Happlee 12 Colors Glass Paints Set(0.42oz/12ml), Stained Glass Paints Kit for Glass Painting, Non Toxic Quick-Drying Waterproof Glass Painting Supplies for Ceramic Window, for Artists Beginners Kids

Why I tried this set

I’ve been experimenting with faux stained glass on everything from upcycled bottles to small acrylic panels for dioramas, so I picked up the Happlee glass paints to see if a budget-friendly 12-color set could cover both quick crafts and more intentional pieces. Over a couple of weeks, I used the paints on clear glass bottles, a small picture frame pane, and a molded acrylic ornament. I air-cured some pieces and heat-cured others to compare durability and finish.

What you get and first impressions

The set includes 12 small 12 ml tubes. The palette leans practical for stained glass work: a single black and white, two blues, two yellows, an orange, a couple of greens, violet, crimson, rose, and a brown. These are translucent, glossy paints designed to let light through, not opaque craft acrylics.

The tubes are compact—great for variety, not for big panels. My set arrived mostly clean, though two caps had a bit of seepage under the lid. One note of caution: some caps were stubborn. Squeezing the tube while twisting the top can lead to a sudden ooze of paint. Open them upright, gently, and consider a pin or toothpick to pierce any inner seal rather than brute force.

Application: flow, leveling, and layering

On properly cleaned glass (isopropyl alcohol is best), these paints wet out nicely and self-level to a smooth, glossy finish. Brushing like you would with a thicker acrylic is not ideal. The sweet spot is to lay the paint down and let gravity and surface tension do most of the work:

• For large panes, I had the best results by dropping small puddles and nudging them to meet with a soft brush or silicone spatula, then leaving the piece flat to level.
• On raised or textured acrylic, dragging a brush introduces streaks; dabbing and letting it settle produced cleaner, gem-like areas.
• If you’re outlining with a liquid leading or paint pen, fill within the cells and let each color reach its boundary before moving on.

Dry time is moderate. Thin coats became touch-dry in 30–45 minutes in my workspace; thicker sections took longer and can skin over while remaining soft underneath. If you rush a second coat, you can wrinkle the layer below. For saturated color, plan for two to three coats with at least an hour between them, or overnight if you’re stacking thicker color.

Odor is present but not overwhelming. It’s well within a typical craft paint smell; I still recommend ventilation, particularly if you plan to heat-cure.

Curing and durability

You have two options:

• Air-cure: After seven days, pieces were water-resistant and handled without tack or scuffing. I could run a damp cloth over air-cured glass without lifting color, but I wouldn’t subject it to prolonged soaking.
• Heat-cure: Baking at a low 176°F (80°C) for two hours improved hardness and abrasion resistance. A fingernail scratch test that marked an air-cured sample did not mark the baked sample. Note that many home ovens bottom out around 170–200°F; a reliable oven thermometer helps. Expect some odor during baking—ventilate well, and use a dedicated craft tray.

Dishwashers are too aggressive. Hand-wash only, and avoid food-contact surfaces; keep designs to the exterior of glasses and plates.

Adhesion on glass was strong if I cleaned the surface thoroughly and avoided touching it before painting. On glazed ceramic, adhesion was decent for decorative areas but a little less forgiving around sharp edges.

Color quality and mixing

Straight from the tube, the colors are sheer and luminous, as you want for a stained-glass look. To reach deep jewel tones, layering is essential. The paints blend cleanly for custom hues; I made a convincing teal by mixing the greens and blues, and warmed oranges by folding in a bit of crimson. A few observations:

• The violet reads more red-purple than a cool grape. Adding a touch of blue pulls it cooler.
• Orange, mid yellow, and light green can appear similar in thin coats on opaque backings. On clear glass, they separate more clearly, and two to three coats make the differences obvious.
• White is semi-opaque and better for tinting than for pure “white glass” effects. A hint of white in a color can give a milky, antique glass vibe.
• Black is useful for deepening mixes and for translucent shadowing, but it won’t replace a real outliner if you want raised leading lines.

Once cured, the finish is high-gloss and uniform if you let it self-level. Overbrushing creates ripples; patience pays off.

Working experience

I painted a clear bottle with geometric cells, an acrylic sun-catcher, and a small “window” panel for a diorama. A single coat gave a pleasant, vintage glass wash. Two coats felt like stained glass. Three coats achieved richly saturated color without turning opaque. On the acrylic piece with raised details, I had to adjust: brushing left chatter, while a drop-and-dab approach settled beautifully.

For the bottle, I heat-cured. Afterward, the surface resisted light abrasion and didn’t pick up fingerprints. For the diorama panel, I air-cured a week; it looked the same but was a bit easier to mar with a sharp object. Both survived gentle cleaning.

The claim of UV resistance and heat insulation isn’t something I can verify meaningfully from a short test. A piece taped to a sunny window for a couple of weeks showed no visible fading, which is encouraging, but evaluate long-term sun exposure on a case-by-case basis.

Capacity and value

Each 12 ml tube goes farther than you might expect on small projects, but large surfaces will drain them fast. A single medium pane with two coats in multiple colors can consume a noticeable fraction of the set. For jewelry, ornaments, bottles, and miniature windows, the size is fine. For a full window panel or multiple vases, budget for extra.

Tips for best results

• Prep religiously: clean with alcohol and avoid touching the surface afterward.
• Work flat to minimize runs and encourage self-leveling.
• Use an outliner or tape to create boundaries; fill cells rather than brushing like a wall.
• Layer thinly, allowing generous dry time between coats.
• Pop bubbles with a toothpick early; don’t touch once the surface starts to set.
• Heat-cure for pieces that will be handled or washed; ventilate while baking.
• Open tubes slowly, upright; pierce seals carefully to prevent sudden squeezes.
• Mix on a tile or palette and test on a scrap of clear plastic before committing.

What could be better

• Tube size: great for variety, but not generous. A larger size option would help for window projects.
• Packaging: some caps are tight, and occasional under-cap seepage happens. Better quality control on seals would go a long way.
• Color naming vs. perception: a cooler violet or a second purple would round out the set; as is, you may need to mix to get certain tones.

Who it’s for

• Beginners and casual makers who want an approachable, translucent paint for glass effects.
• Hobbyists doing small to medium projects: bottles, sun-catchers, acrylic ornaments, miniature diorama windows.
• Parents crafting with kids (with supervision), thanks to the non-toxic labeling and water cleanup before curing.

If you’re outfitting a large stained glass imitation across multiple panes, you’ll either need multiple sets or to step up to larger bottles.

Recommendation

I recommend the Happlee glass paints for beginners and hobbyists who want an easy, budget-friendly way to achieve luminous stained-glass effects on small to mid-sized projects. The strengths are clear: good adhesion on clean glass, a glossy self-leveling finish, mixable transparent colors, and a meaningful jump in durability after heat-curing. The trade-offs—small tubes, occasional fussy caps, and the need for patient layering—are manageable with a little care. If you’re expecting single-coat, opaque coverage or have a full window to complete, this isn’t the right tool. But for bottles, panels, and decorative pieces where translucency is the point, it delivers attractive results with a straightforward workflow.