Scents of magic
Stepping into Curionoir is an enchanting experience for the senses.
O ne of Tiffany Jeans’ first olfactory impressions was the lingering sweet scent of tobacco pipe smoke hanging on a summer’s night air after a high school social. When she commented to her classmates that she thought it was nice, they disagreed – but it stuck with Jeans and today it’s represented in one of her bestselling candles and perfumes, Tobacco Night. A warming, herbaceous, leathery musk, it’s a gorgeous scent for winter, particularly outside on windless nights.
Jeans has created a cult following for her beautiful handcrafted candles, which are now stocked by The House of Mayfair, London. A year ago she opened flagship store Curionoir on Ponsonby Rd, Auckland where her candles and fragrances are displayed in dark cabinetry made from sustainably-sourced walnut. The counter was carved by her cousin Randall Dennis, a Māori carver in Ngaruawahia. The heavy velvet curtains are dyed with vegetable dye, and a 70kg bronze dish sits on the counter. The mood is perfect for presenting her latest perfume, Pūrotu Rose, a spicy rose fragrance with wood and smoke undertones.
“When I launched our perfumery line I wanted to create a space where people could try them on in – the dream space really,” Jeans says. “Because of the hand-crafted nature that’s gone into our pieces I wanted a special space for people to really experience our products … when you walk in here the lights are dim and moody but also warming and calm so that you’re forced to use your nose as well. It’s not all about the visual aspect.”
There are seven candles in the Curionoir range. The newest to the collection is Diaphanous, inspired by true clarity. It has mandarin, saffron, sambac jasmine and narcissus absolute with cayenne pepper to add a bit of punch. Creating Diaphanous was an “emotional journey” for Jeans. “It’s taken me years to perfect and get right, to the point where I was really happy with it, and I think I felt at that stage in my life I had more clarity in my life as well,” she explains. “That’s why it’s in the clear glass.”
One of the reasons she used the ingredient narcissus absolute is that she’d read an article about healthy narcissism and had begun to feel like she’d “got to a place in her life where it was okay to say you’re a healthy narcissist... Even though there’s a negative connotation attached to narcissism I think this is a beautiful and positive and healthy attachment,” she says.
Because of the high percentage of parfum in all Curionoir candles they truly emit a powerful scent. “We use true parfum in all of our candles. And each scent is mixed in Grasse in France and then brought back here. And then I have a little team and we put everything together ourselves. So it’s a true work of love,” says Jeans.
Her friend and glass artist Matt Wall works every piece of Curionoir candle glass. “They’re blown into a wooden mould, in our own unique shape,” she says.
“The perfumery range is an extension from our candles: Five pocket parfums – Dark Bouquet, Tobacco Night, Diaphanous, Opia and Pūrotu Rose, which come in 50ml and cute 5ml pocket sizes.”
“The lights are dim and moody but also warming and calm... you’re forced to use your nose.”