Skip to main content

Scented Scandals with Filthy Velvet



"Meet me at the tennis courts by The Ramore" It wasn't long into our afternoon together that Karen, one half of Northern Ireland's newest candlemakers Filthy Velvet, laughed about the dodgy nature of our first meeting. It's not often that I'm asked to meet a stranger down a back street (albeit a very busy one near my favourite Portrush attraction) to then be led through stepped alleys and lanes back to their house! It's all a bit... Naughty. It's a good thing then that being a bit naughty is all par for the course for Karen who spends her days making and marketing her "Scandles".
With names such as Filthy Shades Of Grey, Sext Me, Me So Thorny and scents including Leather, Irish Black Stout & Apple Pie these Scandalous Candles have been giving giggles to everyone I've heard talking about them. "Oh I want VPL!" Said no-one ever before their Vanilla, Peach, Lavender creation came into being.  

It's fairly brilliant. 



We had a lovely afternoon discussing scents and textures Filthy Velvets are so incredibly creamy they could be mistaken for a stiff body butter if it wasn't for the wick, the Filthy Bits wax melts are even more so. The scents, made using imported essence oils, are also varied and intense, no two are the same and they range from floral to cakey to spicy to even musky! And then you have the Leather and the Stout as I've mentioned already. Definitely unique. 

Karen's background in Interior Design and her sideline in Aromatherapy massage has clearly given her the right skills to create and partner Jeremy, the scientist, has developed the perfect formula to get an impressive 40 hour burn with minimal smoking and zero tunnelling. 

Going through the 14 candles I was definitely drawn to the sweet scents which is not surprising at all. I was instantly drawn to VPL & Me So Thorny due to my obsession with Lavender & Rose. (One day I'll tell you of the days I used to call myself Lavender Rose Moon... Maybe) Needless to say they are very dear smells to me. Black Stout is a marmite candle. It splits opinion with a strong coffee smell and the dark almost chocolatey goodness you get from that well known Irish Stout brand we're not really allowed to mention...
The surprise hit however was Posh Tart. It's not just an Apple Pie, it's the best Apple Pie you've ever tasted. It's your granny, marks & spencer and your local bakery all rolled into one. Karen kindly let me leave with this one and it will be getting saved for best. 



Not forgetting that this is a family affair I was also introduced to the Filthy Hound, the face of the brand to those familiar with the website, who is just the cutest wee mascot I've seen in a while. A hefty portion of our afternoon was spent getting cuddles & sneaky snapchats with the wee man. Well you do have treat celebrities special, don't you?

There are big plans for Filthy Velvets but for now you can purchase them at Studio Souk in Belfast, online directly from www.FilthyVelvet.com and at various fairs across NI (and soon mainland UK). These are one to watch having been featured on Ch4's Gogglebox and spotted by business talent scouts. If you're the kind of person that likes to say you got there first, now is your time!


Comments

  1. Fab post! Can't wait to get a sniff at these candles!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh this post is brilliant Bex - so funny! I too met Karen 'at the tennis courts' lol! Enjoy your Scandle - that was a great pick x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awk Avril thank you!! It was a very good meeting place tbf lol loved your post too your holiday looked so much fun! xXx

      Delete
  3. Such a fab post. I really like the idea of this brand doing something totally unique x

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Am I Disabled?

This article has been going through my head quite a lot recently and I’m feeling a little self indulgent so bear with me. As a kid I was on the special needs list throughout school and given a classroom assistant to help with my tracheostomy care. I was considered disabled enough to warrant disability benefits right up until I turned 18 when they decided that I wasn’t mentally incapacitated enough and too independent. A panel of bureaucrats sat across the table and said “we can see you are but there’s nothing we can do.” I didn’t tick the right boxes. I’ve worked since I was old enough and supported myself as much as I could and excluding a few short absences from work I have been successful in that. Until now. Now I can’t support myself. I struggle with self care. I’ve had to give up my home and I’ve lost my independence. I’m back to getting surgery’s every 6-8 weeks. They were usually just day cases but the last few have been fairly severe with extended stays (I get to have ano

Faeriwood Eats: Six By Nico Belfast Review

Nico, surveying his diners Six By Nico . A new concept restaurant for Belfast, and a welcome addition to the cathedral quarter, brought to us from Edinburgh and Glasgow.  6 courses rotating every 6 weeks for only 28.00 and you’re going to want to keep up with them because once they’re gone, they’re gone. With themes such as Vietnamese street food and Parisien cuisine, even a Disney theme being featured in their past menus I am looking forward to seeing what Nico and his team will come up with for Belfast. From talking to them though I found out that their first 3 menus will be inspired by Northern Ireland itself and with some of the best produce in the world and one of the most interesting cultures and histories that will be something to see!  First up is their debut menu, inspired by the humble chip shop, The Chippie menu takes the old standards and modernises them to levels you may be more used to seeing in Michelin level restaurants but with a very un-Michelin price poi

The Ordinary by The Abnormal Beauty Company (or how I dipped my toe in to Deciem)

  The Ordinary by the Abnormal Beauty Company ; If you haven't heard about this cult brand yet then you might not know they are hot shit right now and with their parent company, Deciem , being bought up by Estée Lauder they're only going to get bigger.   The internet has been a buzz for months now with beauty gurus far and wide raving about these high end products for low end prices. I couldn't believe it myself when I saw that there wasn't a product in the range that cost more than 8.00 quid!  So I joined the cult. I have to say that I was really impressed by the counter staff in House Of Fraser Belfast , they were friendly, knowledgeable and able to point me in the direction of the products I needed with just a short chat about my skin. I bought the Hyaluronic Acid 2% and the Niacinimide 10% Serums. If you have no idea what these mean then basically the Hyaluronic is for hydration and, whilst The Ordinary say that Niacinimide combats blemishes, I would actua