Faux cobwebs and jack-o’-lanterns help set the Halloween vibe, but nothing creates an enchanting, multi-sensory experience quite like a mantle full of candles. Classic white pillars can create a moody tone, but it’s worth taking things a step further. How about smoky, sultry scents that fill a room with a sense of mystery? And fun shapes and vessels that capture the spirit of All Hallows Eve?
Though I make most of my own Halloween candles, there are a few designs I love from other makers (and big brands) that I had to share. Just don’t let a virgin light them.
1. Apotheke Woodsmoke Candle
OK, it’s technically part of their holiday collection, but you should start burning Apotheke’s Firewood candle as soon as the first bursts of crisp fall air hit. It has such strong smoky, campfire notes that it feels like you should be telling spooky stories around a fire pit. Or, at the very least, making s’mores.
2. Siblings No. 13 Candle
I’m a sucker for Siblings’s sustainable, microwave-and-pour candle kits—and their range of Forever vessels, which you can reuse again and again. One of my favorite scents as the weather turns cool is No. 13, a mix of palo santo, marshmallow cream and burnt sugar. It’s a nice candle to channel the trick-or-treating feels of Halloween, without being cloyingly sweet. (You can thank notes of cedarwood and palo santo for keeping things balanced.) Plus, it makes for a fun, five-minute craft that leaves you feeling oddly accomplished when it’s finally time to burn.
3. Smoky Ombre Skull Jar Candle
Sculpted candles double as art, but I never want to burn them because of the potential mess they make (and, admittedly, it’s a bummer to lose that design). But this find is nicely contained within its apothecary jar, and it’s only going to look more macabre as it melts. It’s unscented, and LED lights in the base of the jar give it an extra haunting effect, as they flicker between a red and yellow glow when the wick is lit.
4. Anthropologie Found Notes Fig & Coriander Candle
When it comes to unexpected fall scents, Found Notes wins. Anthro’s take on fig is more earthy than fruity, and when paired with coriander, it creates a warming, slightly spicy take. It’s kind of what you’d expect the Witches’ Road to smell like in Agatha All Along. Or Taylor Swift’s Folklore album, honestly.
5. Snif Half-Baked Pumpkin Smash Candle
I’m not big on pumpkin-y scents, but Snif made me a convert. Rather than smelling like straight pie—or cinnamon, as many pumpkin candles do—this tempers the expected fall scents and elevates them with notes of maple, chocolate and whiskey. It makes for a more complex, beguiling scent that quickly fills the room. (Seriously, the hot throw on this candle is impeccable.)
6. Winding Wick The Sorting Color-Changing Candle
If you’re into candle making, you should check out Winding Wick Candle Co creator Tiana Coats’s YouTube channel. It’s a fascinating peek at what it takes to launch and grow a creative candle company. Coats specializes in dessert candles, and this butterscotch-scented one is nothing short of magical. As it burns, it changes color, revealing the wizarding house you’re meant to be in.
7. Birthdate Candle Co. Tarot Candles
What better time for a tarot card reading than All Hallows Eve? Each jet black candle has a tarot card charm hidden inside, which is gradually revealed after about 2-4 hours of burning. I tried the whole trio—past, present and future—and let’s just say my reading left me floored. (You’d think a brand would stack the decks in the love-and-happiness favor, but nah—my past, present and future turned out to be death, the devil and the fool, respectively.) Thankfully, the cards don’t mean what you’d immediately think, per the booklet that came with the trio. All in all, it makes for a fun Halloween candle to burn that you shouldn’t take too seriously.
Bonus: Right now, the trio is 41 percent off ($85, down from $145). But if you just want one, you can order it individually via Amazon.
