In partnership with Flamingo Estate. Editor’s Note: We only select and work with partners that meet our quality standards, so you can rest assured we only endorse products we believe in.
The landscape of direct-to-consumer products claiming to be organic and honoring the land may be just as thorny as the farms themselves. From natural orange wines to food-grade skincare, brands have clamored to conquer this niche of earthy luxury—but none has done so quite as successfully as Flamingo Estate, a California-based brand devoted to honoring the pleasures of Mother Nature.
Perhaps where Flamingo Estate diverges most significantly from the other natural producers—and captured my interest—is in its intoxicating focus on captivating the senses. Its founding philosophy establishes that there’s nothing more indulgent or pleasurable than simplifying your home, kitchen, and beauty products by tapping into the transformative power of using the highest possible standards in sourcing ingredients.
The brand produces an array of olive oils, pantry snacks, candles, soaps, hand creams, (stunning) cookbooks, and more. Flamingo Estate even releases fresh goods like florals and fresh produce farm boxes for those living in the Los Angeles area, supported by community farmers. Of course, each item is ethically made from lush, slow-grown ingredients or harvested in the wild—like salt from Big Sur and tarragon from Oregon. You can pick one category to upgrade first, like relishing the spa-like Peppermint Soap Brick with every lather, or gradually commit to transforming your entire ecosystem to FE products (like I’ve started to.)
I cook with the Heritage Extra Virgin Olive Oil (made by a fourth-generation California farmer sourcing from centuries-old trees) using a recipe from the Fridays from the Garden book displayed proudly on my coffee table—instead of on my pantry shelf with a stack of cookbooks I never touch. It’s beautiful enough that I want to leave it out for guests to rifle through. I light a Roma Heirloom Tomato Candle that inspires me to unwind in the evenings and romanticize the ritual of a leisurely meal under dimming light, even though I’m making microwave noodles rather than the Mediterranean risotto of my candle-sparked daydreams. With winter rolling around and my hands starting to dry out, the Manuka Rich Cream has been a lifesaver.
As a professional shopping writer, my personal definition of luxury (and items worth the buy) involves products that significantly elevate a daily ritual. The best purchases are those that get me to slow down, simplify, and connect with my surroundings and Flamingo Estate embodies this to a tee by reminding me to be rooted in the sensory pleasures of where I am and what I’m doing. Similarly, I crave aesthetic beauty across all my products and the brand’s chic packaging and elevated brand makes me want to display each item instead of storing it behind my pantry door or bathroom cabinet.
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- Flamingo Estate is constantly adding to its product lines of tinctures, candles, honey, oils, produce, and more
- Ingredients are clearly sourced, labeled, and considered
- Each scent is potent yet subtle enough to appeal to both those who enjoy strong fragrance and those sensitive to it
- Everything is rigorously sourced, cruelty-free, and recyclable
- The striking packaging and bundle options make Flamingo Estate especially giftable
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- Certain products may feel like an investment to those wading into spending more on consumables
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This Brand Redefines Garden of Paradise
Flamingo Estate started as a passion project dreamed up by entrepreneur Richard Christiansen, who founded a creative agency and heads multiple other ventures. His emphasis on connecting with nature, and sourcing from his seven-acre garden, during the pandemic inspired him to re-emphasize farming with folk remedies, high-quality ingredients, community effort, and more—and to remind others that there’s no greater luxury than connecting with the area around us.
Each Flamingo Estate product channels the strong, lush sense of place in his corner of Southern California, practically transporting you onto its decadent grounds. (I’m not exaggerating; take a whiff of the Night Blooming Jasmine & Damask Rose Candle and you’ll immediately long for paradise.)
The Estate itself focuses on slow-grown ingredients cultivated by experts, reminding us that there’s nothing wrong with taking your time. It disrupts traditional notions of luxury, and of course, aims to make each product from bath to kitchen to home absolutely beautiful so that you’re reminded to savor it again and again and again.
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The Delight Is in the Details
Flamingo Estate has a from-the-ground-up (literally) approach that considers each detail of each product. As an example, the Roma Heirloom Tomato Candle epitomizes what I love most about the brand and what it does for my home.
Before this year, I veered more floral in my candle preferences rather than herbaceous. I discovered I could basically classically condition myself into or out of work mode (crucial when I live in a tiny studio) by lighting the proper candle. I have one for deep work and one for nighttime relaxation. The Roma Heirloom Tomato Candle smells instead like tomato leaves, fresh-picked herb leaves, and alluring “hints of spice.”
I planned for the candle to align with another goal of mine: cooking more at home. I tend to be a five-minute “pasta or quesadilla” type of person in the evening. My normal weekday routine concludes with me ravenously devouring whatever’s in the fridge, where I simultaneously quickly refuel while regretting that I’ve gone-gone-gone all day without really stopping.
The ingredients in this herbaceous, delicious-smelling candle basically mimicked what I actually wanted to do—make fresh dinners that satisfy me and slow me down. I wanted to actually enjoy a weekday evening ritual and relish the sensory pleasure of a home-cooked meal.
The candle itself is gorgeous enough that I look forward to lighting it. It’s made of 100 percent vegetable wax hand-poured in Los Angeles, in a receptacle of fully-recyclable green glass. Scent-wise, the brand bills the Roma Heirloom Tomato Candle as belonging to dreamy dinner parties and long, never-ending summers: the exact kind of vibe that gets me to appreciate the extra step in my evening ritual. It’s warm, intoxicating, and comforting. (So although it’s meant to evoke summer, I’m also excited to light it throughout the fall and winter alongside a grilled cheese and some tomato basil soup on a chilly day.)
Even better, the Roma Heirloom Tomato Candle is crafted to neutralize the scents of a kitchen. So after cooking, when I’m reluctantly tackling cleanup, my studio doesn’t smell like roasted brussel sprouts or garlicky sauteed beef or whatever ingredient usually haunts my space afterwards for hours. Instead, the green and peppery scent makes me embrace the process and mmm, still find it delicious. The scent is potent enough to be delightfully noticeable regardless of whether your space is large or small.
If you’re giving this candle to someone else, you can add a handwritten note before checkout, a thoughtful gesture that makes it feel even more meaningful to someone else. I can see it being the ultimate housewarming or hostess gift—although I could absolutely picture myself stocking up on a supply only to go through them myself. Forgive me.
Nowadays, the candle lives on my coffee table beside the cookbook I love so much. Extrapolating, it seems to say for me, “this is a household that cares about aesthetic indulgence—but in a grounded way” and I get a little thrill from knowing the brand on display so encapsulates my personal ethos.
Since its inception, the Roma Heirloom Tomato Candle has been featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things, received over 500 five-star reviews, and is Flamingo Estate’s most popular (and most iconic) product. While I wouldn’t normally have considered myself a tomato lover, I may have to stock up on the rest of the brand’s collection in this signature scent, like a dish soap, room spray, or even lotion.
If You’ve Ever Wanted Your House to Be “Atmospheric”
As a frequent traveler who is constantly writing love letters to various locales, I constantly say I’m most passionate about seeking out a strong sense of place. I love anywhere that feels so distinctly itself that it has its own personality. While Flamingo Estate is a garden (and Richard’s home) and not a vacation destination in itself, it may be the only brand to reach this hall-of-fame designation in my head. As an aside, I wouldn’t be the least surprised if Richard extends his footprint to a Flamingo Estate hospitality brand down the line. Can we please collectively manifest this?! I inhale the Roma Heirloom Tomato Candle and am transported, and each of its products has this through-line honoring the roots of its California estate. After rifling through the styled images of its cookbook, inhaling its scents, and appreciating the soft, quality touch of its bath and body formulas, I feel like I’ve been there just by experiencing the atmospheric goods that Flamingo Estate has produced.
It’s such a rare feeling, one that makes me feel more connected to both Flamingo Estate as a whole (and crave building out my own, inspired ecosystem in my home) and where I am. Using each product has had the effect of pulling me more into the moment and appreciating small, simple sensory pleasures I wouldn’t have stopped to notice otherwise. Stocking up is my next priority, and TQE readers can even get a discount with code TQE15 for 15% off their first order.
Stop to smell the roses? No. Stop to smell the tomatoes.
