IF I WERE A BAR OF SOAP

Think about it. CAN you describe yourself with soap colors, swirl, layers, scents??? This is your challenge should you choose to accept it. Well, our own dear Anhoki posed this question to the SAFE team. The only limitations you is your own imagination.

Check out the entries below to see who we are...or at least how we see ourselves ;~)

Oh, and the best part....leave a comment voting for your favorite and you will be entered to win the "winning" bar of soap! Good luck EVERYONE!!!!

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Swan Mountain Soaps entry Blue Chamomile

If I were a bar of soap, I think I would be Blue Chamomile. I’m a pretty mellow person (most of the time, anyway), and also I love chamomile! This bar is done in my favorite colors, which also seem to reflect my surroundings – at least in the summer. The beauty of nature is very important to me – I have to be around trees and water and birds - and even dirt, or I go a little nuts. I spend a lot of time in my garden in the summer, and in the winter we use the herbs we’ve grown and dried for teas, salves and such. So this is me … Blue Chamomile.

Zozca Soaps entry Phunky Chic

At the age of 17 I asked my mom to put a blonde streak down the back of my head and she said "Sure, no problem!" She thought it was a phase, something I would grow out of. Now, 27 years later I am known as the eccentric one of the family and it seems am now defined by my hair! My hair has been purple, blue, green, almost every color of the rainbow or cut or shaved in many different styles that were innovative for it's time period. I've had skate cuts and designs in the side of my head before they even existed. I've gone platinum blonde which ended up in a disaster of me melting my hair and having to shave it all off! It was absolutely hilarious and I laughed the whole way through. I mean, it's only hair and it grows back! Right? And, if it didn't? Well, then I guess I could always just get a dragon tattoo on the side of my head! I am my Phunky Chic soap via my hair. Black as my mane (main) color and currently showing my last two hair colors of blue and green. Although green is my current hair color which may be changing soon!

The blend of this soap is also very much like me! When you first sniff it, you think Anise? Basil? But, of course, just like my hair, don't judge a book by it's cover. The essential oils, like me, in this soap are complex. You may think you know what it is at first, but there are multiple layers. It's not Anise or Basil, but Tarragon that comes through at first! Now, don't put it off because you think it smells like licorice. You can't go by first impressions on this soap or me! To this, I've added the essential oils of Blood Orange, Frankincense, French Lavender, Amber, Palmarosa, and Vanilla Oleoresin. This is a blend that as you sniff and use it, you know you have something that you truly like and enjoy.

And, in a few years, if you see some 90 year old lady with lavender, rainbow colored hair in phunky clothes walking down the street singing or muttering to herself. Don't call her crazy! Walk by her. If she smells good, it's probably me!

Ten Digit Creations entry CAMOUFLAGE

While my wife insists that she would prefer me to be a Butt Naked (available in our shop) bar of soap, she'll have to settle for what she married...a warm, woodsy fella who enjoys the outdoors, hunting, and fishing. Because I'm an avid hunter, I would definitely have a camouflage appearance, and what better way to celebrate my woodsy side than with the awesome fragrance of Patchouli.Our recipe, a special blend of beneficial oils and butters that your skin will love.

Waconda Springs entry Mortica's Flowers

Mortica's Flowers represents the end of one phase of who I am and a new beginning in one soap.
The scent is carnations combined with cinnamon. The red is acknowledging a new beginning. The black swirl is respecting the past year of mourning two very important people in my life. The white with a hint of silver shimmer represents hope of the future.

As the name suggests, it's not a sad soap, but a soap to celebrate overcoming a dark period in our lives. A soap of hope and humor.

Which I inherited from my dad. The man who requested a floral arrangement centered around a pitch fork for his coffin.

So celebrate the goth in all of us with this creation that acknowledges the silver lining surrounding the dark cloud.

Lily Ponds entry Glass~

First of all this was very difficult to decide how to describe myself in soap! What a challenge! I decided to mix my love of gardening, glass work, personality and views on life all in one bar.......or try to!

Why Glass?? I am a glass artist. I live and breath for my glass. It is my second love, my passion. The world just disappears when I light up my torch. I love brilliant colors and how paired with other colors they play off of each other. I selected my favorite color scheme at the moment (It changes as often as my moods!)..... purple and green.

The polka dots represents my "bubbly personality" quote from friends and family.
The black and white swirls on the back represents how I would like to see things. It is or it is not. However much to my demise, there are some gray areas no matter how hard you strive to eliminate them.

As for my gardening, I love flowers, so I decided to go with one of my favorite scents. Soothing lavender, jasmine and vanilla.

Whew....and that is just the tip of the iceberg!

BunnyBubbles entry Bunny Bouquet

WHY THIS BAR OF SOAP IS JUST LIKE

1) It’s SILLY and GIRLY. Look at those pastel rainbow stripes. I don’t think most guys would even touch that soap!

2) Its scent is pretending to be COMPLEX, while actually quite SIMPLE! Each layer is a different floral scent, including rose, honeysuckle, gardenia, lily of the valley, and lilac. All different scents, but the same note!

3) It might be a BIT TOO MUCH for some people. (Yup, that’s me to a “T”.)

4) Even though it looks like a lightweight, it will still do its job, which is to get you CLEAN and make you SMILE. It even has added shea butter for a little moisturizing action.

5) It’s got a BUNNY on it!

The End.

Soap Scent-sations entry Complexity....

Who am I and how can I describe myself in a bar of soap?! Good grief, talk about a challenge. Outwardly, I am wife, mom, Christian, sister, daughter, soaper, and so on. Inwardly, a little more complex…loner, yet I don’t know a stranger; pleaser, yet likes to have my own way; lover of knowledge, but set in my ways; likes to be challenged, yet dislikes change; artsy but likes organization and clean lines; modern momma with some pretty classical/vintage ideals and a hankering for family history and antiques; perfectionist that has come to accept that I can’t do everything. And that is only scratching the surface.

My challenge soap has three layers of my favorite Cold Process recipe that includes a huge dollop of shea butter and my own personal blend of oils and fragrances: anise for spice and spunkiness, lavender as a favorite, sandalwood to soften, and lilac for memories. Each layer represents a piece of me (though I still don’t think the totality). The first layer is tinted black with activated charcoal. This layer is for the modern me…web surfer, Etsy soap seller self and for that part of me that likes organization and clean lines. The next layer is in lavender. It is lightly embossed with a lace pattern and is for the soft side of me…the girly part that likes to get dressed up in frills and snuggle up with my kiddos, for the nostalgic part of me. The final layer is swirled with color for the part that loves color and vibrancy in life and also representing how all of my roles somehow mesh and swirl together to make me.

I hope you enjoy this soap…it truly is a piece of me and thank you for the challenge. While it isn’t exactly how I perceived it originally, it’s ok…because I am NOT perfect and life is a constant lesson! Cheers!

Anhoki's entry Apollo

How does one describe herself in a bar of soap? Gaw..Thanks Anhoki. You couldn't have picked an easier one??? Let's see....me in a bar of soap... Apollo was not hard to create. In fact it was one of the easiest soaps I have ever made. It is a true reflection of myself.

The black is an accurate representation of the "boring" side of Anhoki.
The Anhoki who loves to read Emerson and ponder the world.
The Anhoki who loves quiet times with "Dr John".
The Anhoki who loves to sleep in on the weekends.
The Anhoki who loves to watch the rain and listen to the thunder.

The grafetti represents the other side of me.
The "complex" side.
The side that is not afraid to speak her mind.
The side with 13 tattoos and a few piercings.
The side that loves loud music.
The side that loves over the top roller coasters and living on the edge...if just for a little while.

If I had to describe myself in a bar of soap I would say this is about as close as it gets. The blend I used for this soap is pretty complex too. It's soft AND strong. Made up of Black Pepper, White Grapefruit, Lemon, Petitgrain, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Clove it screams Anhoki.

Hansen Soap Co.'s

entry Simple Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Soap

Simple pleasures in life is what I am all about. I don't need fancy things, or trips around the world to make me happy. I am content being with my family and friends enjoying every day as it comes. This soap is a true simple pleasure! It combines warm vanilla and sweet chocolate, what could be simpler or better?! Yummy, tempting and oh-so-good! Made with only my best standard soap ingredients as well as my 4 favorite skin loving ingredients such as Kokum Butter, Olive Oil, Rice Bran Oil, and Hempseed Oil. It is colored with natural cocoa powder and scented with premium vanilla and chocolate fragrance oils. Enjoy the simple things in life with my Simple Vanilla Chocolate Chunk Handmade Soap!

Gourmet Soaps entry....

When called to answer the challenge, "What kind of soap would you be," my response was immediate...."Uh, I already superfat my soaps." I accepted the challenge, and in retrospect, I could kick myself! How on earth do you translate the very essence of you into a bar of soap?!?! I already put so much of myself in my soap: the swirls, the colors, the funky names, the fragrances, the type of oils, the particular method of soapmaking that I prefer....so what else is there? Heck if I know. But as I puzzled over this puzzler, it suddenly came to me. What do I want this particular soap to say about me......uh, besides the superfat part. Ok, so here it is....the Essence of GourmetSoaps......anticipation.....ok, not really....Mango Mandarin! (background---"Yay!") I am sooo allergic to mango, but it's my favorite fruit in the whole world (mandarin oranges coming in close second). At first the allergy was confined to what I call "Mango Lips", but then the doctor told me (as my eyes were swelling shut), "Enough mango! Jeez. Even animals know when to quit!" Well, not I! So as I made this soap, my husband readied the epi shot. But there are NO actual mangoes in this soap.....haha! The red swirls are for my dizzying love of the almighty mango, as I proclaim to one and all.....I LOVE MANGO!!!!

The Skin You're In's entry...

If I were a bar of soap? I could only think of the things I love the most, besides my family of course, and that is chocolate and coffee. My "Mini Me" soap is made with Deer Tallow, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil and Castor Oil. Since I wanted a fluffy cream appearance I whipped everything up until it was nice and fluffy, used fragrance oils of chocolate, chocolate & amber and columbian coffee, along with dark cocoa powder for color in the different layers. The white layer is fragrance free. The top is drizzled with a fabulous black cocoa butter to give it the final touch. If you love chocolate, you love coffee and you love handmade soap, then you are just like ME!

Willow Bay Bath & Body's entry Whimsical

This whimsical soap represents two souls. A mother and a daughter, which is how we run our team.

We have a mother who cares for her three daughters and husband, represented by the colors for their favorites. Her favorite place, the beach, in the middle layer with the blue and yellow swirls reminding her of the water, as well as a place that her and her oldest enjoy going together. And the whimsy top that represents all the fun she has watching her girls grow up and the amazing laughs that they share.

And then we have the daughter. A girl who is finding her way in the world, but still able to see all the fun and delight life has. This beautifully fun bar shows off her favorite colors and techniques. And it also represents her time that she is able to share with her mom. The beach, her favorite place to go with her mom. To just walk the shore, walk in waves, sit and talk.

But as a team, bursting with life, this bar perfectly defines the fun and quirkiness of us. Representing favorite colors, techniques, and featuring a custom blended fragrance, this absolutely beautiful bar cheers us up whenever we glance in it's direction. With hints of grapefruit, madarin orange, light peppercorn, and a bit of lily of the valley rounds off this lovely fragrance.

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This contest will end on the 17th of August and the winners will be announced on the 18th! Stay tuned!!

Check out Sassy Soaps and Such's blog for another chance to win a great bar of soap!