I was chosen to be part of Brambleberry’s SOAP Panel which means I get to test eight different fragrances for their summer/fall line along with six other soapmakers. We can pick the medium of our choice – cold processed soap, melt & pour soap, lotions, fizzies, you name it! The only restriction is the amount of oil we have to test with, and that’s one ounce of each fragrance.

Anyway, I was sitting in my driveway having a garage sale this morning when the FedEx truck pulled up with my box of mystery fragrances from Brambleberry. I clapped my hands, and said a loud “Woo hoo! I’ve been waiting for this one!” (When you live in Kansas, it takes a LONG time to get packages from Washington!)

My neighbor, who was helping me with the garage sale, also got to sniff their yummy goodness. She would have rather smelled something more herbal or minty, but these fun fruity/yummy scents are my favorites for sure! Even if my nose has difficulty sorting out the specifics…

So, first impressions:
#1 – Somewhat buttery and definitely orange. YUM.
#2 – Lime, for sure…
#3 – Tropical fruits – mango, perhaps?
#4 – Very strong berry scent
#5 – Citrus-y
#6 – This one is eluding me. Somewhat familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it.
#7 – Very yummy vanilla/caramel, almost coffee-like
#8 – I think I smell apple!

Last time I did the SOAP Panel, I tested the fragrances in cold processed soap and lotions. I think those are two of the best tests because nothing is more finicky than lye, and with the lotion, you can get a feel for how something smells when applied to the skin. Can’t wait to get started!