From David Fisher,
Your Guide to Candle & Soap Making.
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Rustic Candles - pillars and votives especially - are all the rage in the home decor stores these days. Stores like Crate and Barrel feature these candles. They are different from standard candles in that they have a textured surface ranging from lightly pearlized to a rough, almost leathery, pitted surface - in either case, much less slick and finished than candles you would normally see.

The secret is that this finish is actually very easy to achieve. The key is to freeze/chill your molds beforehand, and let the wax cool a bit before you pour it. That's it! The cold mold shocks the wax and produces the rustic effect. You can do it on any candle that is made using a metal mold.

For this project, you'll need:

• Metal pillar or votive molds - either with wick pins (as I'm using) or with a wick setup
• Pillar-blend wax - I'm using IGI4625 - you want a wax that will be more on the translucent side. I've used creamier votive blend waxes (like IGI 4761) - but they don't give the same effect- it's more of an opaque effect (as shown in the purple votives in the pic above)
• Appropriate wicks (I'm using an HTP105 for the pillars and a 44-24-18z for the votives.
• Fragrance and color as desired
• Basic understanding of how to Make a Basic Pillar Candle