles in regular tumbler, which flew off the shelf, we also brought in room sprays (S$19.90), reed diffusers (S$59.90), sampler votives (3 for $11.90), 3×4 inch pillars (S$29.90), and 3×6 inch pillars (S$31.90).

The Aromatherapy Spa collection by Yankee Candle is available at Tangs Orchard, Tangs Vivo City, Robinsons Centrepoint, Robinsons Raffles City and Takashimaya Department Store.