# March 2017 Black Background Soap Entry Thread



## newbie (Mar 18, 2017)

Here we go!

We need one picture of your soap. More pictures are always welcome, of course, and any info you would like to share. 

Please no comments on this thread. Comments welcome on the main challenge thread. Entries only!


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## toxikon (Mar 18, 2017)

Woohoo, finally entry time!

This was a fun challenge. I tried a wall pour for the first time and I really like the result. It reminds me of a Tim Burton-esque swirl of smoke.

It's scented with WSP Black Tie.


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## dibbles (Mar 18, 2017)

So many possibilities with this challenge. I wanted to do something that used Auntie Clara's soap technique for creating halos with salt. http://auntieclaras.com/2014/04/silver-dapple-bespoke-soap/  
My entry is what I came up with - a view of our Earth from space. I made an embed in a 1" column mold, with an in the pot swirl. The black background uses AC and scented with BB Cedar and Saffron, and the embed is colored with mica and was left unscented. Silver mica was sprinkled on the top.


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## mommycarlson (Mar 18, 2017)

This soap is scented with Mad Oils Spanish Fly, it behaved really well.  The colors are AC and Raspberry Red from Nurture Soaps.  I did a faux funnel pour, using my new pitchers. This is my first attempt at that sort of pour.  I use a multi wire cutter so what appears in photos as white spots are really the bumps from using the wire cutter. This shows up only on my dark soaps.  I promise there are no white spots


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## earlene (Mar 19, 2017)

I forgot to take photos after the cut, I guess because I wanted to make them prettier first.  So all I have at the moment are pre-cut photos, which is what I am posting in case life gets in the way and prevents me from uploading a better picture.  In fact I am not even sure this is going to be my final entry, but again, in case life gets in the way it will at least be here.

I made 3 soaps and like them all, but this one looks the best, I think.  It's an ebru soap.  The other two were hidden swirls that only show once cut.  This one I did in two layers of ebru, so that the design would carry through as the soap wore down.  I used Black Oxide, rather than AC because it was a smaller bottle and better for traveling with than the AC I have.  The FO is Dragon's Blood (mmmm, I love the fragrance.)  I also used vinegar in place of some of the water when making this soap.  I need to look back in my notes (but they are in the car right now) to identify which mica I used for the pink; it was one of Steph's Micas & More (either radical red neon, or magenta -something or other - I think.)

Here it is, uncut.  It became 3 bars, which I do plan to upload later.


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## artemis (Mar 19, 2017)

Ok, I tried to get good pictures. Either the black was too gray in the picture, or the colors were too dark to see. Therefore, I did a little tweaking just to make the photos look like the real-life soap. I think the picture with all the bars shows the actual colors best.

This is my first soap with an embed. I thought about the process for a long time before doing it. I am very pleased with how it turned out, and I think I even impressed my husband a little.  I used AC for the black, lavender mica from Nurture, and Caribbean blue mica from BB. I shredded a bar of lavender colored soap for the specks/stars. My littlest guy loaned me one of his PVC pipes for making the embed.


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## SunRiseArts (Mar 19, 2017)

*Here is mine.*

My CP entries failed miserably, but I had made MP.  Black pearl mica for black on clear base, and shea butter base for accents, painted with diamond dust, and of skin safe glitter for the stars in space!  Yuzu fragrance.


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## Soapprentice (Mar 20, 2017)

Looks like black and blue is a popular colour combination. Here come mine. I used AC to 60% of the batter, 20% each to light and dark blue micas. I wanted to give slab mould another try and mixed a couple of techniques for this challenge and went crazy with them ( yup, shouldn't have done that).  The batter with AC was liquid for longer compared to the ones with micas, hence the bumps. I scented it with jasmine fragrance. The batter with AC was liquid for longer compared to the ones with micas, hence the bumps.


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## earlene (Mar 20, 2017)

earlene said:


> I forgot to take photos after the cut, I guess because I wanted to make them prettier first.  So all I have at the moment are pre-cut photos, which is what I am posting in case life gets in the way and prevents me from uploading a better picture.  In fact I am not even sure this is going to be my final entry, but again, in case life gets in the way it will at least be here.
> 
> I made 3 soaps and like them all, but this one looks the best, I think.  It's an ebru soap.  The other two were hidden swirls that only show once cut.  This one I did in two layers of ebru, so that the design would carry through as the soap wore down.  I used Black Oxide, rather than AC because it was a smaller bottle and better for traveling with than the AC I have.  The FO is Dragon's Blood (mmmm, I love the fragrance.)  I also used vinegar in place of some of the water when making this soap.  I need to look back in my notes (but they are in the car right now) to identify which mica I used for the pink; it was one of Steph's Micas & More (either radical red neon, or magenta -something or other - I think.)
> 
> Here it is, uncut.  It became 3 bars, which I do plan to upload later.



Here is the cut soaps photo I promised:







The colors look a bit different in the two photos.  The colors in the second photo are more true to the actual soap.


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## doriettefarm (Mar 20, 2017)

This was the best of my 2 attempts this month.  I'm calling it 'Electric Cowboy' mainly because of the FO combo (AHRE Pipe Smoke + Soapalooza Tuscan Leather).  All micas are from Nurture Soap (black pearl, klein blue, vintage velvet, baby blue).  I was going for a hidden feather but it wasn't meant to be.


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## amd (Mar 22, 2017)

Here is my entry:
Black made with black mica and activated charcoal. I used white mica and silver mica as accent colors. Fragrance London for men type from wsp. Poured in tall & skinny mold in alternating pours.


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## mx5inpenn (Mar 22, 2017)

Seems space is a popular theme!

Forty-two... Galaxy soap scented with NS Supernova. I used AC, M&M Pitch Black, Midnight Blue, Lavender, and Turquoise and NS Candy Apple micas. There is also a teensy pinch of NS Twinkling Lights glitter on top, just in case the salt stars settled, which apparently I didn't need. I have wanted to do a galaxy soap for a long time and hadn't taken the time to do it. Another item on my soapy to-do list has been Auntie Clara's salt halos and I also thought it would be great for stars, so I got to cross that off too.


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## SheLion (Mar 23, 2017)

Here's my entry. I did a spider web swirl-thing that I watched a youtube video on weeks ago and then replicated from my poor memory. I used black and celadon green micas from Nurture, though not enough black as it's not nearly as dark as I wanted. No scent as I didn't want to tempt fate.


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## mintle (Mar 24, 2017)

This is my plain coconut, castor oil, plenthora of lard and HO sunflower recipe. Scented with Passionfruit Papaya from Brambleberry. 
No acceleration at all,but I also left sugar/sorbitol/sodium lactate and any other enhancers out of my recipe this time.

I have used plenty of charcoal and micas from u-makeitup.
I am especially happy that the design shows also a little inside the soap (I cut one bar in half to check what is inside   - photo no 2) , so it will not be plain soap even after some usage. And of course there is a photobomb cat, as usual


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## cherrycoke216 (Mar 25, 2017)

This is my entry. The color scheme is black orchid. But I don't have a orchid FO so I use honeysuckle FO.

I have great vision in mind but the floral FO accelerated. So just kind of wing it at the end. The cardboard divider should be bigger and I ended up dumping all the thickened black soap mess in. 
I used a bear paw back scratcher like caribou posted to do the swirl .( if my memory serves me right, she bought it in a rest stop. Hope I remember the ID right )


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## SaltedFig (Mar 25, 2017)

*Gradient, Granited*

This is my first challenge.
It scented it with an essential oil blend Lemongrass, Rosehip and Rosemary and a lot of raw cacao butter.
Photo by phone.

Soaped yesterday, I made seven gradient layers of soap and topped with some shaped carvings. Most of it is still softly stuck inside the mold, so this is not that soap shape :mrgreen:

My Gradient layers ... transformed into a Granite ball.


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## newbie (Mar 26, 2017)

Entry thread is closed. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RNG9MMR

Password sent to your inbox.


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## newbie (Mar 27, 2017)

Bumping, just to keep it near the top until voting is closed.


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## newbie (Mar 30, 2017)

Last call for voting!!! Results announced tomorrow.


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## newbie (Mar 31, 2017)

Thank you, everyone, for participating! Every soap got votes and the top three are:

First place- mx6inpenn
Second place- amd
Third place- dibbles

I hope everyone had a good soaping month!


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## toxikon (Mar 31, 2017)

Congrats winners!!


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## cherrycoke216 (Mar 31, 2017)

Congrats! Is the soap photo of no.1 & no.2 got mixed?


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## jules92207 (Mar 31, 2017)

Congratulations! They were all so awesome, it was really hard to pick only three!


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## newbie (Mar 31, 2017)

Ahhhh! I made a mistake but I've fixed it. Sorry!


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## Soapprentice (Mar 31, 2017)

Congratulations guys...


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## dibbles (Mar 31, 2017)

Thanks for the votes. mx6inpenn, your soap was a real beauty, and amd your soap was pure elegance. Congratulations to you both!

Everyone did a fabulous job with this challenge - congratulations to all of you!


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## amd (Mar 31, 2017)

Oh my gosh! I am sooooo honored... thanks you guys. Wow, the soaps were awesome this month. Dibbles, yours makes me swoon!!!


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