When I do a review, I often start with a bit of the old, ‘did I love it or did I hate it, read on to find out’ lark. But not today. Nope, today I’m going straight in with the love. Because this Kandles by Kitten Vamp Wax Play Gift Set is awesome, and I’m not even gonna bother pretending it might not be.
When I got back from lunch this afternoon, I started taking a few final photos for this very review. What was supposed to have been a few drips for pics turned into an impromptu hot wax session that ended in a crumbly quickie with the Fella on the bathroom floor. I love how these candles feel, so I should have known that things weren’t ever gonna end any other way.
But that’s starting the story at the end, isn’t it? I should have begun by telling you a little bit about these candles, and where they came from.
Kandles by Kitten is a UK based kinky candle maker, and you’ll find them on Etsy. The owner is a lover of wax play, so takes pride in her work to ensure that nothing is offered for sale that she wouldn’t be happy to buy herself. From the packaging to the products inside it, everything is perfection.
I really like how much care is taken when it comes to presentation. The box is simple enough; plain, kept closed by a ribbon and a branded sticker. Inside sits the candles, all individually wrapped and snuggled into a bed of wood wool. And then there’s my fave part…a simple info card with a quote from one of my favourite books of all time; Interview with the Vampire. That made my little black heart beat just a bit faster, because no matter how old I get, a part of it will always belong to Louis de Pointe du Lac.
You might have guessed from the name of the set – Vamp – that this kit was gonna be goth. And it so is! Seriously, if you have a darkling in your life who’s into a bit of hot wax, you’ll make their night if you present them with this!
In the Vamp set, you get three candles; one black, one deep purple, and one blood red. Each candle is 5-inches high, and 6-inches in circumference. They’re made from a blend of soya wax and oils, and to my nose are completely unscented. That’s gonna be a bonus for folks who don’t like (or can’t deal) with fragrances.
Now, when it comes to colour, some wax play candles are, in a word, shite. I’ve had sets that have been wishy washy, and some that have been near enough transparent. But the colour payoff on these is superb. Even individual drips and trails have enough colour in them to stand out from one another, and once you start building up the wax? The colours are super shiny, deeply dark, and remain true even if they overlap.
You probably can’t see it in the photos cos I’m a piss poor photographer, but the purple was visible on top of the black. And you should be able to see the red creeping over the purple. Ugh, so in love with these!
But painting pretty pictures on a human canvas isn’t the only point of hot wax. Unsurprisingly, heat is. The melt point of these particular candles is 54°C. If you want hot-hot heat, you’ll probably be disappointed, because these are quite mild. Not as mild as a massage candle, but not as hot as some others I’ve tried. I don’t really care about that, though, because I don’t always want to be scalded.
Afterburn – see, these are only mildly hot
We do have candles for that (which I’m half convinced are regular candles badged up as low-temp and flogged to the kinky) but sometimes, I want to be spoiled rather than tortured. The drip and pour of a milder hot wax candle and the tightening of skin as it hardens is sensual as well as sexy, and then the crackle and pull as I’m manhandled and it crumbles is as hot as the wax itself.
But there’s good news for those who do want their hot wax to burn. Check out this recent tweet from Kandles by Kitten:
Yep, if you’re after a hotter wax, they can make it happen. If you want more than three colours, they can make that happen, too. Check out their store to see what lovely sets they have for sale. Whether your thing is comic book characters, the sea or fire, there’s something for you. Or you could show your colours with a Pride Set, indulge your inner club bunny with the UV Set, or treat yourself to a holiday-themed limited edition like the gorgeous Hallow’s Tempest Set. And if none of that floats your boat, you can always ask to have something custom made, just for you.
If you’d like to give these a shot (and maybe discover your new go-to candle store) click the banner below and go for a browse. If you’re on Twitter, give @KandlesbyKitten a follow to keep up to date on all the latest releases and offers.