Mystery SOAP Fragrance #1

Hurray for the Fall S.O.A.P Testing Panel!!  I am having so much fun coming up with ideas, and playing with these fantastic fragrances from Bramble Berry.  I am so honored to be a part of this panel, and I can hardly believe they chose me out of all the applicants, it's like winning the lottery!

***Warning:  If you are a fellow SOAP panel member and have NOT received your fragrances yet...DO NOT read any further as it will spoil all of your fun!***

The Idea:  I've been wanting to try the thin black line in between layers that I found here.  I think the line in the middle of the layers gives such definition and interest to a technique (layers) that can sometimes be a little boring.  I decided to do the same color on each layer, making the bottom layer on the dark side and the top layer on the lighter side.

The Fragrance:  Mystery Fragrance #1 smells delicious.  To me it smells like grape with a green note that I can't quite place.  In my opinion it doesn't smell like a Fall fragrance exactly, more like a nice fruity smell that would be great year round.  It reminds me of wine and vineyards, with the green note giving it a nice briskness.

The Color:  Since wine and vineyards come to mind I decided to try the Burgundy Oxide Pigment I just got from Bramble Berry.  For the line I will use Black Oxide.

The Recipe:  I kept it simple, since this is a testing fragrance that I was not sure would behave well.  I used a recipe of mine that has a high percentage of olive oil.  Olive oil is my favorite oil in soap, it's so gentle and fantastic for your skin.

Olive Oil: 35%

Coconut Oil: 30%

Palm Oil: 25%

Grape seed Oil: 5%

Castor Oil: 3%

Avocado Oil: 2%

Since I used EVOO instead of Pomace the burgundy turned a bit muddy, this was from the oils not the fragrance.  I split my 2lb batch in half and did one pound at a time so each layer would set up nice and firm and give me a clean line.  This is the darker bottom layer. 

The Results:  This fragrance oil was FANTASTIC to work with.  It behaved beautifully, no acceleration what so ever, and so far no discoloration to speak of.  The scent remained true and did not loose any of it's notes and I'm happy that it retained that Green note (which I still can't place).  I don't know if I Love the line in between, I like the look just not sure about the loose pigment.  I guess we will see once it's cured and ready to use, who knows, maybe it will grow on me.  As they cure I will keep my eye out for any discoloration and fragrance staying power. 

So Success #1 for my first SOAP testing.  Monica: 1 Soap: 0  I look forward to the next project.

Stay tuned for mystery fragrance project #2...I think I'm going to do a 6 color column pour because I just Love that technique, it's beautiful and it's fun to do!!

Hope everyone has a fantastic day, I'm off to go work on sugar scrubs.  On a side note I am thinking about those of you who are on the East Coast and are dealing with Hurricane Irene.. Be Safe.