Fragrance Buddy FO test

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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....

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.....

 

[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.

 

[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"

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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!

 

[Dharlee]

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

ROFLOL!!!!!:clap:

 

[Soapmaker145]

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.