Hi everyone! On Mondays, I’m going to occasionally post some #merchmonday reviews of bookish/fandom merchandise I’ve bought/used (because why stick to just books when I could review EVERYTHING in the whole WORLD, amirite?!). Today’s theme is CANDLES, specifically those from Happy Piranha! (I have many candles from quite a few stores, so my candle reviews will be a series!)
Rating system
I’ll be rating candle businesses (out of 5) based on these general criteria:
- Scent and candle quality
- Design (jar, label, colour etc.)
- Speed, packaging, customer service
- Price
- Other aspects, e.g. eco-awareness
Without further ado…
Happy Piranha: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5)
About:
Happy Piranha is a UK based business run by twin brothers Josh and Sam – peep their story here on their website! You can buy both online and in their shop in Cornwall. They sell all sorts of bookish, gaming and other geeky and celebratory paraphernalia, not just scented candles! (Online, they have both a UK catalogue and an international catalogue.)
Review:
These are pretty hefty candles (one size – 7oz) in a sleek silver tin decorated with a gorgeous wraparound label. There’s also a label on the lid too! The aesthetic for every single candle I’ve gotten from Happy Piranha has been excellently designed, from the wax colour, glitter, label artwork and scent! This store was one of the first candle stores I ever tried back in early 2018 and my support for them endures.
I do find that with such a large candle, I’ve experienced some tunnelling (see below) even after trying the aluminium foil trick. They do seem to last forever though! I’ve been burning my candles intermittently since 2018 and they’re still super full and the scent remains as lovely as ever. Speaking of scents, I’ve had great smelling ones for all that I’ve purchased: Hufflepuff (very calming rich citrus); Aries (spicy orange); Taurus (beautiful soft floral); Sorting Candle (sea breeze); Potions Class (calming ylang ylang); Iron Fleet (bracing marine); Wing Leader (richly dark and fruity)…and I hope to get a few more!
I also loveloveLOVE their customer service. It was beyond easy to order a large bundle of custom candles for my college football team, and they fully involved me in the design process, e.g. back-and-forth on label design (college colours and mini football motifs!) and scent, wax and glitter combinations! Shipping was speedy, safely packaged and candles were reasonably priced, especially if you get a bundle discount. They have a points and rewards scheme on their website which is worth checking out too (especially if it’s your birthday soon!). I’m dying to go to their Cornwall shop too – I feel like it’ll be like Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes, but real.
Happy Piranha also get extra points for environmental awareness. They don’t use soy wax – rather, they use a vegan blend of recycled vegetable and mineral oils, and published a well-researched article on their reasons why. (God I love a good bibliography.) I also love that their wicks don’t smoke at all after I’ve blown them out – perhaps due to their wax blend? They also shared a really cute way of upcycling empty containers into plant pots! I wonder if the tins are recyclable – I’ll make a note to ask them and update here.
Overall…
Ticks all the boxes for me apart from the unfortunate tunnelling! Makes for a lovely self-treat or a surprise gift.
Notes From a Paper Plane Nomad 
Hi Sabrina, we’ve only just seen this on our adventures across google, but thanks for writing such a kind review! Our tins are recyclable yes 🙂
We’ve now found a turquoise dye that burns better too 🙂 Give us a shout if ever you place another order!
The Happy Piranha Team
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Ahh you’re so welcome! I loved them 💛🐠 And thanks for letting me know they’re recyclable! I just realised I completely forgot to ask you about that 😂 Oh that’s so cool with the new dye! 😍
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