The Struggle Is Real

[lenarenee]

Breath of God is a sophisticated floral that has a green and woody undertone that balances it and keeps it from being 'flowery'.

Oudh Heart is a slightly spicy woody scent. It has a very slight musty note which reminds me of the smell of old wooden bookshelves, actually.

That Oud Heart sounds great - gotta try that! I have some cured BB spiced mahogany that I really like and was wishing for more wood scents.

 

[kchaystack]

FO Hoarder! I have a cart envy now! This is is a neat display and storage cart!

I got it at Michaels. They had a sale for 60% off. They are really nice.

 

[WeaversPort]

You guys are evil. I had no idea about Nurture Soap's fragrance collection until this thread, and now I have a growing wish list of fragrances. I haven't even scented my first batch yet!!

Evil, dangerous, fabulousness..

 

[BrewerGeorge]

It's here! It's here!

 

[Arimara]

Hi, my name is Kaye and I'm a fragrance addict...

I just ordered the Brambleberry spring and best sellers sample packs, because I want to play with fragrances and couldn't decide on just one. I think fragrance is going to be what kills me as I move forward into this hobby. Now if only I could find a dupe of Voluspa's Mokara..

I have to go to Ricky's to check that scent out.

Oh do tell! Maybe others will 'fess up too! I think George hasn't got a clue what a REAL FO HO is likely to have in his/her cache... (the misspelled word "hoe" at the end says it all! LOL)

Technically, the slang term "ho" is normally spelled without the 'e' in singular. A 'hoe' is a gardening tool. It should be the same spelling for both words in plural but I honestly can't remember. I hardly use slang.

It's here! It's here!

Congrats! :mrgreen::clap:

 

[WeaversPort]

I have to go to Ricky's to check that scent out.

I have a hard time finding perfume, especially florals. They either end up becoming powdery, and I smell like dead powdery old ladies, or they become sickeningly cloying and sweet on me. I can't wear any of the Bath and Bodyworks products because something about them ends up making me smell like a 16 year old who should not be allowed to pick out her own perfume.

Mokara is one of the few I'm not desperately trying to wash off in 20 minutes.

It's here! It's here!

Yay!!! Is it a boy or a girl?

Even if we can't partake of the scents, I hope we can enjoy some soap pictures soon!

 

[dibbles]

It's here! It's here!

AND???? C'mon BG, tell us what you think. The struggle is real.

 

[Susie]

I'd love to congratulate you on your restraint, but think it might be prudent to ask a question first:

How big is the tote (lest I imagine a shower cubby when you are actually referencing a giant storage bin)?

My FO's, EO's, and other small bottles (high-end oils, preservatives, extracts, etc) all occupy a cabinet that is roughly 18" square. It's getting a little messy in there, so I bought shelves. Technically, I am still utilizing the same space...but I'll be able to fit a lot more in it : )

The tote is roughly 13" x 7.5". The FO samples are in a single layer.

I have the EOs and larger bottle FOs of stuff I know I will re-use in another tote just like that one. I would dearly love to have more of these, but I can't find them anywhere.

 

[SheLion]

Drat it... I've been looking for a nice floral that doesn't overwhelm with flower notes..

Dangerous, dangerous...

I just grabbed my test bar from the curing rack since that description was for OOB. It has morphed a bit and now smells more flowery, like the woody undertone is gone. It still smells good, but not as good as OOB, at least to me. The recipe was olive/coconut/shea/castor with FO at 3%, soaped on 2/9. A heavier usage might help so when I try it again, I'll be heavier handed with it.

That Oud Heart sounds great - gotta try that! I have some cured BB spiced mahogany that I really like and was wishing for more wood scents.

The Oudh Heart stayed true to the OOB smell and at 3% smells medium strong (same recipe and batch as above), though next time I'll go heavier with it too. It is a really nice wood scent. When I was sniffing the bottle the other night to write the scent descriptions, the Oudh Heart reminded me of something but I couldn't put my finger on it. I figured it out tonight. It's reminiscent of the smell of a pencil when it's being sharpened.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

AND???? C'mon BG, tell us what you think. The struggle is real.

Turns out that I don't have enough lard on hand, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow. Everything smells good OOB to me, but I'm not picky. Off the top of my head, my favorites are Butterfly and Honey...

Hyacinth does smell right from the bottle, but it will be a bit before I test on soap because I'm sure it's a huge accelerater.

I've only ever ordered events from BB before, and I'll say that these seem more "complete." As in, many of BB's events smell like components of finished perfumes whereas the Nurture stuff smells like curated, finished perfumes.

I'll keep you updated.

 

[Arimara]

Turns out that I don't have enough lard on hand, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow. Everything smells good OOB to me, but I'm not picky. Off the top of my head, my favorites are Butterfly and Honey...

Hyacinth does smell right from the bottle, but it will be a bit before I test on soap because I'm sure it's a huge accelerater.

I've only ever ordered events from BB before, and I'll say that these seem more "complete." As in, many of BB's events smell like components of finished perfumes whereas the Nurture stuff smells like curated, finished perfumes.

I'll keep you updated.

It's too soon for me to agree but so far, I'm apt to believe the same thing. Of the 8 (give or take) scents I have from BB, only 3 would be definite reorders and two of them would be strictly to blend together. The others smell fine and all but I would have to send them to people who would be interested in them.

 

[WeaversPort]

It's too soon for me to agree but so far, I'm apt to believe the same thing. Of the 8 (give or take) scents I have from BB, only 3 would be definite reorders and two of them would be strictly to blend together. The others smell fine and all but I would have to send them to people who would be interested in them.

My Spring and Best Sellers sample boxes just came today and I think this nails my perception of what I've been smelling. They're nice, but they feel a little bit like my critique of Bath and Bodyworks - very single notes. Unlike Bath and Bodyworks, I think they could be excellent to blend, if one has the chops. As a beginner, however, I think I was hoping for something a little more complex. Not something that could become beautifully complex with the right knowledge set.

It feels like an odd critique, but because I'm already feeling stretched just learning to make soap, I kind of wanted the car assembly kit instead of the big lego set of infinite possibility. My infinite possibility buffer is full trying to figure out things like: how much shea is too much, what the difference between palm oil and palm kernel oil is, and what I think about coconut oil in soap.

 

[WeaversPort]

I just grabbed my test bar from the curing rack since that description was for OOB. It has morphed a bit and now smells more flowery, like the woody undertone is gone. It still smells good, but not as good as OOB, at least to me. The recipe was olive/coconut/shea/castor with FO at 3%, soaped on 2/9. A heavier usage might help so when I try it again, I'll be heavier handed with it.

I'm looking forward to hearing your further experience with it! The woody undertone is particularly part of what I'm curious about. I tend to do well with unisex or things in the Sandalwood/Amber/Purple (is purple a scent description??) range. Some sweetness, but definitely more an accent than a lead in.

 

[Arimara]

My Spring and Best Sellers sample boxes just came today and I think this nails my perception of what I've been smelling. They're nice, but they feel a little bit like my critique of Bath and Bodyworks - very single notes. Unlike Bath and Bodyworks, I think they could be excellent to blend, if one has the chops. As a beginner, however, I think I was hoping for something a little more complex. Not something that could become beautifully complex with the right knowledge set.

It feels like an odd critique, but because I'm already feeling stretched just learning to make soap, I kind of wanted the car assembly kit instead of the big lego set of infinite possibility. My infinite possibility buffer is full trying to figure out things like: how much shea is too much, what the difference between palm oil and palm kernel oil is, and what I think about coconut oil in soap.

Palm oil is a hard oil that lends to creamy lather and bar soap longevity whereas palm kernel oil is a much more cleansing oil and lends to bubbly lather. Both oils can lead to a waxy feeling bar.

Too much shea can lead to a tacky bar but that's also highly dependent on the recipe.

Coconut oil... I cap it at 15% but I'd also have to use the refined variety. It's safer for my daughter.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

AND???? C'mon BG, tell us what you think. The struggle is real.

Ok, so I made the big four-test last night. I went simple with solid colors so I can easily tell them apart. The only new thing I did was use TiO2 for the first time.

I made:
Honey I Washed the Kids in pure white - This one smells delicious. Really lovely. This is a definite re-buy.
Butterfly Flower in yellow vibrance - This one smells awesome! A complex floral-type that didn't accelerate at all.
*** Appeal in rose pink - At this point not very memorable. Floral, perfumy. Not bad, per se, but doesn't stand out among the other 8 scents. Maybe it will stand out more when using the soap.
Hellstone in vibrant red - Again, not super-memorable. At this point, just masculine cologne. It's much more subtle than the others so it's hard to even smell in competition with the others in the same mold.

Pics to follow tonight!

 

[BrewerGeorge]

Went home for lunch

I don't know why I wasn't more careful with the tops.

ETA: The red is on top. It's got a bit of ash.

 

[WeaversPort]

Went home for lunch

I don't know why I wasn't more careful with the tops.

ETA: The red is on top. It's got a bit of ash.

This is so exciting!! And I can't even smell it!!

 

[BrewerGeorge]

Round Two complete.

Breath of God - blue vibrance
Hyacinth - purple vibrance
Potion - green vibrance
100 Kisses - natural

Left the TiO2 out this time because Hyacinth and Potion are both accelerating, and didn't want to add additional accel from the TiO2. The Hyacinth is the single-most accelerating FO I've ever used. I was lucky to get it into the mold at all. I would never try using it for CP again.

My nose is blow out after cutting the first four and making these. I'll report on the scents after I get them separated.

 

[doriettefarm]

Thanks for the update and pics BG. That hyacinth looks like it moved crazy-fast! I'm glad you posted about Potion because I recently bought some and was debating whether to soap it or use it for bubble bars.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

Second Pass incoming

Devious
Nurture Soap's Silky Underwear Type
Nurture Soap's Euphoria Type
Winter Wonderland
Nurture Soap's The Smell of Freedom Type
Nurture Soap's Old Delhi Station Type
Nurture Soap's Fire Tree Type
Nurture Soap's Oudh Heart Type