ProudMarineMom

marcuset, thank you so much for the compliment! When I see all the beautiful soap everyone does in the B&B Gallery, I think to myself 'I'll just take my soap and go sit over here, thank you'. Some very talented people on this board.

Steve, baby powder isn't actually all that strange. I LOVE Peaks Black Canyon which reminds me sometimes of baby powder. I still have some CS Baby Powder left. I'll try to blend some on a test strip when I have a chance, let you know how it turns out. I'm really liking what it did with the Sweet Amber Musk. Strip smells every better today. This might turn out to be a versatile oil.

moonshine, let us know how it turns out in the wax for you. Not sure when I might get to that.

I bought 2 sample packs of each last time they had this sale. So, unless they have changed anything, shouldn't be a problem.

This is mellowing out in the soap very nicely. Not quite the same as the scent on the test strip, but getting there. I would love to try this in an after shave lotion/balm to see what it does. Need a couple of more ingredients for that.

I am pleasantly surprised by the Oakmoss and Amber/Sweet Amber Musk test strip. That actually turned out very nice. Sweet Amber Musk is a strong fragrance and that is definitely what you smell. But, the Oakmoss and Amber tones down the sweetness and adds some depth. Going to have to try that in soap as well.

So, anybody else had a chance to use this FO? What are your thoughts? I would also be interested on how it performs for someone in CP or HP.

I ordered it for the first time during the last sample sale. So, not sure what it supposed to smell like. It's a light scent but seems alright OOB. Color is pretty clear. I have two 1 ounce bottles you can have if you're in a pinch. I'm in Georgia, so not too far away.

I decided to add a bit of Sweet Amber Musk to the Oakmoss and Amber, just to see what I got. Did a 2:1, Oakmoss and Amber to Sweet Amber Musk. Set the test strip down and saw the other strip from Friday afternoon.

Maybe this FO needs a little more time to cure so both the notes have a chance to settle down and not fight each other. The Oakmoss is subtle, the Amber rounds it out and it smells wonderful. A clean fragrance, a little woodsy, a little masculine. One of those scents you kinda wonder what's in it. If my M&P smells anything like that tomorrow, I will probably be in love with this scent.

So, thinking the Sweet Amber Musk will spoil the fragrance. Will have to wait and see.

Honestly, I really think it does. But, I might not be able to tell the different notes. I love White Lily and Amber from Peaks and Sweet Amber Musk from AH which is why I don't think that Amber note is really coming through. Wish I could Wonkavision you a bar to get your opinion.

'Course I've had a bad case of bronchitis and probably candle nose so I could be out in left field....

I saw in their FAQ that they might bleed in M&P due to the high water content. Was curious about that as well. Maybe someone who has used them would have a better idea.

Question: Will the colors bleed in M&P Soap?

Answer: Probably. As M&P has a high water content.

Ok, got it some M&P and a bit undecided. Now, I did use a goat's milk base and that may not have helped. Also, don't think I used enough FO. It smells pretty strong OOB, so was afraid to go crazy in the soap.

The fragrance is nice, woodsy, bit of a mossy/earth scent. It did turn out nice in the soap. For me, I'm thinking it needs just a little something sweet and it will be amazing. Might be a good blending FO. Will have to get some to my testers, see what they think.

I tried to do a swirl but had too much of the colored soap. So I got clouds. :smiley2:

I have never ordered from Tradewinds, seemed like people were already having problems by the time I started playing with B&B stuff. So, am not familiar with Select Shades.

How does these compare to the Pops and other micas from TKB? Are the SS easier to work with since they are liquid? Just a different type colorant? Trying to figure out why you might prefer one over the other.

Thanks!

J

Not familiar with Between Friends Too, but have you looked at Camden Grey? They sell oils in smaller sizes and are pretty reasonably priced. They also have an $8.95 flat rate special if your order is 4lbs or less. The company is in the Miami area.

Or, The Herbarie? Also a very nice company, the owner is very sweet. Located in South Carolina. She sells quite a few of the oils starting at 1 oz.

I can recommend both of the companies above. Sorry if you've already familiar with them. That's one of the reasons I order from these places so I can get smaller quantities.

HTH.

J

Got my CS delivery at lunch. My first thought of Oakmoss and Amber OOB is a bit medicinal. Not horrible. I've learned from MW Witches Brew and some other fragrances not to judge strictly OOB.

I put some on a fragrance strip. Dry down is much better. The woodsy mossy smell of the Oakmoss definitely comes through. Haven't decided if it overpowers the Amber or enhances it. I'm still not very good and discerning scents.

Made a little warmer oil and have that burning. The fragrance is growing on me. Reminds me more of a men's cologne than a unisex fragrance. Going to try and get it into some M&P before DH gets home.

I'm thinking it might be one of those scents you either love it or hate it. But, I could be wrong. Hopefully, someone else will chime in with their thoughts.

Understand what you mean, she has so much information on her blog it makes your head spin.

I bought that book as well and I agree with you, absolutely love it! Wish she had a page with all the links she mentions. I like to make the whipped butters and really like kokum and kpangnan. So, would be nice to see what her adjusted percentages are for the harder butters. Will have to experiment and figure it out myself.

Good luck with a recipe for your son.

green-tangerine,

Glad to hear that is working for you. I finally picked up some bottles from a plastics place I found online. Between being sick and having surgery, haven't had a chance to try out my new bottles. I hope they work just as well for me.

As an fyi, the place I bought my bottles from is a place called U S Plastic. I got a couple of the wide-mouth LDPE bottles, a couple of bottles with pumps, several sizes of the ribbed flip-top lids and some beakers. Shipping was very reasonable as well. Much better than what I was going to get from the restaurant supply. They have a lot of different type items.

http://www.usplastic.com/

laura,

Don't know if you've been out to the SwiftCraftyMonkey site, but she's got a lot of information on her blog. Should be able to do some good research there if you haven't seen it. Below is a link where she talks about anti-oxidents including Vitamin E. I know I have seen other topics where she covers tocopherols and just about anything else you want to know. Just takes some digging.

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2009/04/anti-oxidants.html

Hopt that helps you out some.

J

I like the white labels as well. Have you tried just a simple thin border around the edge like your tart labels? Or, does it crowd the wording to much. Maybe a watermark if your label program supports that.

Really do like the blue cardstock on the hang labels. Like brudil said, if you can add a background to the white labels and reduce the opacity maybe you can get a look similiar to the cardstock. Should look very nice.

I like the one I get from Candle Chem. It's a sweeter spicer fragrance that is amazing in glass glow. A very strong fo. Smells totally different than the one I have from Nature's Garden. That one is definitely more fruity and, to me, I also get a coconut smell. Although that isn't listed.

I would be interested in what others have to say as well.

My order should be here on Friday. I'll try to get this in some M&P and candles and post my thoughts. Thinking it might do nice in incense too. Will try to do as soon as I can but I'm recovering from surgery and not supposed to really do anything for a couple of weeks. Will have to sneak it in while DH is at work...

Around here they mostly have the Wilton molds. So, it's either the mini brownie bite, cupcake and the like. Haven't really seen their candy sized molds. The Wilton molds are very nice, heavy weight and work great. My only problem is getting bath melts or sugar scrub cubes out cleanly. The ends break off because the mold is pretty stiff.

These molds are also nice but lighter in weight. Real easy to pop things out. Plus, they have quite a few sizes and shapes that I can't find locally. I also like them because the inside of the mold is smooth and not matte. So, everything comes out nice and shiny.

You can't go wrong with Peaks. They have very nice oils. I use 464, not 444, but some of my (and my testers) favorites are:

Asian Sandalwood

Black Canyon (very strong)

Botanical Orchard and Nectar

Caramel Apple

White Lily and Amber

J

I never smelled the original Dragon's Blood, so I don't have a basis for comparison to the original. But, have used the FO from both Tony and Candle Science as well as Nature's Garden.

I love this FO from Tony's. It has that very nice musky/sandalwood fragrance and you can really smell the sweetness from the orange and cedar.

Candle Science OOB you can definitely smell the patch and then the musk/sandalwood. The sweet notes are more faint. If you were to pick the bottle up and sniff, you would think 70's fragrance. It does well in wax but I haven't soaked this in incense yet nor tried a side-by-side test with Tony's.

I'm not sure how 'close' I would call them. If you were using the FO straight, you could definitely tell the difference. Maybe in a blend the differences would be more subtle. But, you'll have to test to see what it does to your recipe. My preference would be Tony's. Depth and richness, those are very good descriptions for his FO.

Saw that earlier today. I'm so ordering it!!

Have you looked at the slide top tins from Elements Bath and Body? Would those maybe work?

http://www.elementsbathandbody.com/Tins-c-124.html

464? What type of wax is that?

Like others have said, 464, or GB464, is from Golden Brands and a container wax. Your post is in the Wickless forum but you are using CB Advanced, which is also a container wax. Wasn't sure if you were making tarts, containers or both.

Ecosoya does have a PB brand (Pillar Blend) which is used for pillars, tarts and votives. I mix the PB with the 464 to get a stronger HT from my melts. I tested many variations and that was the combo I was able to get to work best.

Like everyone said, do a search on the site and you will get TMI. But, it is good information and you can really learn from it. If you want to try some different waxes without breaking the bank, look at The Candlemakers Store and Aztec International. TCS sells soy wax by the pound and Aztec by the 5 lb bag. That way you can try several different waxes to find out what you like. Everybody has their favorite. But, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work the same for another. Like Queensh, she has had good results with the CB Adv, for me, I ended up with paperweights.

Also, if you haven't seen them yet, there are a couple of helpful links. One is the supplier abbreviations, with links to their websites. And, the other is Suppliers by State. Might be someone close to you. Always a plus.

Supplier Abreviations:

http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5492

Supplier by State:

http://www.suppliersbystate.com/

Hth. Good luck!!

J

Not sure what kind of theme you are going for, but how about Lick Me all Over, Butt Naked, Sex on the Beach, Strawberry and Champagne, Pleasures....

NG has a whole section of Kama Sutra scents as well.

I finally gave up on it. You can make a real pretty candle as long as you don't want any CT/HT. I never did find a scent that performed really well. There is a new brand called Ecosoya Excel that some had good results with. If you search in the Vegetable Wax forum you should find quite a few of the testing threads.

Also, do a search in the forums on the different types of waxes. Lots of good discussions on why people chose a particular wax. That will help if you decide to try another brand.

After testing quite a few waxes I settled on 464. I'm now making a parasoy blend with 464 as my base. Even for my melts, I use 464 with Ecosoya PB to bring out the best in both waxes. It was a lot of trial and error and some choices I made for myself. As you will see in the treads, people get different results even when using the same wax. Just search the forums and keep testing. You'll get there!

J