Faerywren

Can't wait to see this one cut. War Eagle!

I didn't have any luck with them, but I didn't try them in the car just in the house.

I cook my soap in a crock pot. Once it is at the "apple sauce" stage I take the crock away from the heat and add liquid glycerin. I can swirl and layer and do anything with my soap at this stage. It is very smooth and when left to set in my wooden molds, the heat is retained and makes a very smooth soap.

I've wondered about them too. But I'm so reticent to order from a company I know nothing about.

When I test I usually make 2 or 3 candles. With my containers, that is about a pound of wax (I use a blend of soy and paraffin). I make sure the scent throw is strong and that the wick performs well. Keep in mind that some scents are soft and delicate (powdery florals, for instance) and won't blow the doors off no matter what. Other scents are strong and can be used at a lower percentage. As others have mentioned, it's an expensive hobby and you won't make money with it right off. It is fun, though, and when you get all the variables right and make a great candle, it's a rush.

Vetiver is a wonderful earthy smell that can add depth and that "extra something" that certain blends are missing. I like it in masculine blends with sandalwood and tobacco but it is equally wonderful in feminine blends that seem too flowery or sweet and need to be brought down a notch. Experiment with it a bit.

I buy my blanks from Oak Court Creations. I have stamped them with my logo after the FO has dried/soaked into the blank. I've used the blanks as drawer sachets, too.

The Peak one is close if not identical. I want to say it's listed on our fragrance dupes list. I love this one, too.

Germaben II is the preservative I use for water based recipes.

Oh, and I wanted to add. More FO won't guarantee a killer throw. Sometimes it leads to funky fuel smells etc. Good luck!

I'll have to check an see exactly how much I have left of my Fata Morgana and Provence, but if I have enough, I'll sacrifice it to be duped. I can talk to JoAnna from Mad Oils or whoever else ya'll recommend I send it to!

Just my 2 cents on this topic. 2 oz of FO per pound is really unnecessary. Most of us, myself included, stick to the 1 oz per pound rule primarily because it's cost effective. If I can't get great throw from 1 oz per pound, I'm pitching that fragrance and trying something else. As OldGlory mentioned in an earlier response, some fragrances are just softer, no matter what you do they will still be soft. The Grace fragrances from Philosophy (Pure Grace, Baby Grace etc) come to mind. They are just naturally subdued, light smells. My personal blend of wax is 50/50 soy and paraffin that I blend myself. I have some tarts that last almost a week (Berry Bewitching Brew from NG!) on a hot plate warmer. While some start off gang busters but mellow out for the rest of their melt.

I also live in Alabama and over the years the humidity has "killed" many a pretty bar of soap! I started using SFIC low sweat bases and so far, so good! I have a couple test bars I made that have been sitting on the counter for months without one sweat bead! I haven't tried the low sweat clear base, just the white.

I'm always impressed by folks that can get swirls and pretty techniques to work in M&P. It seems less forgiving than CP to me. You made some gorgeous soaps! I love the sweet potato and brown sugar one the best, but they are all pretty! Good job!

Curlycoat2, I recently read an article on Modern Soapmaking about natural colorants that featured you! Nice to see you here!

I used to use the multi spray concentrate from WSP, but it's been discontinued. I also liked the base from the Candlemaker's Store, but shipping on the gallon jugs got to be too expensive. I'm going to be testing some I got from Just Scent soon. It's a 16 ounce bottle that makes over a gallon of spray when mixed with distilled water. We'll see how it goes!

I do my own blend, basically because I started out with pure soy and hated it so I tinkered with the formula and added paraffin. I'm sure a preblend would be great for my needs but I don't want to go through testing again.

I found lessening the wax helped with glide. I had to tinker with my percents of liquid and solid oils and butters but finally got a ratio I liked.

I like the idea of a tin or rusted heart around the neck, or maybe a star? And burlap with some tea dyed lace would look really nice!

I've bought mine from Brambleberry and Wholesale Supplies Plus

I use one from NG that is really nice. I think it's Lemon Sugar, though, but it definitely has a vanilla note to it. I also use their 7Up Pound Cake which is a lovely citrus vanilla bakery scent.

I know you've probably said before, but what colorants do you use?

Oh Cracklin' Birch is so good. As is 7 Up Poundcake and Berry Bewitching Brew.

Fata Morgana is a favorite of mine, too. I also loved their Forest Muse and London Lemon Curd. I know someone associated with the Scent Works used to be active on the Dish Forum but I haven't been on there in years.

I have a few FOs from Candlemaker's Store that I absolutely love (Blackberry Amber, Fir Clove, Midnight Pomegranate to name a few) but I have found that their dupes are notoriously bad. Like horrible! I bought a sample of their Twilight Woods dupe and it smelled like that WindSong perfume that my mom wore in the '70s!