Bette

OK enablers - I need a list of no more than 6 FOs to get at Oregon Trails...

1. Kauai Ginger Blossom

2.

probably not better late than never but here goes:

Assuming you like florals, these are outstanding:

2. Tiare Blossom

3. Hibiscus

4. Heavenly Heather (this one is surprising sweet and really screams

PURPLE at me!)

5. Rice Flower & Shea (Actually a strong, excellent dupe and sticks like

crazy at 1 oz pd.)

6. Damascus Rose - incredible

Subs (hehe love loopholes):

Chai Tea: This is one of the few scents that I've ever tried in soap and candles that I've never felt a need to test someone else's. This one is perfect.

Yuzu: Ditto what I said about Chai.

Passionfruit & Melon: An absolute must try.

Amarretto Royale: You'll get drunk just sniffing.

Um, I think I'll stop now, or not . . .

OT also has the Oakmoss of all oakmosses and ditto on the sapmoss.

And the african gardenia - stick perfecto.

It's best I stop for sure this time. Hehe, you've probably already ordered, huh?

Looking for a fabulous Hawaiian White Ginger to use in B&B primarily, maybe someday for a candle...

If you are looking for something authentic, Oregon Trails has an excellent Ginger named Kauai Ginger Blossom. It's amazing in both CP and soy candles. I've tried JS's, assuming it's the same as the old Missy's. It's okay, I guess, if you haven't smelled and lived around the real thing.

The dump cake and Hummingbird throw very well in soy wax. It's been a while since I tried them but neither screamed "buy a pound" like NG's butter brickle, crystal blue waters and old fashioned banana pudding did for me. The Hummingbird did come close, tho.

Just ran thru Millers - 8.3 lye and 18.3 ozs water. Is this why it goofed?

Carole - Actually, your recipe is fine. I would have kept it in the mold longer - at least 24 hrs made with this recipe. The water discount will probably help it cure faster. The recipe is on the soft side tho, IMO. It will probably need a good, long cure (6-8 weeks) to harden up. Give it at least another 24 hrs before you try to cut.

In any event, you're in range and your soap will be really nice after a good long cure.

HTH

Please, can we not talk about the other post? I am speaking generally here and not talking about the last post that got out of hand.

Opinion on this instance (one of the problems I am having right now) -

USPS took the package last week and it still has not arrived to the destination. Customer has emailed asking why the package is not there.

What would you do in this instance? This is technically not my fault, but I have to admit guilt - yes?

The shipping always gets me and I never know what to do.

1. Always, if using USPS, pay the extra 50 cents for delivery confirmation.

2. Did you promise delivery by xmas? If no and you know you sent it, not guilty, IMO. It's xmas time, it could be in China right now. They will get it.

3. Clear policies on insuring shipping. Customer doesn't want to pay the extra, then it needs to be clear from the get go that they assume the risk. Sorry for bringing up the other thread, but this would probably have saved you from a lot of grief.

4. Consider consequences and chose the one you can live with.

JMO.

I was just thinking about this sentence and you know if you are a mother for years and years and years and you suddenly have a problem with one of your children - does it make you a bad mother?? Most mothers get help to try to see what is wrong.

I have terrible cs skills, I am the first to admit it and I need help. Does that make me a bad business person? I don't think so at all!

OK here we go. Sticking with your analogy, does it make you a bad mother, you ask. Answer: No it does not but it doesn't follow that therefore you are a good mother, either. Indeed, up to that point, you have been a lucky mother whose luck just ran out.

So back to the thread and advice on improving your CS. Speaking strictly as a customer, your analogy hits the target - good v. bad. Either you know which is which, or you don't. Assuming your customer is a liar = bad. Offering an immediate refund = good, especially if we're talking a lousy $14. Like others have said, treat your customers like you would want to be treated assuming you do not like being treated badly. Think about it and please, keep your spit to yourself.

It's always nice to get some tips on special service, and to learn about special vendors that do something extra special.

Good customer service for me is never needing it. While it's very important that someone be there if I have a problem, I want service that is problem free. So good service means great packaging, a flawless inventory system so they've always got product in stock and I get it.

Robin, while I hail your ideals, let's have a reality check here, shall we? I'd have to wait til I'm dead and in heaven to have perpetually "problem free" and "flawless" sales transactions. Maybe we should start beaming products to customers? The only way in this life to get what you describe would be NEVER TO ORDER ANYTHING. Laughing with you hun, not at you.

Well, here's another for you - Wix n Wax's Gourmet Creme Brulee. It's more the sweet, vanilla type to me. It's the first one I tried when they just called it CB. Still love it the best.

Agree that JBN and KY's are pretty interchangeable. Both are great tho, with an awesome throw, a little on the carmelly side, in soy, the wax seems to go a carmelly color, too, without dyes.

Another one you'll need to try is Nature Garden's Butter Brickle, if you like these sweet, nummy vanilla buttery great throw in soy kind of scents. It reminds me of WNW's CB. But both turn my soy a bright yellow without coloring, LOL.

I've got to try NG's CB next time, since the BB is so good.

HTH

standouts for me are

Wildberry Crisp

Cherries and Chestnuts

Birthday Cake

Orange Chiffon Cake

KY's is the best birthday cake type scent I've come across.

Also fabulous, if you don't already have one you love:

Creme Brulee

Cumumbers & Cantaloupe

Coconut Creme Pie

I have oregon trails and do not recall having a problem CPing with it. Had enough time for a swirl anyway and water discounted. I actually sold off the rest of my SW after finding this one.

HTH

Hi Bette!

Welcome to the board!

I agree with you on many of these! I was curious about something----do you know of there is a similar scent to CC gooey caramel out there? I have found good replacements for many of their scents, but this one is a keeper!

Thank you for the welcome, CC!

I love the ooey gooey, LOL! If Aroma Haven now carries Longwyck's Caramel, I think that would sub well. It's an awesome caramel in soy, IMO.

B

A lot of suppliers do buy the same stock fragrances from the same manufacturers. I recall a few years back being told by a supplier that a lot of TCS, Missy's and King House's scents were the same (she was quite amused that I preferred one supplier's fo over hers when it was the same fo, and yeah, it is pretty funny when folks fight over which one's better when you know they're the same). I'd imagine that would now be TCS, JS and Keystone with at least a handful of the same, to name some of probably many. If I'm all wrong, feel free to let me know!

Anyway, here are some more:

Magnolia Melba from Tony's, Summer Fling from BB and Mardi Gras from OT

Bayrum: OT & SW

Candy Corn: TCS, KS, CC, JS

China Rain: TCS, JS

Raisinbread, blahblahblah: WNW, JS, FOH

CC & Daystar: Vanilla Voodoo/Ultimate Vanilla

Twigs & Berries: NG, Steves

WNW creme brulee & NG's butter brickle - very similar. even yellows my soy wax the same way

Kitchen Spice - JS & Daystar

NG's Mrs. Claus Cookies and Day Star's Vanilla Bean Noel

adding: SC Watermelon = Day Star's Watermelon Martini

[ but when I ordered a pound of it... It just did not seem to throw as well???? It was very light...

I think this may have happened to you because their 1 oz samples are very generous. You may want to adjust by using a higher %. Their oils are so inexpensive, anyway.

Some of the ones I found initially weak in soy (I use KY's cottonseed blend) I've gone up to 12% and they absorb fine and throw well (I got the 12% idea from Taylored Concepts' recommendation). 12% may seem like alot but then again, the oils are inexpensive, the customer service is outstanding, so there's not much to lose but a lot of scent to gain if you're presently sitting on a pound you think is a dud.

HTH