Spellkast

I think JS's Silky Vanilla is pretty close to vanilla velvet....BUT could just be me!

Ah yes, LOL...then my recipe didnt help you one bit!!! What exactly is a foot balm, my dear? You've piqued my interest now!

NO, I test my oils in a soy/paraffin blend, but the wax tends to have soy characteristics and it has a great throw- so I suggest trying it! It's great...I LOVE chai and I seriously want to drink this stuff!

I don't think you have to have a special mold. I use one of those small loaf pans people make pumpkin bread in. It was $2 at walmart and it works fine! It makes the soap look like little pieces of bread, but you can trim them and it looks fine! HTH!

I just tried this the other day (since I use it for M&P) and it worked: I spray it with a little bit of rubbing alcohol and it kills all the bubbles..and the ones that are even thinking about coming to the surface!

Oh no, trish!!! I can't stand any more hormones!! And I'm still young!!! LOL...my husband has enough as it is..but I'm very, VERY excited to smell this coveted strawberry musk....anyway- on to the cause and effect.

Patchouli- induces vomiting

German Chocolate Cake-induces pantry raid

Midsummer Night (Drakkar)-induces teddy wearing thoughts

Flannel sheets- induces thoughts of just spritzing dirty clothes with this scent and hanging them back up in the closet due to laziness and pure hatred for laundry day

Chai Tea- induces wonderful flashbacks to college and drinking..chai teas, that is....

That's all for now, folks!

I LOVE it! I ordered two pounds after I tested it...it is the most dead on chai I've ever smelled (just like oregon chai, if you know what that is.) It's already a good seller and I've only finished testing it this week!!! It's very creamy, yet spicey...just mmm mmm good!!

Jamaica Me Crazy

Green Clover & Aloe

Mountain Lake

Lilac

German Chocolate Cake

Sugar Cookie

Juniper Breeze

Lovespell

Ocean

Pink Sugar

In my area, stuff with Emu Oil is just flying off the shelves. There was an article in our local paper about the benefits of it, and people are just snatching up stuff with emu oil now...you could probably make poo infused with emu oil and people would buy it to add to their healthy emu oil collection.

I've been looking into it, and MOST, not all, reps are considered independent contractors, which means that they are responsible for paying their own taxes. They are not considered to be your employee legally. So make sure they know this from the onset, and if they'd prefer to be considered an employee, make sure you get yourself a good lawyer who can write up legal documents for the rep to sign, and then YOU'RE responsible for taking taxes out of their paycheck. I personally am looking into having an independent rep who I pay a set commission to. I was thinking about 15% and DEFINITELY factor that into your wholesale cost, as already stated. I actually hired a friend of my cousin's who lives across the state recently to do home parties for me. We came to the agreement that she'll keep 15% of whatever she sells and she's responsible for the taxes on her earnings. But she will not be starting this until I get the proper legal paperwork together. You never know, even with family and friends, what may happen in the future...so make sure you have some good professionals to back you up!!! Good luck and congrats on being successful enough to need a rep!!!

I read (I think in robin's tutorial actually) that the soap will stick to wax paper- you want to use freezer paper which is different, or try just using a thick plastic garbage bag (I've used that with no problems whatsoever getting it out of the mold) I think it looks great!!! Much better than my first attempt!!! Good job!!

If you'd like to keep the soap clear, the only thing I've found that helps and doesn't kill the clarity of the soap TOO much is fractionated coconut oil. It's a very "dry" oil, but it helps my soap a bit with the drying aspect. Unfortunately, if you add more than 1 T. per pound, it tends to make the bar softer (I usually balance my soft oils with hard butters or the like, but they turn the bar colors instead of keeping it clear.) Do you have your heart set on clear? Because if not, you should try some shea butter base..that stuff is awesome and not at ALL drying!!! Hopefully someone else can chime in here with smoe better advice!!!

I use these cute little tins from wix end. They are about 1/2 oz each, and come with a see through lid to keep the scents from mingling. I love it!

http://www.atwixend.com/product_info.php?products_id=243&category_id=2

Ok guys! PM me your addresses!!!!! I'll send them out in a couple of weeks then...and Michelle- I just used a loaf mold (like the stuff I make my banana nut bread in) and lined it with a plastic bag from walmart...I'm so very impatient and I couldn't wait to have my husband make me a mold, and this worked perfectly. Held 2 lbs. of soap real well...I don't like the shape of the bars, but I'm thinking I'll just slice of the ends so they're rectangular. Thanks for all the kind words everyone!! I appreciate it so very much! :rolleyes2

Thanks guys...you sure did boost my confidence! I actually used 1 whole ounce of JS's Halo and then added a little bit more of Heavenly just because I couldn't smell a thing!

This one turned out a bit better- scented with ICS's Waterfall Mist...smells so gooooood! Anyone wanna be a tester? Pretty please?!?!

[ATTACH]4269[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]4268[/ATTACH]So very disappointing! Scented with JS's Halo and I can't smell a thing- then the ultramarine clumped (and you can see the little dots of pure dye in the pic.) It's really soft, too...hoping that will get better, but I can bend it and mold it...it's fun!

thanks guys!!! Maybe I'll try it tonight since my second batch turned out all right

I'm placing an order with them next week- if anyone would like for me to order some small stuff with it, lemme know!

Thank you SOOOOO very much!! I tried that, and it worked beautifully!! I had the most beautiful blue color! It probably won't stay that way, and the swirling didn't work too well. I used ICS's waterfall mist and it accelerated trace a LOT. So basically I poured the oil in, mixed for all of probably 30 seconds and it became pretty thick, so when I poured in my color, it sort of all stayed at the top and I had to mix most of it in, but it STILL was sitting a bit on the top..so when I poured it into the mold (couldn't wait any longer, it was like pudding,) all of the blue sank to the bottom. Hopefully it'll turn out ok!! Thanks again for the advice- it was a lifesaver! I feel much more confident now!!! You guys are great!

Has anyone tried Peak's Juniper Breeze in CP? I love this scent- but am scared it behaves badly (and since I'm brand spankin new, I really don't want some misbehavin' oil on my hands!!) Is it nice? Am I the only one who likes this scent? I haven't read ANYTHING about it!

Yes! That makes perfect sense!! Thank you so much, I'll try that! If it doesn't work...I'll just make Nekkid soap...all of the local soap makers do it that way, this board is the only place I've ever seen such beautiful soaps!

I think it is, but I order from Peak's because it's cheaper and it smells EXACTLY the same in B&B products and had a better throw in my wax than WSP's. HTH!

Thanks guys! So, it'll be easier to mix if I add the colors BEFORE adding the lye? I followed Robin's tutorial, (but she used some form of clay, I believe) and she added a bit to the end result before she added the scent. I'll try one more batch tonight with the ultramarine...and I'll see how it goes. I've seen other people on this board with BEAUTIFUL soaps with wonderful, bright colors and gorgeous swirls...just don't know how they did it!! But thank you- I will try again!

So mind if I ask what recipe you used? :-D Since mine was so stinky!