Where to Purchase
I picked these up on Amazon for under $7 at this link. The carrot sharpener I used to shave the bottom of the candles can be found here.
Product Details
- Product: Multicolor Color Drip Candles
- Price I Paid: $6.72 for a two pack
- Rating at Time of Purchase: 4.4 stars with over 2,200 reviews
- Length: About 9.5 inches per candle
- Claim: White candles that drip a rainbow of colors, creating a layered pattern on the bottle
What They Claim
The candles are advertised as plain white on the outside but loaded with colored wax inside that drips out as they burn. The idea is that you place them in a bottle and let the wax drip down, building up layer after layer of colorful wax for a decorative effect. Positive reviews mention beautiful drips, even burning, and decent burn time. Negative reviews say they sometimes clump instead of dripping, and that the colors are not as vibrant as the photos.
Setup and Preparation
I used a generic champagne bottle for my test, which felt appropriate with New Year’s approaching. Any wine or champagne bottle can work as long as the opening size and the candle base are compatible. In my case, the bottle openings were slightly too small for the candle base out of the box.
The box instructions say to trim the wick to about a quarter inch. They do not mention bottle fit, but several Amazon reviewers commented that they had to shave down the bottom of the candle to make it fit. I had the same issue. To fix that, I used a carrot sharpener style tool to taper the bottom of the candle. It worked surprisingly well and is not a bad trick if you ever need to fit a candle into a narrow bottle.
Once the candle was trimmed, I positioned it in the neck of the bottle and set the bottle on a saucer to catch drips or chunks of wax that might fall off. That is a good idea with any drip candle, since you never really know where the wax will go.
Safety Notes
The box includes several warnings, which are pretty standard for candles but worth repeating:
- Use only in a well ventilated area
- Do not move the candle while it is lit
- Do not use water to extinguish it
- Keep the candle free of foreign objects
- Intended for indoor use only
- Do not let it burn more than 4 hours at a time
First Candle: Burn Time and Results
I lit the first candle at 9:25 a.m. and kept an eye on it in real time before switching over to a time lapse to capture the long burn. Early on I saw the first drips start to make their way down the side of the candle and onto the bottle. That was a good sign, since that is the whole point of this type of product.
At around the two hour mark, I paused the time lapse to take a closer look. The bottle was starting to collect some colorful wax, and the effect was beginning to show. There was a nice mix of reds, blues, yellows, and oranges. At the same time, I noticed that a lot of wax was clumping at the top of the bottle near the neck instead of flowing all the way down. Some chunks broke off and landed on the saucer instead of creating long drips.
The first candle burned for about three and a half hours before it was completely done. That lines up pretty well with what other buyers reported. When it was finished, the bottle definitely had a decorative layer of wax, but there were also some obvious clumps and a large mass of wax sitting above the lip of the bottle that would need to be removed if you wanted a smoother look.
As for color vibrancy, I would say it landed somewhere in the middle. The colors were there and clearly visible, but they were not as bright and saturated as the most dramatic product photos. They were not dull, just more muted than some people might expect.
Second Candle: Building Up the Look
After the first candle, I cleaned off only what I needed to in order to make room for the second candle. Once again, I used the carrot sharpener trick to taper the base, positioned it in the bottle, and lit it up.
Knowing from the first test that I was in for another three and a half hour session, I let it burn and checked back at the end. The second candle added more layers of color and texture. The bottle now had a much fuller, more “finished” look, with thick drips and overlapping colors running down the sides.
There was still a large chunk of wax piled up at the top near the neck of the bottle, and a fair amount of wax had broken off and collected on the saucer. So the clumping behavior did not disappear with the second candle, but the overall visual impact definitely improved.
The end result was a colorful, somewhat chaotic wax sculpture that looked pretty good, especially considering the low price. It was not a perfectly smooth, art gallery style drip pattern, but it did have a fun, homemade vibe that I actually liked.
Are Color Drip Candles Messy?
These candles are messy by design. That is the point! Wax will drip down the bottle, pile up in places, and occasionally drop onto whatever surface is underneath. If you prefer a neat, clean candle experience, this probably isn’t for you.
If you’re willing to embrace the mess, they can be a fun decorative project. Using a saucer or tray under the bottle is almost mandatory if you want to protect your table. You may also have to chip off or reshape some of the wax on top if you plan to keep adding more candles to the same bottle.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Inexpensive way to create a colorful decorative bottle
- Burn time of about three and a half hours per candle
- Creates a layered, unique look that gets better with additional candles
- Fun project for parties or holidays like New Year’s
- Easy to fit into most bottles with a little trimming
Cons
- Colors are not as vibrant as some product photos suggest
- Wax can clump at the top instead of dripping smoothly
- Chunks sometimes fall off onto the saucer instead of decorating the bottle
- Definitely messy and not for people who like tidy candles
Final Thoughts
After burning both candles, I ended up with a bottle that I actually like the look of. It is colorful and a bit chaotic, but that is part of the charm. The effect is not perfect, and candle purists might find plenty to criticize. For the price, though, I think the result is pretty good.
If you’re looking for a fun, nostalgic project and do not mind a little mess, color drip candles are still worth trying. I like them enough that I am considering grabbing another set and seeing how much wax I can build up on this same bottle over time. It should make for a nice update in a future video when the bottle is absolutely covered.
Video Review