ProudMarineMom

Beautiful soap. Scent sounds divine!

OMG those are beautiful!! Absolutely stunning...

The first pic looks like little candies. Very pretty. Jewls, I can't pipe either. I'm jealous! The roses and leaves turned out wonderful.

Sorry this took so long but I finally got the Tradewinds fragrances in some products and I'll do my best to review them. I made M&P soap, melts and candles. Haven't made candles in a while since I lost all my notes and forgot how tough it can be. They turned out fugly, but seem to have them wicked correctly.

Everything has been curing for about a week.

Hawaiian Breeze

• M&P - Very strong and no discoloration. I did an aqua color.
  
• Melts - CT is medium, have not burned a melt yet.
  
• Candle - CT and HT Strong. I'm using 464 with a little 4630 and a CD wick.
  

I'm still not a fan of this one, too much ozone, bamboo or something. Just has a strong laundery detergent smell to me. But, I have the candle burning now and it smells much nicer.

Bamboo Teak

This is a warm fragrance and I really like it. But, there are other FO that are similar or that I like better.

Honesuckle Violet

• M&P - Very strong and no discoloration. Did this one in yellow.
  
• Melts - Medium CT. Have not burned a melt of this one either. But the warmer oil was very strong.
  
• Candle - Strong CT
  

This is a strong honeysuckle but doesn't seem overly sweet as some. I think the violet calms it down. Some of the other floral notes come through in the soap.

Apple Cloverleaf

• M&P - Medium to strong throw with no discoloration. This was done in a light pink.
  
• Melts - Medium CT and a surprising strong HT
  
• Candles - Medium CT
  

This one is starting to grow on me, it's a nice fresh scent. It's coming alive as it cures in the soap. And the HT in the melt is pretty darn good. This was is faint out of bottle but seems to do well in product.

Blackberry Fig

• M&P - Awesome in soap and I don't think there is any discoloration. I did this in a dark purple and I think it's still pretty true.
  
• Melts - CT Medium, have not burned a melt. It is wonderful in a warmer oil.
  
• Candle - CT pretty strong. HT strong.
  

This one is definitely worth the price of admission, very nice fragrance. I thought it would be one I would like the least but it is my favorite. Have been using the soap and loving it. The warmer oil is outstanding as well.

Hope this helps someone out - J

You are going to love it, so have fun!

Celtic Moonspice is a very nice scent. Others that work well for me:

Blissful Blackberry - a fav in body butter

Herbal Rasberry - excellent in bath melts

Pumpkin Creme Brulee - I'm not a foodie person but this is wonderful (Props to Jackbenimble for turning me on to this one!)

Country Christmas - spicy cranberry scent. One of my personal favorites and I use it year round.

Yuzu - my citrus people really like this one

How cute would that be for a baby shower. I think it turned out very nice. I'm hoping to do my first CP batch in a couple of weeks. Getting excited watching how well you are doing.

That turned out beautifully. Is the gold mica all through the soap or just on top? Really looking forward to the cut pics. Blackberry Amber sounds yummy too!

If you look on the right side of her blog she has an E-Book section with 4 books she has put together for sale. The proceeds are actually donated to a youth group. One of the books is on Shampoos and Conditioners. Jam packed book with lots of info on surfacants, humectants, and how shampoo, conditioners and the ingredients work together. There is also a lot of recipes including shampoo and conditioning bars. I bought it last week and think it is worth the cost. She has a link to browse the table of contents to get an idea of what the book covers.

Moonshadow, if you are talking about the original Clairol Herbal Essence from back in the day, I'm with you! That was my favorite.

Beautiful swirls. I would be so impatient to try the soap after it's cut and not let it cure...

The $123 is for 1 lb 14 oz, so almost 2 lbs. The 15 oz is a mere $65.25. Either way, this stuff ain't cheap!!

Camden Grey carries it but I don't know how their prices compare to others.

http://www.camdengrey.com/essential-oils/Soap-Making-Carrier-Oils/

Looks like Brambleberry still has them until they sell out

http://www.brambleberry.com/Silicone-Loaf-Soap-Mold-P5126.aspx

And WSP also carries them

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/ProductDetail.aspx?CategoryID=2123&ProductID=8475&ProductName=Crafters+Choice%e2%84%a2+Loaf+-+Regular+-+Clear+Silicone+Mold+1501

Nice, vibrant colors. I bet the cut bars will be very pretty.

Candybee, don't know if you have seen it but The Herbarie carries something called GuarThix that is made from guar gum. It's used as a thickener in products. I've seen it while browsing their thickeners. The description says it's made out of some type of sugar. So, maybe because it's a sugar-based thickener it doesn't do well with soap? I'm interested in how the coconut milk works for you. Sounds like a nice alternative to GM, which I love thanks to you and PrairieAnnie.

How cute! Wouldn't those make wonderful wedding favors...

I think you did pretty darn good for your first batch. Looking forward to seeing the cut bars. Congrats!!

BTA, while you're not looking at the AH website, be sure to just skip right over Blissful Blackberry, Herbal Rasberry, Country Christmas, Sweet Amber Musk, Yuzu, Pumpkin Creme Brulee, just to name a few. We don't want to enable you...

Those are really cute!!

I'm thinking you'll probably be happy with the last combination, 415 did have a good HT. You'll just need to play around with percentages to find what you like.

Proudmarinemom, do you find the 464 is similar to 415? I already have the 415 but I have never tried 464.

When I tested 415 I liked the HT of the wax but not the appearance, always looked like mashed potates for me. So, switched to 464 and have stayed with that. It looks creamy and I can get nice tops. Plus, it does have a higher pour temp, which works for impatient me.

Since you are going to be blending 415 with PB, it might smooth out the wax. I'd give it a try on a test batch, see what you end up with. Then if you want to try 464 Aztec sells 5 lb samples and I think Candlemakers may still do 1 lb. Heck, I could probably send you a pound or two if you want to try it.

Moonshine, the frosting issue is why I started to add a little 4630. I don't like the look either in melts. So, just a little bit of that and I can use dark colors and get some nice, smooth melts. And, they don't morph on me after a while.

I use a PB & 464 blend with a little 4630. Works well for me.

These are the smallest I've seen, but they are flat.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76842515/flying-dragon-flexible-silicone?ref=sr_gallery_37&sref=&ga_includes%5B0%5D=tags&ga_search_query=dragon+mold&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=

http://www.etsy.com/listing/78746398/dragon-flexible-silicone-mold-push-mold?ref=sr_gallery_5&sref=&ga_includes%5B0%5D=tags&ga_search_query=dragon+mold&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=

CLC, I posted a link to a mold on your thread in the Gel Candle section.

I'm not sure how quickly you need it, but maybe this one will work for you? He is in China so not sure how long it takes. Several people on another board have ordered from him and have been pleased with the molds. I'm hoping to place an order with him as well. He actually has quite a few really cute ones if you take the time to look through. hth - J

http://www.etsy.com/listing/68619746/dragon-silicone-handmade-soap-mold-cake?ga_search_query=dragon&ga_search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_6100451