Review: Lychee Red Tea Fragrance Oil

 

NOOOOO, SAY IT AIN'T SO!!!

Brambleberry is an amazing supplier of ingredients, additives, tools and tips for every level of bath & body product maker.  I have used their products for almost 10 years and have always been impressed with their level of professionalism and the quality of the items I've received.  I also adore Ann-Marie, the "Soap Queen".  She has an amazing blog where she details all manner of bath treat making tutorials.

My only issue with ordering from Brambleberry is that they are located on the west coast of the US and I am on the east coast.  Because fragrance oils in particular can be volatile, shipping is done via FedEx or UPS.  Coming across the country, this means higher prices and longer transit times.

However, the variety of fragrance oils available there that I can't find anywhere else, leads me to place an order once or twice a year while I sit on my hands and wait for my goodies to arrive.

This year I decided to place an order because I've now found an amazing soapmaker who will create custom mini loaves of soap for me from whatever fragrance oil I send her.  Kia over at Petals Bath Boutique really raised my product junkie level to 1000 by offering this service.

 I ordered a couple of my old favorites ~ Energy and Ginger Lime.  Since with one more bottle, there wouldn't be an increase in my shipping costs, I looked around the site and found Lychee Red Tea.  From the Brambleberry.com website, the scent description is as follows:

"Lychee is a popular fruit enjoyed extensively in Vietnam, China and Thailand. It is gaining in popularity in the US in food and we love it in this blend because of its intriguing exotic fruity sweet note. It has a subtle nuance of dew fruit and a unique finish that makes your mouth pucker and water at the same time. Mixed with Red Tea (also known as Rooibos), this blend finishes with the white florals of geranium and lily."

I was intrigued and decided to give it a try and I am so glad that I did!  Lychee Red Tea is such a complex and balanced fragrance, its has a sweet, tart fruity scent that is grounded with the rooibos tea along with a slight floral accord.  It seems as if each element keeps the others from going too far.  It's not too fruity, not too earthy, not too floral and yet it does not remain neutral.  I can not overstate the awesomeness of this scent.  I sent it to Kia to create my soap (read more about this product maker and my huge haul including this custom soap).

I've had this soap for awhile now, but have been unable to use it because of other soaps I've been reviewing.  However, I recently used this in the shower and I fell in love all over again!  It was such a refreshing, sophisticated fragrance!

The wheels began to turn in my head - I wanted to share this fragrance with family and friend and decided to purchase more of the Lychee Red Tea fragrance oil so that I could use it to make gift items - bath bombs, body butter, fragrance mists, etc.  When I returned to the website, that is when I made a horrifying discovery...BRAMBLEBERRY INTENDS TO DISCONTINUE THIS FRAGRANCE ONCE THEIR CURRENT SUPPLY RUNS OUT. 

My heart is heavy, I want to start a petition for Brambleberry to keep this fragrance FOREVER.  Now, I know that some hard decisions have to be made when it comes to what a company offers, but this one hurt me to my heart.  Please, for the love of all that us soap addicts have, rethink this decision!

Have you tried this fragrance oil?  If so, let me know how you feel about it and if you love it, please comment on the brambleberry page for this item and beg them to keep it.

If you haven't, it will be a life changing experience.

Peace, Love & Pixie Sticks!

Ayieta