As burn time is something that one can seek regardless of the shape or size of the candle, I won't be writing about that. Candles will often have the burn time written on the packaging, or one can search by burn time if purchasing online.
Candles come in various shapes and sizes. Tea-light, taper (also known as dinner candles), pillar, votive, and various decorative types, such as elephant-shaped candles. I won't be talking about decorative candles in this chapter, as this is supposed to be a brief and easy-to-digest book rather than an in-depth book. However, if you, for example, are casting a spell to do with the moon, a rabbit-shaped/hare-shaped candle may be a nice touch.
Tea-light
Small in size and often cheap, tea-light candles are one of the most easy to find and commonly used candles. They are perfect for spells that require candles to be placed in various places in a building/room/space, and also considerably safe as they are small and unlikely to fall over like some taller candles may be at risk of doing. They also tend to come in a tin case that keeps the hot wax contained, making them less messy to use, although, one should be careful of touching the metal casing when it is still hot.
Taper
Taper candles are tall and slender, looking quite elegant and a popular choice for romantic dinners. These are the candles most people probably think of when they think of witchcraft. They fit perfectly in candlesticks and candelabras, as well as looking quite nice stuffed into the neck of an empty, clean alcohol bottle. I personally think that a half-used taper candle looks very nice in a bottle of alcohol with the wax drips hardened to the bottle neck and body. Be careful when using these candles, as the shape makes them very easy to knock over. Also be careful of the melted wax potentially ruining something.
Pillar
These are cylindrical and thicc candles that are unlikely to fall due to their adequate thiccness. They can be used free-standing or on a heat-safe plate. Like the taper candle, the wax may ruin something if there is nothing to catch the wax as it melts, so I recommend using a plate.
Votive
Votive candles are the candles that one may tend to see in small glass cups. They often have a circular, and sometimes square, base shape. They are also, more often than not, scented. Yankee Candle is a popular votive candle brand. Votive candles are also known as prayer candles, but they are more commonly used for looking nice and making a room smell good, being used similarly to wax-melts.