Sh-Sh-Sh-Shaving Cream?

Who is old enough to remember that goofy radio show that used to be syndicated on Sunday nights, where all they played were goofy songs?  I can't remember the name, but I do remember one song about "I was hit, and fell into a big pile of sh-sh-sh-shaving cream!

And that is today's project.  We have been selling a men's shaving cream (check it out here) that has been incredibly popular.  I am about to start selling a ladies' version scented with strawberry (Strawberries and Cream) and have been looking for second scent to use in the product.

My choices this time were between Mystery Fragrance Nos. 3, 6, and 8.  Because I use lavender oil in the cream, I wanted something that would blend well with lavender.  I eventually settled on No. 3.

This also gave me the opportunity to use Brambleberry's Orchid Pink Island liquid colorant.  I used just a small amount of color, and was very happy to end up with this pretty light pink.

This was a great scent for the shaving cream.   Here's a picture of the finished product, coming soon to shop.willowtreesoapcompany.com.

Men!

They certainly are frustrating, but all of that can be forgotten when they smell really good!   Mystery Fragrance No. 9 is one of the best "masculine" scents I've come across in a long time.  It is very light, and very sexy.  I decided to use it in a pre-shaving sugar scrub for my husband.   This is a great product for exfoliating in general, but in particular for men who have a problem with shaving bumps.

While I was making the scrub, I kept bringing the bowl over to my husband and asking him to smell it. His usual response is "It smells good.  It smells like Kool-Aid."   This time, I got an actual "That does smell good!".  Here is a picture of the finished product, packed in an adorable bail jar from Bramble Berry:

The scent doesn't change at all in the finished product.  I am very much in love with this one!

What I Need

What I need is a really good bubble bar recipe.   Lush makes incredible bubble bars, and it seems so easy ... but, I guess like many things, it is not.

I used Mystery Fragrance No. 7 to make a batch of bubble bars.  I actually made two batches, the first of which ended up all over me, my walls, and my work table when my attention was diverted from my mixer.   The second batch did not fare much better, but it did make it into the molds.

The essential problem with making bubble bars is finding the right balance of moisture.   Glycerin is wonderful for moisturizing skin, but add a tad too much and you've got glop.  That is basically what I ended up with:

The good news is that after a day or two, the bars did dry enough to stay together.  The even better news is that Mystery Fragrance No. 7 is amazing!  It smelled good in the bottle, and the scent stayed true while mixing it in the product.   But, oh my goodness, when these bubble bars hit water, the scent was heavenly.  There is a kind of grapefruity note in the bottle that seemed to disappear in water.   I will  perfect my bubble bar recipe, and will definitely be using this scent in it.

Melt

I have been wanting to make bath melts for some time now.   They are great in the fall/winter, not so great in the summer, particularly if you live where the temperatures can reach 90.  The opportunity to test Brambleberry's fragrances gave me the perfect excuse to try a batch.

I love bath melts.  They are filled with silky, skin softening goodness (the ones pictured below are made with shea and tucuma butters).   And don't let the name mislead you - they work just as well in the shower.  Just break off a small piece and rub it into your skin.

I used Mystery fragrance No. 2 for this batch.  The fragrance is a bit heavy, and my step daughter swears it smells like a perfume she has at home.

Here are our bath melts while still in liquid form:

And here is a picture of the finished product (with a piece broken off for testing purposes!)

The fragrance did really well in the finished product.  It smelled exactly like it does in the bottle.

Overall, I was very happy with how these turned out.   The same cannot be said of my next project, which I will talk about tomorrow ... when I finish cleaning up :)

Anatomy Of A Bath Bomb

I love making bath bombs, and judging by the fact that I have big bowls of them in each bathroom in my house, probably a little too much.   But honestly, what's not to love?   They fizz, they smell good, and they look pretty.   A perfect combination!

I have been wanting to make a "candy" bath bomb, using some combination of desert sprinkles or colored sugar.   Two of Bramble Berry's mystery fragrances seemed like the perfect ones for this project.

First up is Mystery Fragrance No. 1, which smells to me like some sort of bakery product, with definite vanilla notes.   I wish that I had a brown color for bath bombs, because this scent feels like a brown. I settled on orange, with some fall leaves thrown on top.  Here is the result:

I think the fragrance seems a bit sweeter in the bath bomb.

Next up is Mystery Fragrance No. 4, which I want to call Candy Apple, but its not quite an apple scent.   Whatever it is, I am loving it!   I have had the bath bombs on my desk while I work, and the scent is just amazing.   I think of it as a red/pink scent ...

The scent smells just as good in the water as it does in the bath bomb!   Here are some pictures of the bath bomb meeting its end:

More fun stuff coming soon ....

Wine and Gold ....

One of the most interesting things about working with fragrance oils is ... imagination.   Fragrance has the ability to calm, or soothe, or awaken your senses.   Almost always, I associate a color with a fragrance immediately upon smelling it.

Mystery Fragrance No. 5 definitely had that effect on me.  I described it yesterday as a heavy scent.  It brought to mind red and gold tapestries that are so popular in the winter .... and thus, my first S.O.A.P. team project!

Using the Bramble Berry cube soap mold I love so much, I started with a clear base, coloring one half with a gold mica and the other half with Bramble Berry's Merlot Sparkle Mica.   The latter looks absolutely stunning in MP soap.  Below is a picture of it in the melted soap:

Because Mystery Fragrance No. 5 seemed heavy out of the bottle, I was hesitant to add it in too high of a percentage.  I finally settled on 2%, which is just a tad less than the 2.5% I usually use.

And the finished product looks like this:

The scent definitely lightened up in the soap, but the essence stayed true.  I think 2% is the right amount for this scent.

I Heart New Fragrances!

I love fragrances more than anyone else I know.   In fact, the reason that The Willow Tree Soap Company exists is to offer incredibly scented soaps in a format that is good for skin.  Imagine my excitement when I was chosen to participate in BrambleBerry's Soap Team and given the opportunity to test 10 fragrances it is considering adding to its already incredible fragrance line!  Check out the announcement here.

The first thing to be done is figure out which products to use as testers.   I have been on the lookout for a new fragrance to use for ladies' shaving cream.  And new fragrances to use in our luxury line of bath bombs (our current line up can be found at bathbombfactory.com).   And new fall fragrances for soap.  And .... well, there is no shortage of products to try these out on.

Upon opening the box, I was surprised to find that the fragrances aren't named .... rather, they are labeled Mystery Fragrance 1, Mystery Fragrance 2, etc.   Pressure!!!  I know what smells good, but I'm not always good at guessing what a fragrance is comprised of.   Here is my best description of each fragrance out of the bottle.

Mystery Fragrance No. 1 -  This smells partly like vanilla.  Definitely a bakery kind of scent.  It is making me hungry!  I don't generally use bakery scents in my bath products, but I've been wanting to do a "candied" bath bomb, and this might be the perfect scent for that.

Mystery Fragrance No. 2 - I tend to gravitate to scents that are either floral or fruity.  I can't decide which one this scent is more like.  It feels like a "spa" fragrance.  Goodness, I need some coffee grounds!  Maybe the husband won't mind if I snag one of his k-cups :)

Mystery Fragrance No. 3 - This smells good!  Seems to be a floral, but again, I'm terrible at guessing these things.

Mystery Fragrance No. 4.  It smells like candy!  Another scent for my candied bath bomb.

Mystery Fragrance No. 5 - This is has the same "spa" feel as No. 2.  I think its a bit of a citrus scent.  It seems like it would be a good scent for soap.

Mystery Fragrance No. 6.  A heavy floral, almost woodsy scent.

Mystery Fragrance No. 7.  A light, fruity scent.  I like this one a lot.  For some reason, it makes me think of grapefruit.

Mystery Fragrance No. 8. Mmmm.  Very light fruity scent.

Mystery Fragrance No. 9 - Definitely a masculine scent.   Not sure what it is made of, but it is very sexy.  I think I will be making hubby a batch of shower gel!

Mystery Fragrance No. 10.   A holiday scent for sure.  Spicy with a little bit of cinnamon.

I can't wait to find out if I was right about the composition of these fragrances.  Tomorrow, a first project.  Hmmm, what should it be?