Bonus

I'm debuting a few new soaps this week -- experimental batches using essential oils, plus a couple of freebie batches just to use up some leftover fragrance oils. I will have them at the market on Thursday, as well as the West Seattle street fair this coming weekend. Just in case anyone is interested.

I'll be trotting them around until they are gone, but they will not be up on the web site. It's just too confusing, and there aren't enough of them to do that. So if you're not planning on seeing me in the next month, just give me a call to order them, or write it in an old brochure/order form you have lying around.

The new fragrances are:

1. Bergamot Rosewood: It's a light cream colored bar, scented primarily with bergamot (the essential oil that makes Earl Gray tea). So it's lightly citrusy, with a bit of rosewood, palmarosa, geranium and patchouli. The rosewood gives it a teensy rose petal floral note, the palmarosa highlights the citrus with a touch of grass, the geranium backs up the rosewood, and the patchouli (just a pinch) just anchors it all together, with a barely there earthy note. It's actually quite a light pretty scent, and all essential oils.

2. Orange Rosemary: Is a little stronger. It's also a cream colored bar, meaning no color added. The orange is nicely fragrant, and it's got a beautiful hint of rosemary herb. Also fairly light, but beautiful, and again, all essential oils.

3. Cottage Garden: Anise, Lemon and Rose are the basis of an old fashioined fragrance called "Old Lace". I'm calling it Cottage Garden because it's a very pretty floral. The rose is soft and mellow, the lemon and anise not quite recognizable as themselves, but giving the fragrance a complexity that makes you keep smelling it over and over, wondering what it actually is. No color, no texture, so it's also an ivory color. The rose portion is fragrance oil, and the others are essential oils.

4. Green Tea: This is a blend of essential and fragrance oils. It's a high-impact green tea scent, meaning it's quite strong and there is no question as to what it is. I've never smelled a green tea scent such a complete match for the real thing. Which is weird because a portion of the scent blend is an actual green tea fragrance oil, which didn't do much for me. But I added essential oils of wintergreen and vetiver, and voila, it's like a just brewed cup of strong green tea. I've added French green clay for color, so it's the same shade as a cup of just made green tea.

5. Papaya Mango: This last one is a pretty coral pink bar, with the addition of Moroccan red clay for color. It's all fragrance oils, a stew of all kinds of little bits and pieces of fruity stuff that I had left over. Mostly a mango guava blend, with grapefruit and ginger notes, coconut and lemongrass hints. But mostly it's just a tropical fruity cocktail and perfect for summer.