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?