I'm being very productive ..

Soaping daily in an effort to stock up with quality soap I'm proud of .. Specifically Goats Milk & Oat Castiles, and Salt Spa Bars .. Occasionally a 'special treat' batch with more luxurious and expensive oils .. Or another experimental one in my endless effort to create luscious lather without CO, PKO, &/or skin irritation *sigh*

And likewise I'm doing my tried and trusted (popular) fragrances, then some unique (experimental) blends of my own .. Has anyone soaped Daystar's 'Black Tea' with 'Jasmine' (I think mine is from Natures Garden) before ? The tea morphs in my GM soap so I'm doing it in a salty this time round .. I also tried adding some 'Salty Sailor' to the mix, but so far prefer the straight 1:1, it's smoky sexy heaven in an after shower body mist!

Another I'm liking is Clothes Line mixed with some heady Honeysuckle - it kind of takes you out of the laundry to where you're hanging the last on the line and mooching around the garden deciding if you should get to work or sit down and have a cuppa in the sun first .. At least that's where it takes my mind :D

Playing with scents is so much fun - all sorts of memories are flooding back, and I'm using them to create even more fragrances that somehow depict my life - is that even possible, to 'depict' with aroma alone? lol ..


Anyone regularly blend there own EO's or FO's ?? I'd love to hear about your favs if you're willing to share - you can email me if you don't want to post public ;)

Black Raspberry 'n Vanilla Créme

This is one of the fragrances that really impressed me when I did the Vanilla trials (more of which I'll be posting asap) .. And guess what? It also rocks in Milk Soaps!

The colours were an experiment and not exactly what I was aiming for - however I'm not complaining given that Hot Pink (which started out Neon Purple) is no longer the 80's Fluro Orange it was when I unmoulded this batch!!!


~ Goats Milk & Oat Meal Castile ..

I really can't wait for 6months to try this - but I will .. It smells soooooo good ♥

Daystar L*sh Dupes ..

I'm going to start by saying I have never seen nor smelt anything from a Lush store - but I do regularly use some of the dupes of their fragrances .. Susan was asking about this yesterday but I was having server issues and couldn't respond, so I started to type this up and figured might be helpful to others if I shared it here ..

Invigoration (aka Avobath, Avabathe, & Ava's Bath)
is a divine, uplifting, scent .. Only it doesn't play nice in the pot! I've had major acceleration troubles with this, but I've battled it with good results so it's possible - just be prepared and take precautions ..

Galaxy of Stars (aka Super Nova, & Champagne Snow Showers)
reminds me of candy musk sticks, and I often end up having to go buy a packet to munch on when I use it :P I really like this, it soaps well, sticks in there forever (talking 1+years), and doesn't discolour ..

Kazi-Kazi (aka Karma, & Kama Kazi)
is another well behaved personal favourite of mine, and I always have a bar of this in the bathroom .. No discolouration issues either ..

Fishnet Pantyhose (aka You Crack the Whip, & Snap The Whip)
OMG(osh) it's good in lotions, butters & creams!! This is going to sound crazy, but you know the icing in-between liquorice all-sorts? That's what this scent is to me *yummy* I haven't soaped it yet, but Daystar says it won't discolour - My supplier says it does ?? Will update you on this soon as I get more to play with!

Toffee-Sugar Crunch (aka Honey I Washed the Kids)
is another I've tried, and though it behaved well I don't like the scent at all .. Some say it discolours slightly but mine didn't ..

I also have a bunch of sample sized bottles waiting to be soaped:

Jasmine-Honey (aka Flying Fox, & Godiva)
*My supplier: "Some people have experienced acceleration while others haven't so be prepared just in case. No discolouration noted" *DS says no A no D
- will update ..

Liquid Crack (aka Rock Star)
*My suppliers says no A no D, DS says "Creamy Peach Discolouration"
- will update ..

Blue Bubblegum Crush (aka Candy Fluff, & Candy Crush)
*My supplier says no A, D? *DS says no A, D to medium beige
- will update ..

Coco Loco Mama (aka Floating Island, Floating Oasis)
*My suppliers says"No acceleration noted, discolours brown", *DS no A, Medium D
- will update

I think I have a couple of others too but I'm feeling particularly blah tonight so I'm not going out to look for them sorry .. I will post here as I use them though and let you know how they behave ..

Please share your own experiences using the L*sh dupes in the comments, soaping or B&B .. I'm sure it would be appreciated by myself and anyone else who happens to stop by for a look-see :)

And because a post wouldn't be the same without a photo
(special batch for my daughter):

Patti Rocks!

How lucky am I ?? Answer: Very!!

My wonderful friend Patti sent me this awesome care package that arrived today, and I didn't waist a minute opening everything to sample and sniff :P


The Lip Balm is Mmmmmm, goes on buttery and doesn't leave my lips all gloss (I don't like gloss so YAY!) and the Lemon Sugar Solid Scrubs - love this scent, love nice and scritchy, and it didn't leave my tub slippery at all .. Excellent Formulas!

Can't wait till the boy goes to school tomorrow to try the Bubble Bar!!

THANK-YOU Soooooooooo MUCH! {{{hugs}}}

Hunting & Fishing Bars ..

The sun make an appearance today, after almost a week of rain and I was determined to finally take photo's of my latest (? actually it's not but eh, lol) - my latest non-experimental batch of CP :)

So I decided to head down the beach to give it a little test run and the best part of all was it was high tide when I got there - so naturally I jumped in the kayak ..





Anise Essential Oil is used to mask the scent of human, as well as attract fish to bait - teamed with Coconut Oil, the only 'saponified fat' (Soap) able to lather in salt water .. Embeds of Green Castile, Charcoal & Black Tea ..


They're actually balanced on an old post sticking up out of the water :P

Friday Fun & Frustrations ..

I've been having a wonderful morning, trimming bars and making new batches .. My house smells soooo good - Anise, Peppermint, Lavender, & Eucalyptus all merged into one big olfactory delight!

To start with I set to work on some Anise Hunter & Fisher Bars:

Only it decided to do the partial gell thing so I had to throw it in the oven and play on & off with the thermostat and timer, and thankfully was able to get a full gell going ..


And then I started trimming my EucyPepperLav bars from the other week - they're full of Olive, Avocado, Castor & Shea, so take some time to set up right .. This is my absolute favourite Essential Oil blend and I use it for just about everything, in the tub, washing machine, room spray, soap etc .. Only trouble is it had a purple swirl along with the green when I first made it, yet the grape pop mica just won't work for me like it does for others ?! Not to worry - these are my private stash, yep soap just for MEEEE!!

The other trouble I've had this morning is it's dark and grey outside (awesome thunderstorms) which I actually LOVE, but it means no good light for photo's ..

Ahh well, in real life it's a lovely warm yellow thanks to the Avocado & Olive, but the scent is particularly cooling so this lack-lustre pic is accurate in that sense ..

~ Wishing You All a Wonderful Week-End ♥

Calculating SAP By Hand ..

I had a long power-cut the other day and it brought home just how important it is to know how to do this ..

OIL	FORMULA %	WEIGHT	SAP Value	NaOH NEEDED
Olive Oil	65	1300 x	.134	= 174.2
Coconut Oil	15	300 x	.183	= 54.9
Shea Butter	15	300 x	.128	= 38.4
Castor Oil	5	100 x	.128	= 12.8
TOTAL NaOH				280.3
REMOVE LYE DISCOUNT (aka) SUPERFAT	eg: 5% SF X.95	OR - 5%		= 266.28gm

So all you have to do is work out your oil weight, and multiply that with the specific oils SAP Value ..

Do this for all the oils in your formula and then add them all up ..

Then remove your desired Lye Discount % either by multiplying or dividing ..

Again it's just the oil weight multiplied by it's SAP Value:
1300gm Olive x .134 SAP Value = 174.2gm NaOH ..
Then remove your Superfat %

And just in case your supplier can't provide the SAP for your oils (they will alter slightly with each batch), here are some sites you can get a general range from - print these out and store somewhere safe!!

Oh, and make sure you get the NaOH SAP not the KOH SAP, unless you're making liquid soap!
*click links*
{ SoapCalc.net }
{ soaperschoice.com }
{ soapguild.org }

- o0o - o0o - o0o - o0o - o0o - o0o - o0o - o0o - o0o - o0o - o0o - o0o - o0o

Now your Water is the total Lye amount divided by the % you want your solution strength to be, and then multiplied by the remainder of the the 100(%) ..

28% LSS (28/72)
30% LSS (30/70)
33% LSS (33/67)
35% LSS (35/65)
38% LSS (38/62)
40% LSS (40/60)

So for a 33% LSS using the above recipe:
[b]266.28 ÷ 33% : 806.90 x 67% : 540.62ml[/b]

Or if you go to Soapcalc and type in your desired Lye Solution Strength eg: 33% - it will give you the Lye to Water ratio .. So if you have that you can just multiply it with your Lye weight ..


Hope This Helps Someone :D

So Damn Unpretty ..

Well I must have made some kind of sense in my last post because I got some lovely comments ((hugs)) to my beautiful friends!

You really put a smile on my face :D

No doubt this will read a little hodge-podge too because while everything flows as one in my head, I don't know that I express myself as well with words .. So forgive me if it's a little random or cryptic - that's just how I think ..

OK, lets start with some background music:


The title above is because I've been making some damn ugly skin-care products of late .. And honestly, I really don't care what it looks like so long as works how I want it to!

Basically what happened was I was researching Bubble Bars and somehow came upon all these L*sh Videos on YT .. They don't have a store here so I've never seen/smelt/used anything L*sh (though I do have some FO dupes), and I was absolutely blown away by their HUGE following .. That of course lead me to take a look at their website, and I was even more shocked at their prices - cleanser selling for 17.90 per 100gm - that's $179 kg!!! Totally insane because it's nothing more than Almonds/Clay/Glycerine & a few EO's/Botanicals lol ..

Oh Oh and I quote: "Preservatives are by nature poisonous, and have more to do with profit, supply chains and convenience than healthy hair and skin, or the environment." WTF? They're kidding right??

Yeah Right, well I decided to make this expensive cleanser myself with the addition of extra skin-loving goodies like White Willow Bark Extract & Hydrolysed Wheat Protein .. It cost me, oh maybe $3 for 100gm .. Plus it took only 15 minutes which including going to town to buy organic almonds and grinding them!

What do you think of my lovely L*sh knock-off ?

Yeah I know, I know, it's as ugly as ... well, poop! But theirs is grey, and most reviews say it stinks bad - mine smells great :D

These are also messy as a mud pie to use (tweaking can easily fix that so why didn't L*sh bother??), but my intention is not to rag on L*sh - honestly .. I just want to show how easy it is to make and how cheap! And surprisingly it works really well - Seriously!

I made this on Monday I think it was, and have been using it twice daily since, and my skin feels awesome ..

I used Pink Clay instead of white because it's better for my dry/mature skin, and an EO blend my face loves (Lavender,Rose Geranium,Patchouli 3:1:1), and I really wanted to add Panthenol but I don't have any ..

It's actually not too dissimilar to my favourite face mask, only I use Honey & Goats Milk lotion in that .. Hmm, ground almonds maybe be thrown in the next batch ;)

Anywho so that's how the song relates you see .. Well not really, maybe I just wanted to listen to it tonight, and I love to find real talent on YT! I guess I just take issue with big companies playing off people insecurities, especially those of young girls .. And to top it off by charging outrageous prices - well it makes me sad :(

Of course some ingredients ARE super expensive - and super worth it! So on that front I want to share with you my oh so ugly Re-Hydrating Face Mask:

~ Active Manuka Honey ~ Olive Squalane ~ Meadowfoam Oil ~ Avocado Oil ~ Green Tea Powder ~ & Ground Oats (that I should have ground up much finer)

Oh and carrot Seed EO .. It actually tastes better than it looks, lol ..

Bottom line is treating our skin, and ourselves well is important .. But Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, and True Beauty really does come from within .. And I want everyone who is reading this to know, no matter what you think, or what anyone else tells you - YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! and I HONESTLY mean that ♥

The Important Things In Life ..

I've never been good at keeping diaries or journals .. I'd start out with best intentions but pretty soon I'd miss a day, a week, a month - or three ..

Well my blog has obviously been neglected and yesterday someone *you know who you are* hinted that I need to work on a post, so this is for you - and thanks, I needed a nudge! :P

I actually have a million things I could write about, and I even have photo's of some new B&B goodies I've been making - facial cleansers/scrubs, soaps, room sprays, bath bubble bars etc .. But tonight I'm all about the weather ..

Yep The Weather!

Trust me, I'm the last person interested in small talk, but living in the country as I do it's an important subject .. And this last week has really seen the switch from Autumn into Winter - I don't care what any calendar says, it's WINTER! It's cold, wet, windy and there is frost on the ground come daylight!

This is actually my favourite time of year because a) 1st of June (the official start to the season) is my birthday, and b) I love nothing more than to sit in front of a wood fire, sipping hot tea/soup/wine that's brewing atop and reading a book, or playing games with the kids .. And while my home is small and really not much more than a tin shed with plumbing, I keep it lush with heavy velvet curtains, beanbags, pillows, quilts, and faerie lights strung up everywhere .. So it's quite the cosy grotto - and an awesome smelling one at that :D

Anyhoo, I've gone of tangent and probably aren't making sense, so photo time!

This first pic I took on Monday morning as I was taking the boy to school .. I saw the rainbow and ran back in to grab my camera, took one shot and then it suddenly vanished! The driftwood sticks are my front fence, looking into the paddock across the road from my house .. There's a few cows in there now and again but that's all - oh and I don't own it, a farmer up the road does ..



And the second I took yesterday morning .. I've been crazy busy these last few weeks and really haven't had much time to myself, or I've been too tired to do anything when I did get some, so I spontaneously decided to go for a walk after dropping the boy at school instead of heading home to housework ..

I went to a reserve up the road called Paynes Ford .. It's a popular place for international rock climbers due to the natural caves/cliffs/rock formations & river so some of you may know of it? It's a beautiful preserved forest and river that again borders on farmland but remember this was early morning, and with the trees blocking the sun, well I must admit it was freezing cold and I was NOT properly dressed! So it was a true delight to come out of the shadows and into this exposed piece of the track .. Again I took one photo and this time my camera suddenly shut down due to dead batteries!



And with that I'm going to leave you for tonight .. I'm sorry, I'm just so tired, and OMG(osh) I think I'm coming down with a cold or flu .. I've been sneezing since this morning and I thought perhaps it was my allergies playing up to something .. But now my son is and also complaining of a headache - crying even and willing to take the meds which he Hates, so I know he's for real .. And yeah, my head hurts too! Darn it, I never used to get sick and now I can't make it through two months!

Ahh well, hot fire, warm drink, good book, & faerie lights - it's hard to feel too sorry for oneself with that combination ..

{{hugs}} To All ♥
~ Clear

All about the Children ..

Isn't it odd how sometimes every which way you turn the same things jumps out at you? This week is all about Children ..

It started with me watching (now don't laugh) the first 5 episodes of Jamie Olivers Food Revolution .. I know he's a weird one but so am I, and I think we're equally as passionate about good food!

Well for anyone who hasn't watched it he delves into American school lunches, and there is an amazing amount of behind the scenes insight that quite literally had me in tears .. My kid takes a (not so flash) Bento lunch to school each day, and asks for a similar plater of chopped up fruit/veg/meat & cheese every night for dinner - which he gets more often than not because why not?! It's quick, simple, healthy & delicious ..

Our school has a very productive organic garden that all the kids work in, and they're taught to prepare the harvest by inviting friends and family to 'shared lunches' each term .. So to see a classroom of 6yr olds who don't know a tomato from a potato, or a beetroot from celery is, well it's shocking to me! I told myself this could obviously be a one off, But to Then see the school system providing pizza for breakfast followed by nuggets and instant mashed potato for lunch, and the choice of only chocolate & strawberry milk - AND the Head Honchos claiming it's meeting healthy eating guidelines, Seriously? I honestly don't mean to offend anyone by writing this but SERIOUSLY?? I just don't see how they can get away with it as surely the parents know what they're being fed at school .. I remember when it was suggested our kids go to Macdonalds for lunch on an excursion over the hill once - the outrage was spectacular lol ..

Anyhoo that's one thing ..

The second was finding out someone I know just lost her baby .. Again I feel wow, stunned .. My heart is breaking right now as C was so far into the pregnancy that a delivery was necessary, and I can't even contemplate how devastating and traumatic that must be to go through .. She was supposed to call me during the holidays but didn't so I figured she was tired (it's not been an easy pregnancy by any means), and was just told about the turn of events by a third party, and that she is hiding in her bedroom .. I really don't know if I should phone and offer to have the other kids (who love me) stay for a while to give her a break, or maybe she'd want them close .. All I know for sure is that this family has had a rough couple of years, and now this to top it off is just so so sad :(

*For the record there are a few pregnant soapers at the moment but this is no-one anyone reading this will know ..

It kind of puts everything in perspective though, what with my being extra busy dealing with family court lawyers, child youth & family social workers, school teachers, and riding for the disabled these last few weeks .. My life literally revolves around kids and their individual special needs - and I wouldn't want it any other way!

I actually spent the day making Monster/Witch B Gone Bedroom Sprays in Monkey Farts, Blackberry Jam Cookie, and 'Crack the Whip' (Lush dupe that smells like a Liquorice All-Sorts Coconutty/Vanilla blend to me) .. The Jam Cookie by the way is sooo good that I've sprayed it on the curtain dividing my bedroom and the lounge so it sends out wafts of scent whenever I walk through!!

But what I really wanted to sign off with is a little game I created for my son's school .. I'm taking this year off to focus on my B&B but I used to go in two afternoons a week to help with maths and this was a hit with the kids and teacher alike :)

I had access to a printer one day so I used a grid to divide my page and added some simple maths questions

Printed out the page on heavy paper, wrote a number between 1 and 6 on the back, cut into cards and covered with sticky tape (protects from dirty/wet fingers) ..

The knife was just used to eliminate air bubbles around the card, and I gave them a tidy up trim after taking these pics

Now the idea is for the younger ones you lay the green side down, roll the die and pick up one of the matching numbered cards and do the maths to earn 1 token .. For the older kids you lay the cards problem side up and they have to find a card that equals the number that they rolled to earn the token ..

Oh, and I found these nifty trains in the classroom, so I used them for the boards each kid put their tokens on .. First one filled wins the game ..

We used little plastic bears I also found in the classroom for our tokens, and it was so cute how each one came up with a story about where their bears were headed - to the zoo, the beach, circus, grandmas etc :)

As I say they had fun playing, and didn't even know I was teaching them math!!

Back to School ..

Well the holidays finished today so it was back to making lunches and attending to all the things I've been putting off the last couple of weeks (live vacuuming the lounge!).. My main priority though, after dropping the boy at school, was shipping off a bunch of lip balms to friends in the UK!

I was only going to send one kind but decided at the last moment to make another batch to cater to those who like more of a gloss .. I also decided it was time I formulated for the vegan crowd so experimented with Candelilla and Carnauba Wax and now have my fingers crossed they work out ok .. I must say though, so far my impression is Wow - if you haven't played with these two ingredients you should! They make a super hard balm but the glide is phenomenal, no drag what-so-ever and it sets up as smooth as glass ..

Oh and good news - I didn't spill any more than a drop when pouring the second batch into tubes :P

The tops however, well I'm still working on perfecting that *rolls eyes*

I also had to hand-crafted a label as I don't own a printer, so this is what I ended up doing on the week-end:

Wraps for the tubes themselves ..

Booklet tags to list ingredients ..

The finished Balms with wraps ..

Together with their booklets ..


And finally, THANK-YOU to everyone who's left comments, I really appreciate it and will write replies when I get a chance ;)

Lip Balm in Tubes ..

As a few of you know I'm planning on switching from pots to tubes for my lip balms due an overwhelming amount of requests .. I'm in a bit of a bind really, living where I do, a true melting pot of cultures and lifestyle .. Environmentally Friendly Granolas (like myself) make up a large percentage and prefer recyclable pots or slide tins, yet the students and backpackers make up an equal amount of my targeted customers and they want disposable plastic tubes that easily fits in their pockets .. *shrugs* I'll probably end up offering both options ..

Anyhoo I've been asking around about the tubes as I've never used them before, and low and behold a totally unexpected (non B&B) person tells me they have some I can have - for free! This girl got them a few years back thinking she would make balms to sell at week-end markets but never got around to it .. So they've been stored away until this morning .. And I now have a zip lock bag of 50 red & purple tubes to play with until my order arrives from the US *yippee*

But Oh My, switching to tubes is not as easy as I imagined it would be!
I think I wasted nearly half my lovely balm in spillage :(

And when I did the top up pour to hide the dimple, it didn't stick to the first pour so all the domes you see below fell off! (one inside circle) ..


Luckily I had the smarts to order a 'pour tray' along with the new tubes (and heat bands), so that should fix my spillage problem .. And I'm going to have another go tomorrow using a stainless steel milk jug with a much sharper spout than my pyrex one ..

But how do I top them up so they have nice rounded tops that stick?

Please share your hints and tips with me if you know how to do this correctly! I'm kind of desperate for answers, and clearly NOT a natural!

Vanilla Files (part 8 = lather tests!)

I think I need to start off by saying these Vanilla Files are nothing more than an experiment I did for my own personal reasons, then later decided to share publicly in the hope that others could benefit from the results .. Maybe I'm a fool, but I prefer to think of other B&B makers as my colleagues, rather than competition .. And what soaper doesn't love to talk shop?!

Also, please remember any comments below are only in reference to CP soap .. The very last thing I want to do is put people off trying these FO's in the many and varied B&B products we enjoy, and enjoy making! Obviously they are only my opinion, and I'm admittedly fussy - but very honest!

Not all have been tested enough in the shower to comment if they rinse clean, fill the bathroom with scent, or stick to skin, so *watch this space for updates*


PINK SUGAR (TCS):

Absolutely Gorgeous Scent! So good that the discolouration in CP soap doesn't bother me in the least .. The lather & rinse however is a shocker - dirty yellow/brown like Kindy Infectious Urine! Sorry but it's seriously BAD!! Which creates a major dilemma in that I absolutely LOVE this scent, and so do my testers .. So I guess I'll now have to try it with Vanilla Stabiliser ..

The scent does stick to skin for a little while after showering, but only very mildly - not to worry though as I've already used it in my Body Butter :D

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Sandalwood Vanilla (DSS):

Lather looks white when washing hands etc, however it's obviously slightly 'dirty' on the rinse (as it drops down onto my white tub) .. It doesn't come alive and fill the room with scent like some FO's do in use, but it definitely sticks to the skin so you'll be walking in a cloud of aroma for a few hours after showering which I personally want - it gets extra points for this ;)

And I also think it morphs just a tad in use, but I still LOVE this FO!

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Drizzled Honey Vanilla Cream (DSS):

This one tricked me - the first time I used it in the shower I wrote: Unfortunately this really doesn't do much in the shower, as in the scent doesn't fill the room like some do .. Nor does it stick to the skin after showering in more than a very mild way .. But I've just stepped out of the shower after using it the second time and the scent DID come alive in a very pleasant way! And it also seems to be stronger on my skin - which I know makes no sense, but what can I say? This is an awesome FO - oh and the lather/rinse is pretty darn clean, just ever so lightly tinted .. A winner in my opinion ;)

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Marshmallow Fluff (DSS):

Compared to the others this scent is still a bit 'whatever' for me .. And the lather/rinse is extremely dirty - it looked like I'd been rolling in the mud!

This picture doesn't even show just how un-pretty it is in use .. And combined with a just so-so scent, it failed miserably as a CP FO :(

(Of course that doesn't mean it wouldn't ROCK in another B&B product!)

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Black Raspberry Vanilla (NG):

*Will update when thoroughly tested*

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Vanilla de Madagascar (DSS):

I have tried another version of this that I liked a lot more, however I don't know where it came from, or how to contact the soaper that made it to ask :/

The scent did nothing in the shower and I could only smell it when sniffing the bar or lather direct, and it did not stick to my skin .. The lather and rinse were dirty, yet not quite as bad as this pic makes out - this was lathered by hand so maybe more intense then when showering with it?

Anyway, I won't be soaping it again ..

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Very Vanilla (BCN):

I think it's been made clear I do not like this scent .. To my nose it's a cross between sniffing playdough and plastic .. BUT every now and again it lets off a very obviously 'nut' like note - kinda weird! Anyhoo I was not expecting much from this when I took it into the shower for proper testing, and while I can't say anything about how it performed in use changed my mind, BUT that nutty thing was super obvious .. I'm calling it Hazelnut actually, that's what it smelt like to me when sniffing the bar - there was no scent in the room itself .. And *unfortunately for me* it did stick to my skin ..

I must give it points for one of the cleaner rinses - barely noticeably discoloured as it washed down the drain ;) So if you're a fan of hazelnuts this may work for you?!

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Vanilla Bean Noel (DSS):

This did not perform as I expected it to as I've used other soapers VBN's in the past and been a huge fan! The rinse was quite dirty, the scent was very faint - had to sniff the bar or lather direct to even smell it, and it did not stick to the skin :(

Sooo if you're really wanting a great VBN then I'd do as my friends do and go with Wholesale Supplies Plus version ;)

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Buttercream Frosting (DSS):

*Will update when thoroughly tested*

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Warm Vanilla Sugar (TCS):

Even in use this one doesn't give off much fragrance unless you sniff the bar directly, and likewise it didn't stick to my skin at all .. I know many people aren't interested in soap scent sticking to skin but I like it .. And at very I least want my bathroom to smell nice when showering - not much purpose adding FO if it doesn't do that! .. Rinse was only slightly discoloured ..

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Vanilla Bean (DSS):

*Will update when thoroughly tested*

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Musk Vanilla (NG):

*Will update when thoroughly tested*

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Vanilla Abricot (DSS):

This smells great when you sniff the bar while in use, but that's the only time I really get much scent from it .. It's not in the air, it's not on my skin, or even in the lather itself in more than a very-very mild way .. Pretty disappointing really but maybe used a t a higher % that could be fixed? The rinse is what you'd expect from a brown bar - not overly, not even enough to put many people off I don't think .. But I won't be using it again ..

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Unscented:


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Face Cloth Test - wet soap left to dry on a clean white towel:
(click on image for full size)

Sorry this is so dark in comparison to the lather tests above - the weather has turned and it's very overcast but I got it done before the rain started!

Comments, Questions, Feedback - Most Welcomed!

Personal Progress ^^

I don't normally let people take my photograph but today I decided I would take a couple of quick snaps myself for future reference .. Why this sudden change of heart and show of bravery? Simply because I've been getting a LOT of comments this last week .. Suddenly everyone is noticing my stretched ears, which is odd as they have obviously been getting bigger all last year and I don't think I'm wearing my hair up more than usual ..

Oh well, whatever it is the kids at school all think it's a combination of freaky and awesome - which pretty much sums me up in general, lol :P


I've been swimming &/or hot tubbing daily so haven't coloured my hair in a good four or five months .. And yes I've cut my dreads in half as I do every so often when the ends start to bother me - I just prefer them whispy and loose ..

And as you can see my ears aren't even all that big .. One is 8mm the other 10mm, and I think I'm going to stay at this size for a long time, maybe forever actually as not fussed to go any bigger .. I'm not terribly happy with the placement either but I had them pierced with a gun as a young child and I had no say in the matter *grr why do parents DO that?!

Oh well, this is me today ~ ♥

Tomorrow I'm heading down south (18hr drive) to get my daughter for the school holidays = YAY!

Vanilla Files (part 7)

Ok finally got the pics ready to share - I had open a new flickr account because the last one is full!

To recap, the Fragrance Oils I've used below were all purchased from the wonderful Karen @ Big Tree Supplies in Australia, who stocks from many of the well known places in the states such as:

• Bitter Creek North (BCN)
  
• The Candle Source (TCS)
  
• Day Star Supplies (DSS
  
• Natures Garden (NG)
  
• Elements Bath & Body (EBB)

And I'm very excited to say that I've got some more Vanilla's on the way to be soaped/photographed & added very soon! Including some from Bramble Berry (BB) ..

So these bars are all coming up to their 6wk cure date VERY soon (next week) and I'll then begin doing lather tests to determine:

• if the discolouration also discolours the lather
  
• if the scent morphs &/or comes alive in the water
  
• if the scent sticks to the skin

I apologise that the lighting in these is not always the same due to being photographed outdoors and at differing times of day etc, but I hope it gives you an idea of how they each progressed over the last couple of weeks .. Some you can see discolour very rapidly, while others take weeks - months even!


DAY #1 (freshly cut)

DAY #2

DAY #3

DAY #4

DAY #14 = Today!


Comments, Questions, & Feedback is Welcomed! ♥
And ALL the Vanilla File posts can easily been found via this page: THIS PAGE