# Fragrance Buddy FO test



## Soapmaker145

Here is a list of the first 50 fragrance buddy that I already have in a 4 to 5 oz sample soap.  You can let me know which ones you are interested in the most and I'll review them first.  I have another 40+ to test.  I'll add them to the list as soon as they get numbered.

OOB, almost all of the fragrances smelled very nice with a lot of complex top notes.  To me, they are the opposite of the Bambleberry fragrances which tend to be faint OOB (very little cold throw).  Unfortunately the complexity doesn't survive the cp process.  However, some of them are nice.  I think most of them will work great for people who do HP or melt and pour. 

201	Earthen Oak
202	The Olive Branch
203	Victorian Christmas
204	Sultana
205	Driftwood
206	Breath of God
207	Black Cedarwood & Juniper
208	Tuca Tuca
209	American Cream
210	Apple Jack &Peels
211	Blue Sugar
212	karma
213	Pepperberry Wreath
214	Patchouli Passion
215	Flying Fox
216	Chestnuts & Brown Sugar
217	Honeysuckle &Jasmine
218	Skinny Dip
219	Asian Sandalwood
220	Vanillary
221	Nag Champa
222	Snow Day
223	Supernova
224	Trichomania
225	Honey I washed the kids
226	White tea & ginger
227	Sweet Orange Chili pepper
228	Wild Mountain Honey
229	Golden Sands
230	Leaves
231	Sun & Sands
232	Beeswax & Propolis
233	Rose Jam
234	Lavender Sage
235	Orange Blossom
236	The smell of Freedom
237	Lust
238	Beach
239	Bathos
240	Death and Decay
241	Autumn in the Park
242	Crisp Morning
243	Champagne & Snow Flowers
244	Kai Type
245	Flower Bomb
246	Vanilla Ice Cream
247	Winter festival
248	Frankincense&Myrrh
249	You Snap the Whip
250	Tuberose


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## dudeitsashley

I'd love to know how breath of god, wild mountain honey, beeswax & propolis, rose jam, bathos, death & decay, and flower bomb preform. Thank you in advance!


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## OliveOil2

I would love to know about American Cream, The Olive Branch, Honey I Washed The kids, Flying Fox, and Leaves. I am amazed at the number of fragrances you have tested. Thank you for sharing this information.


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## nsmar4211

At request, here are the ones I'm testing, majority are NOT cured enough yet:

Honeydew   Melon       
Sea Salt and Agave 
      White Tea and Ginger
 Lavender Sage
 Woodsmoke 
      Turquoise Sky
 Banana
 Black Coconut       
Winter Festival
 Asian Sandalwood
 Apple Mango
 Patchouli   Passion 
      Frankincense and Myrrh
 Baby Powder
 Nag Champa 
      Dirt
 Suede and Lace
 Lust
 Beach
 Rose Jam 
      Bamboo
 Dark Knight Bay Rum

Soapmaker, we overlap LOL. I've put my reviews in the FO review excel sheet, but agree we should do em in a thread too.


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## nsmar4211

Fully cured testers (all in CP lard based recipes):

Asian Sandalwood-a sweet smelling sandalwood (I had to go buy incense to figure out what it should smell like), obviously some vanilla added but not enough to deterr non vanilla fans. Had overheating issues and ended up shredding the batch and making confetti soap. Discolors to yellow tinted brown and bled into the white body soap for confetti (yellow bleed). My notes don't say anything about acceleration so it probably didn't. Update: In HP, this one is even better! No overheating issues, the scent mellows and isn't as vanilla smelling. Will update with the discolor. Oh, and the lather is yellow on the CP batch even with doing confetti.

Apple Mango- LOVE this fruity scent. No discolor, no accel but it does run hot (fully gelled in a 3 oz individual mold). Might be my recipe, but test in yours first as a loaf may overheat. My 1lb loaf gelled but behaved (unwrapped, 85 degree garage). Not really an apple or a mango, but a sweet fruity smell...not overpowering at all. My favorite so far in fruity (not citrus) smells.

Banana-Second favorite in fruit, more of a banana bread smell although it's banana candy out of the bottle. Discolors to medium brown, starts off as a spotty speckly discolor that'll make you think the batch messed up but eventually evens out. Behaves very well in batter and no heating issues in CP.

Black coconut-There's no coconut, it's a lie. This is a dupe of a Black Coconut from someone else, which I've never smelled. However, this is a nice tropical smell, low and sweet. Discolors to tannish brown. Has misbehaved in my tests so far though (I have two rebatches so far). Accelerates badly, overheats, seperates, BLEH. If I could get it to behave it'd be a keeper. Haven't given up on it yet, might need a much much cooler soaping temp (I'm around 120) or more water in the recipe. Update: Ended up Hp'ing this one, it behaved. Isn't as strong in HP at recommended usage (.6 ppo), so I think I'll use the CP rate next time.

Winterfest-took forever to decide what scent this is. It's a piney sharp with a touch of powder smell, with some other modifiers I can't ID. Out of bottle it's toilet bowl freshner, but in soap it's much better (wait for the cure though). No discolor, no acceleration. Not sure if I like it, will have to get other opinions on it. Update: In HP, loses the chemical undertone immediatly. Will update after testers get to it .


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## nsmar4211

My non cured scents, with (so far) behavior notes-discolors noted where they've shown up after a few days so far. Someone remind me to update in a month LOL. 60% lard recipe, temp around 120. Edited to add more notes.

Beach-really really fast mover. Don't plan any swirls. Hand stir and get into mold. Scent hasn't developed into describably terms yet. 

Baby Powder-moved a bit, but workable. Smells like baby powder, I like so far.

Dirt-No accel at all. Smells like potting soil. I"m going to patent a "toddler essence" with this and baby powder LOL.

Bamboo-really really fast mover. No swirls for you. Green weird discolor, seems to be turning into a yellow discolor. More of a "green" smell than other ones I've tried.

Dark Knight Bay Rum-Medium fast set, if you soaped cooler or a slower moving recipe might have time for designs. Smells like a clove based aftershave so far..looks like it'll tan discolor.

Frankincense and Myrrh-very low acceleration, time to work. Doesn't smell like my incense so scent judge will have to wait. Not as strong as most of the other FB scents I've used.

Nag Champa-low acceleration, use a slower moving recipe and it'll be fine. Not sure what nag champa is supposed to smell like, this smells like a cross between the frankincense/myrrh and the patchouli so far.

Rose Jam-low acceleration. Out of bottle and at pour this didn't smell like roses, but it's turning into a berry mix with a rose overtone as it cures. I like it more as it cures. It might discolor, it's changed a few times (light tan back to regular back to tan).

Patchouli Passion-sweet smelling compared to the only Patchouli I've ever smelled...like honey was added. Yellow discolor so far, very low accel so workable in designs. 

Suede and Lace-I get more lace than anything. Medium fast set, so far no discolor. Can't describe yet..

Lust-EW. There's a thread about this because it's horrible out of bottle and at pour. Currently the bar is on the porch because I can't stand it. Low fast set, workable but I wouldn't plan anything. Pinkish Reddish pretty discolor so far. Gorilla butt wiped with flowers is my description so far. Update: After a cure, it's doable. Strong strong jasmine. Tried an HP batch at half usage...tolerable. Do not use in high amounts and keep far away if doing CP until it cures! Pretty pink red color

Honeydew   Melon-this is a nice sweet smell! YUM! Mild accel, no discolor yet. If this sticks it's a keeper for me.

Sea Salt and Agave-reddish discolor, no accel, to me a nice "soapy" oceany smell. I like it.

      White Tea and Ginger-smells like the BB one I am also testing so far, mild acceleration but managable. No discolor yet.

 Lavender Sage-more sage than lavender at this point, well behaved, no discolor yet. I like this combo so far.

 Woodsmoke-my notes don't say, but by looking at the bar I think this one set up fast. Smells like urm clean wood smoke? Not sure I'd use it by itself but maybe in a blend? On the light side for FB fragrances, yellowish discolor so far.

      Turquoise Sky-did not like this out of the bottle too many overtones, but it's curing better. I actually HP'd the main batch (1 lb) I did which seems to help the scent settle down. The test bar of CP still hasn't made up it's mind as to the scent. Urrrr I'll have to come back with a description... No accel or discolor so far on the CP test bar.


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## Soapmaker145

I made a list.  I'll take some pictures this weekend and write the reviews.  
nsmar, you have a few I don't have but you're right we overlap a lot.

Oliveoil, I used to get my fragrances from A Garden Eastward and never thought twice about a scent morphing or not sticking.  Since they closed, it's been hit or miss but mostly misses.  I finally decided to test enough fragrances to find 20 to 30 that behave well and that I like.  I'm surprised how easy it's been to do the testers in 5 oz yogurt containers. I do 40 to 70 at a time.  In the long run, it costs less than having good soap with scents that I can't stand.  I've been there too many times already. 

Just an FYI, I don't sell but I share my soaps with family, friends and neighbors.


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## OliveOil2

I have many overlaps for both of your lists, yesterday I used Sea Witch, and it does accelerate, but I didn't use my recipe that traces slower. I really like the scent, it is supposed to be the same as Salty Sea Air. It is nice and strong, but only the day after cutting. This was actually a batch after testing it in a sample size for 4 weeks. 

Soapmaker145 can relate I give away so much soap, and with a new job, being out of town for a six week training I haven't been able to make that much recently, so this year I'm just doing one craft fair.


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## nsmar4211

I have to admit I'm trying to find out what kind of Black Friday sale Fragrance Buddy ran last year...there's bunch more 1oz'ers I want to get to play with but if they're going to be on sale I can get moooorree for my budget. Aside from the many scents that accel, which I think might be manageable with a recipe and temp tweak, so far the scents are holding decently after 3-4 months and don't have weird chemical overtones like I've gotten from others (I'm looking at you save on scents). I found that they seem stronger than the Brambleberry ones I've tried, but honeslty due to the prices I haven't experimented as much with the BB scents. Funny how we all have different experiences . 

I also had the following on my try list : Sultana, Driftwood, Black Cedarwood, Karma, Pepperberry Wreath,Sweet Orange Chili pepper, Death and Decay, and You Snap the Whip. 

I swear I tested a couple more I can't think of....or find notes on.... Edit: Ok figured it out and added them in .


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## OliveOil2

nsmar4211 I have tried a few on your try list, and my friend who soaps has tried a couple of the others, of course you might have a different experience with them:

Sultana I love this one it is easy to work with, think there is slight discoloration. The smell to me is bergamot, honey, and very pleasant. I have soaped this one several times, and never any problems, I didn't color the batter for most of the batches, and had used embeds.

Black Cedarwood: This one is strong and has a cologne type scent, everyone says unisex, but I think more men's fragrance. I do smell the cumin which surprised me. It is easy to work with, I didn't notice discoloration, but I colored it ashed on me. I haven't had the chance to have anyone else smell it, but the scent has held strong for approximately 6 weeks. I hardly ever go below 1 oz per pound, but this is one of those that I think will be nicer at .75 -.85oz per pound.

Karma: I love this scent, and it is very popular, very easy to work with, plenty of time, no discoloration. It sticks very well, and I think is like the original.

My friend said the Orange Chili pepper faded on her, and that the Death & Decay was an old lady perfume, not sure what that means lol, but she didn't like it. I have a bunch more that I haven't soaped yet, I went a little crazy on their last sale. Unfortunately I haven't gotten to test all of them since I've been making my regulars, and haven't tested quite a few.


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## newbie

I took the liberty of adding what reviews were given here, even if they are partial, to the FO list with your names. Even to know that a scent accelerates is good for someone who may be ordering to know. I also think it good to have a number of reviews of the same scent because our experiences can be different and even if they aren't, it's reassuring to the person looking that behavior has been consistent. 

I hope you don't mind!

Soapmaker145, I hope you will add yours to the list when you have them. It creates a wealth of information.


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## Soapmaker145

Please keep in my mind that any comments beyond the discoloration and the comparison to OOB are subjective and  based on what I smell.  We all have different and complex sense of smell.  

My test recipe is 50% (tallow, coconut and mango butter) and 50% (Rice bran, Apricot kernel, castor and canola).  I picked these oils on purpose because I want to know if the FO is prone to DOS.  My process: I aliquot 6 grams of fragrance in a small tube containing 0.1g of kaolin.  I mix them well and let the tubes stand for a minimum of 24 hours.  I mix them periodically if I remember. I make a big batch of soap (7 to 12 kg) and start the process when the oils are around 145oF. At emulsion, I take out 2 L and SB for 30 sec and then aliquot in yogurt container (light trace).  I leave the rest sitting in the pot until I need it.  By the time I get to the next 2L batch, the mix is at medium light trace.  By the end, it reaches heavy trace (not fluid) but I can still mix in the fragrance without any problem.  The FO has to rice or accelerate very aggressively for me to notice A&R.  The FO is added at 100 to 120oF.  The batter cools quickly in the yogurt cups.  Once done, I put all the containers on trays and pile them up on top of each other and cover with towels.  The do heat to varying degrees for about 24 hrs (to the touch).  The heat gun registers around 120oF.  They are usually at RT by 36 hours.  

The various greek yogurt containers I use hold between 120 and 150g of batter.  My usage rate is between 4.5 and 5% based on the weight of the batter, *not oil*.

I'm keeping my testers for a year because I'm looking for scents that last for that long.  I like my soaps old.  I'm also making 1 lb testers out of the ones I like.

These are my notes on 6 week old soaps.  No wet test yet.  I have the original FO spotted on absorbent paper for comparison.  I haven't used Lush soaps in over a decade.  I don't recall the original scents that the dupes are based on.  I'll post pictures a little later.

202-The Olive Branch: Better OOB, lost many of the fresh green notes.  It smells heavy in the soap.  I smell some light dry generic citrusy notes in a base of musk.   Discolors a beige color, a little lighter than #209.  Medium strength dry throw.  More prone to ash than others I poured at the same time.  I would use it for HP or I would add something to it to bring forward some of the citrusy and green notes.

209- American Cream:  Discolored medium beige.  It lost some of the complexity it had OOB which wasn’t much to begin with.  It is a soft musk scent.  I don’t smell cream.  I think it is used as the basis of some of the others.   It isn’t bad but it is generic.  More prone to ash than others I poured at the same time.  The scent is light but present.

215-Flying Fox:  Very light tan discoloration with a hint of pink.  Very strong cold throw.  I like it better in the soap than OOB.  I can smell jasmine and ylang ylang but not much cypress.  OOB, it is a heavy floral FO.  In the soap, it is much softer but still very strong.  I would reduce my usage rate.  It reminds me a bit of honeysuckle only better. 

225-Honey I washed the kids:  It smells much better OOB.  In the soap, it lost most of the complexity.  OOB, it smells like candy you want to eat.  In the soap, I find it hard to identify the scent.  I think this one is best for HP if you want to preserve the complexity.  If you don’t do side by side comparison, it is a generic scent (to me) that works fine in soap.  Medium strength.

228-Wild Mountain Honey: The maximum usage rate for this one is 3%.  I used it at 5%.  It is lovely OOB like wild flower honey.  It lost a lot of the complexity in the soap.  Medium strength, discolors medium yellowish beige.  Because of the low usage rates, I wouldn’t use it in cp soap.  I bought a big bottle because of reviews.  I didn’t notice the usage rate at the time.  I may use it at 1% in liquid hand soap.  I may have a substitute for it (Honey from NDA if the scent survives until it is done curing).

230-Leaves: Very light ash.  This one is lovely.  It screams fall to me but I’ll use it any time.  It is softer in the soap but retained a lot of the complexity of the original scent.  It lost some of the cooked sweet notes that are present OOB (which I find a big plus).  No discoloration, strong scent.  It reminds me of BB Autumn Fig Harvest and TCS Spiced Apples and Peaches.  It falls in between these 2.  It doesn’t have some of the piney green notes of AFH but has more green notes than SAP.  My own preference: it knocked AFH off my list but I would still make soap with SAP.

232-Beeswax & Propolis: No discoloration or ash.  OOB, I smell beeswax with a hint of honey.  In the soap, the scent morphed a bit.  There is a new scent that I can’t identify that wasn’t there OOB.  I like it better before soaping.  If I used it, I would blend it for cp or HP.  The scent is medium light. 

233-Rose Jam: OOB, I smell rose, citrus with a hint of geranium, a nice soft floral without the overwhelming rose scent.  Most of it is lost in the cp process.  It became muddied and muddled in the soap.  It isn’t bad but really much worse than OOB.  I think this one is for HP.  Beige discoloration, light scent, light ash.

I just unmolded Bathos and Death & Decay.  They both smell very nice right now.  If the scents survive the cure, both will be really good for cp.


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## Soapmaker145

OliveOil2 said:


> I have many overlaps for both of your lists, yesterday I used Sea Witch, and it does accelerate, but I didn't use my recipe that traces slower. I really like the scent, it is supposed to be the same as Salty Sea Air. It is nice and strong, but only the day after cutting. This was actually a batch after testing it in a sample size for 4 weeks.
> 
> Soapmaker145 can relate I give away so much soap, and with a new job, being out of town for a six week training I haven't been able to make that much recently, so this year I'm just doing one craft fair.



Oliveoil, please make a list too.  I'll be adding fragrances to test based on what others find interesting.  I think I'm developing a problem.  There is a lot of excitement when trying something new.  I think I'm addicted.

I only get a chance to soap few times a year.  I make large batches.  Otherwise it isn't worth wasting the time.  Pesky work gets in the way but at least it keeps funding the addiction.


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## Soapmaker145

nsmar4211 said:


> I have to admit I'm trying to find out what kind of Black Friday sale Fragrance Buddy ran last year...there's bunch more 1oz'ers I want to get to play with but if they're going to be on sale I can get moooorree for my budget. Aside from the many scents that accel, which I think might be manageable with a recipe and temp tweak, so far the scents are holding decently after 3-4 months and don't have weird chemical overtones like I've gotten from others (I'm looking at you save on scents). I found that they seem stronger than the Brambleberry ones I've tried, but honeslty due to the prices I haven't experimented as much with the BB scents. Funny how we all have different experiences .
> 
> I also had the following on my try list : Sultana, Driftwood, Black Cedarwood, Karma, Pepperberry Wreath,Sweet Orange Chili pepper, Death and Decay, and You Snap the Whip.
> 
> I swear I tested a couple more I can't think of....or find notes on.... Edit: Ok figured it out and added them in .


I think I have all of the ones on your list. I'll get my reviews up before it's time for the next sale.  

Did you say Brambleberry?  Make your list.  I started out with BB.  I have 4 of the sampler packs and another 50+ bottles (2 to 8 oz).  BB's fragrances are hit or miss.  I think they work hard to get a well curated collection but their scents have very little dry throw in general.  This is a problem for people who sell and those of us who give soaps to people.  I don't like hearing "what is that supposed to be?".  it makes the gift somehow less special.  BB's fragrances come back when wet for the most part.


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## Soapmaker145

newbie said:


> I took the liberty of adding what reviews were given here, even if they are partial, to the FO list with your names. Even to know that a scent accelerates is good for someone who may be ordering to know. I also think it good to have a number of reviews of the same scent because our experiences can be different and even if they aren't, it's reassuring to the person looking that behavior has been consistent.
> 
> I hope you don't mind!
> 
> Soapmaker145, I hope you will add yours to the list when you have them. It creates a wealth of information.



Newbie, thank you for adding the reviews to the list.  I look at that sheet very often and find it very helpful. 

I'll try my best to add all of tests to the review sheet.  If anybody has some time and is willing to help me with transferring some of my reviews, I would really appreciate it.


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## newbie

I will help as much as I can. Your reviews have more info than fits inthe little boxes but I think they can be consolidated. Some of the ones you posted don't say anything about acceleration so I will leave that blank, then you can go it and fill in.


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## JayJay

Hey thanks for doing this!  Fragrance buddy isn't too far from me so I like to order from them.


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## OliveOil2

Thank you Soapmaker145, I posted a few in response to nsmar4211 on the previous page, and have a few more I will list here, but for reference I will put them all together in the next day or two, most likely on the scent review chart. Thank you nsmar4211 for your reviews too!

Beach: Like nsmar4211 said in her review this is a super fast mover, the scent is not very much like Beach to me, and loses complexity in cure. It didn't discolor, but this is one of the fastest movers I have ever seen.

Dark Knight: Surprised how easy to work with, no acceleration, or discoloration. Soaped 6 months ago, still very strong. I did mix in a little Earth and Son to mellow out the Nutmeg. I was surprised at the strength of the scent considering the low %.

Boudoir: I couldn't believe how bad it smelled OOB, but to me even worse when soaped. Easy to work with, no acceleration, or discoloration. I have heard people say they loved the original Moonworks Boudoir, but for me this is one that I gag when I smell it.

Beeswax and Propolis: I couldn't smell beeswax, honey or propolis, this was a horrible smell to me. For my nose like the Bordoir it was even worse in soap. No acceleration, discolor to tan. 

Sun & Sand: This one smells much more like Bobbie Brown Beach than the FB Beach FO. It is nice, but missing something, to me it needs a touch of Jasmine. It was easy to work with, no acceleration or discoloration. Medium strong holding after cure, it hasn't faded.

Love Spell: Nice version of the VS Love spell smells very much like the Candle Science Love Spell and holding stronger. Easy to work with, plenty of time to do multiple colors, no discoloration.

Smell of Freedom: I like this one, but think it needs a little more time to cure to be sure how it will hold. It is a very nice earthy smell, difficult to describe. Easy to soap, no acceleration, or discoloration.

I will probably think of some others, I have some on the scent review chart that I didn't list here.


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## Soapmaker145

Here are the pictures to give you an idea of the discoloration.


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## Soapmaker145

newbie said:


> I will help as much as I can. Your reviews have more info than fits inthe little boxes but I think they can be consolidated. Some of the ones you posted don't say anything about acceleration so I will leave that blank, then you can go it and fill in.



Thank you.  Every little bit helps.  I won't add A & R info from the small sample unless it is really ugly.  I will when I make a larger batch.  My recipe is slow moving anyway.  I would love to see a 3 month and a 6 month FO update. I'm not sure how hard it will be to add to the review sheets.   Thank you again.


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## Soapmaker145

Few more: 

238-Beach: No D, definite A.  This was lovely when first unmolded.  It slowly faded to a hint of something.  I expect it to be completely gone in another 6 weeks.

207-Black Cedarwood and Juniper: More prone to ash.  Discolored to a dark pinkish tan/Mauve. The scent has been fading slowly during cure.  It is very light at 6 weeks.  I don't smell much cedarwood. I also don't get any juniper notes.  I'll update if it comes back.  So far, the closest FO to pure cedarwood EO is #68 Cedarwood Vanilla from CS.  I don't get the vanilla but the cedarwood is slightly softer than cedarwood EO straight OOB.  I also tested TCS Redwood Cedar (#109).  This one smells like a nice soapy scent with woodsy undertones that include cedar.  All my friends who smelled these 3 asked for #109.

205-Driftwood: discolored to an ugly yellowish beige.  This is another one that is disappearing by the day.   It is really too bad because it smelled really nice at first.  Right now, it smells like light incense.


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## doriettefarm

Soapmaker145 - How long before your American Cream tester is ready to use?  I'm curious once you have a chance to try it if the lather is tinted yellow.  The batch I made with it turned out nice but I noticed when I used it earlier today the drippings in the sink were yellow.  I'm pretty sure it's not my recipe because I used the same recipe with other FOs and no yellow lather on those bars.  Keep me posted if you notice something similar so I won't think I'm crazy!  :crazy:


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## OliveOil2

I am going to attempt to cut & paste my two replies with reviews, and add a few more. I will transfer everything to the Fragrance Review Chart.

nsmar4211 I have tried a few on your try list, and my friend who soaps has tried a couple of the others, of course you might have a different experience with them:

Sultana I love this one it is easy to work with, think there is slight discoloration. The smell to me is bergamot, honey, and very pleasant. I have soaped this one several times, and never any problems, I didn't color the batter for most of the batches, and had used embeds.

Black Cedarwood: This one is strong and has a cologne type scent, everyone says unisex, but I think more men's fragrance. I do smell the cumin which surprised me. It is easy to work with, I didn't notice discoloration, but I colored it ashed on me. I haven't had the chance to have anyone else smell it, but the scent has held strong for approximately 6 weeks. I hardly ever go below 1 oz per pound, but this is one of those that I think will be nicer at .75 -.85oz per pound.

Karma: I love this scent, and it is very popular, very easy to work with, plenty of time, no discoloration. It sticks very well, and I think is like the original.

Beach: Like nsmar4211 said in her review this is a super fast mover, the scent is not very much like Beach to me, and loses complexity in cure. It didn't discolor, but this is one of the fastest movers I have ever seen.

Dark Knight: Surprised how easy to work with, no acceleration, or discoloration. Soaped 6 months ago, still very strong. I did mix in a little Earth and Son to mellow out the Nutmeg. I was surprised at the strength of the scent considering the low %.

Boudoir: I couldn't believe how bad it smelled OOB, but to me even worse when soaped. Easy to work with, no acceleration, or discoloration. I have heard people say they loved the original Moonworks Boudoir, but for me this is one that I gag when I smell it.

Beeswax and Propolis: I couldn't smell beeswax, honey or propolis, this was a horrible smell to me. For my nose like the Bordoir it was even worse in soap. No acceleration, discolor to tan.

Sun & Sand: This one smells much more like Bobbie Brown Beach than the FB Beach FO. It is nice, but missing something, to me it needs a touch of Jasmine. It was easy to work with, no acceleration or discoloration. Medium strong holding after cure, it hasn't faded.

Love Spell: Nice version of the VS Love spell smells very much like the Candle Science Love Spell and holding stronger. Easy to work with, plenty of time to do multiple colors, no discoloration.

Smell of Freedom: I like this one, but think it needs a little more time to cure to be sure how it will hold. It is a very nice earthy smell, difficult to describe. Easy to soap, no acceleration, or discoloration.

Bella: Beautiful scent, but very weak at the maximum usage rate, might be OK as a mixer, no problems soaping

Sea Witch: This one moves fast, and riced a little on me, I didn't use my best recipe for difficult Fo, and I still was able to play around with a tiger stripe. I colored the most recent batch, but noticed slight acceleration. I really like the scent, it is one of the few ocean scents that remind me of the ocean. I was told that it is the same as Salty Sea Air.

Celestial Sea: This FO changed over the course of curing, it went through a phrase where I thought it smelled like medicine, but continued to improve. I like the finished scent, and it really sticks in the cured soap. It doesn't remind me of the ocean, but a nice herbal smell, I detect some type of tree scent, this smells more like essential oils than FO.

Sir Dorin: Nice fragrance, but at the low usage rates it is too faint. It is such a nice unisex FO I really wish it was stronger. No discolor, or acceleration. Scent didn't fade, just very weak because the usage rate is so low.

I may have a few more I will have to go over my notes, but will transfer these to the Fragrance Review Chart.


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## Soapmaker145

doriettefarm said:


> Soapmaker145 - How long before your American Cream tester is ready to use?  I'm curious once you have a chance to try it if the lather is tinted yellow.  The batch I made with it turned out nice but I noticed when I used it earlier today the drippings in the sink were yellow.  I'm pretty sure it's not my recipe because I used the same recipe with other FOs and no yellow lather on those bars.  Keep me posted if you notice something similar so I won't think I'm crazy!  :crazy:



My tester is past the 6 weeks mark.  I just tried it.  The lather is normal.  Did yours discolor more than mine?  The scent on mine didn't come back when wet.  It is very light.


----------



## doriettefarm

Just for comparison purposes I'm posting a pic of American Cream (front center), Wild Mountain Honey (back right) and Beeswax & Propolis (back left).  No color was added but I did use mead as partial water sub on the 2 honey bars.

ETA - the lather itself isn't really yellow but the drippings in my sink definitely are!


----------



## Soapmaker145

You are absolutely right.  American Cream lathers white and drips fairly bright yellow water for an ugly dark beige soap.  Thank you for mentioning it.  I thought my eyes were playing a trick on me so I let it drip in a white bowl. It's unmistakably yellow.  I have a problem with the yellow more so than the brown from vanilla or cocoa.  Somehow it is an unknown chemical that I've never ran into in soap before.   

I don't smell the scent much when wet but I could smell it on my hands after drying them.  It smells worse than OOB.  As is, it isn't for me.      

I'm still looking for a milk/cream scent that is similar to L'Occitane's Bonne Mere milk soap.  Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.


----------



## doriettefarm

I agree.  Somehow the yellow drippings seemed off but I'm okay with brown drippings from a vanilla FO, go figure!  I wonder if it's the musk aspect because I've never soaped with any other musky FOs before and never had another batch with the yellow tint. 

I'd also love to find a dupe of L'Occitane's Bonne Mere milk soap.  The closest L'Occitane dupe I've found is for their discontinued honey scent . . . that FO came from Elements B&B.  I feel like it lost something in CP so I've been hoarding it for sugar scrubs and liquid soap.


----------



## OliveOil2

Soapmaker145 I just recently soaped your test #109 from TCS and love this scent, I have two batches curing both in beer soap. To me this is a perfect unisex fragrance for soap, and easy to work with. I've used the Driftwood from Candle Science and is holds in CP soap, I just can't get past that brown lather. It wasn't a favorite scent for me, but other people really liked it.


----------



## cerelife

I've soaped with the following from FragranceBuddy at 1oz ppo, and here are my thoughts on the cured (min 6 week old) bars:

Flying Fox - I expected this to accelerate, so I used a 75% lard recipe and it still moved pretty fast. Very little to no discoloration. I've made 4 batches with this FO and I love it! To my nose it's a nice strong honeysuckle/jasmine scent with very little fading so far.
Sex Bomb - used my regular recipe with no problems. I colored the batch and the colors are true, so I'm guessing discoloration is minimal to none. Not sure how to describe this scent...it just smells really sweet and candyish to me. A pretty generic scent that I probably won't order again. But that's just me.
Sweet Orange and Chili Pepper - OMG!! Finally a skin-safe FO in this scent that doesn't lose that 'chili-pepper' kick during saponification!! This is the youngest of my soaps at just over 6 weeks old and the scent is still going strong and true! Fingers crossed it will continue to last as I saw another poster mentioned her friend said it faded on her. I used my regular recipe and it behaved fine. I colored this batch as well and again the colors stayed true.

These are the FB oils I just got today, so I'll post after I soap with them.
Porridge
Avobath
Sea Witch
Imogen Rose
Tuca Tuca
Lord of Misrule
Breath of God


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## Soapmaker145

Here are few more:
213-Pepperberry Wreath: discolored pinkish beige.  Strong coniferous green scent, similar to mistletoe/Christmassy FOs.  It is nicely balanced without the sharp overtones found in similar fragrances.  It doesn’t smell like pepper EO. 

227- Sweet orange Chili:  No Dis, more prone to ash.  Medium strength in cp. OOB, it has a nice balance between the chili and the orange (which was present in the soap at first).  At 6 weeks, the orange is faint and the chili is dominating.  This is a nice clean scent (not foodie).  I didn't expect to like it as much as I did.  I will probably mix it with a little FB orange blossom and BB 10X orange to bring back some of the lost citrus notes (something like 75%: 15%:15%).

235-Orange Blossom:  Very soft yellow discoloration. Strong clean scent and holding well.  This FO is just orange blossom/neroli with nothing else in the background.  It's a keeper.


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## Soapmaker145

doriettefarm said:


> I agree.  Somehow the yellow drippings seemed off but I'm okay with brown drippings from a vanilla FO, go figure!  I wonder if it's the musk aspect because I've never soaped with any other musky FOs before and never had another batch with the yellow tint.
> 
> I'd also love to find a dupe of L'Occitane's Bonne Mere milk soap.  The closest L'Occitane dupe I've found is for their discontinued honey scent . . . that FO came from Elements B&B.  I feel like it lost something in CP so I've been hoarding it for sugar scrubs and liquid soap.



I haven't had a chance to check if the original fragrance was yellow.  If it isn't, I would be very uncomfortable using this FO in soap.  The problem with IFRA certificate is the fact that they are based on the original composition of the fragrance.  They don't take into account what happens to it when it hits the lye.  I know that chemicals can change without a change in color.  However, it is harder to overlook when I can see it.  I have another Musk.  It hasn't finished curing yet.  I'll update when I can test it.  

I'm also looking for L'Occitane's honey.  I tried the Honey Harvest from MMS.  Not even close.  It had way too much bitter almond which was nowhere near the original. I've been ordering every honey I can find.  So far none came close.  Do you remember their Linden soap?  I would love to find that one too.


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## Soapmaker145

OliveOil2 said:


> Soapmaker145 I just recently soaped your test #109 from TCS and love this scent, I have two batches curing both in beer soap. To me this is a perfect unisex fragrance for soap, and easy to work with. I've used the Driftwood from Candle Science and is holds in CP soap, I just can't get past that brown lather. It wasn't a favorite scent for me, but other people really liked it.



Everybody who smelled #109 asked for it.  I normally buy FOs in 4 oz bottles.  I bought a 16oz bottle of the Redwood Cedar.  I tested a number of the TCS fragrances.  Most of them are winners.  They smell light (not faint) and clean OOB and soap true to the OOB scent.  I think their Peach Magnolia Raspberry is beautiful, same for the lavender and the tangerine dreams.  It might take me some time but I'll review the ones I tried.  

I have CS Driftwood (#84) and Caribbean Teakwood (#79).  Driftwood is faint.  I don't care for it.  #79 is much nicer but I'm not sure it is going to survive for much longer.  Both discolored.  The Driftwood from FB was so much better than both of the CS FOs.  It has faded a lot but I'm still hoping it will come back even if just when wet.

If you are looking for Frankincense and Myrrh, so far CS has the best I tried.


----------



## Soapmaker145

cerelife said:


> These are the FB oils I just got today, so I'll post after I soap with them.
> Porridge
> Avobath
> Sea Witch
> Imogen Rose
> Tuca Tuca
> Lord of Misrule
> Breath of God



In my test, Tuca Tuca developed the same awful odor as Lust but to a significantly lesser extent (minimal compared to Lust).  I smell a nice scent then something awful in the background.  The bad scent seemed to disappear, but then came back.  Mine isn't done curing yet.  Please post about your experience after you soap with this set of FOs.


----------



## OliveOil2

Cerelife good to know that flying fox moves fast it is on my list to purchase. I just thought of one more and want to mention it here as well as the scent review chart because I had issues with it. True Lavender is a beautiful FO out of the bottle. I tested 6 fragrances with the same batter. True Lavender was much moister, almost wet, it took a day longer to unmold. The scent morphed then faded away within a few weeks. The Orange Blossom is a keeper for me too, and different from other companies Orange Blossoms. I can really smell the neroli.


----------



## nsmar4211

Does anyone remember what Fragrance Buddy's sales were last year for the holidays? I now have a huge wish list of testers...and I've found a few that I want to buy in larger sizes, but if the sale is worth it I'll wait.


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## OliveOil2

nsmar4211 Last year he did a Black Friday which lasted a few days, and again one near Christmas. 

Soapmaker145 we must be on the same scent wave length, I also purchased Peach Magnolia, and love it. I purchased Tangerine Dream, and it is a little light, but nice, I also got the True Lavender, but have had issues with it, may be me though, it seems to hold more moisture, and it has faded on me. He is having a mega sale (Tennessee Candle) now for anyone purchasing 16oz size. $6 off of each 6 bottles, $5 off each 5 bottles etc. I almost ordered, but would get 3 lbs of the Redwood Cedar and 3 lbs of the Peach Magnolia Raspberry, and that is a little crazy. He has duped Bert's Cool Waters, and is coming up with something similar to Perfect Man, but they aren't in stock yet. So I want those of Course. I will post on the sale page, Brent & Kimberly are so great to work with and they have quality oils.


----------



## nsmar4211

Wait, I'm confused...tennessee candle and fragrance buddy are the same "he"?

BTW check in the suppliers ad thread because Tennessee Candle also offered us a discount on the 1oz ers


----------



## OliveOil2

nsmar4211 Sorry to be confusing I was referring to Tennessee Candle when I said He. The 20 1 oz ers are also on his site, but I have a mental block against those little bottles, so wasn't thinking about them, but know lots of people will want them.


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## nsmar4211

Darn so I still don't know what Fragrance Buddy did last year for holiday sales.... guess my next round of testers from them will wait and see


----------



## Soapmaker145

nsmar4211 said:


> Darn so I still don't know what Fragrance Buddy did last year for holiday sales.... guess my next round of testers from them will wait and see


I think Oliveoil meant Fragrancebuddy had sales around Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I would wait since it's less than a month away.


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## Soapmaker145

Oliveoil, I think you are right.  we have similar taste in FOs and similar experience with at least some lavender.  Please keep on posting the ones you like.  I'll add them to my list.

I got my order from TCS last week so I missed the sale.  I don't mind because I don't normally get 1lb of anything.  Their prices are very reasonable for the quality.  So far, their FOs survived the cp process better than any other supplier.  I'm glad they duped Cold Waters.  I have the BB version which I like but it discolored unevenly and is prone to heavy ash.  At least the scent is holding.  I don't know what the perfect man smells like but I'll try it.  I would love for TCS to come up with some Tea FOs, just the simple ones like Black, Green, White, and White Tea&Ginger.  

I just checked on my Tangerine and Lavender from TCS.  Neither discolored.  They are past the 6 weeks mark and both are holding very nicely.  The tangerine is clean and fresh and smells brighter and drier to me than BB's Kumquat (which is also good but a little weaker).  I added both at 5%.  The lavender soap doesn't feel any different than the rest I poured with it but I haven't tried it yet.  It smells nice and softly floral.  I love lavender but never in soap.  I like this one enough to make some for myself. 

I don't have much experience with lavender in soap.  A friend asked me for  lavender and vanilla soaps.  I used lavender EO and BB vanilla select in a 5lb batch.  The vanilla discolored and faded to nothing.  I can still smell the lavender EO but weakly.  The soap stayed soft for very long time.  After 4 months, it feels like a regular soap but it melts very quickly when used.  Needless to say, I kept it.  I'm giving it another 6 months before using it myself.  I wasn't sure what did it.  I used buttermilk for the liquid which may have contributed to the problem.  I poured 2 other fragrances with the same mix and they were both normal.


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## Soapmaker145

Few more FB reviews:

201-Earthen Oak: I love this one.  It accelerates and discolors quickly to a milk chocolate brown.  Slight ash.  This one smells earthy, woodsy and comforting.  I smell a lot of sandalwood.  I reminds me of Vanilla Sandalwood from BB which is nice on its own but smells more artificial next to #201.  I'm not picking on BB.  I just have more fragrances from them than from anybody else.  It is easy to compare. The scent stayed true since it was poured. 

203-Victorian Christmas: discolors to a medium yellowish beige.  It is a nice balance between coniferous greens, woods, and a little spice.  The scent is strong but not pushy. It's a nice christmasy scent. 

204-Sultana: Discolored to a medium beige.  Hint of ash.  I think this is my favorite of the Lush dupes so far.  It is strong and holding.  It is a perfumey mix with floral, musk and patchouli notes.  It is well blended. 

210-Apple Jack&Peels: discolored to a medium beige. Prone to light ash but not too bad.  Medium strong and holding.  I find that it has a nice balance between the apple and the spice.  Nothing aggressive or too dominating.


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## OliveOil2

Soapmaker145 Yes we must have similar taste, Sultana is one of my very favorites, that is one I save for myself! It is good to hear about Earthen Oak because I haven't tried that one yet. It is strange that we both ordered the same FO from Tennessee Candle, I missed a sale too, I ordered a couple of months ago, and the sale started a day or two later. The good thing was I got the free shipping, and I am on the West Coast so it is expensive. I think Tennessee has more Bakery scents, and scents that are geared to candles, I haven't tried This Old House or Apple Wreath, but hear they are nice.

I do have another FB review, for Merlin's Forest; I love this one, it is deep and mysterious with sandalwood, patchouli and vanilla. Some of my friends said that it reminded them of Dragon's Blood. The vanilla is high so it turned a dark brown, but the bubbles are white.

nsmar4211, I am sorry, I need to be more specific, I understand if I say 'he' and talk about two different companies that would be confusing.
 Fragrance Buddy should have a Black Friday and a Christmas sale. I would wait, like Soapmaker145 said it is less than a month away. I need to do more Fragrance Buddy testing, my last purchase was things that I was buying to make soap.
 I never know what to do with all of those little bottles that have about 3/4 of an ounce left in , I've made wax melts, given them to friends who make lotions and candles, but I have more FO' that I don't purchase than the ones that I do, and that is true no matter what company I buy from.


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## nsmar4211

Waiting I will do .

OK, soaped two in full batches tonight. Well, three but one I HP'd so can't say anything really.

Bamboo is a nauuuughty little monkey. Super fast accel on the small test bar didn't get any better in 1lb. I soaped at about 135 ish and sheesh, I'm not really sure it's completely mixed in even with mixing by hand. Think I'd save that one for HP, it is a nice green smell. It's a solid block right now and that was only a few hours ago! Will update after I try to cut tomorrow. Almost lost my whisk...soap on a whisk.....Update: Well, it hardens fast...no mush here! Smell is still good but the bars are swirly from it accelrating too fast to mix. Haven't Hp'd it yet. 

Patchouli passion, very very light accel, slower than the test bar. Well behaved. Setting up like my recipe normally does. I think it's going to discolor because it's yellow right now but I'll find out soon . Update: Edges went to brown, inside still a yellow discolor. Nice sweet patch smell! I like 


Frankinsence and Myrrh I hp'd to stretch it a little, didn't seize the batter even considering I forgot to heat it up (was at room temp, 80, when added to batter). Smells good so far! Update: On the lighter side but still great after three weeks....


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## Soapmaker145

nsmar: The Patchouli passion is very nice.  I'm not sure the F&M is going to make it for cp.  It's going to have a hard time competing with the one from CS.  Bamboo is on my list.  I would like to hear how you like it.

OliveOil: Do you get the feeling we live parallel soaping lives?  Too funny.  I added Merlin's Forest to my list.  I seem to like most of the MoonWorks scents I got from FB.  I'll be ordering the rest (minus the food ones) at some point.  After the first test, I wasn't sure I'm going to like too many FB FOs in cp. OOB, they were almost all great.  Not so much in the test soap.  Many of them are getting better the longer they cure. 

You are right about TCS having too many foodie scents.  They need to branch out.  I have this old house but it isn't skin safe.  I think I also have Apple Wreath but haven't soaped it yet.  Under the tree was in my last batch.  If the scent holds, it's a winner.  I loved the Mango Honey.  It smells like a Japanese candy they give at the end of the meal at one of my favorite Japanese restaurants.  The scent seems to be gone.  It made me want to try to recreate it from Mango and Honey FOs when I find ones I like.

Nsmar and oliveoil: if you do your tests in 4 to 5 oz small soaps like I do, I can share some of my stash as long as I can mail them through the post office.


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## OliveOil2

Patchouli Passion another favorite, yes soaping  parallel  lives too funny! I just soaped Lavender Sage, Patchouli Passion and Winter Festival they were all requests from people that received those scents last year during the holidays.

That is so nice for you to offer some of your testers, right now I am not able to test all of the ones I purchased, and I can't buy any larger bottles for soaping until I do. Your input on your testing is so valuable I really appreciate you sharing all of your testing information with everyone.

 I wonder if you've tested Native Princess? I tested it, and my sister took the sample by mistake (she liked it) so I have to do another test. I received a sample of Tea & Cakes, and  oob just seemed like it didn't belong in soap, probably a candle of wax melt. I don't usually buy foodie scents for soap either.


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## nsmar4211

I was actually eying my tester bars thinking I could cut them up into much smaller piece to keep as reference...if a bar was cut into 1/8" pieces it'd show if it loses scent just as well as a full bar, theoretically.....


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## Soapmaker145

I'm keeping my testers for a year.  I slice a small piece when they are done curing.  I do a wet test to see if I like the FO enough to keep it.  I'm surprised how many fragrances fail at that point (like American Cream and The Olive Branch).  I plan on repeating the test after 6 months and 12 months.  It's easier to keep the soap in one piece because they are so many testers.  If a scent is going to fade, keeping the soap in one big piece won't make it last.

Patchouli passion and lavender sage are on my list to buy in larger bottles.  The rest of the 1 oz tester of lavender sage went into a shaving soap.  It's a great masculine herbal scent and my husband loves it.  Winter Festival had an off smell right after unmolding but it's too early to know.

After Lust, I figured it's better to share the FO test results than have somebody else go through that experience.  You can torture me with that stench and I'll make up whatever story you want to hear just to make it stop.  It is the worst thing I've ever smelled.  The tester smells nice now but I can't even think about a wet test.

I realized a bit late that I need a management plan for all the 1oz rejects.


----------



## OliveOil2

LOL I have been afraid to wet test Lush too! Nsmar4211 I bet you haven't either!!! With a supplier that lacks content in their scent descriptions it is such a great resource to have reviews, especially since price doesn't always reflect in quality when it comes to FO. 

I know that Doriette and Newbie have also posted on the scent review board, a bad review is always just as valuable as a good review, especially when it comes to a difficult fragrance. Smell is subjective, but a FO that accelerates for many people is one that I will pass on, even though there can be so many variables.


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## jules92207

I added a few reviews this morning to the chart. I have testers a few weeks old for birthday cake, french vanilla, vanilla bean noel, and hiwtk.

Honey I Washed the Kids is one of my favorite scents of all time and I have to say it's really close to the original. I think it's lacking just slightly in its staying power, Daystar's dupe lingers just a bit on the skin after which FB's does not, but FB's does seem closer to the original than Daystar. I think I still like Daystar better but in a pinch the FB one can be substituted and I don't think many would notice.

Birthday Cake, Vanilla Bean Noel and French Vanilla are still pretty young in cure but so far I like where they are heading.


----------



## nsmar4211

Cut the Bamboo brick last night...ok, it was as hard as a brick. It would need to be managed somehow differently, either a different recipe (I'm 60% lard) or maybe 90 degree soaping or HP'd because of the accel factor. It was setting as I was pouring it in origninally so about 1/4 of the oz didn't even make it into the 1lb loaf. Therefor the scent isn't as strong, but I do like it. It's more of a "green" smell than other plant ones I've had. 

Cut the Patchouli Passion, and it was still soft...it might be reversing trace so that's something to watch for. It's also BRIGHT yellow (including the paper towel it was sitting on to harden up overnight). Thinking it'll discolor to brown, hoping it doesn't have brown lather? Smells nice though, a tempered Patchouli, maybe honeyish. 

The Frankincense & Myrrh, which I did HP'd at .5 oz per pound of oil, may not make the cut-it's awfully light. I'll have to see how it does after cure.

The Lust bar is still banished. A test guinea pig I sent a sample on a paper towel said it wasn't that bad, mostly Jasmine...maybe I don't like Jasmine (I do like the night blooming one unless I"m standing right next to the bush then it's overpowering). From across the porch, I can smell something florally but at arms reach BLEH still. Well, it still has a few weeks to go. No way is that going on MY body any time soon LOL. 

Lavender Sage is also on my "buy big on sale" list. Winterfest does indeed change as it cures, it's kinda "toilet bowl cleaner" when first made but mellows out after a month into an "artifical pine" smell but without the chemically overtones. 

I think we're making up a new vocabulary doing this LOL. "Chemically"


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## Soapmaker145

Jules and Newbie,
Thank you both for helping with the reviews.  I noticed that you have transferred them to the review sheets.  I'll try to get more reviews written this coming week with some pictures to give a better idea of the discoloration.


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## OliveOil2

nsmar4211 maybe that explains why Winter Festival wasn't more popular, last year when I did quite a few craft fairs it sold, but since I love it I thought it would have been more popular. It shows how everyone smells things differently. I love anything fir, balsam, pine or forest type scented.
The Patchouli Passion does discolor, but no colored bubbles, and it is honey, Elements Bath & Body has a very similar FO also from the Moonworks Collection called Honey Patchouli, I actually think they are the same.


----------



## newbie

You're welcome. I'm trying to keep up with you guys and leaving things blank if it's not mentioned. I see you went in to fill in those parts, so thanks for completing them. FB is going to have quite the review page!!

I just made some Winter Festival and I smell mostly apples. Strange, huh? I made Lav Sage last night but had some acceleration. not bad but there which is a pain if you are trying to do something that takes time.


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## jules92207

I'm happy to share too. I hope it helps. I have a few more 1 oz ones to test and a big bottle of Rock Star dupe. Not trying to step on anyone's toes for testing, just hope I can add to the database of knowledge.


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## newbie

THe more reviews the better, even if 5 people review the same scent. If everyone has a consistent experience, it helps someone reading to be more confident in that FO. Review away!


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## Dharlee

nsmar4211 said:


> Lust-EW... Gorilla butt wiped with flowers is my description so far.


ROFLOL!!!!!:clap:


----------



## Soapmaker145

newbie said:


> THe more reviews the better, even if 5 people review the same scent. If everyone has a consistent experience, it helps someone reading to be more confident in that FO. Review away!



I agree.  The more reviews, the more accurate our description of the FO and how it behaves in CP.  

I don't feel like this thread is restricted to few people or that anybody is stepping on my toes.  I would love it if more people posted.  Maybe at the end of our experiments we will have a set of well behaving fragrances to recommend to people just starting soaping.  If enough people play, we can even have a poll.


----------



## Soapmaker145

My next set of FB FOs just in case anybody is wondering.  I still have one box to go through.  I have to admit that after the first set of 38 FOs I tried from FB I wasn't too excited to try the rest.  Now that they have cured for at least 6 weeks, many smell better than when I unmolded them.  FB is back in the queue.

ETA: I don't have Native Princess.

251	Imogen rose
252	Rose
253	Lilac
254	Jasmine
255	Lily of the Valley
256	Honeysuckle
257	Wisteria
258	Amarige
259	Floating Island
260	Amish Harvest
261	Bob's Flower Shop
262	Champagne Pear
263	So White
264	Bergamot Tobacco
265	Jungle
266	Sex Bomb
267	Sir Dorian
268	Arabie
269	Northern Lights
270	Autumn Night
271	Summer Fresh
272	Black Raspberry Vanilla
273	Picnic in the Park
274	Coconut Lime
275	Sage


----------



## Soapmaker145

Here is a picture of 201-207.  Practically all of them discolored to varying degrees. The second picture shows the amount of ash. #203 and #204 look like the control.


----------



## Dana89

I ordered Strawberries n Cream. OOB it smells nice, I soaped with it yesterday. CP no gell and I can barely smell anything. I will update in a few weeks. It soaped really well no A, but I used TD and Mica so I don't know about D.

UPDATE: Stawberries and Cream does indeed discolor to a dark tan. It has been about 3 weeks and I smell Cream but no Strawberry, and I don't think it is going to come back, it was never a strong strawberry smell.


----------



## JayJay

I have soaped with the following (CP).


Gain -- Smells nothing like Gain.  It is floral fresh.  Nice, but not Gain. Not even close.  

Lavender Sage-- Smells SOOOO good out of the bottle, but I am not crazy about it after cure.  The lavender does not smell nice.  My loaf did overheat, so that may have something to do with the smell.

Fruit Loops -- Smells just like fruit loops.  

Baby Grace-- Very nice fresh floral.  (I have never smelled the original, but I do have the WSP version)

Wood Smoke-- Very nice smoky smell.  It kind of mild.  (i have never smelled the original)


----------



## JayJay

I have Jungle.  OOB, it smells like the original, but I have not s made soap with it yet.  I like it because I used to use Jungle conditioner and I have positive association with the original product.  I'm not sure whether it is a universal scent.  My husband think I smells like something sick people need to rub on their chests!


----------



## Soapmaker145

Here is my next installment.  I started to make my list for the holiday sales and realized that the usage rate on some of these is very low (see the ones in red and green).  Two of my favorites from FB are out.  It looks like any FO with spicy EOs (clove, cinnamon etc...) has low usage rates.  Just in case I made a mistake, please recheck the usage rates and FP of any FO you might be interested in.  I posted some of these before.  I'm finding it easier to keep them sequential.  I'll post pictures later for this set.

203-Victorian Christmas: discolors to a medium yellowish beige. It is a nice balance between coniferous greens, woods, and a little spice. The scent is strong but not pushy. It's a nice christmassy scent.  The maximum usage rate is 0.6%.  This FO is out.


210-Apple Jack&Peels: Maximum usage rate is 0.6%.  Do not use.  Discolored to a medium beige. Prone to light ash but not too bad. Medium strong and holding. I find that it has a nice balance between the apple and the spice. Nothing aggressive or too dominating.  This FO is out..

211-Blue Sugar: Maximum usage rate is 20%.  FP=165oF . Vanilla 4%.  Discolored to an ugly yellowish brown. I smell complex musk with hints of green and citrus.  Subtle and unisex.  Strong scent and holding.  Need something to cover the ugly discoloration.

212: Karma: Maximum rate is 30%. FP=190 oF .  Vanilla =0.25%.  No discoloration.  Medium strong.  All I smell is patchouli.  Medium strong scent and holding.  

213-Pepperberry Wreath: Maximum usage rate: 4%.  FP=200 oF . Contains phthalates. No vanilla.  Discolored pinkish beige.  Strong coniferous green scent, similar to Mistletoe/Christmassy FOs.  It is nicely balanced without the sharp overtones found in similar fragrances.  It doesn’t smell like pepper EO.  I used it at 5%.  The maximum usage should have been 4%.  The scent is strong enough to use at 3%.  Overall, I prefer BB Christmas Forest because the added floral notes soften the coniferous greens. 

214-Patchouli Passion:  Maximum usage rate is 27%.  FP>200 oF. No vanilla.  Discolored to a light honey beige.  It smells lovely to me.  It smells like wildflower honey that fell into patchouli EO.  Strong scent and holding.  It’s on my to-buy list.  I don’t get the urge to mix it with anything.

215-Flying Fox:  Maximum usage rate is 17%. FP>200 oF.  No vanilla. Very light tan discoloration with a hint of pink.  Very strong cold throw.  I like it better in the soap than OOB.  I can smell jasmine and ylang ylang but not much cypress.  OOB, it is a heavy floral FO.  In the soap, it is much softer but still very strong.  I would reduce my usage rate.  It reminds me a bit of honeysuckle.  Strong scent and holding.  I expect it to stay strong at 1 year.

216-Chestnuts &Brown Sugar:  There is no usage rate on the site but it says that it is skin safe.  FP>200 oF. Vanilla 7%.   It smells a little like boiling nuts in sugar syrup with added vanilla.  Not very interesting. Discolored to a medium beige.

217-Honeysuckle & Jasmine:  Maximum usage rate is 3%.  I used 5% in my sample.  FP=200 oF. No vanilla.  I didn’t really like it while it was curing.  It seemed the 2 main notes were fighting each other.  At full cure, the 2 have blended well and the whole is better than the sum of its part.  Strong at 5%.  It’ll be probably still be strong enough at 3%.  FB’s site mentions that it turns dark yellow with age.  So far I only see minor discoloration.

218-Skinny Dip:  Maximum usage rate is 3%.  I used 5% in my sample. FP>200 oF. No vanilla.  Very strong scent.  To my nose, it smells like spicy cedarwood.  It is sharp.  It isn’t bad but I don’t think I want it in my soap.  The UR can easily be cut in half.  It may smell better with lower UR.  Just a hint of discoloration.  I expect this one to survive the year easily.


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## Soapmaker145

Here is my next installment.  Some of these may have been posted before.  They are here in sequential order.  If you have any experience with these, please post. 

I have to say I'm much happier now with the results after at least a 6 weeks cure time.  I have about 10 FO's out of the first 38 from FB that I would be happy to use in CP. At one point, I was wondering what possessed me to order 100 fragrances from one place that I knew nothing about.  Now I'm happy I did.  The chance of many of these FOs surviving a year is very high.  If I did HP, B/B or melt&pour, FB would be my one stop shop.  

Pictures are coming soon.  I think I might have 1 or 2 more from the first 38 to review.

219-Asian Sandalwood: Maximum usage rate: 8%. FP=180oF. No vanilla.  Discolored to a dark brown.  This is a more complex perfumy sandalwood. Hard to identify the additional notes even though you know they are there.  It needed full cure for the scent to blend well.   Minimal ash.  Medium strong and holding.  I’ll use it despite the discoloration.  12/17:  This scent is changing still.  I tried a wet test and I didn't care for it.  There are some new unpleasant notes that weren't there before.  It lathers white despite the dark discoloration.  I wouldn't use it as it is today.  I expect it to continue changing.

220-Vanillary: Maximum usage rate is 15%. FP=190oF. Vanilla=2.4%.  This is a nice dupe.  It’s a subtle vanilla with floral notes and something else.  Discolored to a beige color.  No ash.  Scent got stronger with cure.  Medium strong and holding.

221-Nag Champa: MUR=3%, FP>200oF, Vanillin=0%.  Just a hint of discoloration. Very light nondescript scent.  Just a hint of ash.  

222-Snow Day: MUR=30%, FP>180oF, Vanilla=3%.   Discolored to a medium beige.  Soft green coniferous notes with a little something more in the background.  I don’t smell any vanilla.  Medium light scent.  I don’t expect it to survive to 6 months.

223-Supernova: MUR=25%, FP=195oF, Vanilla=0%.  Supposed to be musk with green ozone and patchouli. Very Slight discoloration.  Light scent with hints of musk.  It smells nondescript to me.  Slight ash.  Medium light scent. 

224-Trichomania: MUR=6%, FP=195oF, Vanilla=0%.  Supposed to be creamy coconut.  Dicolored to a medium chocolate brown.  It cured so hard I can use it as a hammer. Lots of ash.  I smell some vanilla with hints of coconut.  Medium light scent.  I think it is much better for HP.

225-Honey I washed the kids:  MUR=40%, FP>200oF, Vanilla=0%.  It is supposed to be honey, toffee and caramel.   It smells much better OOB.  In the soap, it lost most of the complexity.  OOB, it smells like candy you want to it.  In the soap, I find it hard to identify the scent.  I think this one is best for HP if you want to preserve the complexity.  If you don’t do side by side comparison, it is a generic scent (to me) that works fine in soap.  Medium strength.

226-White Tea & Ginger: MUR=18%, FP>200oF, Vanilla=0%.   No discoloration, slight ash.  This is a scent I’m looking for.  It’s one of my favorites.  I’m so glad it made it through cure.  Medium strong scent.  It is a nice version of WT&G.  I’m buying a big bottle.  I also have BB’s version which didn’t make it through the 6 weeks cure.

227- Sweet orange Chili:  MUR=24%, FP= 200oF, Vanilla=0%.  No Dis, more prone to ash.  Medium strength in cp. OOB, it has a nice balance between the chili and the orange which was present in the soap at first.  At 6 weeks, the orange is faint and the chili is dominating.  This is a nice clean scent.  I will probably mix it with a little FB orange blossom and BB 10X orange to bring back some of the lost citrus notes.

228-Wild Mountain Honey: The maximum usage rate for this one is 3%.  I used it at 5%.  It is lovely OOB like a wild flower honey.  It lost a lot of the complexity in the soap.  Medium strength, discolors medium yellowish beige.  Because of the low usage rates, I wouldn’t use it in cp soap.  I bought a big bottle because of reviews.  I didn’t notice the usage rate at the time.  I may use it at 1% in liquid hand soap.  I may have a substitute for it (Honey from NDA if the scent survives until it is done curing).  12/17: Tested it in HP at 1.5% and it worked great and stayed true to OOB.  I would use a little less next time.

229-Golden Sands: MUR=50%, FP>200oF, Vanilla=4%. Supposed to be sandalwood with orange flower and Tonka bean.  Discolored to dark beige.  Medium ash.  Much better OOB.  Not a bad scent but much less interesting in cp.  Medium light scent.  I’m finding that many of the scents that have vanilla in them are not surviving very well in cp.  

230-Leaves:  MUR=30%, FP=200oF, Vanilla=0%.  Very light ash.  This one is lovely.  It screams fall to me but I’ll use it any time.  Supposed to be golden nectar, fresh apple, and spiced berries. It is softer in the soap but retained a lot of the complexity of the original scent.  It lost some of the cooked sweet notes that are present OOB (which I find a big plus).  No discoloration, strong scent.  It reminds me of BB Autumn Fig Harvest and TCS Spiced Apples and Peaches.  It falls in between these 2.  It doesn’t have some of the piney green notes of AFH but has more green notes than SAP.  My own preference: it knocked AFH off my list but I would still make soap with SAP.

231-Sun & Sands: MUR=21%, FP=200oF, Vanilla=0.7%. No discoloration.  Medium strong scent. No ash.  I’m not sure how to describe this scent.  It is light clean with a hint of complex floral.  It seems appropriate for soap.  I would buy it for me.  I seem to prefer light clean scents that aren’t too in your face pushy.  It smells very similar to Beach.  See #238 for update

232-Beeswax & Propolis: MUR=6%, FP>200oF , No vanilla.  No discoloration or ash.  OOB, I smell beeswax with a hint of honey.  In the soap, the scent morphed a bit.  There is a new scent that I can’t identify that wasn’t there OOB.  I like it better before soaping.  If I used it, I would blend it for cp or HP.  The scent is medium light.  This scent is holding so far.  It smells now more like beeswax and honey.  It is not bad.

233-Rose Jam: MUR=4%, FP>200oF , Vanilla= 0%.  OOB, I smell rose, citrus with a hint of geranium, a nice soft floral without the overwhelming rose scent.  A lot is lost in the cp process.  It became muddied and muddled in the soap.  It isn’t bad but really much worse than OOB.  I think this one is for HP.  Beige discoloration, light scent, light ash.  I used it at 5%.  With a 4% MUR, this scent is out for CP.  I prefer to stay significantly below the MUR to avoid not yet identified problems.  The longer it cures the more nondescript it becomes.  It is fading.

234-Lavender Sage:  MUR=30%, FP=200oF, No vanilla.  This was very nice and balanced when I first poured it but slowly lost most of the lavender over the last 8 weeks.  What is left is sharp compared to OOB.  Sometimes it reminds me of a cheaply scented men’s cologne.  Other times, I smell a nice herbal scent.  I also have FB Sage but it’s too early in the cure to compare the two.  I ended up using the rest of the 1 oz sample in a shaving soap (HP process).  It came out great.  It is a masculine lavender without medicinal overtones.  I like it enough to try to recreate it with TCS lavender and FB Sage.    

235-Orange Blossom:  MUR=6%, FP>200oF, No vanilla. Very soft yellow discoloration. Strong clean scent and holding well.  This FO is just orange blossom/neroli with nothing else in the background. A Lush dupe.  It has faded a little at full cure but it is still plenty strong. 

236-The Smell of Freedom:  MUR=7%, FP=190oF, Vanilla=0.4%.  They smell freedom.  I smell Chinese restaurant during down time cooking rice.  This scent is out for me.  Slight discoloration.  Medium strong and holding.

237-Lust: MUR=7%, FP=195oF, Vanilla =0.7%. Supposed to be dirty jasmine, with notes of rose, ylang ylang, sandalwood, and vanilla.  This one went from the most awful stench to a nice and unusual floral.  It’s still banished.  The color got deeper and more beautiful.  I think part of the problem is exposure to oxygen.  I can’t believe I’m considering this, but I think I’ll retest it covered tightly with plastic for at least a month before unmolding.  With another banished FO that cured in the yogurt cup, I noticed that the side exposed to air smells very different (much worse) than the side that wasn’t. Yet another variable in this experiment.  At the same time, I’m trying to come up with excuses to ditch Lust all together breaking the rules I set at the start.  Nice to have something trivial to worry about.

238-Beach:  MUR=12%, FP>200oF, Vanilla=0%.   No D, definite A.  It riced in the small sample I made but I was able to mix it.  You can't tell in the cured soap.  This was lovely when first unmolded.  It slowly faded to a hint of something.  I expected it to be completely gone by 6 weeks but it started to get stronger towards the end of cure.  It is a subtle, light airy scent.  It lost some of the complexity it had OOB but I like it enough to buy more for me. Smells very similar to Sun&Sands.  12/17:  I just retested #231 and #238.  The 2 scents are now very different from each other.  238 smells soapy clean with a hint of floral.  I can see mixing it lightly with some florals like honeysuckle, jasmine or sweet pea.  231 took a turn towards more oceany scent and lost all hints of floral.  It is hard to describe.  Right now these 2 don't even smell anything alike.  I don't think they are done morphing.


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## nsmar4211

I had smell of freedom on my list to try....looking for an earthy scent. So its not earthy then? DRAT. 

Now I'll eye teakwood, maybe that will smell more earthly...or fireside...


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## Soapmaker145

nsmar, are you looking for something earthy as in dirt or something more of a blend of woodsy and patchouli?  I have to check the testers I have.  Writing reviews takes so much time  and I'm so far behind. 

The smoky Patchouli from BB smells really good in blends. I added it to ancient sedona with a little of BBs honey and it came out really nice.  The smoky scent disappears and it seems to bring out the depth in other blends.


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## nsmar4211

Looking for a non patchouli "earthy" (dirt I guess?) scent for the patch haters... I have Dirt scent but can't figure out what to mix it with so far. I have sandalwood in a different soap so that's out... 

The smoky patchouli might be on the list for the patch lovers if its that good...so far I like the patchouli passion I got that's a sweet patchouli ...


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## doriettefarm

It amazes me how different everyone's sniffers are.  I actually liked the Smell of Freedom quite a bit . . . it definitely smells earthy and masculine with a hint of something I can't put my finger on.  Maybe it's the oud or orris root?

I also like the White Tea & Ginger but worried with the high usage rate it would disappear in CP.  It seemed to fade initially but made a nice comeback after curing awhile.  And everyone that's tried one of the Nag Champa bars asks for more so I think it's a keeper too.

The Beeswax & Propolis just smelled gaggy-sweet OOB but now that it's cured it smells like straight up honeycomb.  The Wild Mountain Honey kinda reminded me of the discontinued L'Occitane honey scent without as much of a floral note.  I thought it held up okay in CP but lost some complexity . . . probably will be nice for liquid soap, sugar scrubs and such.

ETA:  I wanted to let nsmar4211 know about a dirt blend I made using FB's Gaia.  I mixed it with FB's Fresh Cut Green Grass and BB's Tomato Leaf for my Alternative Liquid Swap soap.  I think most folks liked it and said it smelled like a real tomato garden.


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## OliveOil2

It is amazing how we all smell  things differently, I really like the smell of freedom too. For me it is earthy, and reminds me of incense. I couldn't smell much to the Nag Champa.
 I am waiting longer into the cure to review Lord of Misrule, but two weeks in and I don't like it at all, but it has changed quite a bit so far.


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## nsmar4211

Doriette- I *just* mixed up a batch using ED Fresh Cut Grass and FB Dirt with some cedar EO and FB Sandalwood thrown in...my soap area smells like a weedeater LOL. First time I've ever mixed different scents together too! I've smelled a friends tomato garden themed soap, didn't like it at first, now it's growing on me. This "mix" idea is dangerous...I'm barely through testing single notes...hahaha !

Nag Champa has faded to not much in my HP'd batch at .5 per pound, so that's def. a light scent.


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## Soapmaker145

It looks like I'm the only one who wants a big bowl of steaming rice topped with a nice stir fry every time I smell The Smell of Freedom.  LOL.  I don't think there are 2 people on the planet that are exactly alike when it comes to the sense of smell. 

I just put FB's Dirt, Fresh Cut Green Grass and Lord of Misrule in samplers.  The Nag Champa tester fainted to a hint of something in the tester.


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## northwoodsgal

*Wow! Great reviews*



Soapmaker145 said:


> It looks like I'm the only one who wants a big bowl of steaming rice topped with a nice stir fry every time I smell The Smell of Freedom.  LOL.  I don't think there are 2 people on the planet that are exactly alike when it comes to the sense of smell.
> 
> I just put FB's Dirt, Fresh Cut Green Grass and Lord of Misrule in samplers.  The Nag Champa tester fainted to a hint of something in the tester.



Your fragrance reviews are amazing! I'm new around here, but have been snooping around without being a member for a long time. I've been so very grateful for the usefulness of the Fragrance Oil Chart Review Database and your reviews. 

Thank you!!


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## Soapmaker145

Northwoodsgal, you are very welcome.   I hope the reviews help others make better choices.  If nothing else, identifying FOs that don't make it through CP is a big help.  I have a cabinet full of faders that I don't know what to do with and that was before I started to buy samplers.  I'm going to sound like a broken record but please post reviews on the FOs you try.  

I use the Review Chart a lot until I lose my mind and order whatever sounds good.  Sometimes that is a good thing.

Welcome to the forum from another newbie.


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## Soapmaker145

Here is my nest installment just in case there is a sale at FB for Thanksgiving.  There was no ash on any of these which is why I'm sure I hit the tops with isopropanol.  I'm amazed at how diverse these FOs are.  The majority made it through CP too.  I'm not sure who is doing the blending for FB but they are gifted.

Any comparisons were done with both soaps side by side, not from memory. I'm learning now that I'm pouring some of the larger batches that discoloration depends on a lot of factors including at what stage the FO is added, the mold used, the temperature during the incubation and the composition of the oils.  Please keep that in mind.   

*239-Bathos*: MU=7%, FP 170oF.   It discolored light beige.  I think this is a good dupe.  Strong and holding.  It is incense, strong on the cedarwood with a hint of deep floral. 

*240-Death & Decay:* MUR=9%, FP=180oF, Vanilla=0%. No discoloration. Lost a lot of the complexity it had when first poured.  It was really lovely for a floral. It isn’t bad at full cure but some people smelled an off note.  I smell complex floral with a base of jasmine, not overpowering or cheap.  I didn’t smell any off notes.

*241-Autumn in the Park:* MUR=2%, FP>200oF, Vanilla=0.54%. No discoloration.  This is a complex apple scent that isn’t too overpowering.  It is soft and lovely.  Medium strong scent and holding at 5%.  At 2%, I think this one is out.  #230 Leaves is similar to 241 with added spicy notes.  230 is the winner for me and more appropriate for fall.

*242-Crisp Morning Air:* MU 4%. No discoloration. Medium strong and holding at 5% usage rate.  It smells like mint tea with a hint of other herbs and some sweet notes.  This one is similar to TCS Eucalyptus Mint.  The TCS version smells greener and fresher.  This one smells like a lovely boiled mint tea with other added herbs like sage.  I can’t pick a favorite.  I can confirm that not everybody can smell mint. 

*243-Champagne & Snow Flowers*: MUR=13%, FP=190oF, No vanilla.  No discoloration.  Lush dupe.  This one is in the Neroli/Orange Blossom family with added complexity.  Strong floral scent and holding.  I don't smell anything bubbly.  This not not like BB's Champagne. It lost some the complexity it had when first poured.  It was so lovely and fresh.  At full cure, it still smells appropriately soapy if it that makes sense.  Compared to #235 Orange Blossoms, the floral notes are more subdued.  It also lacks the sweetness of 235 which I detected only when I compared the 2 side by side.  243 seems like a more masculine version of 235.

*244-Kai Type:* MUR=4%, FP>200oF , No vanilla.  Batter (150g) had a hard time absorbing the entire 6g of FO.  Discolored immediately but ended up curing a light beige.  It is definitely a complex gardenia scent with a base of something I can’t identify.  Medium strong at 5%.  It’ll probably be fine used at 4%.  

*245- Flowerbomb: * MUR=40%, FP>200oF, 1% vanilla.  Discolored a light beige.  Smells more like sweet patchouli with a hint of floral.  This one is similar but heavier on the patchouli than #214 Patchouli Passion.  It overpowers the floral notes.  I find #245 a little too perfumy for my own taste.  Strong scent and holding.

*246-Vanilla Ice Cream:* MUR=30%, FP>200oF, Vanilla=7.25%.  Discolored medium chocolate brown.  Medium light sweet note with a hint of vanilla.  The results are similar to other vanillas.  This one did not completely disappear.  I’m still looking for a vanilla that survives the CP.  I’m not sure it exists since vanillin is destroyed above pH 9.  

*247-Winter Festival:* MUR=9%, FP=200oF, No vanilla.  No discoloration.  Medium strong scent at full cure.  I’m conflicted about this scent.  It has strong coniferous green notes with a sharp unpleasant note similar but not as strong as CS Mistletoe.  It also has more complexity than Mistletoe with fruity base notes.  I haven’t decided yet if I’m buying a bigger bottle.

*248-Frankinsense & Myrrh:*  MUR=15%, FP>200oF, No vanilla. Light discoloration.  Scent is nondescript and weak at full cure.  The one from CS is much stronger and nicer.  This one is out for me.  

*249-You Snap the Whip:* This is supposed to be skin safe but there is no usage information.  FP>200oF, vanilla=12.5%.  Discolored medium chocolate milk. I smell musk with a touch of spice.  Strong scent and holding.  

*250-Tuberose:* MUR=1%, FP>180oF, no vanilla.  No discoloration.  This one is out because of the low usage rate.  I used it at 5%.  It is a nice sophisticated tuberose.  It would have been lovely on its own.


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## nsmar4211

Thanks! At this rate we'll have most of them covered LOL.

What exactly does Tuberose smell like? Roses? Or something else?

Great to know about the Euc. Mint, I just did a batch with the TN candle sample and liked it.... so TN will get the buy on that one. 

Not impressed with any of the Frankinsense strengths, so looks like I'll be trying candle science too...

I just did a batch of Winterfest as HP, and I might be crazy but I think it lost some of the chemically undertone...it does cure out quite a bit in CP, but still smells like fake pine in CP. In HP, I haven't decided. I'm going to give it out and see what everyone says this year...I think it just depends on the nose smelling it.

Would bathos be a good sub if I'm looking for a woody scent that's unisex (versus a straight cedar EO)?


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## OliveOil2

Thank you Soapmaker145, I have been wondering about Bathos, but there wasn't any information on the site, not even a rating. Off subject a little, but from FB I just opened a one old bar of Bergamot Tobacco, and it is amazing! Strong and holding, it smells like the tobacco flower, spices, and bergamot. Updated the review chart.This one was easy to work with, didn't test, made a batch right away so don't know exact discoloration, but my colors came through nicely.


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## Soapmaker145

We got snowed in yesterday.  I used the time to update my review sheet and organize the testers.  It looks like today is another day for staying home.  

The closest to Tuberose is a soft jasmine but more subtle and with added complexity. It smells amazing to me.  Now I want to grow the plants.  Bathos is more incense than woods to me if that makes sense.  It wouldn't be my choice for woodsy scent.  I'll see if I can find any likely FOs in my samplers.  If you wanted to blend your own, I would start with CS Cedarwood Vanilla and add to it.

Good to know about Bergamot Tobacco and Winter Festival.  I have BT in my testers right now.  I'll update once it cured for 6 weeks.  I want to try a few in HP and I'll add WF to the list.  Thanks for sharing.


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## nsmar4211

Got my Black Friday order with a few new ones in it. Probably not in the next few weeks but soonish I'll be testing them in CP and HP.

OOB impressions:
Sun and Earth-OOB not sure what this smells like...dirt and tree?
Jungle-OOB smells like curry? weird...
Spring Meadow-fresh floral, hint of roses I think, not overpowering OOB
Socal by Hollister-OOB smells like cologne! A nice one, not old spicy but younger person
Gaia-OOB smells like a greener Dirt-I like it better.
Sea Witch-OOB oceany green smell
Black Cedarwood/Juniper-OOB can smell cedar and wood...I like oob
Monkey Farts-OOB way more banana than a finished one (unknown origin)I had, I hope it holds
Plumeria-OOB more laid back than Aztec's version, I like it
Sweet Orange Chili Pepper-oob, urm, where's the chili? This will prob be my first HP test to see if I can find the chili
White Tea and Ginger-OOB, true to others I've tried, hopefully it sticks as well as other FB scents
Merlin's Forest-a tamer dragon's blood but not as powdery OOB as others
Cappuccino Espresso-not sure you can mess this smell up . OOB, true to name

I'm going to try Gaia with my Fresh Cut Grass and maybe a splash of the Black Cedarwood for an earthy smell....*rubs hands together*.


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## OliveOil2

nsmar4211 The Sun & Earth has a nice orange scent when soaped. I am very interested in the Spring Meadow and was hoping it would have some Meyer Lemon in there. I haven't used the Cappuccino Espresso, but in CP many coffee type fragrance oils will morph to something nasty, no idea about that one.


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## nsmar4211

Resniffed Spring Meadow with a cleared nose...yea, there's a hint of natural lemon in there (not floor cleaner). Wonder if it'll stay in CP....


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## doriettefarm

Gaia mixed with Fresh Cut Grass is a good combo! I added some Tomato Leaf from BB and it smelled like a real tomato garden to me.


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## Soapmaker145

-The white tea and ginger is better than the BB version which faded completely on me.  It isn't very strong but is holding.  I bought a bigger bottle.

-I also bought a bigger bottle of Jungle.  My tester is not done curing yet but it is a good dupe.  I used to use the Lush shampoo and conditioner.  I'm planning to make a shampoo bar with it.  

-I also bought the Chili.  I have a second tester with it mixed with Orange Blossom.  Not done curing yet.  My first Chili tester lost the orange as it cured.  It was much more balanced when I first poured it.

-The black cedarwood tester is still very faint.  Driftwood came back nicely.  It is now a nicely blended incence/woods and dirt.  I bought a bigger bottle.

I also ordered 1oz of Merlin's forest, Sea Witch, and SoCal.


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## luebella

I just bought a bunch from there and got them. Every single one smells. Amazing oob! Will update when I test them.


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## OliveOil2

Soapmaker145 that is strange about the black cedarwood, I used 1 oz per pound of oils, and at first it was way too strong, it mellowed, but at 8 weeks it is medium strong. 

I love the White Tea and Ginger, and the Mango Pineapple has turned out to hold extremely well. After 8 weeks the scent is more Pineapple than Mango.


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## Becky_Gadmer

Soapmaker145 said:


> I agree.  The more reviews, the more accurate our description of the FO and how it behaves in CP.
> 
> I don't feel like this thread is restricted to few people or that anybody is stepping on my toes.  I would love it if more people posted.  Maybe at the end of our experiments we will have a set of well behaving fragrances to recommend to people just starting soaping.  If enough people play, we can even have a poll.



I'm confused :-?  Forgive my ignorance...
I am reading all of your lovely reviews, and am trying to figure out what chart you are talking about, what the #'s are correlating to ( I see the pics with the #'s on the sample) as far as a master list, and then I see the word "restricted" in your post. Is this list that you are working on in a restricted post? I'm not sure how you are going about sampling; I'm assuming a master batch of oils then separating for sample scents---what are your sample molds? But mainly, I'm wondering: How do I participate?


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## Soapmaker145

Becky,

Here is a link to the review chart: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...1M/edit?authkey=CMTEtswL&pli=1#gid=40&vpid=A1

Each supplier has his own sheet.  I use it a lot when picking FOs.  I'll be transferring the reviews to the appropriate sheet and hopefully update them at 6  and 12 months.  I'm looking for fragrances that survive for a long time.  

The process I use is in post #12.  The molds are yogurt cups (Oikos or Chobani).  I love the Oikos cups.  I think they make a perfect soap shape that lasts a long time.  If you have any questions, just ask.  I've been increasing the canola in my basic mix (using less rice bran).  I started out at 5% and it is now at 18%.  It makes the soaps whiter.  This mix doesn't accelerate.  It stays fluid for a long time.  Even when it gets thick, I can easily mix the fragrance in the yogurt cup.  The numbers are the reference numbers I assign the fragrance to recognize it after pouring.  I started at 1.  I'm trying to edit the pictures with the name of the fragrance before posting pictures but that takes time.  

There is nothing restricted in this thread.  I meant everybody is welcome to contribute.  To participate, just share your experience with any of the fragrances listed and add new ones you are trying.  You are getting my notes about these fragrances as I write them for me.  You see me change my mind as the soaps cure.  If you try other suppliers, start a new thread for them.

I'm looking forward to reading your reviews.  Welcome to this fun addiction.


----------



## Becky_Gadmer

LoL, Thanks for the detailed response, and the link, I will definitely check it out and see what I can contribute. I do remember now you mentioning yogurt cups, I think my brain was getting so muddled trying to keep up with the thread that by the time I wrote my reply I just felt like a dunce and decided I had to ask 

I got some good giggles out of your lively descriptions!


----------



## Soapmaker145

OliveOil2 said:


> Soapmaker145 that is strange about the black cedarwood, I used 1 oz per pound of oils, and at first it was way too strong, it mellowed, but at 8 weeks it is medium strong.
> 
> I love the White Tea and Ginger, and the Mango Pineapple has turned out to hold extremely well. After 8 weeks the scent is more Pineapple than Mango.



I rechecked the black cedarwood and it is still very faint.  I used most of the tester hoping that it comes back but it didn't.  Either I don't have the right receptors for it or something happened to my tester.  Also, the uneven mauvish discoloration is not limited to the surface.  The faint scent I detect makes me want to mix a woodsy scent with coniferous greens and a hint of citrus.


----------



## nsmar4211

In HP the Black Cedarwood is holding strong...I don't smell the juniper per se but it is a tad greener than straight cedar at this point.

I can say if you do HP that everything I've used so far holds well....

Asian Sandalwood is still making a yellow colored lather in my CP confetti bar (for gifts), but in HP testing it seems tamer. I have a bunch of Christmas gifts that have to have warning tags *sigh* LOL.


----------



## Soapmaker145

I rechecked the Asian Sandalwood.  The lather is getting yellower and yellower as the bar is used up.  The water turned a dark orangy yellow in the white bowl.  So strange and really disappointing since it was pure white lather and clear water when first used.  The oxygen on the surface is affecting the way the scent cures.  This one is for HP only at this point.

ETA: I'm also finding the soap drying which wasn't the case when first used.  My skin is reacting to something in the FO.


----------



## Soapmaker145

Here is another installment in the FB test.  I don't have any notes on 251-261 yet.  Of the ones in this list, I only bought Jungle for old times' sake.  I could easily pass on all of them.  The usage rate for all of them was 5% of the batter weight.

*262-Champagne Pear:* MUR=20%, FP>200oF, Vanilla=0.15%. No discoloration.  Heavy ash.  This one is similar to BB Champagne with additional fruity notes.  It isn’t bad but I probably wouldn’t use it on its own. 

*263-So White:* MUR=7%, FP=185oF, No vanilla.  No discoloration.  Heavy ash.  It lost a lot of the complexity it had when first poured.  Floral mostly rose with apple/fruity undertones but mostly subtle.  It does work as an AppleRose scent.  Medium strong and holding.
*
264-Bergamot Tobacco:* MUR=5%, FP>200 oF, No vanilla.   No discoloration and no ash.  Fragrance took longer to develop and I don't think it is done yet. I’m not sure what to make of it.  Medium strong scent.  Will revisit later.

*265-Jungle:* MUR=10%, FP>200 oF, No vanilla. This is a good dupe of the original Lush.  Strong and holding.  Stayed fairly true since it was first poured.  No discoloration and no ash.
*
266-Sex Bomb:* MUR=16%, FP>200oF, No vanilla.   No Discoloration.  Very heavy ash.  Cheap perfumy type, a bit floral with Jasmine/honeysuckle scent.   It reminds me of scented commercial detergent/soap.  Yuck.

*267-Sir Dorian*: MUR=3%.  I used at 5%.  FP>200 oF, no vanilla.  This one is out because of usage rate.  It is a spicy herbal green scent, with a hint of floral and woods.  Some days it smells lovely.  Others it is meh.  
*
268-Arabie:* MU 5%, FP 180oF, no vanilla. No ash.  So far, this is a very subtle FO.  Hard to describe.  A bit spicy, a bit woodsy and a bit fruity.  Scent was faint but came back towards the end of the cure.  Medium strong and holding. Will revisit in few weeks.

*269-Northern Lights*: MUR=4%, FP>200oF, Vanilla=0.25%.  No discoloration.  Green scent with a base of musk and a hint of citrus and coniferous greens.  The overall effect is light floral.  Medium strong at 5% usage rate and holding.  Very heavy ash.  

*270-Autumn Nights:*  MUR=5%, FP= 175oF, No vanilla.  Light tan discoloration.  No ash. A balanced mix of apples with hint of spice and woods.  This needed a full cure to smell nice.   It is appropriate for fall.  will revisit in a few more weeks.


----------



## OliveOil2

The Black Cedarwood & Juniper took a long time to change in the cured soap, at first it was way too strong soaped at 1 ounce per pound. After 6 weeks mine had a medium strong scent. It is all gone, every single last bar. Still FB but slightly off topic, the other big surprise was Lord of Misrule, it is all gone too, and I am not crazy about it. Patchouli seems to be more popular than I remember.


----------



## doriettefarm

I checked the FB site today and noticed they had a lot of new Lush dupes.  And one of them is an old favorite of mine (Alkmaar) . . . anyone soaped that one yet?


----------



## Soapmaker145

I have Lord of Misrule in a tester but I haven't checked on it recently.  I think Black Cedarwood is definitely out for cp.  

Doriette, I don't think I have Alkmar but I have to check more carefully before ruling it out.  If I do, it isn't in a tester at this time.


----------



## jules92207

doriettefarm said:


> I checked the FB site today and noticed they had a lot of new Lush dupes.  And one of them is an old favorite of mine (Alkmaar) . . . anyone soaped that one yet?



Going to FB site right now... Thanks for the excuse to shop today doriettefarm!


----------



## luebella

Ahh I love sex bomb from them and I hate cheap perfume. Smells! Minimal  ash for me  on soap


----------



## OliveOil2

It is strange how the ash can vary, I haven't soaped sex bomb for awhile, but I didn't have any ash on that one at all. It was super easy to work with, it seems to be a love or hate type of FO. I had some people love it and others were what is that?


----------



## Soapmaker145

I think it would be difficult to come up with FOs that are generally well liked by everybody.  I have few sniffers helping me pick the scents that they want for their own soaps.  No two people are alike.  They disagree even on the strength of the scents.  It's like smelling roses and trying to agree which one has a scent and which one doesn't.

I use numbers instead of FO names for evaluation.  Some of the descriptions I got for these fragrances were incomprehensible.  

I checked on Lord of Misrule.  It discolored a light chocolate milk, heavy ash.  The scent is medium strong and deep well-balanced patchouli/sandalwood with more notes.  It was poured on Nov 11.  Much stronger than Black Cedarwood ever was.


----------



## OliveOil2

Soapmaker145 I have to laugh, the one craft fair that I did this Holiday season the people were smelling the bars like they were at a wine tasting. They were even trying to smell the little stacks of end cuts! I kept thinking you guys it's soap.

Strange the Lord of Misrule didn't ash at all, maybe recipe or climate difference. I gave my sister some bars for her friend who really liked the design, and warned her that they smelled like vanilla dirt. I was completely surprised that they were so popular. Nobody even noticed the design, just the smell.


----------



## JayJay

Has anyone tried Fragrance Buddy's True Lavender? 

I'm still on a hunt for a lavender FO. 

I mentioned Lavender Sage earlier on this thread. My update is that I made another batch that did not overheat. The lavender element smells a little nicer. Everyone who smells the bars 6 weeks or longer likes the scent. Several people think it smells manly. They are probably picking up on the sage element. I still think that it smells nicer OOB.


----------



## Soapmaker145

I don't have FB's Lavender.  I'm using TCS Lavender.  It is a soft floral lavender that is strong in cp  and is holding well.  I also have NDA's Lavender.  It has more green notes than TCS but is also good. 

FWIW, I tried recreating the OOB Lavender Sage from FB in cp soap using a mix of FB's Sage and TCS Lavender. The FB Lavender Sage lost most of the lavender notes during cure but it was really lovely when first poured.  I used a 1:1 and 1:2 mix.  In both soaps, the sage is still dominating at 6 weeks and most of the lavender is lost.  I'll try 1:3, 1:4, and 1:5 next.   The sage tester by itself didn't seem that strong but the mix is definitely stronger and favors the sage.


----------



## JayJay

Interesting! Sage must be some resilient stuff. 

I will try the FB Lavender Sage and add the FB Lavender. Maybe I will start low, like 1:1 lavender sage to lavender.  If that doesn't work,  I will move up to 1:2.

I just hope that FB lavender is good.


----------



## dudeitsashley

I really enjoy the true lavender! I have used it in cp, bath bombs, and candles. It worked wonderfully in every application I tried it in. As for the cold process it did not accelerate or discolor my batter and the scent held strong.


----------



## shunt2011

I really like the Tassi Lavender from Fragrance Lab or Lavender Flowers from NG


----------



## Soap Techniques

Has anyone used FB's Rose FO in cp soap? 
http://www.fragrancebuddy.com/rose_fragrance.aspx


----------



## Soapmaker145

I have Rose and Imogen Rose in my testers.  Both are past 8 weeks and the scent is practically gone.  The Rose is very faint and the Imogen Rose is unscented.  This one is confusing because the main rose aroma molecule is resistant to high pH.  I poured them at 5% and was afraid they would end up too strong.  None of the rose Fo's I tried so far made it. Finding a nice rose FO is still on the to do list.


----------



## OliveOil2

The Gypsy Rose from FB; Moonworks dupe sticks really well if you haven't tried it. I have bars over a year old that still have scent. It does accelerate trace, but is workable.


----------



## Wildcraft_Garden

Soapmaker145 said:


> I have Rose and Imogen Rose in my testers.  Both are past 8 weeks and the scent is practically gone.  The Rose is very faint and the Imogen Rose is unscented.  This one is confusing because the main rose aroma molecule is resistant to high pH.  I poured them at 5% and was afraid they would end up too strong.  None of the rose Fo's I tried so far made it. Finding a nice rose FO is still on the to do list.


I have Rose Garden from Voyageur Soap and candle that is over a year old and it still smells pretty good. I'm not sure if there is an equivalent US provider.


----------



## nsmar4211

So now I'm past the two month mark, and went through and rechecked samples. Having a sweating issue due to lack of circulation and high humidity, but nothing has developed DOS (did have a lilac from aztec go dos'y though, suspect of that FO because two different batches did it). I cut all the bars in half and rebatched the cut offs and moved the halves inside...so I was able to check scent cut and uncut. Also adding in some HP notes since most of my batches are now HP. 

Asian Sandalwood: Can't get past the yellow lather. Massive discoloring. Smells GREAT... holds well. Waiting for my HP to cure more to see if that helps with the lather issue.

Apple Mango-holds scent well, keeper. Mild mild yellow discolor, without a control you can't tell. 

Banana-discolor evens to a medium tan. One of the softer bars that was sweating the worst-not sure if either is related to the scent but three different batches had the same result. Smells turns to the artifical end and some sniffers can't tell its banana (I have 4 month old batches with this one). Might end up mixing it with something...

Black Coconut-keeper for HP, maintains scent. Good luck CP, I'm not bothering again. No CP results due to overheating.  Dark dark brown discolor but lather is fine. Used at .8 ppo as a compromise for scent strength in HP, seems to be a good ratio.

Winterfest: Ended up turning a light creamy yellow in the bars after two months, in CP still has a undertone of blech that it loses in HP. Testers 50/50 on if they like it...scent holds well. Seems to be personal preference.

Beach-still not impressed. Smells like erm, perfume but not overpowering. I wouldn't describe it as beach. With the accel issues and the generic scent I'm not bothering with it. One of the less sweaty bars, proabaly due to the heating.
No discolor.

Baby powder-I think it got stronger! Held well and no discolor. Still smells like baby powder.

Dirt-no discolor, still holding strong, smells better after two months. More earthy than ick came through.

Bamboo-faded a touch, yellowy discolor. Nice green smell still.

Dark Knight Bay Rum-mild tan discolor, holding scent well but losing some depth.

Frankincense and Myrrh-so light I'm not bothering. Brown tan discolor, soap softer than other batches (no sweating though). If you're looking for a light incese scent this would work. 

Nag Champa-another incense that's so light it's not worth it...tan discolor.

Rose Jam-tan discolor, less rose more berry. I do like it, fruity without overly sweet. Held scent well. Top part ashed pretty thickly, I didn't cover..




Patchouli Passion-Yellow brown discolor, moreso at edges than in the middle (vanilla maybe?). Would probably end up using this in a swirl for CP because the discolor can't make up its mind. Did hold scent well.

Suede and Lace-perfumy scent, might be nice mixed with smoke or dirt or something to ground it. Pinkish brown discolor. Not a huge fan of the scent itself but it held and mellowed well. Bar was a touch soft.

Lust-Gorgeous pink red color. Don't use this over .5 ppo unless you are wearing a gas mask. Dirty Jasmine is what it cures to. Not recommended for CP'ing in the house it smells HORRIBLE until cure. Tolerable in HP just keep your face awayyyyy from the top when pulling off the lid....

Honeydew   Melon-ended up with a yellow cream discolor but a nice sweet smell (not fruity, just melony). Didn't get a bigger bottle but its on the keeper list for me. 

Sea Salt and Agave-reddish discolor, great oceany smell to me (no kelp LOL). Holds scent well.

      White Tea and Ginger-smells like BB's version, no fading although its a light scent to start with. No discolor.

 Lavender Sage-ended up a mild tan discolor, held scent but develops more sage than lavender (although the lavender is there). I like it.

 Woodsmoke-light cream discolor after two months. Smells better and stronger, like smoky wood. Would be a good mixer.

      Turquoise Sky-yelloish discolor, scent settled down into a clean oceany cologne smell. I'm on the fence with it, HP seems to make the scent settle in faster. 

******* HP's only****** These are only a few weeks old

Sea Witch-HP'd only. I like it but it faded after three weeks HP cure,  didn't change but got lighter. #2 on my oceany scent list.

Black Cedarwood/Juniper-HP'd only. Mostly cedar. Seems to be holding well. Manly scent if you like lumberjacks! No major discolor yet.

Sweet Orange Chili Pepper-ehhhhhh I'm on the fence. HP'd only. Scent  still swapping between oranges and chili...scent not coming through the  wax wrap at all versus most of the others that smell event hrough one  layer. Yellow orange discolor.

Merlin's Forest-HP'd only...got stronger after two weeks! Smells like  the incense, the powdery overtone is no where near as strong as other's  I've tried. Keeper. Dragon's blood with something else...brown discolor.

Cappuccino Espresso-brown discolor, HP'd only , smells great!

Have not done monkey farts (lot less banana than others), plumeria, and some others I've missed. My sweating bars issue is keeping me on the HP end of things for a while...


----------



## vmakkers

I just did sea witch in a CP salt bar batch over xmas. I really like the scent so far. Probably one of my favorite oceany scents.  I always like to "marinate" my sea salt with the fragrance oil before I use it in hopes that it will help the scent stick.

I have Burgandy Rose from NG which I read had good reviews on it. I haven't had a chance to test it yet but might be one to keep on your radar.


----------



## jules92207

vmakkers said:


> I just did sea witch in a CP salt bar batch over xmas. I really like the scent so far. Probably one of my favorite oceany scents.  I always like to "marinate" my sea salt with the fragrance oil before I use it in hopes that it will help the scent stick.
> 
> I have Burgandy Rose from NG which I read had good reviews on it. I haven't had a chance to test it yet but might be one to keep on your radar.



Sea Witch sounds nice, I also marinate my fragrance in the salt first. I find it really helps the scent stick and it has made it easier with fast moving fo's.


----------



## vmakkers

jules92207 said:


> Sea Witch sounds nice, I also marinate my fragrance in the salt first. I find it really helps the scent stick and it has made it easier with fast moving fo's.



I read there was some acceleration with Sea Witch but I really didn't notice it with my salt bars. I even tried to do a clyde slide kinda swirl into a 9 bar slab mold and got decent mica swirls on top. I haven't decided on calling it Mermaid's Treasure or King Triton's Gold. I didn't do very well on getting the dividers off as you can see, but it does show the two colors.


----------



## Soapmaker145

Here is my next FB list.  Up to #289 are already poured.  I'll be writing reviews for the first 7 soon.  I just poured  #283 to #289.  Some of these smell lovely and I haven't unmolded them yet.  I really hope Celtic Mist survives cures.  It smells heavenly right now. I have 2 or 3 more to add to the list but I'm almost done with my FB testers.  I have to start blending to use up the many 1 oz bottles I have.  

I also poured the 5 new FOs from TCS.  Now for the Sweet Musk to survive cure and remain light!!!  It smells great and no ugly yellow brown in sight.

276	Amber Blush
277	Dirt
278	Mango Pineapple
279	Apple Mango
280	Lord of Misrule
281	Black Pearl
282	Fresh Cut Green Grass
283	Calacas
284	Celtic Mist
285	Furze
286	Merlin's Forest
287	Uluru
288	Keep It Fluffy
289	Native Princess
290	Frozen
291	Fraisir Fir
292	Big
293	Yummy
294	B-Scent
295	Grapefruit Zest
296	SoCal
297	Avobath
298	Sweet Temptations
299	Dead Sexy
300	Sikkim Girls
301	The Bug
302	Princess Orchid
303	Sea Witch
304	Hyacinth
305	Cool Water
306	Little Black Dress
307	Lime Margarita
308	Sweet Pea
309	Enchanted
310	Salty Mariner
311	Teakwood Forest
312	Celebrate
313	Bird of Paradise
314	Butterfly Flower
315	Dirty
316	Patchouli Value
317   Gypsy Rose
318   Celestial Waters
319   Cranberry Woods
320   Citrus Splash
321   Angel's Delight
322   Georgia Peaches
323   Warm Welcome
324   Fir Needle Forest
325   Coffee Bean
326   Baby Powder


----------



## Soapmaker145

Lovely soaps Vmakkers.  Beautiful colors and adorable little gold chests. Are they M&P or CP? 
I think I have a bigger bottle of Sea Witch.  I have to add it to the list.  I also found Gypsy Rose.  I added Burgundy Rose to the list of FOs to try.  Please update after you try it.


----------



## nsmar4211

Review of Dirt: Smells like..dirt.. LOL 

Looking forward to this! I've swapped over to HP for a while so I won't have any CP reviews to add .


----------



## vmakkers

MP embeds. When I first started soaping, I really wanted to use all CP embeds but I realized it's just too time consuming. And I like how if I get the random urge to make a soap extra pretty, it only takes like 30 minutes to make a bunch of embeds.


----------



## OliveOil2

The Sweet Musk is a beautiful soap scent, I didn't soap it, but received a bar from a friend. From Tennessee I will add these to the scent review post, Oatmeal Milk & Honey easy to work with, no A, but does discolor quite a bit, I am guessing the vanilla is at least 2%. The scent has quite a bit of almond, and although a nice FO I prefer the OMH from WSP. The Flowerbomb, oob smelled a little stronger than plain water, soaped there is some scent, but very light, and not anything I would want my soap to smell like. I almost called them to see if there was a problem with the batch. I ended up not calling because scent is so subjective, but this FO is not at all strong like the one review. I have never smelled the perfume, but this is not a keeper for me.

Vmakkers love your soap, the color is so pretty, my salt bars are always so washed out looking, I was thinking that Sea Witch would be the perfect scent for a salt bar, so that will be something I have to try.


----------



## Soap Techniques

OliveOil2 said:


> From Tennessee ... The Flowerbomb, oob smelled a little stronger than plain water, soaped there is some scent, but very light, and not anything I would want my soap to smell like. I almost called them to see if there was a problem with the batch. I ended up not calling because scent is so subjective, but this FO is not at all strong like the one review. I have never smelled the perfume, but this is not a keeper for me.


 
I soaped TCS's Flowerbomb 5 weeks ago, used 0.9 oz ppo. The scent is VERY weak, mostly musky, relatively pleasant, discolors to a light beige.
I think I will still make a bigger batch, but I expect to be disappointed.


----------



## OliveOil2

Thank you for confirming that I hadn't completely lost my sense of smell or was imagining that it was weak. I just smelled it today and I smell a soft floral as well. I am trying to figure out what I could blend it with to make something decent, but nothing comes to mind.


----------



## Soapmaker145

I checked TCS Flowerbomb and compared it to the FB one.  To my nose, both our strong and smell practically identical OOB (a mix of sandalwood and patchouli with something floral and sharp). The TCS tester is only a few days old.  Right now, it is very faint but it doesn't smell anything like the FB tester after cp.  I don't think it will come back.  It already discolored to a light beige. 

I'm looking at my long list of testers and I can't think of anything to blend with Flowerbomb.  I might start with Jasmine and Lavender since it is supposed to have both notes.


----------



## Soapmaker145

I rechecked the FB Flowerbomb tester.  At 6 weeks, it smelled like a perfumy version of Patchouli passion and I put it with the rejects.  I rechecked it today and it has changed a lot.  It smells like a balanced perfumy mix of Patchouli and Sandalwood with a hint of floral.  It is very similar to the OOB scent without the sharp notes.  Medium strong scent at this point.  It feels like it has settled down and it won't be morphing anymore.  I expect it to survive to the 1 year mark.

I would use it if somebody asked me for a Patchouli/Sandalwood mix.  

I haven't tried any other Flowerbomb FOs.

ETC:  I shouldn't do anything late night.  I typed Musk and Amber when I meant Patchouli and Sandalwood.


----------



## OliveOil2

Maybe I got a bad bottle, because there was almost no smell oob. It has a faint scent, at the 3 week mark of curing. I don't have much hope for it sticking around. It may be good for someone that wants an extremely light scent.

 This batch will most likely go in my donation basket, since I have an arrangement to donate on a regular basis. This would have to be one of the prettiest batches that I have made. Somaker145 thank you reviewing the two you have, and the scent suggestions.


----------



## Soap Techniques

Soapmaker145 said:


> I rechecked the FB Flowerbomb tester. At 6 weeks, it smelled like a perfumy version of Patchouli passion and I put it with the rejects. I rechecked it today and it has changed a lot. It smells like a balanced perfumy mix of musk and amber with a hint of floral. It is very similar to the OOB scent without the sharp notes. Medium strong scent at this point.


Thanks Soapmaker145, your reviews are very appreciated! I should receive FB's Flowerbomb tomorrow and will soap it right away. I liked TSW's version of this fragrance and hope to find something very similar.


----------



## Soapmaker145

I think we all smell things differently.  I've had some scents that I thought were overpowering that other people couldn't smell and vice versa.  Flowerbomb may be one of them.  I'm curious to see what happens to the TCS Flowerbomb.  Right now, it smells very different in the tester from the FB version but it is still too early.  Fata Morgana, give the FB Flowerbomb some time to mature.  It took longer than 6 weeks to settle down for me.  I'm planning on blending the FB Flowerbomb with some florals.  If any of the mixes comes out half way decent, I'll post.

Olive, where do you donate the unwanted soaps?  And where is the picture of the pretty soaps?    I shamelessly copy other people's designs.  

I initially posted this under the Vanilla thread but split the post to bring this portion to the FB thread.


----------



## Soapmaker145

I checked on the Flowerbomb testers today with extra help.  I already made corrections to previous posts.  The FB version is a Patchouli/sandalwood mix (not musk and amber).  The TCS version is missing a lot of the patchouli. You can barely detect the difference OOB but it becomes evident after spotting on absorbent paper and airing them for few hours.  The TCS tester smells nothing like the OOB scent right now.  It seems to be getting stronger and more floral.

Looking at other FB testers (at least 10 weeks old):
#280 Lord of Misrule:  This one is very similar to FB's Flowerbomb, just a little more subtle.  OOB, I detect some citrusy notes that weren't in Flowerbomb.  My testers said the same thing. I could easily mix it with Flowerbomb to make a larger batch.

#259 Floating Islands: If you are looking for a blend of Sandalwood and musk without the Patchouli, this is the one to try.  OOB, it had citrusy alcoholic notes that didn't make it in the final soap.  This one is medium light.  It smells a little more artificial to me.

For an Amber/Musk blend: right now, I would use Amber Blush from FB (powdery finish) with Sweet Musk from TCS.  I think MMS has a decent Sweet Musk also that may work too.  

I'll be trying few blends. It would be easy to blend all of these with florals or woodsy notes to make interesting blends.

The testers look a little lighter in the picture than they actually are (medium beige).  The white soap is the tester of a non-discoloring fragrance that was poured with the same mix.  

Now to figure out what is going on with Celestial Sea.  OOB, it smells identical to Winter Festival with that hideous overpowering coniferous green note that is present in a lot of the mistletoe FOs.  I think they sent me a mislabeled bottle.


----------



## OliveOil2

Soapmaker145 I wrap all of the soaps that I donate, know that sounds crazy but I wrap them just like I was taking them to a craft fair, or giving as a gift. My sister works with a non-profit in the Los Angeles area and that is where 90% of my rejected soap goes. The rest go to a low income senior food bank that I volunteer at. I know that Clean the World non profit takes unwrapped, and even used soap, they treat it before giving it away. 

As soon as the sun comes out again I will take some photos, the pretty yellow is getting darker, and more dull. I think that I like these because they have turquoise, yellow, orange & white and remind me of a Mexican Fiesta. They are not like some of the amazing soaps you see in soap ****, just colors that I like.


----------



## Soapmaker145

OliveOil2 said:


> Soapmaker145 I wrap all of the soaps that I donate, know that sounds crazy but I wrap them just like I was taking them to a craft fair, or giving as a gift. My sister works with a non-profit in the Los Angeles area and that is where 90% of my rejected soap goes. The rest go to a low income senior food bank that I volunteer at. I know that Clean the World non profit takes unwrapped, and even used soap, they treat it before giving it away.
> 
> As soon as the sun comes out again I will take some photos, the pretty yellow is getting darker, and more dull. I think that I like these because they have turquoise, yellow, orange & white and remind me of a Mexican Fiesta. They are not like some of the amazing soaps you see in soap ****, just colors that I like.



Thank you for the information.  I've been thinking about donating the extras to local non-profit groups that we contribute to.  I usually buy toiletries and cleaning supplies for them.  It makes sense to wrap the soaps.  I've never done that before but I just got some boxes and bags from Element.  Now I have to figure out how to create labels for them.

Can't wait to see the soaps.  I've been downloading pictures of pretty soaps that are posted in various threads.  I plan to copy some of them when I have time or when I learn how to do a proper swirl.  I don't sell so I don't feel like I'm stealing from other people. It is just a learning experience for me. 

I got to soap today.  I made 15 different Flowerbomb blends. I used a number of floral FOs like lavender, lilac, jasmine, wisteria and honeysuckle.  I even mixed the FB and TCS Flowerbombs together.  If anything looks promising in about 8 weeks, I'll post.


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## OliveOil2

I can't believe that my P word was censored! I hate to disappoint you because my soaps don't fall into that pretty soap class. The yellow is a little more muddy than when it was first soaped, and the photo is complete with soda ash on top because I haven't cleaned them up yet. Some FO just is harder on the soap than others. I hate soda ash, wish that I could ignore it. Next to it is Cracklin Birch from NG which is what my Brother in law picked for his Birthday. I never make brown soaps on purpose, just the ones that turn brown. Both are my attempt at hanger swirls. I needed to show my sister, so figured I could do it with the one picture.


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## shunt2011

Those are really pretty.  Cracklin Birch is one of my top sellers and my husbands favorite.  I too donate my misfits to Women's and family shelters.  I've been told they are a huge hit. I ave also donated soap that is sent to the soldiers overseas.


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## Soapmaker145

Gorgeous soaps!!!  Love the balance between natural and bright.  If I made them, I would frame them and force anybody who comes inside my house to admire them.  You really should feel very proud for the way they came out.  Thanks for sharing.

I downloaded the picture.  If I can ever make anything as pretty, I'll post.

As soon as I can get a soaping weekend, I plan to make small batches of the FOs that I don't need anymore to donate.


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## OliveOil2

Thank you everyone! I'm flattered, but I Don't have the patience to do anything very complicated. There are some people here that make things that are completely amazing. I have more than my share of really ugly soap.


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## Soapmaker145

Just a quick update about FB's Flowerbomb.  I did a small test with a 1:1 mix with various FOs (2 days ago).  I tried to stick to FB FOs as much as possible.

Bob's Flowershop, Lavender (TCS), Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Picnic in the Park all overwhelmed the Flowerbomb.  I probably could have used less of all of them.  So White, Lily of the Valley, Wisteria, Floating Island smell better mixed with Flowerbomb than they do alone.

My favorite right now is the 2 Flowerbombs mix (FB + TCS), smells better than either alone at ~48 hours.

None of the mixes smelled bad.  Flowerbomb looks like a great blender.  I'll update in 6 to 8 weeks.


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## Soapmaker145

My next installment in FB reviews.  These are past the 10 week mark.  Had I done the reviews a month ago, many would have been very different.  I had put all but #255 in the rejects bin.  I'm finding that many of FB's FOs need a longer cure.  I'm expecting some of these to survive to the 1 year mark.

*251-Imogen Rose:* MUR=10%, FP>200oF, No vanilla.    At 10 weeks, there is a light floral nondescript scent that can’t be identified as rose.  Slight discoloration, minimal ash.  This one is out for CP.  I don’t think it will work as a blender either. 

*252-Rose:* MUR=35%, FP>200oF, No vanilla.  At 10 weeks, this one is also out.  There is a hint of a scent if you sniff the bar hard enough.  No discoloration, Heavy ash.

*253-Lilac:* MUR=3%, FP>200oF, No vanilla.  Heavy ash, hint of yellow discoloration.  Medium strong and holding, but I poured it at 5%.  It mellowed a great deal since it was first poured. It smells less lilac now.   Next to TCS Lilac, the FB version smells nondescript and uninteresting.  The TCS tester is at 5 months and it hasn’t faded.  The scent improved to the point that I even like it.  It is unmistakably clean lilac, smells appropriately soapy.  There is no MUR for the TCS version.  The FB version is out.

*254-Jasmine:* MUR=30%, FP=170oF, No vanilla. Hint of discoloration, heavy ash. Medium strong and holding.  Smells like a single note jasmine.  I can see myself using it alone or in a tester.  It really needed a long cure to smell good.  It smells similar to Lust after it mellowed out.  Lust is still out in the freezing garage. 

*255-Lily of the Valley: *MUR=4%, FP>200oF, No vanilla.  No discoloration, heavy ash.  Medium strong and holding.  This is a one note clean floral also but it is nice.   I would use it alone and in a blender. 

*256-Honeysuckle:* MUR=3%, FP>185oF, No vanilla.  Medium strong and holding at my usage rate of 5%.  It would probably be OK at lower usage rate.  This one is very similar to the TCS honeysuckle but a bit more soapy and a little sweeter.  The TCS is a bit more floral.  Neither one has some of the unpleasant strong notes that Honeysuckle FOs tend to have.  I would use either one or mix the 2.   Right now, these are going to be mixed with BB’s Heavenly Honeysuckle which degenerated into a nondescript scent in under 8 weeks just to use up the BB bottle.  Or better yet, I should HP the BB bottle and save these for a nice CP batch.  

*257-Wisteria:* MUR=18%, FP>200, No vanilla. This is a nice Wisteria. It smells of wisteria, hyacinth, hints of jasmine and some green grass notes.  No discoloration.  Heavy ash.  This is one of the better florals.  Strong scent and holding.   I would use it alone or in a mix. 

*258-Amarige:* MUR=2.75%, FP>200oF, No vanilla. A hint of tan discoloration.  Medium ash. This one was very faint until late in the cure. Floral/fruity mix with more emphasis on the floral.  The top note is a mix of light orange blossom and spicy violet with additional floral notes and a hint of fruit.  Medium scent and holding.  

*259-Floating Islands*: MUR=40%, FP>200 oF, Vanilla=2%. Sandalwood and sweet musk with a hint of citrus.  Discolored dark tan.  Heavy ash.  This one is a balanced but light blend of sandalwood and musk.  I seem to like sandalwood mixed with patchouli better.  The mix with musk smells more artificial.  Medium light scent.  I probably won’t use it in CP by itself.  I mixed it with FB’s Flowerbomb.  I’m expecting the mix to be more interesting than this one alone.

*260-Amish Harvest:* Not skin safe.  MUR=0.25%, FP>200 oF, Vanilla=8.0%   Very dark brown.  This one is strong on bitter almond and spice.  Baked foodie scent. 

*261-Bob’s Flower Shop:* MUR=5%, FP=195, No vanilla.  No discoloration. Medium ash.  Very strong floral/green grass.  The base is predominately spicy carnation with green grass and a lot of other cheap floral notes.  Bob needs to get some better flowers.  At 5%, it is a bit overpowering (headache inducing), a very heavy green floral.  I would cut the usage rate by half at least.  It may smell a little softer.  I think this one can sub easily for the green grass FOs if one wants more floral notes in the green grass.  I can see using this as a blender in small amounts.


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## pmartin

Can someone help me please? I only have 1 FO and that is all I have used, very boring I know but I don't make much soap. I'm getting together my stuff to make a new soap and thought it would be nice to get a different FO. I went to the FB website and they have so much selection. I got lost for hours looking. The one thing I saw and this where I need the help is their usage rates. Some are low like 8% and some are really high like 60%. What do they mean when they say X%? If you were making a pound of soap what would the % be? Is it oils only or the whole thing with water and lye included? This part of making soap has always confused me. I just leave it at the default setting in soapcalc and use what it says. am I doing it wrong?


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## shunt2011

pmartin said:


> Can someone help me please? I only have 1 FO and that is all I have used, very boring I know but I don't make much soap. I'm getting together my stuff to make a new soap and thought it would be nice to get a different FO. I went to the FB website and they have so much selection. I got lost for hours looking. The one thing I saw and this where I need the help is their usage rates. Some are low like 8% and some are really high like 60%. What do they mean when they say X%? If you were making a pound of soap what would the % be? Is it oils only or the whole thing with water and lye included? This part of making soap has always confused me. I just leave it at the default setting in soapcalc and use what it says. am I doing it wrong?


 
The percentages listed are the max IFRA usage.  However, for soap I generally stick between .8 and 1 oz ppo (per pound of oils) unless it's a really strong scent then I may go to .5.  When using a soap calc you can just punch in how much you want to use and it will calculate it for you.

Just be cautious to check the usage rates on all FO's as there are some out there with a really small percentage.


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## TeaLeavesandTweed

Soapmaker145 said:


> *257-Wisteria:* MUR=18%, FP>200, No vanilla. This is a nice Wisteria. It smells of wisteria, hyacinth, hints of jasmine and some green grass notes.  No discoloration.  Heavy ash.  This is one of the better florals.  Strong scent and holding.   I would use it alone or in a mix.



Did you actually use 18% FO in your soap? I've just been cast in a production of Enchanted April and I think my play-themed soap probably has to be wisteria-scented. What about seizing/ricing/acceleration? Does it soap well?


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## Soapmaker145

TeaLeavesandTweed said:


> Did you actually use 18% FO in your soap? I've just been cast in a production of Enchanted April and I think my play-themed soap probably has to be wisteria-scented. What about seizing/ricing/acceleration? Does it soap well?



No and never.  The 18% is the maximum usage rate based on IFRA.  I used 5% of the batter weight which ends up just under 1 oz FO ppo.  5% FO is the limit of what I'm willing to put in a soap.  

I have a note that my sample riced badly but I was able to mix it well with a spoon. You can't see it in the final soap.  I pour my testers at a very thick  pudding stage at 120F+.   When I do a larger batch, I'll soap cool and add the FO at light trace.  My tester is almost 3 months old and the scent is holding.

FB has an Enchanted FO.  If you are willing to wait for a week or 2, I can give you a idea of what it smells like.

Congratulations on the play!!!  I love how every event in a soaper's life turns into a soap.


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## TeaLeavesandTweed

Soapmaker145 said:


> No and never.  The 18% is the maximum usage rate based on IFRA.  I used 5% of the batter weight which ends up just under 1 oz FO ppo.  5% FO is the limit of what I'm willing to put in a soap.
> 
> I have a note that my sample riced badly but I was able to mix it well with a spoon. You can't see it in the final soap.  I pour my testers at a very thick  pudding stage at 120F+.   When I do a larger batch, I'll soap cool and add the FO at light trace.  My tester is almost 3 months old and the scent is holding.
> 
> FB has an Enchanted FO.  If you are willing to wait for a week or 2, I can give you a idea of what it smells like.
> 
> Congratulations on the play!!!  I love how every event in a soaper's life turns into a soap.



5% is what I assumed, but I didn't want to be disappointed if you increased the FO percentage to get that strong scent. 

Thanks for congratulations! I've made soaps for two different plays now: a honey soap for Winnie the Pooh and a "Shipwreck Soap" with sea salt, green clay, kelp, and peppermint for Twelfth Night.


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## Soapmaker145

Here is another installment: (past 10 weeks)

*271-Summer Fresh:* MUR=5%, FP=200oF, Vanilla=0.75%.  Floral FO.  Medium light and holding.  Nondescript floral sweet scent.  Medium ash.  Slight tan discoloration.  Off the list.

*272-Black Raspberry Vanilla:* MUR=6%, FP>180oF, Vanilla=0%.  No discoloration and no ash.  Fruity Sweet.  Medium light scent and holding.  To my nose, it smells much better than the MMS Black Raspberry which smelled more like spent fruity bubblegum.  

*273-Picnic in the Park:* MUR=15%, FP=200oF, Vanilla=1.58%.  Discolored dark tan, light ash. Medium strong scent and holding.  Smells very fruity with notes of coconut.  The discoloration is a big negative for a fruity scent. 

*274-Coconut Lime Breeze Type*:  MUR=5%, FP>185, Vanilla=0.  Light beige discoloration, heavy ash.  This is a breeze type scent, not strong on either coconut or lime.  It’s not very interesting.  Medium light scent. Off the list.

*275-Sage:* MUR: 30%, FP>200oF, No vanilla.  No discoloration, medium ash.  It doesn’t smell like pure sage but is a nice deep herbal scent.  It was much weaker when first poured.  It got stronger throughout cure. It feels like a good soapy clean scent. It smells better than the Lavender Sage FO which lost all Lavender notes and became harsher the longer it cured. I mixed this one with TCS Lavender and it ended up smelling similar to the OOB Lavender Sage FO.  On the to-buy larger bottle list.   

*276-Amber Blush:* MUR=25%, FP>200oF, Vanilla=1%.  Sweet sugar and amber.  Discolored medium Pinkish beige.  Lovely amber with a powdery finish.  It is very similar to OOB, just a little softer after CP.  Strong and holding.  I plan to blend it with other FOs.  I bought a larger bottle already.

*277-Dirt:* MUR-100%, FP>200, No vanilla.  No discoloration.  The soap stayed soft for a long time.  It smells like dirt.  Not sure what I was thinking.  I can’t think of anything to mix it with to make it smell like anything I would want to wash with. 

*278-Mango Pineapple:* MUR=30%, FP=190oF, Vanilla=0.20%.  No discoloration.  Heavy ash.  I find this one better than the Apple Mango.  There is a bit of an off note that I usually smell in Mango FOs.  I expect it to still mellow out.  Strong scent and holding.  I would use it as a blender. 

*279-Apple Mango:* MUR=6%, FP>200oF, No vanilla.  No discoloration.  Heavy ash.  Strong scent and holding.  This one reminds me of commercial laundry detergent.  For some reason, this fruit mix doesn’t smell natural but the scent grows on me the more I smell it.  There is a hint of sour fermentation in the base note.  I don’t think it is done morphing yet.  I'll need to update it.

*280-Lord of Misrule:*  MUR=9%, FP>200oF, No vanilla.  Heavy ash.  Discolored a dark tan.  Medium light scent.  I smell a mix of patchouli and sandalwood.  Pleasant, more masculine scent.  Very similar to Flowerbomb without the floral notes that fade.  I may try blending it similar to Flowerbomb.

*281-Black Pearl:* MUR=4%, FP>200oF, No vanilla. Heavy ash.  Just a hint of discoloration.  This is an unusual scent.  Unisex.  The base is chamomile with a hint of lavender and myrrh.  It improved throughout the cure.  I used it at 5%.  Medium strong.  I would use it for me and drop the usage rate.

*282-Fresh Cut Green Grass:* MUR=19%, FP>200oF, No vanilla.  Heavy ash.  This FO is a bright green grass scent with a hint of floral.  It works well on its own but could be used to add green notes to floral FOs.  Medium strong and holding.


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## KristaY

I don't have FB's dirt FO but I do use Garden Dirt from NG. I blend it with rosemary, juniper berry or pine EO's and my hubby's hunting pals LOVE it. I always have to make a big batch in late summer so the fall hunters have plenty. It smells just like potting soil in an herb garden to me. I call mine "Fresh Earth" to avoid saying dirt soap, lol.


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## nsmar4211

Black pearl sounds really interesting.........


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## Soapmaker145

Krista, thank you for the suggestions.  I have rosemary and thyme EOs and a bunch of coniferous FOs, I'll try blending some.  We only have 1 relative who hunts.  I'll be sending him the "hunter earthy soaps".  I couldn't think what else to call them beside dirt.

Nsmar, many of my testers didn't care for the Black Pearl.  They found it too "generic".  I tend to like chamomile scents with the Chamomile and Bergamot from MMS being one of my favorite FOs.  I expect to be the only one using the Black Pearl.  I tried a wet test and the scent is light.  I plan on blending it with other FOs similar to the Flowerbomb.  If I get any interesting combinations, I'll post.


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## Soapmaker145

pmartin said:


> Can someone help me please? I only have 1 FO and that is all I have used, very boring I know but I don't make much soap. I'm getting together my stuff to make a new soap and thought it would be nice to get a different FO. I went to the FB website and they have so much selection. I got lost for hours looking. The one thing I saw and this where I need the help is their usage rates. Some are low like 8% and some are really high like 60%. What do they mean when they say X%? If you were making a pound of soap what would the % be? Is it oils only or the whole thing with water and lye included? This part of making soap has always confused me. I just leave it at the default setting in soapcalc and use what it says. am I doing it wrong?



The take home message from the maximum usage rate is the higher it is, the less irritating/problematic the chemical components of the FO are.  It isn't an exact science.  The numbers are based on the best available data.  Somebody can still react badly to any of them but the higher the MUR, the less likely it is.  I would never use more than 1 oz ppo no matter what the MUR is.   They are still chemicals.

If you have any specific scents  you like, ask and we can give you recommendations for FOs that did well.  It doesn't have to be from Fragrancebuddy.  If you have a preferred vendor, there will be somebody on the board who knows something about them.


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## nsmar4211

Ok, generic I don't need LOL. 
Now that I'm awake...I have comments and questions .

I've been doing mostly HP so I'm not much help lately, but the FB Monkey Farts in HP still morphed after cure (didn't expect that). It's actually a much nicer scent than when first poured! No chemical undertone, evenly fruity and I can't pick out a specific fruit anymore. Not sickly sweet either, and I'm not seeing any discolor yet (I did use micas to color). 

The coconut lime breeze losing everything but breeze doesn't surprise me, I have yet to find that combo that sticks!

I'm intrigued by the Sage in combo with TCS lavender... I love the lavender sage OOB but havent' done a large batch HP'd to see if it holds even HP. When you say it doesn't smell like sage, does it smell like it does OOB (so it never did smell like sage) or did it morph away from it?

I noticed that the Dirt scent does make even HP stay softer longer too... something in the FO I guess. I mixed it with Fresh Cut Grass and it's a summer scent LOL. I did like it in small quantites with some florals to make it smell more gardeny and less perfumy. 

What would you blend mango pineapple with? I love the apple mango so am intrigued that you find it better!

Do you think Lord of Misrule would make a good "hippy" scent? (had a request for one)?


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## OliveOil2

Just my 2 cents to some of your questions, hoping Soapmaker145 will reply, I always look forward to her reviews. The Mango Pineapple is a very strong scent on it's own, and seemed to change back and forth from being more mango or more pineapple. That scent really sticks, but don't know what would be a good blend.

For me the FB True Lavender stayed soft longer, and noticed this in the test batch with the same recipe, different FO's.

I have used the Lord of Misrule, and every bar was taken, I didn't really expect that, I am not a die hard patchouli fan though. For me from FB the Lush Karma, or Merlin's Forest would be a hippy scent. My all time favorite hippy scent is the WSP Nag Champa. Although I purchased another small bottle in December for a special request, and I am still not sure that is the same any longer. I am hoping some of the WSP Nag Champa fans will report back after purchasing from the recent WSP sale. Today I am bringing the special request to my friend, and we will see what she says.


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## Soapmaker145

nsmar4211 said:


> Ok, generic I don't need LOL.
> Now that I'm awake...I have comments and questions .
> 
> I'm intrigued by the Sage in combo with TCS lavender... I love the lavender sage OOB but havent' done a large batch HP'd to see if it holds even HP. When you say it doesn't smell like sage, does it smell like it does OOB (so it never did smell like sage) or did it morph away from it?
> 
> Do you think Lord of Misrule would make a good "hippy" scent? (had a request for one)?



I don't care for the Lavender Sage.  It got harsher and harsher the longer it cured and lost all lavender.  Not even a hint of it in the final bar.  What is left is not even sage.  I put the rest of the LS bottle in a shaving soap (HP) and it smelled true to OOB for a while but it has since faded a lot.  I'm considering remelting those soaps and adding a different scent. I would leave them as they are but DH reacted badly to the Lavender.  He reacts badly to all flavors of Lavender EO.  I need to improve the scent in the shaving bars in order to be able to gift them.  What a pain! Not what I expected with HP.  Right now, it looks like I'll be adding an equal mix of Lord of Misrule and TCS Lavender.

The blend of FB Sage and TCS lavender is sooooo much better.  I need to check the ratios and will update with pictures.  I liked both bars I made and both smelled better than the FB LS.  Some people may identify the sage as sage but I tend to be picky.  I have a lot of herbs in planters in my basement hibernating for the winter and I can tell them all apart just by the scent.  Sage and Rosemary are in a class all their own.  That said, the FB Sage is not a bad herbal scent.  It blended well and I'll use it again for blending.  It lost a lot of the complexity it had OOB but it was never pure sage to my nose.  I haven't compared it to the EO though. I'm comparing it to the green leaves.

I'm not sure I could identify a "hippy" scent. Lord of misrule is a deep earthy scent, heavy on the Patchouli and Sandalwood.  I didn't expect this but DH really likes it.  He asked me to add it to the list.  To me, it is a less interesting version of FLowerbomb.  Some days,  Flowerbomb smells just like LoM. Other days (higher humidity), it smells much more flowery and complex.  I had eliminated FB and LoM in favor of Patchouli Passion but all 3 are back on the list. I would use PP on its own and the other 2 to blend.  Do you have Patchouli Passion?


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## nsmar4211

Hrm, ok, scratch large batch, I'll do a 1 lb batch of the lavender sage to see if my experience is the same as yours.

I do have patchouli passion, and I made a batch with it...and managed to misplace the batch (four bars, 1lb batch). Don't ask how LOL.  I had trouble with the bars staying sticky and soft (HP'd) longer than they should, which I noticed doing the CP too. Will make another batch when I don't need a mold as quickly, maybe I'll do some salt in the water. I do like it, perhaps I'll just stick with that for the "hippy" scent and figure out how to work around the soft issue.


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## Soapmaker145

nsmar4211 said:


> Hrm, ok, scratch large batch, I'll do a 1 lb batch of the lavender sage to see if my experience is the same as yours.
> 
> I do have patchouli passion, and I made a batch with it...and managed to misplace the batch (four bars, 1lb batch). Don't ask how LOL.  I had trouble with the bars staying sticky and soft (HP'd) longer than they should, which I noticed doing the CP too. Will make another batch when I don't need a mold as quickly, maybe I'll do some salt in the water. I do like it, perhaps I'll just stick with that for the "hippy" scent and figure out how to work around the soft issue.



I made a large Patchouli Passion CP batch (about 30 5oz bars).  It isn't soft at all.  I unmolded at 48 hours and the bars got very hard within a week.  My recipe has 40% Tallow, 20% coconut, 5% shea, 2% stearic, 5% castor and the rest  an equal mix of hi-oleic sunflower, rice bran, avocado and canola.  I added salt, sugar, citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, and sodium lactate (1%).  My tester wasn't soft either.  I'm not sure why yours was soft.

PP discolors an ugly dark beige/tan.  I should have added something to change the color but I didn't think of it at the time.  I also should have made a tester with Flowerbomb and PP.  Next time.

The other FO to consider is Earthen Oak.  It accelerates very very fast.  It needs to be added at emulsion, mixed and poured within 2 minutes or it will become a solid block.  The scent is strong and I think it will appeal to people who like Patchouli.  I made a 1 lb batch of EO and colored it with burgundy oxide.


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## Soapmaker145

FB Sage and TCS Lavender:  Bars are at least 3 months old.

I haven't had a chance to take pictures but there was no discoloration.  Keep in mind that I don't have FB Lavender.  I'm using TCS.  I have poured a 3lb batch of the TCS Lavender by itself.  The bars cured normally and became very hard.  I had a problem before with a batch of Lavender EO and BB Vanilla staying soft for a long time but it had buttermilk in it which may have contributed.

I did 1:1 and 1:2 of Sage to Lavender.

The Sage by itself has a nice medium strong herbal scent.  It smells appropriately soapy.  I would use it by itself or to blend with other herbal scents like eucalyptus and mint.  If I come up with any interesting blends, I'll post later.

The TCS Lavender is a soft floral lavender.  Mixing it 2:1 with the sage takes the edge off the floral and moves a feminine lavender towards a more unisex scent.  It is still easily identifiable as lavender.  I suspect it may have better longevity than a straight lavender but only time will tell.

The 1:1 mix smells more like a blend.  You can still identify lavender in it but you can smell other herbs.  It makes a decent Lavender/Sage FO.  It smells much closer to the FB Lavender Sage FO when I first poured the tester and before it morphed.  The blend didn't morph at all.  I think 1:1 mix is a good place to start but you might want to try 1:1.5 and 1:2 lavender to sage to see what you like.  I expected the sage to dominate but the lavender held its own.

I would call it a successful experiment.  Overall, I would be happy using all 4 soaps. I don't have a preference but I haven't done a wet test yet with the sage blends.  HTH.


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## Soapmaker145

OliveOil2 said:


> Just my 2 cents to some of your questions, hoping Soapmaker145 will reply, I always look forward to her reviews. The Mango Pineapple is a very strong scent on it's own, and seemed to change back and forth from being more mango or more pineapple. That scent really sticks, but don't know what would be a good blend.
> 
> For me the FB True Lavender stayed soft longer, and noticed this in the test batch with the same recipe, different FO's.
> 
> I have used the Lord of Misrule, and every bar was taken, I didn't really expect that, I am not a die hard patchouli fan though. For me from FB the Lush Karma, or Merlin's Forest would be a hippy scent. My all time favorite hippy scent is the WSP Nag Champa. Although I purchased another small bottle in December for a special request, and I am still not sure that is the same any longer. I am hoping some of the WSP Nag Champa fans will report back after purchasing from the recent WSP sale. Today I am bringing the special request to my friend, and we will see what she says.



I think you are on to something with Lord of Misrule.  I had 2 friends smell it and they both loved it.  I think other people smell more notes in it than I do.  I'll be trying few blends.

Please update the WSP Nag Champa.  I've only tried the BB version.  For over a month, it smelled like rancid gasoline if such a thing exists. Then it settled into a very light anise scent.  Meh!  I'm not sure what to blend it with to use up the bottle. 

A friend brought me a piece of the Lush Karma soap.  The Karma tester lost a lot of complexity compared to Lush Karma.  It needs to be blended with something.  I'm thinking some citrus right now.  I bought a larger bottle of it because a number of people asked for it.  Time to make few blends.

I also think the Apple Mango and Mango Pineapple need to be blended with something but I'm not sure what yet.  I'll update if I come up with anything useful.


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## OliveOil2

Soapmaker145 I soaped the WSP right around Christmas, the scent isn't like before, and with the same recipe as usual the soap is softer. I am so glad that I didn't get the 16oz bottle. I have used this scent for four years and I have a very old bar that is stronger than my last two new purchases. 
I am hoping that my nose is off, but after two tries I think that I am done, it will be interesting to see if others find the FO the same. I really did not like the BB Nag Champa at all, didn't remind me of Nag Champa. CS is supposed to have a good one, but don't know if it will work in CP soap, one review on there says no, but it will most likely be my next sample from them, just not ordering from them for awhile.


----------



## jules92207

Soapmaker145 said:


> I think you are on to something with Lord of Misrule.  I had 2 friends smell it and they both loved it.  I think other people smell more notes in it than I do.  I'll be trying few blends.
> 
> Please update the WSP Nag Champa.  I've only tried the BB version.  For over a month, it smelled like rancid gasoline if such a thing exists. Then it settled into a very light anise scent.  Meh!  I'm not sure what to blend it with to use up the bottle.
> 
> A friend brought me a piece of the Lush Karma soap.  The Karma tester lost a lot of complexity compared to Lush Karma.  It needs to be blended with something.  I'm thinking some citrus right now.  I bought a larger bottle of it because a number of people asked for it.  Time to make few blends.
> 
> I also think the Apple Mango and Mango Pineapple need to be blended with something but I'm not sure what yet.  I'll update if I come up with anything useful.



I'm pretty sure I stuck a test bottle of the WSP Nag Champa in you box going out this week.

I love Lush Karma and haven't tried the FB version yet but have a 1oz to try. Let me know if you find any blends that hit home, I would love to come at least close.


----------



## Soapmaker145

jules92207 said:


> I'm pretty sure I stuck a test bottle of the WSP Nag Champa in you box going out this week.
> 
> I love Lush Karma and haven't tried the FB version yet but have a 1oz to try. Let me know if you find any blends that hit home, I would love to come at least close.



Thank you .  This is even more fun since it is a mystery box!!! 

The FB Karma is not a very accurate dupe based on the sample I have from Lush.  It's not a bad Patchouli on its own.  My tester is 4.5 months old.  I'll check on it and update (as soon as I can find it).

I knew when I bought a larger bottle that I would have to blend it.  The Lush sample had more citrus notes than the soaped FB.  I smell lemongrass and something more.  If you decide to test some blends, you may need to go heavy on the Karma and lighter on the citrus.  Right now, I'm thinking of also adding the Smoky Patchouli from BB.

I'll post if anything works well or is well liked.


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## Soapmaker145

Pictures of the Lavender Sage and update on the Orange Blossom and Chili Pepper:

The top row is Sage and the 1:1 and 1:2 Sage to TCS Lavender.  

The bottom row are #227 Sweet Orange Chili Pepper, 2:1 blend with Orange Blossom (very light yellow discoloration), and #235 (darker yellow) Orange Blossom.  227 is fairly light at almost ~4.5 months.  I mostly smell the chili pepper.  It won't make it on its own.  235 lost some of the orange blossom and has acquired something that smells like stale popcorn.  I'm hoping it's a phase and it will settle down again or somehow I had some scent transfer from other soaps.  It smelled true about a month ago.  I'm planning another tester with a little added 10x orange.  I would hate to lose this one.  Right now, it is one of my most requested FOs.  The SOCP/OB tester is about 3 months old.  It smells just like the SOCP tester smelled when it was poured with all the orange notes intact.  I'll have to wait to see if it'll develop the odd smell of #235.  In the next round,  I may try the same 2:1 tester with a little BB 10xOrange or TCS Tangerine or both.

I need to improve my lighting so I can take some decent pictures.


----------



## Soapmaker145

One more update on the FB Flowerbomb blends: all were ~30g testers with 1.5ml of fragrance added at medium trace.  They all discolored, initially an ugly yellow but slowly turned light chocolate milk/dark beige like the Flowerbomb tester.  The color is a drawback.  If not marked, the FO is from FB.

It's been about 3 weeks. My favorite is Flowerbomb and Lily of the Valley (F4). It is a strong floral, definitely a sophisticated perfumy mix but I like it a lot.  It stayed true since day 1 and hasn't morphed except for the color.  In second place is a tie right now between So White (F1) and TCS Flowerbomb (F5).  So white adds greener fresher notes to the heavier Flowerbomb.  The mix with TCS FBomb softens the floral notes and adds more complex notes of musk and something else.  By itself the TCS Fbomb is very light.   In third place is the blend with TCS Sweet Pea (F7).

I took out from the rating the blend with TCS Lavender (F2) because it is heavy on the lavender.  This is a very nice blend that adds deep complex notes to a floral lavender.  I may even like this blend better than the straight TCS Lavender except for the discoloration.  I'll be making a 4oz tester of this one.  

Now for the bad: the blend with Jasmine (F10).  DO NOT try it.  It started out mostly jasmine and then turned horrid.  Instant nausea, run for fresh air as fast as you can, don't faint along the way.  It isn't as bad as FB Lust but it is still plenty bad.  I'm beginning to think that Fragrancebuddy doesn't do Jasmine well.  The other bad one is Honeysuckle (F6).  Initially, it smelled mostly like a softer honeysuckle and then it turned. Gag.  I'm thinking of hanging them next summer in my apricot tree to try to drive the miserable squirrels away.

The other blends:
Bob's Flowershop: still smells cheap floral, completely overwhelmed the Fbomb.  Didn't improve at all.
Wisteria: smelled better on its own.
Sex Bomb: cheap laundry detergent right now.
Floating Island: faint.
Picnic in the Park: very fruity, overwhelmed the Fbomb, almost no floral notes whatsoever.
Lilac: meh but might change.
Autumn Nights: has potential but it is still morphing.
TCS Winter Candy Apple: also has potential but needs more time. Discolored dark brown (F12).

The nice thing about using the small testers is I don't feel bad tossing them if they stink.


----------



## nsmar4211

" It isn't  as bad as FB Lust but it is still plenty bad"

You know a fragrance is BAD when you use it as a yardstick for nastiness!!
Lust in very light amounts is now offically on the "I might be able to use this" list but NEVER NEVER again for CP. EVER. *shudder* And it cures OUT of the house...

Good to know the other Jasmine doesn't cut it either, and that it's not just me.

"I'm thinking of hanging them next  summer in my apricot tree to try to drive the miserable squirrels away" Just lost some tea on the desk...thanks... .

For the orange blends, you may like the TCS tangerine better in the blend than the 10x orange...I noticed when I used the orange with other things an off "burnt" orange smell developed (HP, but still). The tangerine hasn't done that yet...

Interestingly enough, I have to make another batch of apple mango because it is one of the more popular scents! Some people want to eat it...some say it smells like laundry detergent but in a nice way...funny how everyone is different.


----------



## nsmar4211

Update on Honeydew Melon: After 3+ months still holding strong and still smells great (on the sweet side). The bar was forgotten in a box and I just found it, used it in the tub and that one is a keeper for me. Now I have to order more....


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## Soapmaker145

Nsmar, thank you for the advice on the 10x orange.  I took it out of the blends.  Right now the only other orange I have is TCS Tangerine which worked very well so far.

I realized that I didn't do the white bowl test on many of these FOs.  The FB Flowerbomb and Lord of Misrule lathered white but the water was a light beige.  It's workable.  Same for the Fbomb blends. The blend of FB and TCS Fbombs is beginning to develop an off note. Not sure what's going to happen to it.

Patchouli Passion which discolored an ugly dark yellowish tan/brown and lathers white has unmistakable yellow water similar to American Cream.  It ruins a lovely fragrance.


----------



## nsmar4211

ooooooooo I did NOT check the lather colors. I will have to do that with the next few batches I do. I know I checked the Asian Sandalwood that I did CP and it lathered dark but I don't remember if I checked the HP version....will be checking! Assuming I don't manage to misplace the Patchouli Passion batch again and spend all my time looking for it:mrgreen:.

I got a 5x orange from someone that did not have as much of a burnt smell blended , but it wasn't as strong and I haven't tested the holding power...I'll have to look for it next time I think of it to see who it was.

Will be placing an order in the next month to restock...now I have to go back and re read the entire thread to see what I may want to get besides replacements LOL.


----------



## Soapmaker145

nsmar4211 said:


> I got a 5x orange from someone that did not have as much of a burnt smell blended , but it wasn't as strong and I haven't tested the holding power...I'll have to look for it next time I think of it to see who it was.
> 
> Will be placing an order in the next month to restock...now I have to go back and re read the entire thread to see what I may want to get besides replacements LOL.



Let me know if you want any updates.  Many of my testers are 4 to 5 months old (if scent longevity is a factor).  There are few in my last batch that are promising.  I'll try to post reviews before you place your order.

Citrusy scents are not easy.


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## nsmar4211

When I get a minute to sit down and review I will definitely hit you up!


----------



## Soapmaker145

Here are the Karma Blends I tried so far.  These were poured 8 days ago.

I used about 1500 microliters for 40g batter. I aliquoted everything with a fine pipettor, down to a microliter.  I normally try to blend as much as possible from the same supplier.  I wanted to add lemongrass and Geranium EOs, and the ones I have for soap are from BB.  I stuck to BB for other FOs too. What I'm saying here is that similar FOs from other suppliers will probably work just as well. 

Usage rate:  The Karma has a high usage rate ~30%.  BB doesn't really give the IFRAs for their FOs.  Based on their recommendations, my usage rate is below the limits for the various blends.  It doesn't necessarily mean that the mixes are "100% safe" but it makes it less likely that I exceeded what would be recommended by IFRAs.

I like all the blends I tried.  No discoloration so far. 

FOs used: FB karma, FB Patchouli Value, BB Smoky Patchouli, BB Nag Champa, BB Sweet Meyer Lemon, BB Lemongrass and Geranium EO.  I picked for blending some of the notes that Lush describes in their ingredient list as well as what I smelled in the Lush sample I have.  The Lush sample smelled heavy, almost medicinal and I wanted to brighten it up a little.

*K1- 4 Karma: 1 Lemongrass EO. (1200:300)  *The lemongrass overwhelmed the karma.  Need to drop it to half or a quarter of what I added.  It initially smelled like a complex lemongrass blend rather than karma.  As it cures, the karma is coming through more and it is getting better and better.

*K2- 2 Karma: 1 Smoky Patchouli (1000:500).*  It doesn’t smell much different than 212 alone. It just added a little softness.  I don’t think at this point in the curing process that Smoky Patchouli adds any interesting notes to the straight Karma to make it a viable blend.

*K3- Karma: Smoky Patchouli: lemongrass (1000:500:100).* The lemongrass is much more subtle here and is closer to the original, just a little brighter.  I think it also needs a hint of lemon.

*K4- Karma: Smoky Patchouli: Geranium EO (900:450:200).*  Initially the geranium dominated but the patchouli is coming through nicely.

*K5- Karma: Smoky Patchouli: Geranium EO: lemongrass EO (800:400:100:50).* This is a nice blend with hints of lemongrass and geranium.  It is a little brighter and more interesting than the original.  This is what I’ll be using for the Karma soap minus the Smoky Patchouli which doesn’t add much here.  I’ll also be adding about 50 to 100 microliters of a lemon FO. I smell both lemon and lemongrass in the original which is more evident when comparing it with the various testers. (Next blends to test: 1200 Karma: 100 geranium: 50 lemongrass: 50 and 100 lemon FO.)

*K6- 1 Karma: 1 Nag Champa.*  This was the random pick. The blend is so much better than either one alone.  It is hard to describe.  I love this blend even better than the ones with essential oils.  To my nose, it smells perfect.  It is a soft, complex and unusual floral that doesn’t smell anything like its parents. It smells appropriately soapy.  The scent has not morphed since it was poured.  I think it’ll survive the full cure.  If it does, I’ll be making a big batch to use up my Nag Champa bottle which is almost a year old. I may even try other Nag Champas.

*K7- 2 Karma: 1 Nag Champa: 1 Smoky Patchouli. * It smells similar to K6 but with more Karma/Patchouli coming through.  I guess if anybody asked me for a hippie scent, I would give them this blend as an updated sophisticated version. I would use 3 parts Karma to 1 part Nag Champa. 

*K8- Karma: Patchouli Value: Smoky patchouli: Sweet Meyer Lemon: Geranium EO (450:450:450:100:50)*.  This isn’t a bad mix, a bit softer than Karma alone but the SML didn’t contribute as much as lemongrass EO did.

I'll update this post at full cure.


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## nsmar4211

Quickie update:

After a several month cure, the FB Lilac has lost out to the Tenn Candle lilac. It turned a weird flowery "pretty" scent instead of the lilac scent. This was in HP soaps, in CP results may vary. 

I have to say that Black Coconut is now my favorite scent from them as it holds true even four months later. Takes about 2 weeks for it to finish discoloring, and mine never comes out even in HP (I add after cook) so its a streaky look but still looks nice. 

The Monkey Farts is a nice fruity smell in HP that seems to be holding.

Merlin's Forest gets a bit more powdery smelling as it ages but is very very strong so you can use less. 

Dark Knight starts out overly clove-y in HP but mellows out to a nice manly smell....

Patchouli Passion doesn't have as much of a yellow lather when used in HP but the CP bar, six months later, is awfully yellow. Blech. Smells great though!

Chili Pepper did lost some of the orange after a couple months cure (HP), I agree, mostly chili. Haven't had a chance to play with it or find my Orange 5x LOL. 

Soapmaker: The karma/nag combo has me curious...I'm being asked for nag champa but bleh so far, maybe a combo I could live with LOL


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## Soapmaker145

I second the TCS Lilac.  I don't like lilac but the TCS version cured nice and clean and held up very well.  I haven't had a chance to blend it with anything yet.

I mixed the Orange Chili Pepper 2:1 with FB Orange Blossom and it worked out great.  It discolored a light soft yellow from the orange blossom but held up the balance between the 2 scents much better.  I think it will work well with TCS Tangerine Dreams also but I haven't had a chance to try it yet.

I made a large batch of the Patchouli Passion because I really like it.  The scent held up very well.  The soap discolored an ugly dark yellowish tan but it lathers white.  The soap water is a light beige but I decided to live with it.  Of all the Patchouli variants I tried, this one is the best. 

I think the BB Nag Champa/ FB Karma blend is lovely.  I'm using it for the swap.  The karma on its own is medicinal and not very pleasant.  The BB Nag Champa takes more than 6 months to mature enough to become a pleasant scent.  In its early days, I likened it to rancid gasoline.  Then it went through a stage of soft anise smell.  At 8 months, the scent got stronger and smelled similar to the NC/K blend but I like the blend better.  My tester with the blend was nice from day 1. It discolored a medium beige/ light chocolate milk.  My larger batch discolored a dark grey with greenish hue. 

I've tried the WSP NC/ karma blend and it was all wrong.  The blend is worse than the WSP NC by itself so far.  They both lack that floral element that made the BB blend stand out for me.  Just a word of caution: BB reformulated their NC sometime last year after I bought my bottle.  I haven't tried the new version.  I hope the scent wasn't changed.   

I'm finding discolorations hard to predict and hard to reproduce even when the scent holds true.  I'm also finding that some FOS that don't work well in CP, don't work any better in HP over the long haul even when they are ok at 4 to 6 weeks.  They still react, if more slowly, to the alkaline pH.


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## nsmar4211

"I'm finding discolorations hard to predict and hard to reproduce even  when the scent holds true.  I'm also finding that some FOS that don't  work well in CP, don't work any better in HP over the long haul even  when they are ok at 4 to 6 weeks.  They still react, if more slowly, to  the alkaline pH."

Hrm, that's an interesting point with the scents. In a few months I will have to remember to resniff LOL.


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## nsmar4211

So here are the ones I ended up getting large bottles of during a sale:

Merlin's Forest 
Sweet Orange Chili Pepper
Cucumber Melon
Monkey Farts
Patchouli Passion
Dark Knight Bay Rum
Black Cedarwood and Juniper
Sea Witch
Apple Mango Tango
Black Coconut
Cappuchino
Plumeria
White Tea and Ginger
Nag Champa
True Lavender

I plead nose changes if any of the following reviews contradict anything earlier I posted! I decided I don't want to do any more supplier hopping and will stick with the few I use most (Tennessee Candle, Fragrance Buddy, very little from Brambleberry, one from Aztec, and very little from Nature's Garden) to make life easier. 

******
Reviews: I now just do HP and my main recipe is lard based (40-60 percent depending). FO's are added after batch is allowed to slightly cool. Soaps are left in a non air conditioned area (85-YEOW, about 75% humidity) the first 24 hours until cut and beveled and then brought into an air conditioned area (76-78 degrees, about 50% humidity) and placed on racks to cure.

Merlin's Forest - is more powdery than other dragon's bloods but I like it. Discolors. Very strong so you don't need as much.

Sweet Orange Chili Pepper-discolors yellowy but I add orange mica anyway. Could use blending with orange to hold the orange better, see earlier posts.

Cucumber Melon-very clean smell that is holding at 4 months, tad light but that's the nature of the scent. No discolor.

Monkey Farts-Fruity, I am considering mixing in some banana since the last two batches it's not there. No discolor last two.

Patchouli Passion-CP soaps ended up with a weird grainy feel after 5 months and the yellow discolor issue made them "me" soaps. HP'd, mild yellow brown discolor so far . Scent holds well and even Patch dislikers are liking it.

Dark Knight Bay Rum-To me, manly scent. Did do a tint of greenish brown in HP batch. Scent went more clove-y after a few months, still looking for a manly scent that won't.

Black Cedarwood and Juniper-another manly one. I do this as one of two castile soaps I do HP, last two batches have a bright yellow discolor where the FO didn't mix as well as it should've. It's not DOS....I may have to add the scent in earlier (I let the batches cool a bit before adding) so it mixes better. Seems to have a harder time mixing into the HP batter than others.

Sea Witch-no discolor, fresh ocean scent, my only good ocean right now.

Apple Mango Tango-more apple than mango, to me it smells a lot like cucumber melon but other noses say it doesn't. No discolor, mixes into the HP batter easily, scent holds but doesn't overpower.

Black Coconut-brown discolor, it's NOT coconut but a tropical dark scent. I like it. 

Cappuchino-smells like...coffee! Brown discolor, scent sticks well.

Plumeria-OOB smells just like the name brand. Have not HP'd this yet since it's just for me...

White Tea and Ginger-no discolor on last batch, same strength as cucumber melon, clean smelling soap great for people who don't like perfume. Behaves well in HP.

Nag Champa-I'll let you know. Testers were light and did discolor light brown eventually. Have a request for this so I ended up getting enough to do a couple batches.

True Lavender-no discolor, nice lavender, not perfumy at all. . I also have lavender sage but the sage overpowered it. Hrm, I wonder about mixing the two.....

******
Soapmaker, your discolor comment made me go look hard at batches. None of my batches are the same colors LOL. I think the HP temp has something to do with my variation (I don't check it...)


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## nsmar4211

Soapmaker, I'm adding your other post over here for convience . Hope you don't mind!



> I looked at my testers.  From the last batch I poured, the following FOs  are the ones I'll probably buy in larger bottles after I use up some of  what I have:
> -Celtic Mist: complex woodsy scent, discolors dark yellow with very heavy ash.
> -Furze: reminds me of desserts I had in Japanese/ Middle Eastern  restaurants, hints of rice, coconut and neroli.  It discolored very dark  brown.  I'll only make few bars of this one for me.
> -Uluru: light sandalwood/orange scent.  I would use it for blending only  because it is too light on its own but I think it can be mixed  successfully with citrusy FOs.
> -Avobath: this is a good dupe.  It will be my go-to "lemongrass" FO.
> -Sweet Temptations: this one is ok on its own but could be used to blend  with many different types of FOs.  It is a fruity and floral mix.  No  discoloration.
> -Dead sexy:  This one is similar to Flowerbomb from TCS.  I would use it in blends similar to Flowerbomb.
> -Princess Orchid:  Nice floral in the Orange Blossom/Neroli family.  No discoloration.
> -Salty Mariner: Lovely complex herbal oceany scent.  I like it enough not to try any other salty mariner. No discoloration.
> -Teakwood Forest: Of all the woodsy scents from FB, this is my favorite.  It is well blended with no off notes.
> -Celebrate:  This is a nice citrusy blend.  Nice citrusy FOs without  harsh notes and with decent longevity have been difficult to find.  I  would use it alone and in blends.
> -Patchouli Value:  This is a light patchouli that I would use to blend because of minimal discoloration.
> -Celestial Sea: It took a long time for this scent to decide what it  wants to be.  I ended up with a complex soft coniferous fragrance with  added complexity.
> -Sage:  This is an older one.  I like it a lot alone even though it  isn't pure sage.  I also like it mixed with lavender to recreate the  Lavender Sage FO.  FB's LS is not good in cp.  It acquires harsh notes  as it cures.  Mixing Sage with a favorite Lavender works much better.
> Flowerbomb: This one is also old.  I would use it in blends unless I find one of the other Flowerbomb types works better.
> 
> I've bought big bottles of:
> Earthen Oak (overpowering at 5%), Karma (mixed with a little  citrus/Geranium, or in blends), Patchouli Passion, Sweet Orange Chili  Pepper, Orange Blossom, Champagne and Snow Showers (neroli family),  Black Raspberry Vanilla (the best of the BRVs I tried), Amber Blush (on  its own or to use in blends), White Tea & Ginger, Lily of the  Valley, Beach, Crisp Morning Air (sweet mint tea), Leaves (perfect fall  scent), Flying Fox, and Jungle for old times sake.  I may be forgetting 1  or 2.
> 
> My list is heavy on the Neroli family because several friends requested it.
> 
> Out of the ~300 I've tested (full list in the in the FB thread), these  are the ones I ended up with. I came close to liking about 10% of what I  tested.   My nose seems to favor the Moonworks collection.


----------



## Soapmaker145

Thank you nsmar for doing this.  I'm hoping I'll be able to write full reviews for the remainder of the FOs sometime soon now that my nose is working properly again.  I can pour them a lot faster than I can review them.


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## Soapmaker145

nsmar4211 said:


> Black Cedarwood and Juniper-another manly one. I do this as one of two castile soaps I do HP, last two batches have a bright yellow discolor where the FO didn't mix as well as it should've. It's not DOS....I may have to add the scent in earlier (I let the batches cool a bit before adding) so it mixes better. Seems to have a harder time mixing into the HP batter than others.
> 
> White Tea and Ginger-no discolor on last batch, same strength as cucumber melon, clean smelling soap great for people who don't like perfume. Behaves well in HP.
> 
> ******
> Soapmaker, your discolor comment made me go look hard at batches. None of my batches are the same colors LOL. I think the HP temp has something to do with my variation (I don't check it...)



I think it has a lot to do with pH also even when it is HP.  My experiment with hot process convinced me that HP is not enough to save an FO.  I ended up rebatching the Black Cedarwood HP soap I made because the scent morphed.  The Teakwood Forest worked much better for me than Black Cedarwood and Driftwood FOs.  

FB White Tea & Ginger is my go to WT&G FO right now.  This one survived CP and is recognizable after a long cure.  The BB version did not survive.  I plan to do some blending in this family of scents when I have more time.

Like you, I seem to be sticking with mainly TCS, FB, BB with a few other FOs from other suppliers.


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## nsmar4211

Interesting point about the PH!

Got a few new ones to try...

Plumeria-I finally soaped with it. I bet it'll accelerate in CP because my HP batter went hard fast. No discolor two weeks out so far, I did use pink mica to color so there may be something slight. Smells better in the soap than OOB and is exactly what I remember plumeria smelling like.

Bacon-Couldn't resist. OOB I have to keep the animals away! Two weeks out and all I smell is smoke though?! Going to have to see if it comes back. No discolor.

Green Irish Tweed- it's flat out Irish Spring and a strong one at that (according to my guinea pig tester). No discolor.

Voice of reason-OOB smells like a curry smoke...and really close to bacon. In the soap, I can't tell what it is. I may need to redo those two as testers. No discolor at two weeks. 

Suntan Lotion-OOB smells like a fruity suntan...in the soap it has an odd slight chemical undertone and flattens (if that makes sense) to a non descript kinda coco smell. Again, two weeks so it may come back. Is discoloring light reddish brown so far.

Merlot-OOB smells like wine, in the soap errrr I'll have to have a wine drinker sniff it. Loses some of the "sharpness". No discolor.

Bourbon Barrel-OOB I can see it being bourbon. In the soap it's faint, I'll have to have someone else sniff it. No discolor.

Champagne Pear-OOB, mostly champagne. In soap, light and pear-y. Slight discolor so far.

Cannabis Flower-smells exactly like Merlin's Forest and discolors dark reddish brown. Weird???



This group has a lot more that smell different in the soap vs OOB than most of the Fragrance buddy ones I deal with...not sure why...


----------



## shimmersoap

Leaves and beach, please?


----------



## Soapmaker145

The initial reviews can be found earlier in this thread. 

Leaves (#230): It's a rich fall scent with a lot of fruit notes and spice.   My tester is 10 months old and it is starting to smell more generic.  I still smell spice with hints of fruit but not as nice as before.  The fruit scent is becoming more generic.  I had poured a larger batch around Christmas.  Those soaps still retain the original scent at 8 months+.  It is probably best used within the first 6 months. 

If you are looking for something spicy, try Skinny Dip (#218 ).  This was overwhelming when first poured but it mellowed enough at 10 months.  It is spicy and woodsy and smells really nice and appropriately soapy.  I poured at 5% but the MUR is only 3%.  I plan on using it at 1.5% and I think it'll be plenty strong.  It would be easy to add fruit notes to it.   

Beach (#238 ): This was a confused scent for the duration of the cure.  At one point, the scent disappeared and then came back at the end of the cure.  It also smelled like Sun&Sand for a long time.  I almost convinced myself that I made a mistake.  At the end of the cure, the scent changed and it became a very light floral airy scent that stuck around.  It's still there at 10 months.  I think Beach needs at least 8 weeks to cure.  The floral notes are subtle with hints of jasmine and almost neroli without quite getting there.  I ended up really liking it.  I bought a big bottle.  It can also be used for blending.  I also tried my tester several times in the shower and then took it back to the basement.  There is no hint of DOS or any problems with the soap.


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## Soapmaker145

I so need to update this thread because a number of the FOs that I haven't reviewed yet survived a long cure and are quite nice soap scents. 

This post is only an updated description of the process I use to make the testers:

I try to keep my testing as similar to my regular soaping process as much as possible.  I don’t have a single recipe that I use repeatedly.  I tend to use 50% solid oils including 5 to 10% real butters and 50% liquid.  I do use a bit more linoleic acid in the tester mix to get an indication of DOS formation with extended cure.  So far, fragrances have been the only contributor to DOS.  My test recipe has 30% tallow, 15% coconut, 5% Mango butter, 5% castor, 10% canola, 10% Apricot Kernel, and the rest is rice bran or high oleic sunflower oil.  I add 1%salt, 2%sugar, 1% EDTA or citrate, 1% sodium lactate or some vinegar just like my regular soaps.  Vinegar is better for small testers.

-I aliquot the FOs few days in advance in small 2 ml tubes (~1.5g) or in 7 ml (~6g) tubes (picture attached).  It is just a convenience because I pour a lot of testers in a single session.  I can open the tubes and dump the content in the batter and stir.  It minimizes the length of time I have to smell the FOs.  It would be messier and slower if I had to open bottles and measure a small aliquot.  Sometimes I add clay especially when I think the fragrance is delicate.  I wash the tubes and reuse them repeatedly.  This amount of FO adds up to 5 to 6% of batter weight.  This is always my starting point.  I can use less on the next round if needs be.

-The 2 ml are added to 30 to 40 g of batter.  The 7 ml goes into 120 to 150g.  I used to weigh the batter into the small containers but now I just eyeball it.  I used to pour mostly the large testers but I mostly pour the small ones now.  The FOs that survive the cp process (at least to my nose) can easily be identified from the small tester.  Same for the wet test.  My suggestion is to start with no more than 60g of batter which will need half of the 7ml tube in FO.  Otherwise, you’ll end up with a lot of soaps to deal with (rebatch, trash, find somebody who likes the scent).  

-For containers, I use the small waxed paper cups, small 2oz plastic condiment containers or yogurt cups (picture).  I have a bunch of baby silicone spoons to stir the fragrance.  The paper cups are convenient because I don’t have to wash them and I don’t feel too bad dumping them in the garbage.  The plastic containers I wash (a real pain) and reuse. Otherwise, I can’t justify using them.  If you use the paper cups, you need a thicker trace (pudding) because the wax will react with the lye.   All the containers can be CPOPed if that is a normal part of your process. 

-I mix my batter mostly by hand and let the reaction proceed while I set up, with occasional stirring.  I usually have all the containers numbered and in order and the FOs lined up in a rack.  When the batter is ready, I pour batter into 5 to 10 containers, dump the FOs by # into the batter then stir.  I repeat until all the testers are poured.  I always pour a naked tester to have it for comparison.  I group the testers as close together as I can to benefit from the exothermic reaction.  Some of them will overheat, relatively speaking.  You can identify problematic FOs if you check on the testers during the first few hours after the pour just from the higher temperature they reach.

-You can get an indication if a fragrance is going to accelerate or rice from the small tester even though the reaction is slower in a small vessel.  Some of the testers become quite hard before you finish the pour and the surface is not perfectly smooth.  You can also get an indication of ash as you can see in the tester picture below.

-I’ve done CPOP and I’ve left the testers covered with towels in a warm place.  You can unmold faster when CPOP but both work.  To get an idea of how the FO will behave in your soaps, follow your normal process.  

-Numbers (and excel) are your friend when you do a lot of testing.  You can’t keep track otherwise. 

You can see the poured samples and the unmolded testers in the pictures below.  I keep my testers in the basement, temp and humidity controlled.  I leave them alone for at least 3 months, sometimes longer before I try them.  Pouring is the easy part.  The hard part is finding enough time to smell few testers repeatedly and in different order on different days until you have an idea of what the true scent profile is like.  It helps to have the FO spotted on a small piece of absorbent paper for comparison.

Let me know if I can answer any questions.


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## Zany_in_CO

That's a lot of work! Thanks for sharing! HUG


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## BrightMeadows

I just finished reading through this thread. What a lovely bunch of carefully done reviews! Thanks so much. They will come in handy.


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## WeaversPort

Wow! I'm completely in awe..


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## NsMar42111

Some minor updates as I think about it. Sales are hopefully coming soon . 

Got around to using up some of my tester bottles in an HP experiment today...and I have to say, Beach really changed after being stored for a while-for the better! My bottles are stored out of the light and at normal room temp (liveable). Out of the bottle it still didn't make up its mind but once in the soap, yep, I smell suntan lotion/sand! I think I'm going to get a 4oz bottle next sale and let it sit a few months. Originally in testing it kept moving around in scent every few minutes in the soap, now its staying steady.

White Tea and Ginger does hold, found an older batch and its still there. My go to White Tea Ginger.

Smell of freedom is now..dirt. Freedom smells like dirt. Eh. 
Sun and sand also smells like dirt.
Jungle...is green dirt. Either I am losing it or that's a lot of dirt!

Honeydew holds past six months, keeper! Sweet juicy melon. Kept all the bars for me .

Rose Godess (Imogen Rose) is the only rose that stays around. I mix it half with the regular Rose to cut the green/sweet down a bit but it's my go to rose now.

Capuchino isn't playing around-that's COFFEE and stays that way. 

Nag Champa fades out but there's enough left to keep the diehard nag fans happy.


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## Soapmaker145

NsMar42111 said:


> Some minor updates as I think about it. Sales are hopefully coming soon .
> 
> Got around to using up some of my tester bottles in an HP experiment today...and I have to say, Beach really changed after being stored for a while-for the better! My bottles are stored out of the light and at normal room temp (liveable). Out of the bottle it still didn't make up its mind but once in the soap, yep, I smell suntan lotion/sand! I think I'm going to get a 4oz bottle next sale and let it sit a few months. Originally in testing it kept moving around in scent every few minutes in the soap, now its staying steady.
> 
> White Tea and Ginger does hold, found an older batch and its still there. My go to White Tea Ginger.
> 
> Smell of freedom is now..dirt. Freedom smells like dirt. Eh.
> Sun and sand also smells like dirt.
> Jungle...is green dirt. Either I am losing it or that's a lot of dirt!
> 
> Honeydew holds past six months, keeper! Sweet juicy melon. Kept all the bars for me .
> 
> Rose Godess (Imogen Rose) is the only rose that stays around. I mix it half with the regular Rose to cut the green/sweet down a bit but it's my go to rose now.
> 
> Capuchino isn't playing around-that's COFFEE and stays that way.
> 
> Nag Champa fades out but there's enough left to keep the diehard nag fans happy.



I'm with you on the WT&G.  It's the only WT&G of the ones I tested that sticks.  The oil is blueish but it soaps without discoloration.  I also poured it mixed with BB Neroli.  I'm not sure why you're smelling so much dirt in the rest of their FOs.  I love Jungle.  I have Imogen Rose and I like it mixed with RE's Rosewood&Musk.  

The Nag Champa faded on me.  I really like BB Nag Champa mixed with FB Karma.

FB just had a sale but I think they'll have another before the end of the year.


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## 0115d8cf

Oooh, I'm so disappointed to hear that the smell of freedom turned into dirt. I ordered a little 1oz sample bottle and they inexplicably sent me a 4ozer. Oh well.

I wish I'd seen this thread sooner - I ended up making mini testers for a bunch of fos that didn't have reviews!


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## CTAnton

Not to be a PITA buFragrance buddy offers 2 cappuccino's...latte and expresso...just wondering which one you tested NsMar...


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## NsMar42111

Sorry, just saw this......it's the Espresso one . 

Came in to share experience-had a batch of a different vendor's FO cause major DOS issues, it was curing underneath a one pound batch of FB Merlot and the Merlot also DOS'd. Since the DOS was so bad on the other soap, I highly suspect it was contagious. The Merlot dos'd way worse on the bottom where it was closest to the other soap and barely at all on the top (it was around the edges the worst). Just a heads up to test Merlot extensively in case it's prone to DOS'ing... this was CP test batch but my usual recipe (less a bit of water). The other 3 lb worth of testors nearby did not DOS (but were 1 inch away vs 1/4). 

If you're looking for a Merlot, Rustic Escentuals' is wonderful! Discolors dark but yummy. 

Also, Smell of Freedom has lost half the Dirt overtones but isn't anything I'm impressed with...this is dry throw though. Jungle is still dirt, but green dirt. I can't find where I put sun and sand...LOL


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