I absolutely adore the aroma of lavender, particularly as its calming properties help me to relax and de-stress. In addition, I'm a huge fan of burning scented candles and use them regularly in my home to create a comforting ambience. Consequently, I'm in my element when I find a lavender scented candle although it has to deliver an authentic aroma, which is something that many brands fail to achieve. During the early part of this year I was delighted to discover that the American company Yankee Candle produce French Lavender and I made a purchase of one of their 22g fluted circular tarts and this review discusses my thoughts.

I've spent an absolute fortune on Yankee Candle products over the years as I find the brand of an exceptionally high quality and it is very rare that they fail to deliver. French Lavender offers a striking lilac coloured wax with the supporting colourful label creating the illusion of sheer tranquillity and relaxation with its display of a field packed full of lavender plants in full bloom. As the tart was tightly wrapped in transparent packaging I was initially only able to detect a delicate lavender aroma. However, on removing the packaging I was bitterly disappointed as I could barely detect the lavender scent with the tart offering more of a crayon type smell. I noticed that the Yankee Candle Co logo was embossed onto the wax, which is something I cannot admit to having noticed with any of the other fragrances that I've purchased.

I always gently break all of my Yankee Candle tarts into two or three pieces and retain them for a later use, particularly as my burner is too small to house the entire tart. I previously had a stunning china oil burner, which got dropped onto the floor, so since March I have been using one displaying a smiley snowman! The wax begins to form a small pool within only a few minutes of being placed above a lit tea light and instead of experiencing the most enchanting and relaxing lavender aroma that I had initially hoped, I was met with a rather weird smell that reminded me of crayons with barely a hint of lavender. The soothing scent of authentic lavender always transports me back to my childhood where I have vivid memories of squeezing lavender flower heads to release the natural oils; a habit that I still have today! However, as far as I am concerned, French Lavender miserably failed to deliver.

I tend to burn my candles and tarts for periods of up to 2 - 3 hours and my experience with Yankee Candle is that each of the 22g tarts will scent a room for up to eight hours without losing any of the strength. Unfortunately, the scent permeated the downstairs of my home rather rapidly and I cannot admit to being impressed, particularly as the aroma was still evident several hours later. Consequently, I found myself disposing of the remaining tart pieces. I had considered experimenting in burning them with other fragrances, but I decided against it, as I didn't want any further waste. I generally find Yankee Candles to be very authentic with their aromas, but this was a real disappointment and as a result, I cannot recommend and will not be purchasing again. French Lavender can be purchased in a variety of formats such as a votive and various size glass jars with the tart retailing at around £1.20.

I hope you found my review useful and thanks for reading.