New NG and AH orders ...

[rainycityjen]

I just ordered fragrance from Nature's Garden Candles and Aroma Haven/Rustic Escentuals for the first time ever. All 1 oz samples of some scents I'd had my eye on for a while. I'm so excited! Ugh, Christmas shopping for yourself is the best/worst.

Can review any of these when they get in, if anyone is interested. I know Soap Scent Review covers many, but I like to hear descriptions myself.

NG
Grapefruit Ruby Red
Lilac
Baby Bee Buttermilk
Chai Tea
Lavender Mint
Sun and Sand
Oatmeal Milk-n-Honey
Teakwood & Cardamom
Burberry British
Indian Sandalwood
sample freebie: Champagne Pear

AHRE
Hawaiian Sandalwood
Badedas
Cedarwood & Patchouli
London Fog
Ming Fern & Lavender
Oud Wood
Redwood
Woolen Blanket
Bamboo Cypress
sample freebie: Cardamom Cedar Blossom

 

[pamielynn]

The only NG ones on on your list that I've used are the Lavender Mint and Baby Bee Buttermilk. The LM is light at the recommended level. No A or D, plenty of time for swirls. It sticks but is faint. BBM is really strong in the almond department, and it sticks like glue - also no problems soaping it.

 

[osso]

I love NG's teakwood & cardamom! If you're using in soap, the cardamom cedar blossom from AHRE is not skin safe...
I'm interested in what you think of woolen blanket.

 

[jblaney]

Cardamom cedar blossom is lovely, but not skin safe. I made tarts with it and really like it. I did not realize this until after I ordered it.

 

[rainycityjen]

Oh no I missed that. Thanks for the tip!

 

[kharmon320]

I love Woolen Blanket from AH/RE. It smells very similar to Mad Oils' Smoke & Mirrors. They both smell like a warm, smoky man's cologne. The Woolen Blanket has more depth to it and seems to be sticking a lot better. Add that to the fact that Mad Oils prices have jumped way up there since they opened, the Woolen Blanket is definitely a winner.

 

[shunt2011]

I have used several of the scents you've purchased. Grapefruit Ruby Red is nice but disappeared after cure. Very little scent even in the shower. I ended up donating them. Chai is nice but watch the usage rate. Wasn't a good seller and did seem to heat up a lot. Liliac, Teakwood & Cardamom and Indian Sandalwood are nice and sell well. Lilac moves pretty quickly so I highly recommend soaping cool and not planning multiple color swirls. I can usualy get a one color swirl going. The Teakwood Cardamom discolors to a medium beige and didn't notice a lot of accleration. The Indian Sandalwood is a softer scent. Discolors to a beige and didn't have any accleration with it either. I have the Babybee Buttermilk and the OMH and don't care for either OOB so haven't soaped with them. Probably won't either as I have others that I like a lot better.

Have fun testing all the scents you purchased. That's part of the fun!

 

[hmlove1218]

Ive tried:

NG
Chai Tea - very nice but max at like 1%-2% so watch out. Even at that level it smells great. I made it with Chai Spice Tea as my liquid
Oatmeal Milk-n-Honey - my favorite OMH anywhere!

 

[rainycityjen]

NG order arrived today. Thanks everybody for your feedback on these particular scents. OOB review:

Grapefruit Ruby Red - Spot on. Just like a glass of grapefruit juice. Tart.
Lilac - Also a dead ringer, nice and not too subtle or strong.
Baby Bee Buttermilk - Bad cherry almond scent.
Chai Tea - Just smells like cherry vanilla to me. I really don't smell chai.
Lavender Mint - Lovely and well-balanced, smells just like it should.
Sun and Sand - Doesn't smell like suntan lotion at all; smells ozonic with sparkly citrus.
Oatmeal Milk-n-Honey - A big dose of honey, could just be called Milk and Honey. On the fence about it, husband doesn't like it - says too sweet and creamy.
Teakwood & Cardamom - A pleasant spicy cologne scent; don't catch the cardamom unless I try really hard.
Burberry British - Smells very, very similar to the cologne.
Indian Sandalwood - I've never smelled any sandalwood like this. Very soapy or clean-smelling. My husband thinks it's ok, but it's in my bottom 4.
sample freebie: Jack Frost (I requested Champagne Pear, but I think they're trying to sell me on some overstock winter scents) -- Clean, wintery, with a peppermint bite. Doesn't stand out to me.

 

[grumpy_owl]

I use the Ruby Red Grapefruit along with a spot of Litsea to ground and secure my winter citrus fragrance blend and it's fantastic. Really stands out, even in CP. I'm sorry shunt had trouble with it but I might overscent just a tad because I hate rebatching and tend to be timid with FOs due to a fear of DOS.
I've used Teakwood & Cardamom as a blending element only and frankly, though I love it OOB, it gets a bit lost. It adds a touch of sensuality to lighter, citrusy scents but the cardamom is a non-element.
Lilac accelerates like crazy.
The OMH I literally label as Milk & Honey because it sounds nice and, yeah, not a lot of oatmeal. I just sprinkle oatmeal on the tops anyway.

 

[rainycityjen]

I got my AromaHaven/Rustic Escentuals ouncers (is that a word? it should be) in today. Wow wow wow! These are some very lovely, sophisticated scents. Not a dollar-store-candle fragrance in the bunch. Also, tons of freebies: a pen, lip balm, body spray, a tealight, and peppermints. I like their sturdy little bottles too. I almost feel disappointed I can't write anything to put you off buying any of these. Buy them all!

OOB Review:

Hawaiian Sandalwood - I got 2 ounces of this, actually, based on reviews alone. A highly realistic and sensuous sandalwood, not spicy or chai or incense, but earthy and mellow. I luuuurrve it.
Cardamom Cedar Blossom - How sad it's not skin safe! Luckily it was free. This smells just like a fresh florist bouquet, with a very soft sprinkle of cinnamon.
Redwood - A pine scent without any resinous quality to it, just the floral quality of pine without the tar, if that makes sense. So somehow smells more like a hike than Christmas.
London Fog - A watery and green masculine cologne scent; about as floral as you can get (with jasmine and ylang ylang) while still smelling masculine. My husband's favorite, though.
Woolen Blanket - Smells spicy and earthy, like patchouli and candle wax and oakmoss. No smokiness to it, though, still clean enough for soap.
Cedarwood and Patchouli - Very very earthy and rooty, like bitters.
Oud Wood - Can't stop smelling this one. The first impression is apple and cedar. Difficult to describe - sweet but not sugary, not musky or woody per se, oriental without being spicy. Very interesting! Wonder how to blend it?
Ming Fern and Lavender - Strong impression of tangerine. A citrus scent where dewy greens takes the foreground. Like all the scents, unusual but pleasant.
Badedas - Described as a European spa scent. Delicate and basil-y floral. On another sniff, like a very upscale Mr. Bubble.
Bamboo Cypress - The description says "definitely not perfumey," but it reminds me of my mother's eau de toilette perfumes (in a good way!) I smell the rose and ylang ylang first, then the bamboo when I inhale more deeply.

 

[newbie]

Please add your reviews to the spreadsheet, if you would!! Makes it more valuable every time someone does.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...UVFTXY5M2o4MVRMZm4wdFE&authkey=CMTEtswL#gid=0

 

[bbrown]

That link doesn't work for me.

 

[newbie]

It should work now.

 

[bbrown]

It should work now.

That is fantastic! Thank you!

 

[Lbrown123]

I got my AromaHaven/Rustic Escentuals ouncers (is that a word? it should be) in today. Wow wow wow! These are some very lovely, sophisticated scents. Not a dollar-store-candle fragrance in the bunch. Also, tons of freebies: a pen, lip balm, body spray, a tealight, and peppermints. I like their sturdy little bottles too. I almost feel disappointed I can't write anything to put you off buying any of these. Buy them all!

OOB Review:

Hawaiian Sandalwood - I got 2 ounces of this, actually, based on reviews alone. A highly realistic and sensuous sandalwood, not spicy or chai or incense, but earthy and mellow. I luuuurrve it.
Cardamom Cedar Blossom - How sad it's not skin safe! Luckily it was free. This smells just like a fresh florist bouquet, with a very soft sprinkle of cinnamon.
Redwood - A pine scent without any resinous quality to it, just the floral quality of pine without the tar, if that makes sense. So somehow smells more like a hike than Christmas.
London Fog - A watery and green masculine cologne scent; about as floral as you can get (with jasmine and ylang ylang) while still smelling masculine. My husband's favorite, though.
Woolen Blanket - Smells spicy and earthy, like patchouli and candle wax and oakmoss. No smokiness to it, though, still clean enough for soap.
Cedarwood and Patchouli - Very very earthy and rooty, like bitters.
Oud Wood - Can't stop smelling this one. The first impression is apple and cedar. Difficult to describe - sweet but not sugary, not musky or woody per se, oriental without being spicy. Very interesting! Wonder how to blend it?
Ming Fern and Lavender - Strong impression of tangerine. A citrus scent where dewy greens takes the foreground. Like all the scents, unusual but pleasant.
Badedas - Described as a European spa scent. Delicate and basil-y floral. On another sniff, like a very upscale Mr. Bubble.
Bamboo Cypress - The description says "definitely not perfumey," but it reminds me of my mother's eau de toilette perfumes (in a good way!) I smell the rose and ylang ylang first, then the bamboo when I inhale more deeply.

Could you please let me know if the Hawaiian Sandalwood dis colors after cure and how it does for you? I am on my fourth test of sandalwood. Most I don't like OB but the ones I have tried either Discolor or take too long to get. Thanks for the reviews!

 

[rainycityjen]

Could you please let me know if the Hawaiian Sandalwood dis colors after cure and how it does for you? I am on my fourth test of sandalwood. Most I don't like OB but the ones I have tried either Discolor or take too long to get. Thanks for the reviews!

I just tried the Hawaiian Sandalwood last night. It didn't accelerate (soaping at 110 degrees) or discolor. My end batter was a little lighter than my melted oils.

However, I tried putting it in a 170 F degree oven for two hours to accelerate things. Even though the flash point is supposedly 200 F, either it all evaporated, or the scent wasn't that strong to begin with, or both, because it came out unscented. I'm willing to try it again with a different process.

 

[kharmon320]

I just tried the Hawaiian Sandalwood last night. It didn't accelerate (soaping at 110 degrees) or discolor. My end batter was a little lighter than my melted oils.

However, I tried putting it in a 170 F degree oven for two hours to accelerate things. Even though the flash point is supposedly 200 F, either it all evaporated, or the scent wasn't that strong to begin with, or both, because it came out unscented. I'm willing to try it again with a different process.

It cured out very light for me. I could still smell it, but it's not worth it.

 

[Soap Techniques]

I just tried the Hawaiian Sandalwood last night. It didn't accelerate (soaping at 110 degrees) or discolor. My end batter was a little lighter than my melted oils.

However, I tried putting it in a 170 F degree oven for two hours to accelerate things. Even though the flash point is supposedly 200 F, either it all evaporated, or the scent wasn't that strong to begin with, or both, because it came out unscented.

Thank you. How much FO did you use?

 

[SplendorSoaps]

Raincityjen, your descriptions are so good, I feel like I can almost smell them! I'm totally going to check out AromaHaven. Thanks for the reviews!