Trends Emerging

I've noticed that certain kinds of scents are emerging as best-sellers in my shop. My number one best selling fragrance is Rifle Range, I've sold several soaps and colognes in that scent.
My more masculine scents seem to get more views, hearts, and sales than more traditionally feminine ones. Perhaps this is my niche? I've been working on more unisex scents that have those deep, complex qualities that my customers seem to enjoy. I just posted a soap called "Holmes" after my favorite literary sleuth- last week I posted a "Watson" which is a classic Bay Rum scent (but I've started wearing it, it's delicious).
I have made a few new feminine scents, however. Emma is a bright combination of Strawberry, Honeysuckle, and Orange. I made a Jane Eyre as well which has Ivy, Heather, Lavender, and Vetiver as the main notes.
I think that unique blends are what catch peoples' interest overall. Hopefully I can find a bigger market for my more lady-centric fragrances as well.

My Weekend in Photographs

Coffee with my brother at a local all natural, fair trade coffee bar. They're attached to an organic, wholefood shop. Delicious local apples, orange ginger granola, free range chicken-- I love picking things up there.

Last night it starting raining, it's a beautiful kind of rainy day where all the colors of nature are extra saturated. It's been nearly sixty degrees with just a light breeze all day.

I bought new molds on Friday and made some "Watson" soap speckled with cinnamon. I refuse to use any artificial colors.

I did a little writing, but also made some "Green Muse" soap; absinthe fragrance and real wormwood go into the bars to give them a faint green tint (hard to see int he photo). My handwriting is terrible as you can clearly see.

19th Century Literature Based Scents

I'm toying with new fragrances based on some of my favorite characters. So far I'm looking at doing two counterpoint fragrances: Elinor and Marianne as well as a Sherlock Holmes scent.
Elinor will be more earthy, Rosewood, Eucalyptus, Ivy, maybe a touch of Orange. Marianne will be sweeter, Vanilla, Lavender, Rose, Cinnamon. I'm still playing with blends currently.
For Holmes I'm looking at a masculine blend of Tobacco Flower and Cedarwood.
I'm also working on an Absinthe soap called "The Green Muse." That will be in honor of the romantic poets.

I have to make up anther batch of my Captain Wentworth soap, I've just sold the last bar.
I've also just listed a new soap, "Summer Stroll" to match my solid perfume by the same name.

I'm in Love

If I could marry a scent this might be it.
I've been stocking up on fragrances, essential oils, etc. for some new projects (more on that later), and some arrived today.
This morning I made a new soap called "Captain Wentworth" after the hero of my favorite Austen novel, Persuasion. It is a blend of tobacco flower, blood orange and leather with a little sea salt for exfoliation mixed in. It smells so fresh and clean- and it's not super masculine so females could totally use it too. I think I'm going to have to make a 'man soap' gift pack with this scent as the centerpiece. My new gunpowder fragrance blend is gorgeous as well. I had a female friend request that I make her a solid perfume with the scent.
My next projects on the horizon are bath salts, sugar scrubs and lip balms. I've already started playing with bath salts, making some lovely eucalyptus scented salts the other night. For the rest of the year every order will come with a small sample of my new bath salts- I have some friends testing them as we speak.
I've found a recipe for whipped sugar scrub which intrigues me, so I'll be playing with and tweaking that. And as soon as my beeswax arrives I'll be playing with some lip balm recipes as well. So, I'm keeping busy and finding new inspiration for my soap shop.
I will be putting my first shop, Blackbird Crafts, on vacation for a while and just focus on Morning Valley Soaps. I see that being a better long term focus.

The Fragrance of Early Autumn

Coming home this afternoon, I took a moment to catch a whiff of the air around me. A smooth smell of wood smoke was in the air with a hint of the sweetness from leaves just starting to decay on the ground. A fresh, rain smell still lingered from the deluge we've had all week and expect more of shortly.
I wonder if I can find a woodsmoke fragrance? Though, it might smell too artificial and pale sadly in comparison to the smell of real woodsmoke that clings to your clothes and hair.
Unfortunately, the reason I am back so early is that I'm a bit ill. Hopefully nothing viral, it's probably just a bit of my low blood-pressure acting up.

Lush Winter Soap Fragrances

I have four soaps curing on my counter at the moment: a sand soap brittle (highly exfoliating for serious grime with a touch of tea tree), my creamy pumpkin soap, and two brand new scents. My new fragrance oils arrived yesterday as well as my Shea butter base to use for solid perfumes, I'm still awaiting my tins to contain the perfume unfortunately.
Still I made two scents that I originally intended to be a his and hers set, but now I'm not sure if the one is manly enough.
The hers scent is currently called "First Frost"- a combination of heady leather scents with some sweet vanilla and cool peppermint.
The his scent is, by the suggestion of my brother, currently called "Mukluk"- leather, spiced plum oil and ground cinnamon. The soap is colored a deep, rich brown from the cinnamon, I have a no artificial colors policy.
I have to get things together for a photo shoot this week. Someone convo'ed me and asked if my soaps could be used for facial cleansing. In good conscience I couldn't say yes, I've never tested them for facial use and know that glycerin isn't usually recommended for facial use. Oh well.