Rigaud Cyprès Candles

Rigaud's Cyprès scent is built around wood and aromatics. Lavender and bergamot sit on top, scots pine and hyacinth in the middle, and cedar and oakmoss underneath. Rigaud describes it as a blend of the aromatic sweetness of lavender, the crisp notes of pine, and the depth of cedar.

Rigaud Cyprès candles come in three sizes here, and we carry all three: the single-wick Mini, the larger single-wick Standard, and the three-wick Prestige. To choose, match the number of wicks to the size of the room. The Mini suits a powder room, a bedside table, or a small entry, the Standard is the everyday size for a living room or a bedroom, and the three-wick Prestige is the one to reach for in a large open-plan room, or where you want the scent to carry further. Rigaud also makes a Demi size between the Mini and the Standard, which we do not currently carry in Cyprès.

A Cyprès candle costs more than an ordinary scented candle because of its fragrance strength and its finish. Rigaud is a French house whose candles are known for a high fragrance load and a deep green wax poured into a glass finished with a silver lid. That is the gap between a Rigaud and an ordinary scented candle on our candle shelf.

To care for a Rigaud candle so it burns well, trim the wick before each lighting and keep it centered in the glass. Let the top layer of wax liquefy fully across the surface each time you burn it, which helps the candle burn down evenly. Keeping the wick trimmed and centered also keeps one side of the glass from overheating.

The silver lid on the Cyprès candle is its cover, and it doubles as a way to put the flame out by setting it back over the glass. Every Cyprès size we carry ships with one. It also keeps dust off the wax between burns.

The Picasso edition differs from the standard Cyprès candle in size, presentation, and scent options. It is a three-wick 850g candle in mouth-blown glass printed with a Picasso work, against the standard Cyprès in plain glass. Only the Femme Assise edition carries the Cyprès scent, so check the artwork against the fragrance before buying: Femme aux Cheveux Jaunes is Gardénia and Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe is Reine de la Nuit.

Cyprès makes a good gift because it reads woody and clean rather than sweet or floral, which suits a wide range of tastes. It also presents well, with deep green wax under a silver lid. If you are choosing between sizes for a gift, the Mini is an easy introduction to the scent and the Standard is the everyday size.

You can buy Rigaud candles in person at our store at 1304 Madison Avenue, at 92nd Street, open Monday through Saturday and Sunday afternoons. We have carried Cyprès for generations, and if you are on the Upper East Side we deliver the same day. We ship the rest of the country as well.