Recently, I was invited to an event at the new Farringdon & Forbes store in Birmingham to discover their luxury range of candles. A few weeks before the event, I got wind of Farringdon & Forbes from my lovely blogger pal Steph from Priceless Life of Mine, who couldn't stop raving about the brand after
The brand have just opened a store in Resorts World, Birmingham, somewhere that I didn't even know existed before the event! Resorts World is kind of an outlet-style shopping centre, located by Birmingham International Airport and the NEC, with eateries, a cinema, casino and even a hotel and spa! After a little trouble finding the store, we arrived and were warmly greeted by the owner of Farringdon & Forbes, Jules Cardozo-Marsh.
It was the hottest day of the year so far, so there were more than smiles on our faces when we were handed an ice-cold glass of prosecco from Bottega Prosecco Bar, and we were soon greedily eyeing up the impressive array of canapes sourced from Andy Walters restaurant. Spoiler alert: the goat's cheese & beetroot was bae...
Jules kindly gave us a tour of the store, which is incredibly bright, airy given the small square footage. They really have made the most of the space and given it a unique look with shabby chic furniture (which you can actually purchase!). One of the talking points was the flower wall, which myself and Steph were keen to get a picture by, right before I almost kicked over a candle lantern... This one is aptly named the Kim K. for its lavishness, and can even be hired for weddings/special events, a real showstopper!
As well as candles, Farringdon & Forbes also stocks an extensive range of hand-picked gifts, including candle accessories, homewares, jewellery and cards. I particularly had my eye on the heart-shaped hanging ornaments, and the burnished silver birdcage tealight holder. I love the fact that it isn't just candles, and it makes the store a one-stop shop for buying presents.
And that brings us on to the main event, the candles. All the candles are made from natural soy wax, and hand-poured in Warwickshire. Scents are rotated seasonally, so bad news if you fall in love with a scent, but what this does allow is the chance to discover new scents. The range currently includes a luxurious concoction of Jasmine & Honeysuckle, Red Roses, Damask Rose & Oud, and the prices are fab, ranging from around £10 for a jar candle, to £25 for a larger 3-wick candle. The brand also tries to be as sustainable as possible, and you can even recycle your empty glass jars at the store to get 10% off your next purchase!
We got a preview of some of the new fragrances whilst at the event, which are Fresh Fig & Green Apple, Pomegranate & White Fig and Lime, Basil & Mandarin. I was particularly smitten with the Fresh Fig & Green Apple, as well as one of the floral candles in the sale. The candle that I was kindly gifted was the Damask Rose & Oud. The powdery fragrance isn't quite my cup of tea as I find it quite sickly, and I much prefer the fresher Red Roses scent. I think scent is so personal, so it's a bit risky when you don't have a choice of fragrance. Despite this, the fragrance is nice and strong, which is rare for a soy wax candle, and it burns down really evenly.
Overall, I love the concept of the brand, the price point, the quality and the decor of the store, but there were a few small touches that let the side down. A couple of things in the store didn't quite fit - the typed labels for example, didn't continue with the luxury feel, maybe something along the lines of calligraphy or even a price list on the wall would work better. Also, the candles were missing a label indicating the scent, an issue when it came to the sale table, and also for gifting if the recipient wanted to repurchase the scent. As a new brand, everything is a learning curve, but I think Farringdon & Forbes has a lot of potential and is definitely one to watch! I also vlogged the event, which you can watch below:
What's your current favourite candle?
Thanks to Farringdon & Forbes for inviting me to the event!
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