Using Micas to Make Your Soaps Pop!

If you're an official Wonder Turtle Soaps fan, you know that I've been working on a new Key Lime soap. (And if you're not an official Wonder Turtle Soaps fan, head on over to Facebook® and become one!)

I have a lovely Lime Crystal Kisses fragrance oil that smells like lime kissed with a touch of lemon and sugar. Yum! I used my square mold to make a pretty layered soap of light green and white.

Last summer, I picked up these cool citrus wedge-shaped ice cube trays at Michael's craft store. It's funny how after you start soaping you start eyeing everything as a potential mold. Ice cube trays, candy molds, silicone baking pans, fondant cutters, etc. I fragranced and colored some clear base and poured them into my molds.

Next came the waiting to unmold ...

The plan was to use a bit of clear soap base to affix the lime wedges to the square soaps, and I think that plan worked. The wedges seem pretty darn affixed. It takes some practice, I guess, to get to where you don't have any overflow when "gluing" soap to soap (with more soap!). Before I did that, though, I decided to try something that I saw on The Soap King's blog (and, yes, The Soap King is related to Bramble Berry's Anne-Marie, aka The Soap Queen - he's her brother, Erik, and he manages Bramble Berry's retail store, Otion.)

I took a bit of gold sparkle mica and used a fan brush to dry-dust my soapy lime wedges to make the details of each wedge pop. I just liberally brushed the wedges with mica, wiped the excess away with a paper towel, and then used my thumb to smooth the whole thing.

See the difference using the mica? It really showcases the details of the mold. Give it a try!

Then I melted some clear base and smoothed a small amount across the back of the lime wedges. Then I quickly pressed the limes onto the tops of the square soaps at an angle.

I think they look quite nice! The white has gone a lovely creamy pale yellow, making it look like cheesecake, just perfect for a Key Lime soap! They were a bit of a challenge to wrap, being an odd shape, but I think I did an good job!

Now to take a bar into the shower and make sure the lime wedge stays on during use. And I want to make sure that the yellow stays pale and creamy and doesn't compromise the green (already had one nasty discoloration surprise this week and don't want another).

What fun making this soap was! If my quality assurance tests go well, look for the Key Lime soap soon at Wonder Turtle Soaps!

What fun fragrances/ soaps do you Wonder Turtle friends like? Soapers, what have you been soaping up lately? Wally the Wonder Turtle and I love to swap soaping stories, so please share!