Being an animal lover, I felt a little at odds with the idea of melting a cute little bear to reveal its singed skeleton beneath. But, being a professional, I went against my instincts and set fire to its adorable head. Fear not, however, as this is exactly what they have been designed for!

Choose from a sweet and fruity scented gummy-bear in either red, blue, purple or green; these are slightly larger than your average gummy bear at 4.5" x 3" x 2.5" (if only the real sweets came in at this size too). Alternatively, you can go for the Angry Owl Candle - this wise old bird comes in for pastel colours purple, green, blue or pink and is larger at 6” x 4” x 3”. Made from paraffin wax, with a cotton wick and an aluminium skeleton inside, the bear will provide you with 5-7 hours of burn time whilst the larger owl goes for 10-15 hours. However, the guys at Skeleton Candles recommend that you don’t keep the candle lit longer than 2-3 hours at a time.

The candles don’t come with any kind of base - make sure you read the instructions and place it on a heat resistant surface before lighting! Do not put it straight on the mantle piece and get drunk with you mates, otherwise you will discover in the morning that you have stalactites of wax all over said mantel-piece, as well as pools of wax mixed with red wine mashed into your carpet (results may vary). For an even burn keep the candle away from drafts, and to prevent the candle from smoking trim the wick to ¼ inch.

I enjoyed using the candles and watching the flame reveal these cool steam-punk style skeletons is so satisfying! Due to the shapes of the animals, it doesn’t burn cleanly from top to bottom, but it is still good fun. In fact watching the Gummy Bears face peel away from its head made it even better! RRP Owl Candle $35 Gummy Bear $30

4.8 out of 5

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Pros

Gory fun

Cool detailed skeletons

Long burn times

Nicely designed

Cons

Scented bear doesn’t produce a strong smell