Hurlands by Burning Bright

I am so pleased to tell you all about my next venture with Burning Bright, creating unique signature natural fragrances.

In the coming months, I will be launching an exclusive range of products for Hurlands, the first dedicated padel and pickleball club in England. The range will be for use in and around the club; hand wash, body wash, moisturiser, reed diffusers; all with their unique signature scent, created by me. You will also be able to buy the products online and in the shop.

A little different to handmade candles, but the products still embody everything that Burning Bright stands for – firstly a 100% natural fragrance that I promise is nothing like you have ever smelt before, think green, herbal, fresh, designed to bring the outside in. All formulated with a naturally derived base with no SLS or parabens, in beautiful refillable bottles.

If you would like to know when these amazing products will be launched, then you can sign up to the waitlist here, for exclusive early access discounts.

So, how do I go from making little pinch pot candles to making hundreds of litres of products for a high-end health club?

Well….

Last Easter, I was at probably one of the quietest (read boring) markets I have ever taken part in (it was Easter Sunday – what was I thinking?) and I met a lovely lady called Laura and we got chatting about wedding favours, flowers, interiors and so much more. She bought an Abundance candle, and I remember it so well as she was wearing yellow and I thought it was just so fitting. We stayed in touch via Instagram (it has its perks) and chatted about running a small business, how we could work together and lots more.

Fast forward to July, I am on holiday in France, working a little bit here and there, as is are the joys of running on your own business. I was busy planning pop ups, shop drops, sample sales and all sorts of other things, when I get a message from Laura.  

‘Lucinda, I have an interesting opportunity for you, give me a ring’.

And that was it. Laura knew I made my own fragrances for my candles and saw beyond the little pinch pot candles and thought why can’t this be transferred into every other type of product? I was of the same thinking and to be honest, potentially a little naïve but we all need that as otherwise we would never take that leap.

Upon my return I put together a pitch for Laura to give to the CEO of the new club, and I knew I needed to go all out. How else do you convince someone that you can go from making a candle to a full range of exclusive products?

So, I sourced some beautiful bottles, added their logo and branding, and decided to go ahead and make a beautiful scent, just as a little taster as to what I can do - and the made it into a handwash and moisturiser by buying some natural bases. I put this all together in a beautifully branded crate (of course I didn’t take a picture of this which I may forever regret) and gave it to Laura to pass onto the CEO.

And then I waited. And of course, got swept up in a million other things I was doing for Burning Bright at that time, and to some degree parked it, hoping if it was meant to be it would happen. Then I got the call…they loved it. But how much does this cost, realistically? So off I went, researching and emailing and ringing and found a factory that 1. Had an actual phone number on their website so you could call someone and 2. Rang you back when the person you needed wasn’t there. 3. Their values wholly aligned with yours – they specialised in producing natural products. And after a week of suddenly having to become an expert in wholesale formulas and products, I put forward a cost, which hurrah, worked for everyone.

Then came months of research into formula combinations (my initial formula needed tweaking to meet guidelines) bottle design, label design and finally the soft launch of Hurlands, at the end of January. As the final fragrance is still in testing (it takes 3 months to test a water-based product) I made scent stones with the Hurlands brand to hand out so everyone could have a sniff of the signature fragrance that would be launching, which went down a storm.

In the background Burning Bright candles are going from strength to strength, with 6000 candles sold last year and the goal this year to double that, it has been somewhat a little chaotic keeping everything afloat. But why I started all of this was because I endlessly wanted to create and be creative. I absolutely love making things, real physical things that I make because I love. I have always made things not because I think they are trendy or will sell well – but because they have real meaning. Making bespoke fragrances is part of that creativity and being able to do that for brands is so special. Not only does natural fragrance reach even more people, but you also get to create something with true depth and meaning for someone and really add to someone’s experience, in this instance at a beautifully put together health club.

I don’t really believe in luck, I believe in what my boyfriend so eloquently puts as ‘hard work and preparation meeting opportunity’. I really think if you just keep showing up, good things will happen. Of course, you need a good product and need to work insanely hard, but the more you put yourself out there, at times out of your comfort zone, good things will happen, you just must be open to it.

So here is to the next chapter of Burning Bright and you will be happy to know I am already lining up my next bespoke commission! I think I might possibly hate the word ‘manifestation’ – the thought of chatting shit that isn’t real and it suddenly happening is ridiculous to me. BUT I did write down some goals this year and one was to have two more bespoke collaborations….and precisely 3 days later I got a message.

Last note I promise. I just want to say whole heartedly thank you to Laura, (whose gorgeous florist/interior/wedding styling business you can find here) who presented me with such an insane opportunity, saw beyond the little candles and is the most creatively ambitious person which I just adore. I can’t wait for so many more projects together.