BB Rustic Woods & Rum

Has anyone soaped with BB Rustic Woods and Rum yet? It's a newer FO. I dislike it so much OOB I'm hesitating to actually use it. (OOB smells like a fruity cheap rum.) Reviews claim it mellows, but unless it turns completely autumnal I'm not sure I'll ever like it.

To be honest, some FOs that smell weird OOB will smell fine in soap.

And some don't. I've had a few like that.

Here's a better way to evaluate an FO rather than whiff it directly out of the bottle:

Put one drop of FO on a strip of coffee filter or paper towel. Don't overdo -- just a drop. Leave the strip out on a countertop or other surface that is FO safe. Smell the FO every 15 minutes during the first hour, and then every 30-60 minutes for several hours after that. Record your impressions as the scent matures and fades. This will give you a better idea how it will smell in product.

I made testers for all 4 (poured 10/20). This one is my second favorite after Honey&Leather. The H&L will probably be the only one I'll order again if it survives to 6 months.

This is the review I wrote of my tester: The RW&R lost most of the heavy top notes it had OOB. It mellowed out a lot. The base scent is spicy sandalwood with additional notes that aren't easily identifiable including some green notes. It is a nice complex woodsy scent. The more I smelled it, the more notes I picked up. It discolored a medium beige. Medium light scent and holding at 6 weeks. I haven't decided yet if I'll actually use it. I don't think it is done morphing. Will revisit in 4 weeks. I used it at 5% of batter weight and I wouldn't go any lighter for me.

To me, both H&L and RW&R are missing some notes but I'm not quite sure what. Both had so much potential, but to me, they fall just a little short. I'm sure they are going to smell great to some people. They are a bit unusual. they are worth a tester.

Please take my review FWIW. I tend to like the description of the BB scents more than the actual tester. I only have few fragrances that I would use from them again. They do a lot more testing on their FOs than most suppliers. I just think my sense of smell is very different than that of the person doing the blending for BB. Most of the scents I tested from them didn't survive well at 3 months. The 4 FOs in this collection survived much better.

Awesome notes, I love your test notes and am following the FB thread religiously! I've been consistently surprised with what I receive from BB versus the description, so I try to scrutinize the reviews as best I can, although they're often sparse.

I put the tester for RW&R in the shower. My husband tried it once and really liked it. I replaced it with another tester and he just about had a meltdown. The replacement soap was banished to the basement. This is coming from a guy who can't be bothered with FOs. It was pretty funny.

He rarely notices FOs or remembers their name. When he does, it is usually not an FO I like. I'll probably make 4 to 5 bars of RW&R for him every year. This one replaced H&L on the to-buy list.

I'm glad you found the FB reviews helpful. I'm hoping to update that thread soon. I have few more reviews to add and a list of the next batch of FOs. I have a number of BB testers also.