Ring bombs — bath bombs that dissolve to reveal hidden jewelry — are popping up all over Facebook and Instagram in promoted posts and video ads. Which ones are worth your money? Find out by following along as I try out and review ring bombs from all over the Internet! Find all Ring Bomb Bonanza posts here.
The Company: Jackpot Candles
On the prize candle scene since 2014, Jackpot Candles sells candles (obviously), bath bombs and wax tarts with jewelry inside — mostly rings, but a few necklaces, and apparently they’ve offered earrings as well. Earlier this year, the company launched a subscription service; called the In Crowd, the monthly club ships gift sets (a coordinated bath bomb and candle) containing a ring and a necklace for $31.95.
Jackpot Candles’ website is clean and easy to use. I’ve ordered from the company twice, and each time my order has shipped quickly and arrived in perfect condition. And their email marketing isn’t quite as spammy as some of the other ring bomb companies, although that’s a low bar. (Some are worse than others, but I’ve ended up unsubscribing from most of the ring bomb mailing lists I was on… my inbox was just absolutely choking to death.)
The Bombs
I was not expecting much of Jackpot Candles’ bath bombs. I don’t really know why — maybe it’s the cheesy name — but for whatever reason, I didn’t think they were going to be anything special.
Color me mistaken.
Both of the bombs that I ordered from Jackpot Candles were really great. Like, really great. In fact, when I used the second one I’d ordered, I went back and looked at my notes from the first one and was confused about why it had taken me so long to order from them again.
Over the summer, I ordered a single 10 oz. Hyacinth bomb ($15.95), which was quite large, with a really lovely floral smell. In the bath, it was spectacular. Fizzy, bubbly, a nice long dissolve time, and that beautiful fragrance. I’m not sure I loved how extremely purple it was; I was concerned that it would stain my skin along with my towel and my tub, and it did briefly, but all have recovered.
Other than the excessive pigmentation, I have absolutely nothing negative to say about the bomb. It was insanely moisturizing — like, water was beading up on my skin after the bath. THAT moisturizing. And both my skin and my bathroom stayed hyacinth-scented long after the tub had drained.
I didn’t try Jackpot Candles again until Halloween collections started coming out. I loved the look of their glittery skull bombs, but I wasn’t wild about the black stones in the jewelry, so I opted for a tangerine-scented Jack O Lantern bomb (also $15.95) instead.
Jack O Lantern turned out to be probably the longest-lasting bath bomb I’ve ever used, including everything I’ve ever bought from Lush. The scent (with notes of mandarin, peach, jasmine, lily, musk and vanilla) was pleasantly strong and long-lasting, and my skin felt wonderful during and after the bath. As with the Hyacinth bomb, the color was intense, and my tub was a bit orange afterward, but that’s my only criticism. This Halloween bomb was a delight that I’d be happy to use all year round.
The Rings
I wish I could say Jackpot Candles’ rings were as off-the-charts amazing as the bath bombs, but it wouldn’t be totally true. I do like both the rings I got in my Jackpot bath bombs. The ring from the Hyacinth bomb seemed just OK when I first opened it, but then the dark rusty-red stone started to grow on me. The Jack O Lantern bomb came with a very similar ring — a pink center stone this time, again with clear accent stones — that is very pretty but has the same sizing problem I experienced with Pearl Bath Bombs. It appears to be a full ring size smaller than I ordered. Both rings appear to be of good quality — no loose or dull stones, no green residue on my fingers.
Most of the rings in Jackpot Candles bombs are from a general assortment rather than a themed collection, which might be a vote in favor of trying the In Crowd if you want a more seasonally themed ring. The subscription club offers “curated jewelry to match each month’s theme.”
The Gimmick
True to its name and the standard ring bomb hook, Jackpot Candles promises each ring in its bath bombs is worth between $15 and $5,000. Rings come with a tag bearing a code that you enter on Jackpot Candles’ website. My rings were both valued at $20.
Like many of the other ring bomb companies, Jackpot Candles has a website that is not particularly mobile-friendly. I had no trouble entering one code on desktop, but entering the other through my phone was challenging since the Appraisal page didn’t display fully on mobile. I hope this is something more of these companies will fix; it’s a lot easier to grab your phone to check these values rather than fire up the laptop.
The Bottom Line
Based on the two bombs I tried, I’m happy to give Jackpot Candles bath bombs my full-throated approval. I do wish the rings in the everyday bombs were a little more unique, since I have so many rings by now that I’ve become a lot more picky about what I’m going to be getting inside a bomb. I would also consider trying the In Crowd subscription (it’s a dollar less than my current Fragrant Jewels Inner Circle membership, although I might be more interested if it were all rings instead of rings and necklaces).
Especially if you can get a discount code, I absolutely recommend giving Jackpot Candles ring bombs a try.
