I must say I sort of panicked last week when I realised I had finished all my scented candles. I’m not a full-blown candle addict, I often go weeks without burning any and it’s more of a nice bonus for me than a must. Especially in the spring and summer, there are better ways for scenting a room than candles. However, as this spring has been cold and unpleasant, I’ve really felt like lighting up quite often.

So when I suddenly found myself out of options, I quickly took myself to Senteurs d’Ailleurs, one of my favourite shops in Brussels, and smelled every candle on display. Somewhat surprisingly, I went with Cyrnos, the new offering from Cire Trudon. I have bought – and written about – their candles before, so it’s not unexpected that I would buy something from the brand. What is new, though, is that this is a candle that smells of lemons.

I find citrus smells pleasant enough, but it’s not something I tend to get excited about. When someone mentions gardenias or iris or leather, my ears will automatically pick up. When I hear the word ‘lemon’? Naaah. But Cyrnos has an exceptionally nice citrus fragrance – I find it somehow creamy, with nuances of herbs and wood. Sometimes, scents inspired by the Mediterranean can be quite harsh, all screechy lavender and dry thyme and sharp lemon rind. This is mellow and lovely, like sunshine in the late afternoon. It actually makes me think of summer, not spring.

I’m not denying that I may also have been influenced by the look of the candle: that yellow made me feel better long before I got the candle burning. The design and quality of Cire Trudaon is beautiful and for that price, it better be. As I usually find with Trudon, the throw is good, but soft: if you’re afraid of being overwhelmed by the scent, no worries with this one (unless your space is tiny). It has burned well so far, but I’ve only just started.

I’m going to enjoy using this candle very much and once it’s gone, I’m going to make all those repurposed Diptyque jars on Instagram look completely inferior.