Thursday, March 11, 2010

The Perfect Touch

Rubbing in a little mica pigment on the surface of a soap will pop out that gorgeous detail that may normally go unnoticed. This trick is super easy and the results are very dramatic. For this project, I made my melt-and-pour soap like normal, used a clear soap base that I colored with a variety of mica pigments, and scented it with Woodland Elves fragrance oil. But instead of calling it done with the de-molding, I added a special touch to finish my soap. Remember, it's those extra little efforts that will catch the eye!

You will need:


Step One: Pour a variety of colors and swirls for a basic bar. After de-molding your melt-and-pour soap, spray with rubbing alcohol to create a slick surface for rubbing in the pigment.



Step Two: Using a mini-scoop, tap a very small amount of opalescent green mica on a paper towel and then rub all over the surface of your soap. Repeat with the heavy gold mica. The deep parts of the detail in the soap will contrast beautifully against the higher surface that catches the pigment.

Before and After. Less is more! I like to apply the gold in patches on top of the opalescent green mica to create depth.


Try this technique with different colors. The darker your soap is to begin with, the more stunning the detail.

7 comments:

  1. I love that! What a differece in the two soaps. I think I might try that on the top of my CP soap. I tend to make the tops very textured...so I think I'll get the same effect.

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  2. Thanks for the comments! Great idea T.A.-- I think it will look beautiful on the top of your CP soap.

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  3. So fun! This really helps to make a difference in the soaps.

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  4. Wow, what a difference between the Before and After soaps! I've heard about this technique before, but never tried it. I'm inspired now to give it a try! Thanks! :-)

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  5. Wow, that is beautiful! I definately want to try that! Thanks for the great idea and inspiring photos!!

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