ProudMarineMom

Tracey, Soaper's Choice is a very good supplier and the prices are excellent. My only issue with them at the moment is the quantity of product that you have to buy. I've just started selling this year so I wouldn't use all the supplies before they expired. Every so often someone does a co-op from there and I will get in on that.

Camden Grey is in the Miami area and has great prices on Carrier Oils and other items. They also offer them in smaller sizes so you can try something out first. I think shipping rates are very reasonable, I'm in the Georgia area. Plus, they offer a flat rate if your shipment is less than 4lbs. I have found all their supplies to be of good quality.

http://www.camdengrey.com/

Another supplier I've looked at in Florida is Le Melange. I think they are also in South Florida. I have not placed an order with them so I don't know about their supplies. But, they do have a variety.

http://www.lemelange.com/index.html

hth - J

If you haven't seen it before, check out Susan Nichols blog

http://www.swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/

She has a wealth of information on that site, it does take some looking but it's there. She has a lot of things in topics on the right side. There are also free PDF's for download and several she offers with donation. I have her Lotion Making 101 and Anhydrous Products books and they are wonderful.

Also, the Indie Beauty Network has a link at the top called Regulatory Resources. It provides information about safe costmetic practices, labeling, etc. I'm trying to find the rest of my documentation. My harddrive bit the bullet not too long ago and I lost a lot of stuff that I kept electronically. Including my candle making notes. And yup, I'm an idiot, I didn't keep a backup or put it on my external drive. And, I know better....

I am putting another list together for some more oils. I am definitely going to get a lb of the Pumpkin Spice as well as the Butterscotch Bread Pudding (based on the review of others). This is becoming a long thread so I am hoping someone might chime in and spare me from having to read through all 17 pages. Has anyone tested with the maple syrup? I believe someone said it smelled like french toast. Was that an oob review only, or has it been tried in wax, and is it strong? Also, I noticed a creamy caramel on his website. Has anyone tried that one, or is that one of the new ones that he added today?

thanks,

Dessa

Dessa,

In case you didn't see it, if you look at the bottom of Page 12 and the top or Page 13, Sue was kind enough to assemble all the reviews to that point. That way you won't have to read all the pages. Might help you out some.

J

Ah, they have an Egyptian Musk. Wonder if it's as good as OT? I absolutely love hers but shipping is a killer.

I couldn't find them either. I see a Grim Reaper and a Skull plug-in under Electric Oil Burners, but no Witch.

When I called him about an order mix-up, I talked to him for a little bit. He is in the process of building a B&M store in Kennesaw and carrying other home fragrance supplies. I asked about wax, containers, etc and he hadn't really given that any thought. Right now he is a home business and does not have the space. I mentioned that there are quite a few of us in the area and it would be wonderful if we could pick up some of these supplies and save on shipping. He is aware that Alabaster had closed but not that it's now Community Candle. He probably has his hands full at the moment with getting the store completed and filling orders. But, I think he was open to the idea. Maybe if enough of us suggest/request it he will consider it.

Spinning Display Rack, maybe?

Rotating Counter Display....

darrell, I think our orders were mixed up. I got your Amish Harvest and Sweet Pea and you got my Home Sweet Home. He didn't have HSH in stock when he shipped out my order initially, so that bottle was the last of mine. Glad to hear that it's a nice fragrance. I grabbed some one ouncers of the Amish Harvest. I think you are really going to like that one as well. I'm not a foodie scent person and I like it.

Luis has been very responsive to emails and phone calls and I think he's kind of crowded with inventory right now. He told me that they are in the process of building a retail store and will carry a few more items as well. So, is probably very busy with construction and trying to keep up with orders.

Haven't had a chance to try anything in wax or B&B, but liking the results others are getting. I'm glad to hear the scents are a little more complex once they are put into product. One fragrance I picked up that hasn't been mentioned is Gold Egyptian Musk. This has to be the thickest fragrance I have ever seen. It's the consistency of honey. Although he has it listed as working in wax, I wonder what it might do to the wick. It's a very light scent OOB and I hope it develops in soap, lotion or wax.

I've about given up asking DH's opinion on fragrance. Everything I ask him about he says smells like soap. He even does that with my perfume, not one's that I have made. The ONLY two fragrances that isn't soap to him is Lilac or Bert's Redwood and Cedar. It's almost like a running joke now.

Wow, thanks for all the info, this is great. And, just what I need, another place to buy FO's!!

Ok, these comments are just from my experience. I know others have different results. If you have read other threads, you will see that what works for one person may not work for another. So, testing, testing and more testing is the only way. Which is what you are doing. Unfortunately, the Search function is not working on the site and it's very difficult to find the discussions on these topics. That would be very helpful. There is a lot of excellent information on this board, just hard to find right now.

As you probably know, 464 is a container wax. It is pretty soft and designed to adhere to the container. Adding the higher melt point wax, 415, is a little helpful, not sure the 4630 will do much in that regard. But, both of those are also container waxes. Stearic also helps.

I think you will have better results if you come up with a formula using a pillar blend like Ecosoya PB. That wax is designed for pillars, votives and tarts, so it is a harder wax that pulls away from the mold. That will also help your tarts come out of the clamshell as well and not crumble, which I assume yours might be doing. I think I remember some people use just container wax for their tarts with no issues. I haven't had any luck with that.

Now, for me, using just straight PB for melts, I could not get the hot throw I wanted. But, it definitely makes the tarts firm, pop out of the clamshells and break apart the way I want. So, I started adding 464 to the PB until I got the firmness and the hot throw that I wanted. Me, I like to use color. And, 464 does frost and morph. Especially after it sits for a while. To help with that, I add a little 4630 to the mix, 10% or less.

So, I now have a formula using all three waxes, I can usually keep the FO percentage to 9 or 10% instead of 12%, and the melts pop out of the clamshell nicely and break apart clean. I don't get the sink holes, frosting or morphing. And, no crumbles.

At least they did until I tried to tweak my recipe just a little too much this last time. :rolleyes2 I upped the 464 percentage and made it too soft again. But, that is why we are supposed to keep good notes and test!

Hope that helps - J

Look at Elements Bath and Body. They actually have several on clearance.

http://www.elementsbathandbody.com/Bargain-Close-outs!-c-121.html

Or Bramble Berry

http://www.brambleberry.com/Hearts-Love-C82.aspx

If you are wanting silicone molds, try Cookware Kitchen, the have one, or Van Yulay. More expensive but unique.

http://thecookwarekitchen.com/sm-110rd-silicone-heart-pan.html

http://www.vanyulay.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=27

Paul, don't know if you have seen these on the MW website or not. If it is a fragrance she has carried previously, there is a box on the fragrance detail page with testing results in different products. She does test in soy, usually GB415. She generally lists the wax, wick, container, percentage and cure time. Maybe that will help you out. Kind of like the leaf rating at CS.

I use a PB/464 blend with a little of the 4630. I get exellent hot throw and no frosting, morphing or wet spots. I tweaked my recipe a little and, although the melts still come out of the clamshell, the wax is a little softer so doesn't break as clean as I would like. Going to up the PB percentage again in the next batch. Sometimes I don't know when to just leave well enough aone!

Bummer, I was hoping to actually have a supplier with great oils that I could drive to. I was looking forward to trying their fragrances. I picked up some of the Select Shades and still learning how to use. So far I really like them. Just have to get the color blending down.

Wellington has Feng Shui and Zodiac fragrances.

Has anyone tried Dark Knight yet?!!! Rhonda had the best Bay Rum at Flickers and Elements didn't pick it up. Sounds like her Dark Knight would be an even better more potent sub.

I bought a sample at one time and used it in M&P. One of my co-workers buys Bay Rum soap and she really liked the fragrance. I think you could probably cut back on your normal usage because it is a bit strong. Rhonda definitely has a knack for kicking things up a notch. Even though I may not like all of her fragrances, I can appreciate the complexities.

eta: I just saw a fragrance she added called Winter in Briarwood. Anyone ever try that? Sounds awesome. As does Bella and Enchantment.

Paul, she may bring Winter Festival back closer to fall/winter. That is when I picked some up. It's a pine scent but has other notes in it as well, just can't remember what they are. A very good Christmas scent. Elements has one called Rocky Mountains which is very nice as well. Not sure if it's the same as the MW oil.

Is the Olive Blossom from Elements the same as the Floral Muse she now has? That is a very nice oil. I just got a sample of the Sugar Cookie Royale to test in incense for her. I'm not a foodie person but this actually smells pretty darn good. There is a spicy top note that you can really smell OOB. Ditto on the Merlin's Forest. Also love the Patchouli Passion and Winter Festival (not on the site).

Pleasureridge - I missed your post, sorry about that. Thank you for the info. Might grab a couple when they open and see how they work for me.

I'm thinking IPM would not be a good substitute for DPG in incense. I checked the MSDS at Lotioncrafter for both products. The flashpoint for the IPM is 150 degrees. For the DPG, 280 degrees. I know that DPG is used as a wetting agent to help the fragrance spread and it helps with the black smoke.

I'm really not sure how important the flashpoint would be on incense. How hot is the burning tip? No idea, good question. I know for fragrance burner oils, I use DPG to raise the flashpoint of the fragrance oils. So, to me, IPM would not work for that. I would think the same would hold true for incense.

Tony's (SGS) Dragon's Blood is excellent. As is Moonworks Ancient Incense or Witches Brew. I love her Merlin's Forest and Patchouli Passion, but those are probably a little to light and sweet. I'm sure I have more, just can't think of them right now.

I've been wanting to try the one they sell at Lotioncrafters. It's kinda pricey, but you can adjust the bevel and it looks like it would be fairly easy to clean.

http://www.lotioncrafter.com/pdf/soap_beveller.pdf

I'm hoping to be able to do the same. By the time I started making candles Alabaster was already having issues. So, never ordered any supplies from them. Would be nice to drive to a supplier to get wax and containers. They had a very nice color selection of dye, anybody used it and liked it?

I don't know if anyone knows for sure. In another thread someone found an address in the Cart Problems link which was:

5651 Hamstead Crossing

Raleigh, NC 27612

Phone: (919) 7959

So, maybe they are moving the location to NC. Would be nice if it stayed in the Bama area. Would be easier for me to actually drive to the warehouse. Here is the link from the thread in the business section.

http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?98778-Alabaster-Update

J