A (very late) S.O.A.P. Saga ending

It has been so busy in the GLC candle lab that I haven't had much time to check in with my favorite blogs, let alone keep up with mine.  So my sincerest apologies for this very late ending to my S.O.A.P'y Saga. 

We got the email a while back stating which fragrances that Brambleberry decided to keep as regularly stocked scents...but I of course wanted a little more.  So I shot them an email, and the responded immediately (as they always do) with the names of ALL of the fragrances...because I was dying to see how well my sniffer did. 

I am excited about the fragrances that they decided to keep, and a little sad that they did not choose to keep my ultimate favorite, guess I will have to go looking for that one somewhere. 

I'm sure I will be able to find it.

I am going to list the fragrance #, then my name for it, followed by the original name.

#1-Mulled Wine/Napa Valley - this one has been chosen as one of Brambleberry's fragrances to keep you can find it on the website, they call it Bordeaux Blend

#2-Autumn Harvest/Tea Party - this fragrance has also been chosen as a keeper fragrance, they call it Plum Tea

#3-Blackberry Marmalade/Pino Noir - I knew I smelled some sort of berry in that one

#4-Santa's Workshop/Pinot Grigio - I was way off on this one, it smelled way spicier to me

#5-my cupcake disaster so I never did name it/Red Apple Salsa - hmmmmm.

#6-Frosted Spruceberry/Aloe - this one is really fresh

#7-Winter in the Northwest/Hinoki - My Ultimate favorite of all the fragrances, and for me the best seller.  Was hoping to sell all of these in December and was super excited when they sold out at my first show!  Now I have to find this scent somewhere.

#8-Wicked Witch/Antique Treasure - way to musky for my tastes.

So I did fairly well for my first S.O.A.P panel.  I had a ton of fun and want to thank everyone over at Brambleberry for choosing me to be part of their amazing panel.  I would also like to thank all of the other panel members that gave amazing feedback and had some awesome ideas for soap!  There are some amazingly talented soapers out there!  Best of luck to each and every one of you this holiday season. 

To see the Soapy round up Blog post on SoapQueen you can click here

and then for the final pick blog post click here

I promise to try and keep up with updates this holiday season.  I have some amazing things I'm working on including cupcake soap...yes I am not going to let the cupcakes win.  I will conquer.

Happy Holidays to you all

S.O.A.P. testing: The Adventure Continues

And Last but certainly not least...Mystery S.O.A.P fragrance #6

My last mystery fragrance, a sad moment for me indeed as I have been having more fun than I ever thought possible!  A Gigantic thank you to everyone over at Bramble Berry for this amazing honor.

The Fragrance:  My initial thoughts on this one was earthy and sweet, but that's about as far as I could figure out right out of the bottle.  I really like this fragrance, it's sophisticated, moder, and yet you can still plainly tell that it's a holiday type of scent.  I'm just having a really hard time identifying all of the different notes, it's really quite a complex fragrance.

The Plan:  A Swirl, because well, I just love swirling.  For colors I thought I go with a more modern holiday color scheme.  I for one LOVE the rich purples, peacock blues, and lime greens that have been popular in recent years.  Yes, my yearly Christmas tree is decorated every year with bright purple bows, teal glass ornaments, lime green beads, and peacock themed ornaments.  Wouldn't it be awesome to decorate a tree with bars of soap!...hmmmm now I'm thinking.  Anyway I decided to use my Christmas tree colors as inspiration for this soap design. I went with Bramble Berry's Ultramarine Blue, Green Chrome Mica, and Ultramarine Violet. 

The Recipe: I used a recipe with Lard because I was trying to achieve a whiter base. 

The Results:  As you can see it ashed pretty bad on me (even after I spritzed with alcohol).  This fragrance behaved beautifully there was no acceleration or discoloration what so ever and I had a ton of time to play with it.  Note to self:  this one would be great for a column pour or funnel pour technique.  Once the fragrance was in the soap some of the fragrance notes where easier to pinpoint, although it still remains very complex.  To my nose it has sugar, some sort of plum/mulberry, and crisp blue spruce.  I'm naming this one Frosted Spruceberry, not the most original name, but I think it fits perfectly with the fragrance. 

It turned out fantastic, and I couldn't be more happy with the results.  This one goes on my re-order list,  if Bramble Berry decides to keep it. 

  So my last S.O.A.P fragrance goes to me, making the final tally:

Monica: 6 Mystery fragrances: 2

All of the S.O.A.P fragrances where fantastic, although I must say I am not surprised in the least because Bramble Berry is pretty awesome.

So there we have it for specific tests, I look forward to doing a Soapy round up with pics of all of the soaps now at least a week old to show any color changes as it aged.  Then we will look forward to Bramble Berry's announcement of the actual fragrance name (can't wait to see how close my nose was) and which fragrances they decide to add to their fragrance line.  

Thanks for keeping up with my first ever S.O.A.P testing, I hope at the very least, that you got some soapy inspiration!  Once you start making soap there is no going back, you will become an addict!

I look forward to more soapy fun, and someday becoming a part of this amazing team again. For Now Happy Soaping!

SOAP testing...cupcakes anyone?

Bramble Berry's Mystery fragrance #5 is next up; right out of the bottle my first impression of this fragrance was fruity, tart, and spicy, similar to Apple Jack & Peel.  A punchy apple cider with strong citrus and clove notes, with a pretty big bite to it.  It wasn't one of my favorites, but wasn't one that I disliked either. 

My Idea-I'm jumping on a soaping bandwagon a bit late in the game, but I've been dying to try those cute little soaps that look like cupcakes, so realistic that you want to just take a bite out of one.  You know the ones, you see them and you just can't resist them.  So you buy the cute little buggers knowing full well that you will probably never use them, and they will just sit and look cute.  It's one of those "I bought it cause it was adorable" types of purchase.  Don't lie...you've made those purchases too, I know you have!  Anyway, I am not a baker type of girl, I do not make cupcakes, nor do I bake anything that doesn't come out of a box or without complete instructions; and I am even known to get those wrong on occasion.  So here I am thinking OK, I can do this, it's soap right?  It's not like I have to bake it right?  I might as well live a little and give it a try.

The color-I was thinking fruity apple punch cider here so went with a no color base for the cake and Burgundy oxide for the frosting part, and I used a silicone mini muffin pan for the mold (which I scored at the used store for $1).  For the recipe I used my basic recipe with the addition of Lard.  

The Results: Once in the soap base this fragrance morphed almost instantly into a much more floral fragrance.  I immediately thought of changing the whole design idea because it became way to floral to work with a cupcake/dessert design, but I already had everything ready to go and had zero time to alter my design idea.  (I didn't have a loaf mold ready to go).  Note to self:  be better at having a backup plan if something doesn't work out.  This fragrance didn't accelerate trace, but did discolor my soap base to a bright yellow color.  As for the cupcakes themselves, well lets just say that for now I will leave those to my fellow soapers that have way more patience than I do.  Out of 2 dozen cupcakes, only 3 looked decent enough for a photo shoot.  As you can see I need a lot of practice.  

See the frosting, it looks brown right?  Nope that's ash.  Yep these little buggers ashed up on me like crazy, the color is more of a mauve (see below).  This was a great learning experience for me though, and I did have enough left overs to make some mini soaps, and some soap curls for a future project.  So not a total loss, and while the cupcakes are sure not perfect by my standards, everyone seems to love them anyway, and of course can not resist them because "they are so darling".  I am thinking that these are worth a little practice in the art of Frosting cupcakes. 

Overall, while I did not end up liking this fragrance, it performed well and was perfect to work with.  It is a very strong fragrance (3%), and has really stuck in the soap so far.   I am giving this one to the fragrance, since it changed so much for me once I stuck it in the soap. 

Monica:    4     Mystery fragrances:  2

So on to the next challenge, Fragrance # 7 which is one of my absolute favorites OOB!  Can't wait for this one. 

The SOAP testing continues...

My adventure continues with mystery fragrances #4 & #8, I skipped to number 8 because frankly it was not my favorite scent of them all, and I just wanted to get it done.  

First I worked on Mystery Fragrance #4

 The fragrance: #4-First impressions right out of the bottle was of something sweet, yet tart like orange or cranberry; mixed with something earthy and crisp like balsam. Sort of like the holiday potpourri they have this time of year.  The idea:  Another swirl to help me practice my swirling abilities, I marvel at some of the beautiful swirls I see from fellow soapers, plus I just love the creative part of swirling soap!  The Colors: Think Holidays, so I went with Green, Red and Black.  Would have liked to add white, but realized I am completely out of titanium dioxide (now how did that happen).

The Recipe:  A slight variation on my basic recipe from prev posts, but with more olive oil.  Since batch #2 accelerated so fast I thought I would tweak the recipe just a little to give me time to swirl. 







The Results:  A very beautiful swirl with crisp lines and an amazing scent.  The fragrance did have some discoloration, it turned the soap base yellow, thus resulting in muddier colors than expected; and the fragrance had a little bit of acceleration.  The green color however, ended up much brighter than it normally is.  Is this green morph from the fragrance or the oils?  I do not know the answer, but I am going to find out.  Will the green settle down into the more deep green that it's supposed to be?  Maybe, we will see as the soap cures.  If it doesn't, that's still OK, I like how it turned out anyway.  Even thought the base was a bit thicker when poured the swirls still came out fantastic.  I am very happy with this one!

So success #3 in my SOAP testing adventure. 

Monica: 3  SOAP Fragrances: 1

The second Batch I did was Mystery Fragrance #8

The Fragrance:  #8-Not my favorite, I usually love earthy fragrances, but this one was a little too earthy even for me.  It's a very smoky type of fragrance that reminds me of Frankincense or Myrrh, similar to Witches Brew without any note of sweetness.  I wasn't going to put this in soap, because lets face it, I'm not sure anyone would want to smell like that; but I could not think of anything else to use it in, so into soap it went.  The Idea:  In my effort to try and make something fun out of a fragrance I didn't like (which is harder than you would think), I immediately thought I could pass this fragrance off as a Halloween fragrance like Witchy something or Fright Night.  3 different Halloween themed layers was the idea that came to mind first.

 The Colors:  What immediately comes to mind when you think of Halloween; why Orange, Black, and Purple of course!  I would have liked to add a little glitter to give it some fun pizazz, but I didn't have any skin safe glitter in my cupboards.  (Don't worry I put it on my wish list for my next Bramble Berry order)  The Recipe:  Again went basic with Olive, Coconut, Palm, Shea Butter, Castor oil, and Sweet Almond Oil.  With this one it was OK if it traced quickly; when it comes to layers the thicker the better.  This one had no acceleration whatsoever, in fact, I had to wait a little bit before pouring each layer. 

The Result:  The layers turned out fantastic, and the colors are awesome.  I still don't like the scent any better than I did before, but the colors and the look have given it a bit more appeal.  This fragrance would have been great to use as a column pour because I actually had to wait a bit for it to get to a thick enough trace in between layers.  Overall I like it, but would not make it a part of my soap line, it may have appealed to the guys if I would have left it uncolored.  But that is not quite as much fun, is it?

The layers are great and the colors came out super pretty.  I have noticed no discoloration from the fragrance, and overall it performed well for me.

So overall another success, I plan to get some input on the fragrance from some of my trusty tester people and see what they think, because while I may not like it someone else may LOVE it!

Monica : 4 SOAP Fragrances: 1

Stayed tuned for the next batch of SOAP testing fun!  I'm thinking Mini Cupcakes with Fragrance #5 (Have been dying to try those cute cupcakes that people make), and some embeds with Fragrance # 7

More Wonderfully Fun SOAP Testing

My adventure in SOAP testing continues with Mystery fragrance #3. 

The Idea:  I need more swirling practice..love swirling.  I am going to do a regular 2 color swirl, nothing exciting, just a chance to practice my swirling skills.

The Fragrance:  My first impression of this fragrance was mulberry, plum, tart cranberry, and just a whisper of spice.  My husbands first impression was grape and plum.  It is very fruity and one of my FAVORITES!!  This is a fragrance that if Bramble Berry decides to keep it, it would become a regular part of my Purely Indulgence line year round, yes it's really that good!!

The Color:  Continuing with the Fall/Holiday theme, I decided to do a puple and black swirl.  I wasn't sure I would like using Black Oxide in soap...but I love it!  It really goes with any color/theme and makes the other colors really stand out.  I went with Ultramarine Violet mixed with Red Oxide for the purple part, both from Bramble Berry of course.

The Recipe: 

Olive oil-30%

Coconut oil-30%

Palm oil-20%

Grapeseed oil-6.67%

Castor oil-5%

Shea Butter-5%

Sweet Almond oil-3.33%

Becaue I used Extra Virgin Olive oil instead of Pomace, the Purple turned a bit muddy.  I noticed no color change when adding the fragrance oil.  I like it though, it's more of an earthy purple.  I was going for a plum color, which I think I managed to get.

I practiced a different sort of swirl, instead of a pattern I just looped it with a flick of my wrist to give it a more contemporary/elegant look.  I have been struggling with my swirling abilities, so with all this testing I figured it was the perfect time to get in some swirling practice!

The Result:  This one turned out GREAT.  The fragrance was fantastic to work with and didn't accelerate or discolor at all.  The tartness came through in the soap a lot more than out of the bottle, and it's a bright fragrance that I really like.  It is on the light side, so if using again I would increase my fragrance usage just a little, maybe up to 4.5-5% (I used 3% fo).

The color combination turned out super pretty!

As always I will keep my eye on it and watch as it cures.  I am looking for any color discoloration, and scent retention.  I decided to call it Blackberry Marmalade, this Limited Edition Fall/Holiday soap will sell out fast I think!!

Success #2 This one goes to ME!!

Monica: 2 Fragrances: 1

Keep on checking back, next post is going to be numbers 4 and 8.
Make sure you check out my favorite blog The Soap Queen, if you are looking for more soapy inspiration, and instructions for making your own wonderful soap.

SOAP Testing Continued...

Mystery S.O.A.P Fragrance # 2

I am having quite the experience testing these fragrances for Bramble Berry.  I can not believe how much fun this is!

The Idea:  I love the Column Pour method, and have been wanting to try it again.  I put it on my list for a technique that I should NOT use with a new Fragrance, and then of course totally disregarded my own advice!  If you want to see this method in detail, here is a tutorial from Lovin Soap.  You can also check out soap fantastic Column pour soaps at The Soap Queen Blog.

The Fragrance:  OOB (out of bottle) this fragrance smelled like ginger, some sort of musky base like patchouli, and a sweetness that was not candy sweet, but rather floral/earthy sweet.  It's a hard fragrance to explain, and has proven even harder to name.  I figured it would be a perfect canidate for 6 color column pour since it had so many different notes in it.  In the soap the fragrance turned a little more sweet, and lost that ginger note that I had detected. 

The Color:  Since we are doing fall I decided to go with reds, oranges, and a green.  I had the most fantastic helper when mixing up all the colors:  my 5 year old Trenton loves to help Mom as much as he can.  We used:  Burgundy oxide, Ultramarine violet, Ultramarine pink, Coral Mica (which turned orange), and Green Chrome Mica.

The Recipe:  Again I kept it simple, I wanted a recipe that wouldn't trace fast so I would have time to pour all of the colors and get clean lines.  I used:

Olive oil-35%

Coconut oil-30%

Palm oil-20%

Castor oil-5%

Avocado oil-5%

Lard-5%

The Results:  This fragrance traced way too fast on me and because the soap was too thick it did not pour well at all.  The top came out lumpy rather than smooth, and some of the colors disapered entirely.  The orange came out bright as did the green.  I will be sure and remind myself to use a fragrance oil that I KNOW will not accelerate next time I try to do a column pour.  Lesson Learned.

As you can see the top is not satin smooth, and there are no nice clean lines.

Cut it looks like this:

As they cure I will of course be looking for any color changes, and scent retention. 

I'm giving this one to the fragrance, since it didn't come out perfect (even though I am still happy with the results).

So Monica: 1  Mystery Fragrances: 1

Stay tuned for Fragrance #3

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.

My S.O.A.P fragrances have arrived!

I was on high alert yesterday as I knew the FedEx truck was bringing me my mystery fragrances.  I didn't go anywhere and anxiously awaited the delivery time.  Of course I had to immediately get my "out of bottle" thoughts on each fragrance.  So far I like #3,4, & 6 the best. 

Of course when my darling husband came home I had to get him in the action too plus my 5 year old helper just couldn't be left out of the fun.  Hubby's favorite....#5 and my son's favorite was all of them except #8.
I can't wait to start playing with all of the fantastic fragrances from Bramble Berry.  I have some fantastic ideas for some super creative CP soap, plus I plan on putting a few of these in a sugar scrub.  Well back to my drawing board for more creative ideas!
Have a fantastic day!