July 8, 2011

What's On Tap for Fall? Help Me Create "The Perfect Fall Blend" and Win a Free Bar of "Our" Creation

Pale Ale- "Barley and Hops"

Plans are underway for a few special soaps for Autumn-one of which will include an intoxicating bubbly brew of beer and a specially fitting essential oil blend. Help me create the "Perfect Fall Blend" and win a free bar of "our" collaborative efforts.

Here is the theme-
Autumn-the season for tailgating, football games,the glowing orange orb of the Harvest Moon, bon fires that light up the West Texas sky, and the crackle of fallen leaves.

The soap will consist of a beer base- Beer provides a warm nutty canvas for spicy notes of cinnamon and clove, or perhaps a bit of lavender and anise... just like the ever popular bubbly beverage can be infused with the subtle taste of wood,spices,fruit, and grains;beer soap can be infused with subtle nuances of scent. Help me select a special blend of "nuance" for a limited edition Autumnal Beer soap and win a free bar. Make a suggestion based on these choices of essential oils.What essential oil blend speaks Fall to you?

Sweet Orange 
Lemon
Cedarwood
Lavender
Pink Grapefruit
Anise
Clove Leaf
Rosemary
Vanilla
Bergamot
Blood Orange
Fir Needle
Spearmint
Peppermint
Litsea
Cinnamon
Lemongrass
Ginger
Mandarin
Lime

Suggestions will be taken until July 30.  I will make a choice based on-

1) How closely the blend fits the theme
2) How nicely the essential oils will play together
3) How complimentary the blend is to beer

*Sadly this contest is applicable for US and Canadian residents only.(A big apology to my international friends.)

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

You would waste a good beer to make soap. Nooooooo
BH

Tierra Verde Handmade Soap said...

Yes dear,a beer will be sacrificed. :))

Dennise said...

clove, vanilla, mandarin, anise, over the bakery smell of beer soap...mmmmm

Two Blooms Design Studio said...

Cedarwood, Fir and Blood Orange would be my pick.

Michelle

Erin Napier said...

I find that the malty beer smell will always come through in the bar, and the best compliment is earthy, woody and/or spicy EOs. That fits the autumn theme too! My own personal beer blend is patchouli, cedarwood and clove, so I recommend that :)

Tara said...

Such choices. I'll get back to you, Michele.

Tierra Verde Handmade Soap said...

@Briny-sounds fantastic-I haven't even used the mandarin I have-I'm not sure how well it sticks but think it could be a nice compliment to beer.I would have to keep the clove down to a minimum so it would have to be a more subtle note-but definitely a possibility.

@twoblooms-Yum! I can definitely get into some Blood orange and Fir-with a subtle hint of cedar-I have Himalayan Cedar and to me it is a bit strong-I like it in the background. Yum!

@ innerearth-Yep! I totally agree with the earthy,woody,spicy notes. I like to keep that nutty,malty scent that beer provides-to me it is never about covering it up but just working with it-having a nuance of some other complimentary scent. I know that patchouli,cedar and clove make a sort of smoky blend that would be delish with beer. A great possibility.

@ Tara-plenty of time sister-no hurry!

Cocobong Soaps said...

If your read my last soap review you'll know how challenging it is to incorporate that yeasty 'appeal' successfully into a scent blend. I second Erins approach, leaving out the cederwood depending on its origin (certain cederwoods , like the Texas type - no kidding - add an upleasant scent of damp washcloth to a blend). Even just a single straight eo like peppermint or patchouli or anise (no blending) is a convincing choice for beer based soap

AYU said...

Cedarwood, Blood Orange, Cinnamon, Vanilla & a hint of Ginger.

I would go for earthy & warm scent for Fall season.
I think it would be a good scent for beer's nutty aroma. =)

Tierra Verde Handmade Soap said...

@ Cocobong "cederwoods , like the Texas type - no kidding - add an upleasant scent of damp washcloth to a blend" >>I'm thinking that should be avoided at all costs(just say no to "eau de damp washcloth" Ugh!)

@Ayu-hmmmm!The blend sounds spot on-it does put cedarwood as the first eo on the list,but maybe with a touch of vanilla,cinnamon,and ginger it would be fab!Hmmmmmm.

Keep the suggestions coming peeps! They all sound so good!It's going to be tough!

Cocobong Soaps said...

ok..i brainstormed for you and here's what my nose mind came up with:
Patchouli/ Lime/Clove Leaf
Lavender/ Patchouli/ Vanilla
Clove Leaf/Lavender/Sweet Orange
Bergamot/Peppermint/Lavender

Tierra Verde Handmade Soap said...

@ C'bong-Thanks so much for the fab suggestions. Oi it's going to be a tough decision. Obviously, I love a Patchouli/Lime combo with a bit of clove. I am sitting on my last bit of Patchouli-saving it for something that must have Patchouli.The price of Patch. has mroe than doubled since the last time I purchased and I won't allow myself to get more right now-sort of breaks my heart. I consider Patch a must have. :((

Michael R. Hughes said...

Hi Michele,

Great idea to offer an opportunity for your blog readers a chance to have ownership on your products. Tapping into the creativity of your readers is an ideal way to heighten interest and excitement for your wonderful soaps. We've taken that same tact and it is clearly a win-win proposition. We look forward to finding out what they come up with for your autumn soap!

Tierra Verde Handmade Soap said...

@Michael,I thought it would be something fun-to have a bar of soap that you(the blog readers) helped to create. Plus I'm kind of stumped-I was sort of thinking the most obvious eo's to use are cinnamon or a bit of clove-but that's just it they are just too obvious-I would love to mix it up a bit with something sort of unexpected, but definitely Fall. Thanks for stopping by!

Unknown said...

I would use cedarwood, clove, blood orange, vanilla and just a bit of ginger.

Tierra Verde Handmade Soap said...

@ Mountain Farms Soap-Hi, thanks so much for your input and for stopping by. :))