Paris Shopping: A Stylish Taste of Provence at Rose et Marius

Arriving in Paris on a scent-laden Provençal breeze, the Aix-based luxury brand Rose et Marius reflect the romance – and the largesse – of France’s most evocative region with their glamorous line of scented candles, eau de toilette, soaps and home fragrances.

Whether you’ve been to Provence or not is beside the point, as founder Magali Fleurquin-Bonnard’s fragrant creations conjure the region for you: the scent of crushed herbs and lavender under your feet, the perfume of wild fennel and fig blossom, the limpid light of the south and the cool, intricately designed floor tiles of her grandparents’ 15th-centurybastide near the Côte d’Azur.

Riding the global fashion trend toward luxury, quality and eco-friendliness, Rose et Marius’s haute couture candles emphasise French savoir-faire. The brand’s 17 exclusive fragrances were developed in Grasse, the French perfume capital, and invoke a dream of Provence via such names as ‘wild walk at the Mediterranean seaside’ and ‘picking jasmine in a garden of orange blossoms’. These exclusive bougies are crafted from a sustainable mix of beeswax, mineral wax and rape blossom for the finest possible – and least toxic – diffusion.

The ‘vêtements make the candle’ and the centrepiece of the boutique is a wall of gorgeously decorated Limoges porcelain tumblers to accessorize your dreamy taper, each a riff on the colourful ceramic tiles which are popular in the south for their coolness on hot summer days.

Rendered in beautiful, feminine colours and tipped in genuine gold or platinum, the tumblers make an essential statement in any room of the house. The prices are on the higher side – €70 for non-metallic models, €100 for the ‘tipped’ versions – but they’re refillable, which is a nice touch, as other top French scented candles, such as Diptyque or Cire Trudon, can set you back €60 or more for a ‘single use’ version in a glass holder. You don’t have to limit yourself to a single fragrance, either – for €35 you can choose from a full-size, 60-hour refill or a twin pack of smaller ‘Discovery’ candles, which last 20 hours and come in two different perfumes, such as rose and lavender or rosé wine and fig tree.

The boutique’s beautiful boxed sets of candles or soaps will make the Provence-lover in your life very happy indeed.

10-12 rue de Charonne, Paris 11th. Tel: +33 9 51 28 48 19. www.roseetmarius.com

From France Today magazine