# Rustic Escentuals fragrance reviews



## nsmar4211

Trying out a new (to me) supplier and figured I'd post my results and hopefully others will chime in . 

My experiences are with HP, but I figure if it doesn't work well in HP it has a good chance of flopping in CP so the notes might be useful to someone. 

Recipe is lard, coconut oil 76, olive oil, castor, sunflower, shea. HP in crockpot, made in hot area (not under 80 degrees at this point) and left overnight. Testers are done in individual bar molds, stirred with a chopstick. 1oz ppo ratio.  Cut after 6-12 hours, then stored in a/c indoors on racks. 

*****************
First 10: (scent notes will be updated after this cold goes away)

Merlot-discolored dark yellow and brown immediatly. Relatively easy to mix in batter. 

Blue Sugar-no immediate discolor. Had a moderate hard time getting it to incorporate, batter was cooling down by this one so that may be part of it. 

Lumberjack-light brown discolor immediatly. Normal to incorporate.

Fresh Lilac-no immediate discolor. Medium hard to incorporate, went to the bottom of the mold and took a bit to persuade it to join the batter. 

Toasted Marshmellow-is discoloring brown more and more (expected). Apparently I did not incorporate it evenly, pretty much a swirl at this point. Was easy to mix in. 

Lavender and Chamomile-smells like baby lotion! I guess it's supposed to though . Clumped the batter but smoothed out pretty quickly, no immediate discolor. 

Fresh Cut Roses-no immediate discolor. Smells like real roses even with a stuffy nose! Has a green tint to the smell (like a cut stem). Hope it sticks! Clumped up the batter so I would guess it will accelerate in CP. 

Woolen Blanket-no immediate discolor. Easy to mix in.  

Monkey Farts-ok ew GROSS. I have monkey farts from another supplier and it's a wonderful fruity smell. This one , bleh. Immediatly discolored yellow with black areas (haven't figured that out yet), right now awfully vanilla-y smelling. Maybe it'll cure out.... Normal to incorporate.

Cuban Tobacco-light yellow immediate discolor, moderately hard to incorporate (turned batter slimy until mixed in all the way)

Cranberry Salsa-no immediate discolor, normal to incorporate

***********
Only a bunch more to go....will update as I do them (probably weekly test batches at this point). Will update with one month results also . 

About half of what I ordered I liked OOB, so I'm hoping that a bunch morph for the better when soaped!


----------



## CaraBou

Nice! You should consider entering these into the Fragrance Oils Review Chart.  It's an open google docs spreadsheet. I don't see a tab for RE but you should be able to add one.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...c7sNswuh-yaTdRf1M/edit?authkey=CMTEtswL#gid=0


----------



## snappyllama

CaraBou said:


> Nice! You should consider entering these into the Fragrance Oils Review Chart.  It's an open google docs spreadsheet. I don't see a tab for RE but you should be able to add one.
> 
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...c7sNswuh-yaTdRf1M/edit?authkey=CMTEtswL#gid=0



There's a sheet started already under "Aroma Haven/Rustic Essentials". It's the second tab.


----------



## nsmar4211

Once I have them done, I'll move them there. I believe in having information in more than one place though . And you can discuss things here!


----------



## CTAnton

*Rustic Escentuals OOB reviews?*

Something tells me that I'm not the only 1 with a bunch of 1 oz. bottles newly delivered and begging to be sniffed...Thought I'd get the ball rolling with what I've found to be nice so far. I plan on using them in melt and pour soaps. Here's my hit parade.....
Stainless Steel
Sea Island Grapefruit
Teakwood and fern
Apricot and honey...wow!
Honey Bee
Amazon Mist
Pearberry
again..these haven't been soaped so I can't say how they'll morph or their sticking abilities...
If I run into some favorable surprises along the way I'll post those....just don't hold your collective breath..I've got 40 of these bottles...take into consideration these were the hits for me and my 2 other "sniffers"...YMMV


----------



## snappyllama

I'm in the same boat with 40 of them to try out. Actually, I made two identical orders so I have 2oz of each  since I can make my regular batch size with that amount.

OOB I really like: 

Bora Bora
da Lime in da Coconut
Sparkling Ginger
Black Velvet
Japanese Pear & Ginseng
Children's Room (it smells exactly like Love's Baby Soft. I didn't like the original perfume, but my sister reeked of it throughout the 80s - so I'm making that one for her).


----------



## Soapmaker145

I ended up with 20 samples selected based on the recommendations in the other thread and a few random. Overall, I'm happy with most of them. I'll add them when I get a chance to try them.

I'm curious what does Stainless Steel smell like?


----------



## lenarenee

Did anybody order Forget Me Not?  I love the fragrance - more of a clean floral. But to use Soapmaker145's language - it has very little "wet throw".  Medium strong scent on the shelf, but very little in the shower.


----------



## CTAnton

keep meaning to ask this...does Rustic Escentuals have a sale other than the sample sale that just took place?


----------



## nsmar4211

I didn't order forget me not but I did get Stainless Steel. OOB it smells like, hrm, old spice without the spice? It's on the next list to be tested when I make a new batch...

Most of the other ones have noteably changed in my HP samples so I'm not as sure I can judge this supplier out of bottle like others... but that might just be me .  Tonight I'll post a picture of my samples and update my notes.


----------



## osso

Sparkling ginger is ridiculously good. Be prepared though, it accelerates.


----------



## nsmar4211

As promised, pictures..... discussion in next post


----------



## nsmar4211

Top picture is the bottoms, and bottom picture is the tops (could've planned that better on my end !). The colors are uneven in the soaps due to hand stirring. 

Top row left to right: Blue Sugar, Wool Blankets, Fresh Lilac, Lavender Chamomile

Middle row left to right: Fresh Cut Rose, Cranberry Salsa, Control, Cuban tobacco

Bottom row left to right: Toasted marshmellow, Lumber Jack, Merlot, Monkey Farts

*******
Worst discolor to least: 

Monkey Farts-What on earth kind of Monkey Fart is that?!?!?! I think he had too many apples! Seriously, that's gross. The top where more FO ended up is a dark dark brown , there's yellowy ash (on HP!?) and it smells a lot like toasted marshmellow with even more vanilla. Maybe mine is mislabeled, but EW. I'm going to email them on that one as its not even close!

Merlot is a reddish brown discolor-er. The scent is a grape based, and is actually nice (coming from a non wine drinker!). A sharp grape wine smell. Not sure how to work around the discolor though. I don't smell vanilla , not sure why it discolors so dark. 

Lumber Jack-discoloring brown where the FO pooled in the corners, doesn't look like it'll discolor completely dark brown. Having trouble describing this one. I smell a touch of clove? but other than that I can't figure out a note. It seems to change daily so I'll have to save it for later.

Toasted Marshmellow: Looks and smells like a rice crispy treat . Medium brown discolor...I want a nibble!

Cuban Tobacco: tan discolor. Definite clove note. Not sure I'd describe it as tobacco at this point. Nice smell though...to me it smells like a papery clove aftershave. 

Cranberry Salsa-orangey yellow discolor. I like it! I smell cranberries, touch of citrus, and a hint of a dark "green" note. Hope it sticks...

Fresh Cut Rose- mild discolor. If it holds, a winner! Smells like a big juicy pink rose with a greeny stem smell in the background.

Lavender Chamomile-Very mild discolor. Smells like a baby lotion...comforting.

Fresh Lilac-Very mild discolor. Not as sharp of a lilac as others I have, more mellow No chemical undertone which is a huge plus. 

******

Am hoping these hold scent because so far there are several I would keep!


----------



## IrishLass

Here are my AH/RE results from some of my samples that I soaped exactly 1 year ago in August. I still have soaps from each batch:

*Satsuma *(a lovely sweet citrusy scent)- 

-Soaped CP with a 33% lye concentration @112F/44C, using .95oz/27g ppo of the F/O.....full gel
-No A and no D (need to mention that I used 1/2 tsp. TD ppo)
-Scent still sticking around wonderfully
-No morphing of color or scent

*Falling Leaves* (a great autumn scent. Sorry- it's hard to describe, but I really like it. The best I can come up with is that it has that rustic smell when autumn is in the air)

-Soaped CP with a 33% lye concentration @115F/46C, using 1oz/28g F/O ppo.....full gel
-No A, no D (colored it light blue with TD and UM blue)
-Scent is just a tad lighter, but still sticking around wonderfully
-No morphing of scent or color

*Barbershop 1920's* (hubby says it smells just like his dad after a haircut and shave at the barbershop, albeit in the 1960's and '70's instead of the '20's. To me, it's a gorgeous ambery/musky scent that makes me want to just roll in it, or else chase after my hubby if he's wearing it, lol) 

-Soaped HP in a shave soap, using .5oz/14g F/O ppo
-Since this was HP, A is not relevant. D to light beige (used 3/4 tsp. TD ppo)
-Scent is still sticking, although light, but it was light to begin with because of the amount I used (hubby likes his shave soaps on the light side where scent is concerned). 
-No morphing of the scent, color still light beige

*I also recently CP'd Barbershop 1920's (just a few days ago) *

-CP'd with a 33% lye concentration @ 110F/43C, using 1oz/28g F/O ppo.....full gel
-No A, D to medium tan (no TD was used) 
-It's only been a few days, but scent is sticking nicely, although not with an overpoweringly 'in-your-face' kind of strength like some F/O's exhibit at this usage rate. To me, it's 'just right', and if it stays at this level of strength, I'll be very happy. We'll see how it goes.
-The scent smells just a tiny bit different in my CP than it does in my HP, but not so drastically different that my nose can't recognize it as being Barbershop 1920's- it's still very yummy as ever to my nose. We'll have to wait and see how it holds up after cure.

*Redwood* (Scent is hard for me to describe, but if it helps any, I love it so much I bought a bigger bottle of it, lol)

-Soaped CP using a 33% lye concentration @115F/46C, using .92oz/26g F/O ppo.....full gel
-No initial A when hand-stirring the FO in, but it thickened up within 3 minutes after hitting it with the stick-blender, but it did not seize and it poured nice enough into my mold, although it was too thick to get a pretty swirl in. I have a note to use a 31% lye concentration next time and to hand-stir only. D to beige (did not use any TD).
-No morphing of the scent, and it is still sticking wonderfully strong. I think I can probably get away with using less next time- maybe .75oz ppo. Color is still beige.

*Corn Husk* (This is a very unusual scent. My hubby and son did not like it at all. I myself don't find it unpleasant, but I don't like it enough to buy again. In a sense, it really does have a corn-husk smell to it, but there's too much other 'perfumey' stuff going on that interferes with it and gets in the way).

-Soaped CP with a 33% lye concentration @112F/44C, using .88oz/25g F/O ppo.....full gel
-No initial A when hand-stirring FO in, and no A when I gave a few bursts of the stick-blender, but no more than 15 seconds after those few bursts with the stick-blender it started setting up! Hit it with the stick-blender for a few short bursts, which helped it to thin out just a tad to a thick, but fluid state, then gave it a stir. It began to lump up just after stirring, so I hit it again with the stick-blender, which smoothed it out, and I decided to pour right away while it was smooth before anything worse could happen. It poured well enough, but within about 5 minutes, it went into a very hot gel and was raising up a tad to form a little dome on the top of my soap. I placed a fondant liner directly on top of the soap and followed that with a stack of books to weigh it down while I did my dishes. By the time I was done doing dishes, things had calmed down- the top of the soap was flat and all was well from there on out. D to light beige/ivory (used 1/2 tsp TD ppo).
-Scent did not morph and it is still sticking like gangbusters. No morphing of the light beige either.

*Tuscan Fields* (Hard to describe. It's a wonderful fruity/citrusy/musky/amberish-scent. I liked the smell so much I bought a bigger bottle)

-Soaped CP with a 33% lye concentration @112F/44C, using .88oz/25g F/O ppo......full gel
-No A initially, but after a few bursts of the stick-blender it thickened up to a light trace immediately, so I decided to play it safe and hand-stirred from there on out. It got a little apple-saucey on me after a few minutes of hand-stirring, but smoothed out with further hand-stirring, and was ready to pour about 7 to 8 minutes later at med-thick trace. D is unknown since I colored it deep purple. 
-No scent morphing and the scent is still sticking strong. No color morphing either- it's still deep purple. 

*London Fog *(I love, love, love this scent and bought a bigger bottle of it. It doesn't 'speak' of fog or London to me, though. Instead, I find it to have a clean, beachy, summery-type scent to it. It's hard to describe, but it's quite lovely to my nose. Man- I can really suck at scent descriptions sometime).

-Soaped CP with a 31% lye solution @114F/46C, using .9oz/26g F/O ppo.....full gel
-No A, No D (I used 1 tsp. TD ppo)
-No scent or color morphing. Scent is sticking like gangbusters.

I have a few more to add, but I'll have to do it later (dinner calls).


IrishLass


----------



## CTAnton

Stainless Steel to me is a light citrus blend with a level of complexity that intrigues me...there's a depth to it which I'm curious to see what that ends up smelling like in soap...


----------



## rainycityjen

I've soaped Redwood and London Fog and have yet to soap Falling Leaves, and love all three. Redwood I like best for a candle. London Fog is a husband favorite.

I think AH/RE has some of the most unique and sophisticated scents I've purchased to date. I could use more notes on usage in CP though.


----------



## Krazekelly

Stainless Steel fades a bit in CP but it's still curing so I'm waiting to see how well it comes back. It soaps like a dream with no A or D.


----------



## nsmar4211

Update on the Monkey Farts:

They did reply (which was great) and said "the dark color may be due to the vanillin content in the fragrance oil". Considering the other ones I've tried had no vanilla smell, they've formulated theirs differently. Just a heads up if trying to find a Monkey Farts fragrance-this one is vanilla-y! 

So a - for the scent and a + for the customer service .


----------



## nsmar4211

Next round-most of these were easy (relatively speaking) to incorporate into the HP batter unless noted:

Glazed donut-not sure I would call it donut, I smell vanilla but not any baked good smell. Tan discolor, will have to see if any baked smell shows up.

1920's-one of the few hard to mix in ones, red tan discolor. I can't put a name on this one yet , I don't smell barbershop but it has altered from the bottle smell so we'll have to see

Satsuma-nice orangey smell, light yellow orange discolor. Not a sharp citrus, no lemon overtone at all, no burnt orange smell, clean. On the light side right now but still there.

Leather-light tan discolor. A real leather smell! Smells like a new purse! Much better leather than others I've tried (which all just smelled of chemical). I have hopes for this one!

Candy cane-yep, it smells like a candy cane. Not an overpowering smell like some mints, nice and sweet. No discolor yet.

Raspberry Lilac-very light on the lilac and not sure I'd call that raspberry but it is some sort of berry smell. Different in soap than the bottle (in a good way). Light yellowy discolor.

Midnight pomegranite-this bar is softer than the others at the same stage. Changed from OOB scent, can't describe right now as every time I sniff it it is different so I'll come back to it. Brown yellow light discolor right now.

Moscato- it's a lychee! That's what I smell...yum! Website description is completely different than what I smell. Hopefully it stays a lychee scent. Smells pretty close to what it does OOB when soaped. Light orangey brown discolor.

Cider Barrel- I smell the barrel, but not the cider. Light cedar fragrance right now. Yellow brown discolor.

Sea island grapefruit-Okay, I don't smell grapefruit. I smell the pink soap they use where I work that doesn't have a name... will have to see if this changes scent as it cures. Light fresh smell.  No discolor. 

Corn Bread-okay, this REALLY does smell like cornbread! And with the yellow discolor it even looks like cornbread! One of the hard to mix in ones. Not sure I'd wash myself in cornbread but as a fun scent it wins so far.


----------



## Soapmaker145

Here is a list of what I ended up buying in no particular order.  I decided to try RE after losing TCS.  Many thanks to the people who shared their favorite FOs from RE, particularly IL and Cerelife.  I picked from the lists posted in the other thread and added a few random choices including some perfume dupes (per requests).  The information about A or D is from the site.  Overall, I like almost everything I got and have hopes that the scents will do well in CP. I think this is the advantage of getiing reviews from people you "know".  If these do well, I may ask RE if they would be willing to do the 7 ml samples and make them available all the time.

*Falling Leaves:* FP=168oF, no vanilla.  MUR=33.1% OOB: it is hard to describe.  Very well blended, it is woodsy and floral and airy without being predominately any one of those elements.  This is very different from FB’s Leaves which is fruity/spicy.  

*Red Saffron:* FP>200oF, Vanilla <1%.  Contains Phtalates.  MUR=8.8% OOB: I ordered it because I’m looking for a cardamom FO.  This isn’t it.  It smells like a generic perfume with predominately musk notes and a little sandalwood.  I don’t really smell anything else. 

*Salty Sea Air:* Accelerates in cp, FP>200, No vanilla.  MUR=97.27%.  OOB: Typical of this class.  I prefer Salty Mariner from FB

*Oud Wood:* No A, discolors tan. FP=200oF, no vanilla.  MUR= 7.2%.  OOB: It’s a complex well balanced FO without having a dominant note.  It’s a little woodsy, floral, green, and earth.  It stops short of becoming perfumy.

*Blue Skies:*  No D.  FP=195oF, no vanilla.  MUR=3.1%.  OOB: strong perfumy floral without being too aggressive. It will be very nice if it survives CP.  

*Tuscan Fields:* FP>200, Vanilla=3.6%.  MUR=7.11%.  OOB: nice citrusy fruity scent with a hint of sweet floral.  Unfortunately, it’s going to discolor.

*Beachwood Vetiver:*  No A, NoD. FP>200oF,  no vanilla.  MUR=5%.  This one smells lovely some days but also smells different to my nose on different days.  Very promising. I hope it survives CP.  

*Redwood:* No A, No D.  FP>200oF, No vanilla. MUR=31%. Nice soft coniferous green FO.  I’m sure I have others that are identical.  I'll wait till after I test it to compare.

*Ozark Forest:* Some A, deep tan dis. FP>200, no vanilla.   MUR=3.78%. Lovely blend of cedar and pine.  Just short of becoming perfumy.

*White Velvet Bow*:  FP>200oF, Vanilla= 0.5%.  MUR=17.7%.  Light pleasant  fruity floral.

*Rose Geranium:* No A, NO D.  FP=100oF, no vanilla.  MUR=6.43%.  Aptly named.  Hoping the rose survives better than in  the EO.

*Angel Baby:* No A, No D.  FP=200oF, no vanilla.  MUR=21.25%.  OOB: overpowering and meh.  Hopefully it’ll improve in CP.

*Rapture:* Riced.  FP=200oF, vanilla=1%.  MUR=38.4%.  OOB: heavy and headache inducing.  Spotted on a piece of paper, it doesn’t smell bad after few days.

*Interlude:* FP=170oF, no vanilla.  MUR=21.25%.  OOB: smells like a woodsy patchouli mix.  It may come out nice in CP. 

*Woolen Blanket:*  FP>200oF, no vanilla.  MUR=7.44%.  OOB: This one smells like Rosewood vanilla from BB with added notes.  It’s a nice blend of Rosewood and cedar.  I’m hoping it works better than the BB version in CP. 

*Rosewood&Musk:* FP>200oF, no vanilla.  MUR=8.4%.  OOB: it smells like a bright rose in a base of light musk.  I was expecting something heavy but this one is just bright and weightless.

*Sea Island Grapefruit:* FP=145oF, no vanilla.  MUR=20%.  It’s citrusy, lightly sweet with hints of green.  

*Bora Bora:* FP=200oF, vanilla=0.10%.  MUR=17%.  OOB: fruity with strong citrus notes.  It’s supposed to lose some of the citrus in CP.  

*Calabrian Bergamot& Violet*: Slight acceleration, No dis. FP>200oF, no vanilla.  MUR=67.79%. I smell a citrusy bergamot in a soft light floral background rounded with ripe pear.  It smells really fresh and clean.  I hope it survives CP.  It could run the risk of morphing into laundry detergent scent which would be really sad.

*Lemon Slices:* No A, No D.  FP>200oF, no vanilla.  MUR=16.12%.  Nice lemony FO. 

*Driftwood&Sea Salt:*  FP>200oF, no vanilla.  MUR=25%.  OOB: Very nice salty blend with citrusy notes.  

*London Fog*: FP>200oF, no vanilla.  MUR=10.2%.  OOB: Well blended complex perfumy floral.  I have high hopes for it in CP.


----------



## nsmar4211

Next round, at the one week mark (HP):

Bayberry - Not sure what I thought this was supposed to smell like, but it reminds me of a Christmas candle...with no chemical undertone. No discolor, easy to mix

Bonfire Bliss-I smell sweetened wood? Yellow brown discolor, easy mixer. It is a lot different than OOB, lost the smoke smell so we'll see...

Stainless Steel-hrm. Not sure? Light cologne smell? Another wait and see one. No discolor, easy mixer.

Black Cherry-I think cough drops has ruined black cherry for me because that's what I smell-cough drops  minus the medicinal overtones. Light yellow discolor, hard to mix in

Rustic Lodge-all I smell is maple syrup right now! Brown discolor, another hard mixer

Cucumber Melon-mostly cucumber at this point. No discolor, easy mixer

Cucumber Mint-bleh. Old shirt wrapped around a cucumber...hopefully this one changes because OOB isn't bad. No discolor, easy mixer

Cantelope-nice! Not as overly sweet as I expected, on the light side, does smell like a cantelope. Light yellow discolor, easy mixer

Oak Barrel Cider-all I smell is a light cider, no barrel at this point. Yellow discolor, hard to mix in

Early Grey and Apple-yep, it does smell like tea that someone put an apple slice in. Weird combo.... Medium brown discolor , easy mixer

Clean Green-half dry grass? Clean smell for sure. No discolor, easy mixer

Blackberry Sage-mostly berry but not a sweet one. No discolor, easy mixer


----------



## nsmar4211

Andddd another round (newly poured so this is just place holders with no scent notes, will update after my sniffer recovers from sniffing the above post):

Salty Sea Air-no discolor, hard to mix in

Green Irish Tweed-tan discolor, hard to mix in

Forbidden Fruit-no discolor, easy to mix in

Dargons blood-medium red brown discolor, hard to mix in

Peppermint Swizzle Stick-no discolor, easy mix, but the soap is softer than other bars 

Tuscan Fields-medium yellow brown discolor, hard to mix in

Blue Skies-no discolor, easy mixer

Atomic Fireball-light yellow discolor, medium hard to mix in, another soft bar one

Honeysuckle Patchouli-no discolor, easy mix, bar seems harder than others so I'd watch this one in CP for accel

Lemon Pound Cake-dark brown discolor (same color it is in the bottle), hard to mix in. 

Sea Grass Sand Dunes-no discolor, easy to mix in.


----------



## Soapmaker145

I made my RE testers about 10 days ago.  It's too early to review but the rose geranium did much better than the EO.  It smells great just like the EO.  Also the grapefruit is spot on grapefruit.  This one smells like peeling a fresh grapefruit.  After testing so many grapefruit FOs and not finding any good ones, I wasn't expecting much.  If it makes it through full cure, this one is a winner.


----------



## CaraBou

How's that grapefruit now?


----------



## lenarenee

Soapmaker145 said:


> I made my RE testers about 10 days ago.  It's too early to review but the rose geranium did much better than the EO.  It smells great just like the EO.  Also the grapefruit is spot on grapefruit.  This one smells like peeling a fresh grapefruit.  After testing so many grapefruit FOs and not finding any good ones, I wasn't expecting much.  If it makes it through full cure, this one is a winner.



Which grapefruit - assuming Rustic has more than one.  I'm about to place and order...


----------



## Soapmaker145

It is the Sea Island Grapefruit.

The scent has faded quite a bit.  It still smells citrusy with grapefruit notes.  It isn't as bright as when first poured.  I'm not sure if it is going to survive a long cure.  It hasn't developed any off notes.  I didn't have enough time to do a quick review but based on a quick check, many of the scents I got are going to fade or lose a lot of the OOB complexity.  

Lenarenee, I would hold off on getting it if you keep soaps for a long time like I do.  I think it's going to need some doctoring to make it work, maybe adding a little Litsea EO, a second grapefruit or yuzu FO or something else.  I have lemon slices from RE, a little of that may work.  I've checked quickly on other grapefruits.  The Element Sea Island Grapefruit lost all grapefruit notes and the FB Grapefruit Zest has some unpleasant notes.   

If you want to test it in your recipes, I can split the bottle between the 2 of you.  It'll be about 1/2oz.


----------



## nsmar4211

I don't get "grapefruit" out of my Sea Island Grapefruit tester at all after 10 weeks, just went and checked it. More like candy sour fruit, and light at that. If you're looking for grapefruit, I wouldn't use it. 

A quick sniff test (achooooo) of what I've done so far finds many of them faded. However, without doing a wet throw test I can't say for sure yet. In the next two weeks I hope to sit down and go through what I've done so far. A few that stood out during the quick sniff were Sea Kelp, Blue Skies, Cornbread, and Moscato for staying true to the original smell they had. I think Sea Kelp will be my go to for ocean smell at this point. Moscato does still smell like lychees . Cornbread I want to nibble on, and Blue Skies has mellowed to a nice errrr cologne? smell.


----------



## lenarenee

Soapmaker145 said:


> It is the Sea Island Grapefruit.
> 
> The scent has faded quite a bit.  It still smells citrusy with grapefruit notes.  It isn't as bright as when first poured.  I'm not sure if it is going to survive a long cure.  It hasn't developed any off notes.  I didn't have enough time to do a quick review but based on a quick check, many of the scents I got are going to fade or lose a lot of the OOB complexity.
> 
> Lenarenee, I would hold off on getting it if you keep soaps for a long time like I do.  I think it's going to need some doctoring to make it work, maybe adding a little Litsea EO, a second grapefruit or yuzu FO or something else.  I have lemon slices from RE, a little of that may work.  I've checked quickly on other grapefruits.  The Element Sea Island Grapefruit lost all grapefruit notes and the FB Grapefruit Zest has some unpleasant notes.
> 
> If you want to test it in your recipes, I can split the bottle between the 2 of you.  It'll be about 1/2oz.



Thank you Soapmaker for offering to send a sample. But I've been watching your posts for months now, and you have such a technical approach to soap making that I trust your judgment.  Yes, scent of subjective but you're also able to break down scent nuances. After all - it never occurred to me until reading something you posted long ago - to pay attention to the "wet throw" of a soap scent in the shower!!

I have some BB grapefruit bellini  cured about 4 months now that I'm somewhat happy with. It's lost the fresh grapefruit scent. But most people when they smell it do ask with a question, "grapefruit"?  Still like to find something better.


----------



## Soapmaker145

I'm reviving this thread to eat my words.  I was sure these FOs won't survive the cure and I was wrong.  The majority did.  Many are very nice and I would use in large batches.  I haven't done a wet test yet.  There is no hint of DOS or off notes in any of the testers.

I felt I should update this thread just in case they have another sale sometime soon.  My testers are 6 months old.  I expected to only keep a handful of testers but I ended up keeping most of them.  Overall, the discoloration was minimal but I ordered a lot of woodsy scents.  These FOs remind me a lot of the EBB FOs.  I'm sure some are identical.  As always, YMMV.

*501-Falling Leaves:* At 6 months, the scent is medium strong but lost a lot of the complexity.  What is left is mostly a sharp thyme EO scent with a hint of smoke.  This is an herbal scent.  It feels heavier and lost all the floral that was in the OOB.   Hint of discoloration. 

*502-Red Saffron:* At 6 months, I like it much better than when first poured or OOB.  It would work for a men’s scent or as a base note.  I still smell the mix of musk and sandalwood but it is more harmonious and softer around the edges.  Light discoloration and medium light.  

*503-Salty Sea Air:* At six months: light beige discoloration and medium strong.  The scent lost some of the complexity it had OOB.  This is a softer representation of the salty sea FOs.  It isn’t bad as is but I like salty mariner from FB better.  

*504-Oud Wood:* At six months: no dis, medium light.  I wouldn’t call it a woodsy scent.  It is a lighter version of what it was when first poured, a little bit floral, a little bit green and a little bit woodsy.  It won’t offend anybody.

*505-Blue Skies:*  At 6 months: light beige discoloration medium strong.  What is left is a soft lovely jasmine.  All the other notes can’t be identified but work great to mellow what is typically harsh jasmine notes in soap.  It is the Jasmine I would use if asked for jasmine.  It would blend nicely with other florals too.  I poured at 5% but it would probably work well at 3%.

*506-Tuscan Fields:*  At 6 months: It is medium strong, heavy on the balsam and vetiver but softened by a hint of floral and citrus.  Discolored milk chocolate brown.

*507-Beachwood Vetiver:*  At 6 months: light discoloration, medium strong scent.  The base is woodsy with strong notes of coniferous green (eucalyptus and vetiver).  All of these notes are softened with a hint of floral but you almost have to think hard to figure out what’s holding all the notes together.  The scent made it through cure and became stable.

*508-Redwood:* At 6 months: a hint of tan discoloration.  The coniferous notes are present but not too overwhelming in a clean soapy background. 

*509-Ozark Forest:* At 6 months: light tan discoloration, medium strong.  It stayed true to OOB.  Green coniferous notes are still pleasant and upfront but not so strong as to overwhelm olfactory receptors.  Very good as is but the more I smell it, the more I want to drown it in Lavender or some bright citrus.  

*510-White Velvet Bow:*  At 6 months: hint of tan discoloration.  The scent devolved into a fabric softener smell.  Medium strong.  

*511-Rose Geranium:* At 6 months: no discoloration, light scent.  This one didn’t survive well just like the EO.  There is a light generic floral note left.

*512-Angel Baby:* OOB: overpowering and meh.  Hopefully it’ll improve in CP. At 6 months: medium beige discoloration, medium strong.  The scent improved significantly.  While it remained strong, the patchouli is dominating with extra notes of balsam and wood.  Much better than when first poured.  Would work well as a patchouli base for blending.  

*513-Rapture:* At 6 months: medium tan discoloration, medium scent.  The scent softened considerably and is now a light floral/woodsy scent.  A bit generic but won’t offend anybody.

*514-Interlude:* At 6 months: medium beige discoloration, medium strong scent.  This is a patchouli scent with woodsy notes mixed in with just a hint of citrus notes.  It works for people who like patchouli.

*515-Woolen Blanket:*  At 6 months: light tan discoloration, medium scent.  This is a woodsy scent.  It doesn’t smell like wool.  It is definitely a redwood scent with added cedar notes with a hint of vetiver.  It is softened and well blended with other notes that can’t be easily identified.  

*516-Rosewood&Musk:* At 6 months: No discoloration, medium light.  The scent has lost a lot of complexity but what is left is pleasant and light.  It almost wants to turn into a black tea but stops short of that.  The rose is much less pronounced on a bed of amber, musk and wood.  There is just a hint of each so no one note is dominant.

*517-Sea Island Grapefruit:*  At six months: no dis, medium scent.  It smells citrusy but not necessarily grapefruit with hints of sweet and green.

*518-Bora Bora:* At 6 months, hint of tan discoloration, medium strong.  Lost some of the OOB complexity.  This is a subtle tropical fruity scent with mango, citrus, and pineapple dominating.  There is just a hint of floral and musk in the background.  

*519-Calabrian Bergamot& Violet*: At 6 months: no dis, medium scent.  It morphed into a laundry detergent scent just like I was afraid of.  It isn’t offensive but it isn’t interesting either.
*
520-Lemon Slices:*  At 6 months: no dis, medium scent.  This is citrusy with dominant lemon notes and a touch of sweetness.  

*521-Driftwood&Sea Salt:*  At 6 months: no dis, medium scent.  The scent is salty with base notes of woods and a hint of floral.  It lost quite a bit of the OOB complexity and what is left is a more generic representation of this type of scent.  

*522-London Fog: *At 6 months: discolored medium beige.  It didin’t smell great when first poured but improved rapidly with cure.  The scent is a soft floral blended with moss and ozone.  It turned into a perfect soapy scent.  It is worth the wait.  It reminds me of L’Occitane’s milk scent.  From memory, I would call it a dupe.  This one is a keeper for me. I just wish it didn't discolor.  Thanks to IL for mentioning this scent.  I probably wouldn't have picked it otherwise.


----------



## NsMar42111

Had to change usernames again, it's still me  

I agree, most of the scents do stick around-even at the six month mark I can tell what they are.  Lemon pound cake I still want to eat! I don't have my list in front of me, but I'm going to continue testing these as hopefuls!


----------



## Soapmaker145

NsMar42111 said:


> Had to change usernames again, it's still me
> 
> I agree, most of the scents do stick around-even at the six month mark I can tell what they are.  Lemon pound cake I still want to eat! I don't have my list in front of me, but I'm going to continue testing these as hopefuls!



Welcome back!


----------



## NsMar42111

Thanks Soapmaker!

I went through the box and found the ones I had kept because I wanted to order more. I have missed some reviews due to the time frame and my spring cleaning of old soaps (oops). These are mostly in the 7 month and up age range, no special storage and they were dumped on top of each other for a while in a box LOL. 

Merlot is still a nice grape wine smell, not sharp anymore like it was originally.

Toasted marshmellow stayed true to the name. I just cant see myself using it for soap, but candles and melts might be awesome. 

Leather is still there albeit faded somewhere. However, I have a feeling it would blossom if a wet test was done-this will be my leather scent now because for me anything over 6 months is fine for retention. 

Moscato-still smells like a sweet lychee to me! I have to get some more!

Cornbread-*nibble* BLEH ok it doesn't taste as good as it smells and it's still strong. 

Sea Kelp-oceany smell, still holding well, must order more!



****
I have noticed the scent doesn't seem to transfer much between bars even when on top of each other-had some of that happen with other brands. To me, that's a plus but it might not be the scents' doing!

I have more to test, got busy making restocks and stopped testing. Am planning on resuming next month.

I did notice that nothing discolored further than what it was at one month old so no surprises!


----------



## Soapmaker145

I decided to test the Rosewood&Musk as a blender for black tea and Rose FOs.  A good black tea FO has been very hard to find.  Most smell like lemon tea and are usually light on the tea notes.  At the other end is BB's Black Tea which can't decide what it wants to be and have liquid smoke thrown in it for no reason.  The rose FOs (and I have several) smell to me like burnt candles with crushed roses on top.  Most don't improve with age.  I went ahead and blended a few including the BB Black Tea.  It's still early in the cure, but all the blends actually smell better than the originals.  Even the BB Black Tea smells more like black tea and the smoky notes that are left seem to belong.   The burnt notes in the rose FOs seem to disappear too.  If the scents hold, I see a big bottle of R&M in my future.  It is something to consider if Black Tea and Rose FOs are still on the to do list.


----------



## NsMar42111

Ok, last round of testers (except a mango I may not get to), pouring notes to start with: (did this group cold process with my HP receipe since the group was so big I would not have had time to do HP)

French Vanilla Oak-FAST mover and fast heater!

Spicy Apple Peaches - FAST mover and fast heater! Medium brown initial discolor

Ozark Forest-FAST mover and fast heater! Yellow initial discolor

Christmas Bliss- FAST mover and fast heater!

Havana night- Medium fast mover and a medium heater-no swirls for you!

Heavenly Honeysuckle-FAST mover but not a heater.

Cranberry Orange Scone-FAST mover but not a heater

Tuscan Fields-Medium fast mover. Orange initial discolor

Veviter- Medium Fast Mover. Yellow initial discolor

3 Wishes Tea - Medium fast mover.

Rose petals-Medium fast mover. Not even close to a rose at pour!

Just Peachy- little faster than normal

Clementine Lavender - little faster than normal, not much lavender at this point so I'm curious how it goes

Savogn Blanc- little faster than normal

London Fog-normal mover. Yellow initial discolor

Pinecone-normal mover

Fern and Lavender- normal mover

Lilac-normal mover. Not like my other lilac in scent....will ahve to see

Green apple-normal mover, does smell like a green apple at this point

Hipster-normal mover

Jasmine, White-normal mover, and I'm apparently not a jasmine fan but right now its a nice clean jasmine

Stone House Reserve-normal mover

Lavender-normal mover

Kaylins Herb-normal mover, smells like a baby lotion? 

Pipe Smoke-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day. Mostly cherry not much smoke right now

Sweet Grass and Cedar-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day.

Lemon Verbena-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day.. Hope it works out I do like this lemon

Oud wood-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day.



***************
I will update later


----------



## NsMar42111

Hrm, couldn't edit so having to repost. 



NsMar42111 said:


> Ok, last round of testers (except a mango I may not get to), pouring notes to start with: (did this group cold process with my HP receipe since the group was so big I would not have had time to do HP)
> 
> French Vanilla Oak-FAST mover and fast heater! Medium discolor, mostly vanilla no french and barely any oak.
> 
> Spicy Apple Peaches - FAST mover and fast heater! Medium brown initial discolor. Wonderful apple peach ! Might be my replacement for one that I used to get from TN Candle.
> 
> Ozark Forest-FAST mover and fast heater! Yellow initial discolor, turned more brown. Not sure what an ozark forest smells like but its a masculine scent. Meh...too much "dirt" for me
> 
> Christmas Bliss- FAST mover and fast heater! Nice right now though, not as chemically as other "Christmas" piney scents.
> 
> Havana night- Medium fast mover and a medium heater-no swirls for you! Smells like too much perfume on someone right now, hoping that fades.
> 
> Heavenly Honeysuckle-FAST mover but not a heater. I don't like this honeysuckle, too sharp. Hoping it mellows.
> 
> Cranberry Orange Scone-FAST mover but not a heater. I smell cranberry and scone but not orange.
> 
> Tuscan Fields-Medium fast mover. Orange initial discolor, brownish now.
> 
> Veviter- Medium Fast Mover. Yellow initial discolor. Hard to describe, it keeps morphing.
> 
> 3 Wishes Tea - Medium fast mover. Seems to have lost its scent and is just chemically now.
> 
> Rose petals-Medium fast mover. Not even close to a rose at pour! Still not a rose and showing signs of dos?!
> 
> Just Peachy- little faster than normal. Candy peach but not as sweet as candy, seems to be fading fast.
> 
> Clementine Lavender - little faster than normal, not much lavender at this point so I'm curious how it goes. At 2 months, still not much lavender and is fading.
> 
> Savogn Blanc- little faster than normal. I think it took on the scent of it's neighbors because I can't id it!
> 
> London Fog-normal mover. Yellow initial discolor turned beige Masculine scent, but did not like being next to a floral and picked up some of that scent.
> 
> Pinecone-normal mover. Meh, I smell the chemically undertone I noticed in a few others.
> 
> Fern and Lavender- normal mover. "green" scent but seems to be fading.
> 
> Lilac-normal mover. Not like my other lilac in scent....will ahve to see. 2 months, still not a "normal" lilac, just a generic floral.
> 
> Green apple-normal mover, does smell like a green apple at this point. 2 months, yep, still apple! This one might make a good mixer.
> 
> Hipster-normal mover. Faded and chemically.
> 
> Jasmine, White-normal mover, and I'm apparently not a jasmine fan but right now its a nice clean jasmine. 2 months still a jasmine and still clean, some other soaps nearby picked up this scent (but it's not a hugely strong scent) during curing.
> 
> Stone House Reserve-normal mover. No idea what this is supposed to be, faded.
> 
> Lavender-normal mover. I have dos! Seems lavenders do that, just a couple spots. I don't like this lavender as much as the TN Candle old version, too artifical.
> 
> Kaylins Herb-normal mover, smells like a baby lotion? Faded out badly, and lost all but a greeny scent.
> 
> Pipe Smoke-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day. Mostly cherry not much smoke right now. 2 months, still cherry not enough smoke.
> 
> Sweet Grass and Cedar-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day. I was expecting "grass" and sweet grass apparently is not the same-now it's cedar with an overtone of (something) . Eh.
> 
> Lemon Verbena-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day.. Hope it works out I do like this lemon. 2 months, still liking it!
> 
> Oud wood-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day. Faded down to a musty smell!
> 
> 
> 
> ***************
> I will update later


----------



## NsMar42111

So either my last batch just did not want to cooperate or my original "these stick" is wrong...most of the previously posted scents from May have morphed or faded in a short period of time.

I think I will be doing some more testing on a few choices I narrowed down to see if it was the batch or not.... so take my reviews with a grain of salt. :headbanging:


----------



## SunRiseArts

I have never bought from that company, I find their shipping charges outrageous!

I know a lot of people mention them though.


----------



## Soapmaker145

NsMar42111 said:


> So either my last batch just did not want to cooperate or my original "these stick" is wrong...most of the previously posted scents from May have morphed or faded in a short period of time.
> 
> I think I will be doing some more testing on a few choices I narrowed down to see if it was the batch or not.... so take my reviews with a grain of salt. :headbanging:



Nsmar, I'm sorry your soaps didn't turn out but really glad you're updating your reviews.  Are you doing HP or CP?  Also, did you get new FO bottles from them or are you testing the original bottles you have?  There was a post on the Craftserver about RE where one or 2 people bought larger bottles of FOs they tested for candles and the new bottles failed.  FWIW, my CP testers are still holding but I poured them at thicker trace IIRC.   I wanted to buy a few from them and now I'm hesitating.  Maybe some of our members who bought from them recently can share their experience.


----------



## Rusti

Soapmaker145 said:


> Nsmar, I'm sorry your soaps didn't turn out but really glad you're updating your reviews.  Are you doing HP or CP?  Also, did you get new FO bottles from them or are you testing the original bottles you have?  There was a post on the Craftserver about RE where one or 2 people bought larger bottles of FOs they tested for candles and the new bottles failed.  FWIW, my CP testers are still holding but I poured them at thicker trace IIRC.   I wanted to buy a few from them and now I'm hesitating.  Maybe some of our members who bought from them recently can share their experience.



I bought a few during their 1 oz-$1 sale here recently (pick 20 FOs, get an ounce bottle of each for $20) and I've used most of them in just body butters, and they were fine there, but I used Fresh Peach in a batch of cold process soap about 5 or 6 weeks ago and when I went to unmold and cut that soap the peach was GONE. Nary a whiff to be found. It faded out completely overnight. Now that they're about cured, I can almost kinda sorta imagine a peach-ish smell to the soap, but it is definitely not strong and I don't expect it to stick around either. 

I also used their Jasmine, White in a salt bar and that has stuck around well enough, but IMO morphed just a little bit. Could just be my nose, but you know. I can't say I'm going to be in a hurry to order from them again.


----------



## IrishLass

The following are my RE results. The batches were soaped in 2015 and I still have a few bars of each batch on hand (I just checked in on each one of them). All of the FOs were from 1oz sample bottles:

*Satsuma*: used at 1oz ppo; soaped @ 112F with a 33% lye concentration. No A and no D. I happened to have used 1/2 tsp. of TD in it, and my soap is still nicely white. The scent is still holding on quite nicely. Would order again based on my results.

*Falling Leaves*: used at 1oz ppo; soaped @ 115F with a 33% lye concentration. No A and no D. I colored my soap sky blue and it is still sky blue. The scent has lightened a little from when I first soaped it, but it still comes across strong enough for my liking. Would order again.

*Barbershop 1920's*: used at .5oz ppo in a shave soap, which was HP'd; Slight D to light beige. Still has sufficient scent to it, although on the light side because I only used .5oz ppo (Hubby likes his shave soap scented on the light side). For what it's worth, this has become a keeper scent of mine. In regular CP I soap it at 1 oz ppo with a 33% lye concentration and it soaps beautifully without any A, and the scent comes across good and strong for us.

*Redwood:* used at 1 oz ppo. Soaped at 110F with a 33% lye concentration. Very slight A, slight D to light beige. Although it A'd, it was quite manageable for me, but it didn't give me enough time to do anything more fancy with it than a simple ITP swirl. The scent is still sticking around quite nicely. Would order again. 

*Corn Husk*: used at 1oz ppo; soaped @ 112F with a 33% lye concentration. This one moved quickly on me in a blink of an eye. At first all was at a nice thin trace, then I turned my back just for about 15 seconds and bam- it started to set up on me in the pot. I was able to stick-blend it into submission, sort of- I could only get it to thin back out to a thick trace, but at least it was pourable. This was a high lard batch, too, which are normally slow going for me. Once I got it into the mold, it set up real fast. Discolored to a light beige. The scent is still quite strong (almost too strong for my liking). A definite sticker for sure. Would not order again based on the A, and also because no one in my household was particularly fond of the scent.

*Tuscan fields*: used at 1oz ppo; soaped @112F with a 33% lye concentration. No A and no noticeable D. I should mention that I colored it a beautiful shade of purple using Nurture's Purple Vibrance mixed with a little bit of ultramarine blue, and for what it's worth, the soap is still the same beautiful shade of purple (Barney would be proud, lol), and my suds are white. The scent strength is still holding up great, too. Ordered more, but I haven't soaped it yet.

*London Fog*: used at 1oz ppo; soaped @111F with a 31% lye concentration. No A and no D. Scent is a very good sticker for me (this has since become a regular/keeper FO for me and I've made several batches with it, all with great results).


IrishLass


----------



## NsMar42111

These are mostly CP because the HP kept moving so fast! These are all the original 1 oz bottles.... I reallly like the Sea Kelp and it did stick. Next month I may order some 4oz of the ones I do like and see if the quality is the same-thanks for the heads up!


----------



## NsMar42111

Quick update...used up the Lavender Chamomile 1oz in a pound of soap a couple months ago when I did a 5 lb "use for testers" batch. Did it CP (my usual mix minus a little water since the recipe is mostly used HP) and cured it like anything else. Today I was noticing some weird oilness to the edges of a different batch above it and looked closer- DOS around the edges of each bar but really bad on the bottoms of the bars.... When I took the stack apart (stacking letter trays) I discovered that the lavender chamomile underneath had major major oily orange dos half an inch in all the way around the bars! I highly suspect that the batch above (Fragrance Buddy Merlot) "caught" its dos from these bars -they are only 1/4" apart when curing and the top bars were way worse on the bottom closest to the Lavender bars. The next closest bars to either group were an inch away and seem fine, but the soap ball sitting on top got it too. No pictures because they are in the bottom of a garbage bag really far away now. It was not the soap batch, the other 3 lbs worth of sampling have no DOS.

Moral is, test test test if you are going to use the lavender chamomile. I may give it another chance in a HP batch if I do another sample sale blowout because OOB it smells great...but I will be curing it wayyyyy away from anything else! Hopefully this was just a fluke but I hate DOS...


----------



## Zany_in_CO

Bumpity bump bump bump


----------



## NsMar42111

LOL is that a hint? Actually, due to the recent challenge I have a way of better testing scents and will be back on this within the next few weeks-Ionly used one RE during the testing so far but have plenty more waiting!


----------



## Zany_in_CO

LOL No, I just bumped it for someone asking about an East Coast supplier. On the other hand... it has been a while!


----------



## Lin19687

Thanks, MORE fo's to put in my cart...  hahahha


----------



## NsMar42111

Just found my box of testers and notes. Can't believe it's been this long! I'm actually impressed because several of the scents are still strong. Here's updated with the notes I had taken:


Bayberry - Not sure what I thought this was supposed to smell like, but it reminds me of a Christmas candle...with no chemical undertone. No discolor, easy to mix. UPDATE: Only lasted about 6 months on smell then faded.

Bonfire Bliss-I smell sweetened wood? Yellow brown discolor, easy mixer. It is a lot different than OOB, lost the smoke smell so we'll see...UPDATE: Meh. Discolored and no fire...if you added smoke scentit might work. Still there at the year mark, although lighter.

Stainless Steel-hrm. Not sure? Light cologne smell? Another wait and see one. No discolor, easy mixer. UPDATE: I just don't like it and it faded for me in six months. Might give it another shot, maybe it was just that batch.

Black Cherry-I think cough drops has ruined black cherry for me because that's what I smell-cough drops minus the medicinal overtones. Light yellow discolor, hard to mix in. UPDATE: Definitely cough drops...there at a year but morphed more mediciny

Rustic Lodge-all I smell is maple syrup right now! Brown discolor, another hard mixer. UPDATE: Stayed sweet, there at six months (bar got given away).

Cucumber Melon-mostly cucumber at this point. No discolor, easy mixer. UPDATE: Mild yellow discolor at six months, melon gone but cucumber about half strength at six months.

Cucumber Mint-bleh. Old shirt wrapped around a cucumber...hopefully this one changes because OOB isn't bad. No discolor, easy mixer. UPDATE: No change....still old shirt. Tossed.

Cantelope-nice! Not as overly sweet as I expected, on the light side, does smell like a cantelope. Light yellow discolor, easy mixer. UPDATE: Yellow discolor, at six months still sweet but less fruity. Would be awesome in MP or something like that I think.

Oak Barrel Cider-all I smell is a light cider, no barrel at this point. Yellow discolor, hard to mix in. UPDATE: Another CP batch moved fast and heated up...decent cider but very little "barrel". Meh.

Early Grey and Apple-yep, it does smell like tea that someone put an apple slice in. Weird combo.... Medium brown discolor , easy mixer. UPDATE: Wasn't popular with testers but I liked it. About half strength at six month mark.

Clean Green-half dry grass? Clean smell for sure. No discolor, easy mixer. UPDATE: Six months still there but light. Good "straw" scent.

Blackberry Sage-mostly berry but not a sweet one. No discolor, easy mixer. UPDATE: No sage, still berry at six months.Light at one year.


Salty Sea Air-no discolor, hard to mix in. UPDATE: Meh, not a fan for a sea scent, just didn't smell like sea.

Green Irish Tweed-tan discolor, hard to mix in. UPDATE: if it didn't discolor light brown I'd keep it-Irish Spring smell at one year even

Forbidden Fruit-no discolor, easy to mix in. UPDATE: Not as sweet of a fruit smell as I'd like, might be a good mixer, still there at six months

Dragons blood-medium red brown discolor, hard to mix in. UPDATE: I couldn't tell the difference between this and BBs dragons blood in the finished bar...but not my type of dragons blood, too powdery at six months

Peppermint Swizzle Stick-no discolor, easy mix, but the soap is softer than other bar. UPDATE: Dos'd and tossed

Tuscan Fields-medium yellow brown discolor, hard to mix in. UPDATE: Will get more, mellowed out...there at six months

Blue Skies-no discolor, easy mixer. UPDATE: Ended upa  light yellow, perfumy, not impressed, stuck at six months though

Atomic Fireball-light yellow discolor, medium hard to mix in, another soft bar one. UPDATE: In CP moved fast (another batch), spicy smelling, I'd watch the usage on this one yeow!

Honeysuckle Patchouli-no discolor, easy mix, bar seems harder than others so I'd watch this one in CP for accel. UPDATE: Def. accelerator, too sweet for my taste.

Lemon Pound Cake-dark brown discolor (same color it is in the bottle), hard to mix in. UPDATE: After six months its still lemon pound cake! If you could work with the almost black discolor it'd be a good foody.

Sea Grass Sand Dunes-no discolor, easy to mix in. UPDATE: Nothing stands out, faded at six months.


----------



## NsMar42111

More:

French Vanilla Oak-FAST mover and fast heater! Medium discolor, mostly vanilla no french and barely any oak.UPDATE: Nothing but vanilla at six months

Spicy Apple Peaches - FAST mover and fast heater! Medium brown initial discolor. Wonderful apple peach ! Might be my replacement for one that I used to get from TN Candle. UPDATE: Loses peach at six months but a wonderful cider, over a year and sticking

Ozark Forest-FAST mover and fast heater! Yellow initial discolor, turned more brown. Not sure what an ozark forest smells like but its a masculine scent. Meh...too much "dirt" for me. UPDATE: So bland I mixed it up in the box with other scents...mostly dirt.

Christmas Bliss- FAST mover and fast heater! Nice right now though, not as chemically as other "Christmas" piney scents.UPDATE: At six months got the chemical smell...piney.

Havana night- Medium fast mover and a medium heater-no swirls for you! Smells like too much perfume on someone right now, hoping that fades.UPDATE: Six months too much perfume, one year still too much LOL

Heavenly Honeysuckle-FAST mover but not a heater. I don't like this honeysuckle, too sharp. Hoping it mellows. UPDATE: ehhhh it does mellow but not a huge fan

Cranberry Orange Scone-FAST mover but not a heater. I smell cranberry and scone but not orange. UPDATE: Discolored medium brown, no orange ever showed up

Veviter- Medium Fast Mover. Yellow initial discolor. Hard to describe, it keeps morphing. UPDATE: Never settled down, generic at six months.

3 Wishes Tea - Medium fast mover. Seems to have lost its scent and is just chemically now. UPDATE: Six month mark faded.

Rose petals-Medium fast mover. Not even close to a rose at pour! Still not a rose and showing signs of dos?! UPDATE: Dos'd and tossed

Just Peachy- little faster than normal. Candy peach but not as sweet as candy, seems to be fading fast. UPDATE:Faded out at six months

Clementine Lavender - little faster than normal, not much lavender at this point so I'm curious how it goes. At 2 months, still not much lavender and is fading. UPDATEos'd and tossed

Savogn Blanc- little faster than normal. I think it took on the scent of it's neighbors because I can't id it! UPDATE: Nope, still couldnt tell. 

London Fog-normal mover. Yellow initial discolor turned beige Masculine scent, but did not like being next to a floral and picked up some of that scent. UPDATE: Might give it another try, picks up other scents easily 

Pinecone-normal mover. Meh, I smell the chemically undertone I noticed in a few others. UPDATE: Holds at six months but still a car freshener smell

Fern and Lavender- normal mover. "green" scent but seems to be fading. UPDATE: Lavender gone. Suspicious yellowy areas...so tossed during a dos cleanout

Lilac-normal mover. Not like my other lilac in scent....will ahve to see. 2 months, still not a "normal" lilac, just a generic floral.UPDATE:Never turned into a lilac...

Green apple-normal mover, does smell like a green apple at this point. 2 months, yep, still apple! This one might make a good mixer.UPDATE:Six months still apple. I like.

Hipster-normal mover. Faded and chemically.UPDATE:Six months smells like leftover perfume bottle...

Jasmine, White-normal mover, and I'm apparently not a jasmine fan but right now its a nice clean jasmine. 2 months still a jasmine and still clean, some other soaps nearby picked up this scent (but it's not a hugely strong scent) during curing. UPDATE: Good at six months still

Stone House Reserve-normal mover. No idea what this is supposed to be, faded.UPDATE: Gone at six months, never ID'd lol

Lavender-normal mover. I have dos! Seems lavenders do that, just a couple spots. I don't like this lavender as much as the TN Candle old version, too artifical. UPDATEos'd and tossed, not a huge fan anyway

Kaylins Herb-normal mover, smells like a baby lotion? Faded out badly, and lost all but a greeny scent.UPDATE: Faded at six months

Pipe Smoke-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day. Mostly cherry not much smoke right now. 2 months, still cherry not enough smoke. UPDATE: Still cherry at six months, not as chemically as black cherry...maybe a mixer

Sweet Grass and Cedar-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day. I was expecting "grass" and sweet grass apparently is not the same-now it's cedar with an overtone of (something) . Eh.UPDATE: Cedar at six months...

Lemon Verbena-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day.. Hope it works out I do like this lemon. 2 months, still liking it!UPDATE: Six months, still lemon!

Oud wood-slow mover! Had to leave in the mold an extra day. Faded down to a musty smell!UPDATE: Six months, must ...ick.


----------



## Zany_in_CO

Thanks for sharing, NsMar! That's a lot of work! I count only 3 keepers, right? And then there's "Early Grey" in post #47, paragraph 11 -- might get that for one of our daughters... hahaha


----------



## Lin19687

WOW, TY @NsMar42111  ! impressive.

I am trying to get my NG FO's in order so I can update Scent Review Board and our Worksheet here


----------



## TeresaGG

Bath and Body safe fragrances
rusticescentuals.com/Fragrance-Oils/?bbs=1


----------



## NsMar42111

You know, there's more scents that I wanted to "keep" but I think they got shuffled in the confusion. 2017 was a loooonggg year and 2018 isn't much shorter, plus I had a major DOS outbreak that ended up in a mass cleanout and some stuff went. (DOS was not RE's fault except the few noted in the reviews). I still have samples to test so hopefully I'll keep up with them better. I will say that even if *I* didn't like the scent or found it chemically, others may have a different opinion. I've had scents I hated and used in "sampler" batches become requested scents so take my opinion with a pound of salt LOL. I have a few more on the way and some in the "make me" basket. Hoping others will soap and add their thoughts here!


----------



## Obsidian

I noticed you marked the pine scents as chemically and car freshner. I find pine scents to be the same way, very fake. Balsam from natures garden is the exception. A nice natural pine with no chemical undertones.


----------



## NsMar42111

Few notes....this batch is 100% coconut oil, CP, pretty much room temp (lye was still warm).

First off , three scents NOT to mix! I mixed Blackberry Sage, Honeybee, and White Tea due to usage rates. Equal parts. When used, it turned my batter into a horrible seperated mess! I knew it was trouble when after mixing oil, lye, and mica I added the FO mix and the mica immediatly all sunk to the bottom! Wow....I stickblended the heck out of it and it never came together. I immediatly poured it into a plastic lidded container to ferment (leaving the lid off) and put it into a bigger container in case it expanded- it didn't. It was not overheating, it just screamed NO SOAP FOR YOU. So, lesson learned, don't mix those three. Not sure what was the culprit but never again...

Rustic Lodge is a heater and watch the usage rates-I had a bit of oil pooling but it absorbed. Not sure I trust it but it smells great! I have too many other choices right now to play with but we'll see how popular it is, I may come back to it.

White Sage-awesome! I like it after pour, we'll see how it cures, but it's not chemically right now at two weeks and smells more of fresh sage than a smudge stick. Behaved just fine.

Raspberry Lilac-ok, this one's a winner so far. BUT...RE website shows that the shortage affected it. Boo. Low usage rate but still comes through (1.4% in soaps) in a nice light berry floral..more berry than lilac. Just means I may be looking for a mixer...it soaped perfectly, actually slowed down trace enough that you could do some serious swirls if you timed it right. I'm putting this mix on the top of the list. The two scents together are awesome! I've had some dos issues with other lilac in the past, so it'll be a very long term tester. Next order I'll grab some plain raspberry to mix with the fresh lilac I have to see if I can come close....

That's it for now


----------



## NsMar42111

Made another one:

Fresh Cut Roses-first time I used this I was thinking it wouldn't behave in CP based on how it did in HP, but it actually was fine! Mild acceleration -seems to be typical for florals-but you could get a two color swirl out of it. It's not quite as strong off the bat in CP (100% CO) as it was in HP, possibly due to the HP being, well, hot?. Still a nice rose with a bit of green stem, less green in CP though. I like it!

Update on Rustic Lodge...ok I'm losing it. It was Bonfire Bliss, NOT Rustic Lodge. I'm not crazy LOL. Second batch, def heater and accelerator-poured 6 bars of 8 before having to start scraping vs pouring. This time I whisked it in fast knowing it was a mover, and thus far, no oil pooling! Definite gelling going on though! Update: The bars gelled in the mold, and it's a shallow bar mold (3/4" at the thickest). I'd be very scared of this one in a loaf mold!


----------



## Lin19687

Ohhh @NsMar42111 I just read the review and wow it sounds wonderful !
I got this one and mixed Cranberry/Orange into it.  It turned out very nice and a bit toned down.
https://www.naturesgardencandles.com/fireplace-fragrance-oil

On your low % rate scent,  My Cranberry/Orange is like that , 1%, and I thought it was going to be a bust.  But after a full cure it is a really nice scent.  Not over powering but it is scented enough that you don't have to smell it twice to get it.  
So maybe yours will come out more after cure ?


----------

