No, I've really got nothing to say, just wanted to be first!
Cheers,
Ed
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No, I've really got nothing to say, just wanted to be first!
Cheers,
Ed
I have always been the first with nothing to say (of importance) :roflmao
Quote:
Originally Posted by ForestryProf
Sheesh... already a disagreement :roflmao:roflmao:roflmaoQuote:
Originally Posted by RichZ
I'm happier then a mouse in a cheese factory to be included in this, especially since we get to pick the scent (or scents) that bear the SRP monicker. Thanks guys(and gal). :y May our shaves be smooth and our sinuses clear.
looking forward to working with you all...charlie
I'm really excited about this. I've tested razors, blades, soaps, creams and brushes. On other sites, I've had members send my headphones to test (I used to dabble in sound engineering...when I could really hear), coffee, fountain pens...but never an A/S! I'm ready to roll!
Randy
This is very exciting can't wait to start..
Way Cool.........
Lynn
Gosh I was worried about what to say "First".....but I see this is not an issue :roflmao
Colleen
Good Afternoon Gentlemen,
First I'd like to say how excited I am about our tests
Second, no aftershaves were mailed the other day, (I have a bad habit of having to many irons in the fire) but due to the delay you will receive at least 3 aftershaves and 3 colognes all in the same box.
You know from the sticky that the first AS is witch hazel based, but a variant could easily be done with Aloe Vera or perhaps a combination, suitable for all skin types.
The other two aftershaves will be made with a combination of a hydrosol, distilled water, light alcohol, aloe vera....and essential oils (light)
The three colognes will be a "Cologne" in ratio of alcohol to essential oils or fragrance. These are not EDT's or EDC's....but are a "Cologne". I know that the Cologne has zero to do with testing an Aftershave that will bear the SRP letters, but figured as long as your testing the AS it would helpful to me to glean a few opinions for the Colognes, so I hope ya'll don't mind.
I'll be back tomorrow to give you a more detailed description of the other two AS....smell wise ;)
Colleen
Good Morning Gentlemen!
I have photographs of 3 different AS and the 3 Colognes. I've been using the AS ....geez, the things I do ;) All three are very nice and very different
Number 1.....is a Menthol, witch hazel, glycerin base with added Peppermint (EO), menthol cystals, Sandalwood (FO) Lavender (EO) and Rosemary (EO)
Number 2......is alcohol, hydrosol, glycerin, marine collagen, silk protein, aloe vera juice, distilled water. Essential oils only..... Bay, Cedar, Lemon and Peppermint.
Number 3.....is alcohol, glycerin, marine collagen, silk protein, aloe vera juice, distilled water....Essential oils only....Bay, Lavender, Lemon, Lime, Swt Orange, Petitgrain.
I did not put the Menthol on my face the way you do, I just used a cotton ball. I reeaaallly liked how it felt, very cooling and soothing. Aftershave number two comes with a story (yes, there are always stories in experimenting) To cut to the chase.....its Brown! My Husband said, "you can't send that out" .....LOL.
It looks a bit like coffee when you shake it up, this is do to the oils and the Hydrosol of Chickweed, Nettles, Comfrey, Plantain, Calendula, Cleavers, Oakmoss. Dweyne says it smells like Old Spice to him....I like it, its pleasant....and it lingers for at least an hour, close to two.
I will tell you that when I "splashed" it on my face the way you do (hands wet with water then a little AS) that it was a bit of an eye opener, it burned.....not in a bad way, but I wasn't expecting it. I know now this is from the Alcohol and the Peppermint EO. It left my skin very nice, soft and felt cooool for a while, very pleasant.
Number 3.....used it this morning. Cooling.....the scent is perfect, very light....lingers for say 30 minutes. Now these are my thoughts on the matter and to give you a little heads up about whats coming your way. I've asked Joe to help me with the Photographs.
So those will be posted in a bit. Also included in the photographs are Bottles. There are 4 oz bottles that most likely will be used for the EDT class, I currently am set on the 5 oz. bottle for the Aftershave class as it is the ONLY bottle I can find that will accept an orifice reducer without having to order in quantities of 1,000 plus. The smaller "airplane liquor" bottle will be used for trial versions or gift size.....
It is my goal to have all Aftershaves/Colognes out the door today and if you've ordered soap from the sale....thats headed your way too.
Kind Regards, Colleen
Yes!! I did it. missing a few, but you get the general idea.
I am sad to report that I once again was unable to get your Aftershaves out. I apologize, I am simply behind.....but should be caught back up over the next two days.
When you do receive your samples there should be enough going on between the six different items to keep you busy for a little while ;)
Waaaayy past my bedtime, see ya'll in the mornin over coffee.
Colleen
Good Evening Gentlemen,
I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is Everyone's order is in the box, addressed, sealed and ready to go. The postmaster asked about the liquid (no way to fib, you can hear it...lol) and whether it was flammable. I didn't lie, said it was aftershave with about the same amount of alcohol as mouthwash.
Postmaster says....can't mail it USPS, so I said " ok, so the alcohol ratio is even less than mouthwash"....:w she laughed and said it didn't matter anymore, the only allowable measure of alcohol thru USPS is 1% or less; they must be mailed thru UPS ground.
So off I go to terminal with all my little boxes, the short story is the gal said "that'll be $8.11"......and I said, " no...no, I need the cheapest amount" and she said, " lady, that is the cheapest amount" :rant: I gathered up my boxes and returned home.
Gentlemen, I must be honest and say that I am more than happy to do test rounds at my expense including the shipping charge when I thought to be paying about $2.50 per box to mail them. (boxes weigh 8.2 oz.) The simple fact is I cannot afford the $8.11 to mail each box. So now this begs the question of whether you fine Gentlemen feel so inclined to cover this cost?? to continue our project......
I had NO idea that it would cost this amount for shipping and have doubts as to whether future customers would pay such exorbitant costs to have Aftershaves and Colognes shipped to them. Would you??
Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions....any storks available for air duty ?
Colleen
Colleen,
I'm happy to pay shipping. What obstacles you will face down the road selling and shipping, I don't know.
RT
Here Goes...... I believe Heaven must provide the information when necessary because I sure looked for the following info prior to our testing but to no avail.
USPS ships nothing now that contains alcohol in excess of 1%.
All Aftershaves and Colognes are considered hazardous material if they contain alcohol. Kudo's for an alcohol free aftershave and there are different methods available for delivering scent other than the mainstream Cologne. Different story.
I called FedX and DHL shipping services. The immediate solution is FedX, they will pick up tomorrow with the following costs and delivery schedule.
RichZ........ship cost $6.30 with delivery in 2 days
Ed........... $6.30 2 days
Richard M. $6.91 4 days
Charlie $6.16 1 or 2 days
Randy ................ $6.80 4 days
DHL shipping service averaged $9.50 a box.....with a discount similar to UPS ($8.00) rates if I would open an account with them. They also suggested that I needed to complete the new 36 hour Hazmat course as required by the Powers that be.
It looks as though to do so may give me greater leeway in shipping by air and internationally....but there's a price tag in there somewhere, I can feel it!!
In the meantime, would everyone feel comfortable paying the above shipping costs. Oh and for the two who are conspicuously absent, because you had ordered soap and the way the way were packaged you couldn't hear the "liquid"....lol, they didn't ask and I didn't tell. They are in transit.
I await your responce, Colleen
Sounds fair to me.:D Let me know how to get the $6.91 to you.
I will happily send the 6.30 let know how.:tu
just send that amount using the following address for Paypal:
[email protected]
and yes, the address is the same as my regular email, Thanks Guys I really appreciate it!
Colleen
Well, the reason I haven't posted sooner was I was letting my fingers do some Googling, lol. :thinking:
Colleen, from what I can tell, it will be virtually impossible to get the cost of shipping any "hazardous" substance much below $6. Now, what's considered "hazardous" is the thing of big debate (as we were discussing a couple weeks ago). There's no easy resolution... it eventually gets tied up in mumbo jumbo about quantities, flash points of flammables, etc. Domestically, the controlling body is the DOT, not the USPS by the way. Essentially, if the flash point of any component is below 141F then there starts to be concerns. Alcohol has a flash point of 52F.
Anyway, even if it's legally shippable, by the time you prove that to the USPS you could have bought the truck and delivered it yourself for less money than the cost of all the testing and certification required. Clearly big business is making sure big business has the advantage. :cen !
So, how do others do it... well, one of the fragrance companies in Florida charges $5.75 but I'll bet they are subsidizing that. Many companies give free shipping on orders over a certain amount... say $75... and it doesn't take much to get a fragrance order aver that amount these days, so they've just built it into their pricing. Others just openly charge the $8-$10 it really costs.
Shipping internationally is a whole other matter... another good reason to stick with UPS or FedEx.
For those of you who are saying "well, how does B&B do it" I can only guess... they simply don't admit what's really in the box they're shipping. Ie, if it doesn't gurgle, who's gonna know? The problem with that is if the bottle is of any size, it needs to have a little air space to keep from leaking/exploding due to pressure changes in an unpressurized air cargo situation (which it would because USPS transports mostly by air these days).
So, bottom line is I think UPS or FedEx-Ground are the only viable choices. If you open an account with either of them you'll get a discount into the low $6 range if you "promise to use them exclusively" as your shipper... I don't know if you really want to do that, though because you could still ship soaps USPS less expensively. There's lots of little nuances in both UPS and FedEx regarding rates and how to save money... you'll have to pester them till they tell you the whole story.
$6.30 sent re paypal. Thanks for your hard work.Quote:
Originally Posted by churley
Rich
Shipping sent through Paypal! you should get notification shortly.
Many thanks Colleen,
Payment sent, and with it my heartfelt gratitude for all your effort.
Cheers,
Ed
Well, I've done some more digging this afternoon and I think I'll recant on what I said this morning. I have found enough info to suggest that alcohol containing aftershave can be shipped domestically via surface mail so long as each package contains less than a pint of alcohol total. Surface mail is slow but relatively inexpensive... e.g., a 1-lb package could be shipped from WV to AZ for about $3.80 (give or take) and would have an 8-day delivery. It would need to be marked to meet the requirements of an ORD-M Consumer Commodity package.Quote:
Originally Posted by azjoe
ok... my head hurts from reading all that crap!! ... I think I need a nice glass of scotch now :roflmao:roflmao
Joe,Quote:
Originally Posted by azjoe
In your honor, I just poured a glass of Laphroaig 10-yr.
Cheers,
Ed
Laphroaig... :eek::eek: ... damn... alcohol... liquid... surface mail/10-days... :cen:cen:cenQuote:
Originally Posted by ForestryProf
[thanks Ed! ;)]
...joe
Funds have been sent!
RT
Quote:
Originally Posted by azjoe
I have never heard of Laphroaig.....but I believe I'd like to have a glass !!Quote:
Originally Posted by ForestryProf
Gentlemen we are very close to being able to ship via USPS, but before I tell that tale......
Yesterday the FedX folks required that I open an account, then wait for a full 24 hours before I could schedule a pick up. Of course I said " well now, I'm already on the phone....why can't you just go ahead and schedule it? " Nope.....no, thats not how its done, after opening an account you must wait 24 hrs. Mrs. Hurley ( obviously to check my "terrorist status" :roflmao ) So that phone call was placed early this am...they will not pick up until Monday, because Saturday is not a business day. :cry:
I'm looking for my glass of Laphroaig....:shrug:
Not to be deterred, I looked over the links that Joe sent, copied 40 pages of the DMM and Hazardous Materials sections and went to work with the highlighter.
Joe, the information you listed above is accurate and I went back to the PO armed with my highlighted document.... Now for the fun part, the Mabscott PO is very small.....Mabscott is very small, I believe they have two Police cars (I live on the edge of Mabscott) so anyway I know the Postmaster...that'd be Patti and the other lady; her name is Sharon. I convinced them that I was indeed able/allowed to mail these items via surface with the proper labeling.
For times sake.....your boxes will still mail out Monday with FedX as this will cut up to 4 or more days off of the delivery time, so everyone should have your samples by the end of the week. When you receive your boxes they will have a ORM-D label along with the wording "consumer commodity" and "surface" will all appear on the box.
In the meantime, I believe that I am to submit a MSDS sheet to PCSC (pricing and classification service center) to be able to mail thru the Postal service.... not sure about that one though.
The end of it all, rests with the "mailer". I requested information yesterday thru the Hazmat Govt. website and they called me suggesting that while not required, it would be in my best interest to take one of the Hazmat courses for proper packaging and labeling and I will follow up on that.
I read an article today that noted a citation against "Coty" for mailing 27 one ounce bottles of perfume in a box that was not properly labeled and packaged. The box was damaged in transit and leakage was present, when opened the bottles of perfume were discovered and the DOT/Hazmat people slapped Coty with a fine of $57,000.00 :gth
Thats enough to make a person want to do it right... I appreciate your patience.
XXWarm Regards, Colleen
Ok Everyone... samples should start arriving soon. (I got mine on Friday afternoon :y:y:y)
That means we have to start testing and reporting our findings. (I hope Colleen chimes in here, because everything I know about evaluating fragrances and lotions and potions would fit in a very small space, lol).
As I started to think how I was going to do it I realized I need some help. A simple "I Like it" or "I don't like it" probably wasn't enough. And that got me thinking maybe we as a group might want to approach this in some semblance of consistency.
My initial thoughts/questions are...
Procedurally,What metrics are important to make a good aftershave? Things I can think of are:
- I don't necessarily think it's a good idea for each of us to just randomly post our thoughts as we test since this could unknowingly bias a tester who hasn't tried that sample yet.
- I plan on using each sample for several consecutive days before I go on to the next one since I know that often I do/don't like something and then that opinion changes after a couple uses.
and then I ran out of ideas... I dunno... what else should be considered??
- do I like the fragrance?
- does it sooth irritation?
- does it provide any noticeable skin conditioning?
- is it astringent?
- how long does the fragrance last?
Please chime in everyone...
Joe, I think you've covered everything :tu
Although I think most will not receive samples for at least another 5 days. Anyone close to WV/East Coast should receive theirs by Wednesday, CA and Utah....I'm thinking around the 1st or 2nd of March.....Friday or Saturday.
(sounds like a long time away when you say the 1st of March. )
When you do get them obviously all the things Joe mentioned. I will keep my fingers crossed that you like all three of them, but where " I learn" is from my mistakes. I don't mind that thoughts are posted here, but if you think you will be biased in your opinion because of someone else's statement, then by all means just PM me.
Other than that, I've always enjoyed the open conversation as it generates other ideas. My feelings are not hurt when you tell me I don't like this or that......but I will be asking the "why" of your thoughts. This is where I will learn to make my adjustments.
I can already tell you that when my Husband saw the brown aftershave...he said, you can't sell that...and I said " I'm not selling it, I'm testing it" there's a difference :w I don't know that the color is unattractive as much as it is not "mainstream".....its just different. My thought....who knows, maybe we'll start a new trend, or you may very well tell me " I don't care how well it works, I wouldn't be buy a brown aftershave".....thats ok, thats why we're doing the tests.
Testing is Fun! I can hardly wait.
Colleen
I don't know, a brown aftershave might be interesting. I am, however, assuming that it will not be causing a permanent hue to adhere to my somewhat pale face?
:shrug:
Cheers,
Ed
I agree with Joe that our opinions should not be posted. Bias is very easy. In the past, when asked to review products, I kept a Word document dedicated to the specific task, and updated it daily with thoughts and opinion. This way I could easily attach it in an email. Doing this would give Colleen something she can print and store somewhere other than just the computer. Also, for something of this nature, I think at least 7 days per item would be needed. A product used once is just a new product. Used twice might give the same result or a different result. Used more than twice and a trend can be developed. For example, if out of 7 days of use, days 2 and 5 were not quality shaves. Your reaction and opinion might be very different on those days.
RT
Mornin Gents!
Two votes for not posting your thoughts works well enough for me. So mum's the word until testing is done.
so does this mean everyone will receive their samples and then I will not hear anything for a month while you test.....:( Or will you be writing your thoughts to me...
FedX comes today to pick up these little boxes of "Hazordous Materials" :roflmao ;) I will post back as soon as the FedX man picks them up.
and on an interesting note.....an accountant/bookeeper virtually showed up on my doorstep yesterday to help me get my Business together....:y
Colleen
Randy,Quote:
Originally Posted by rtaylor61
That makes alot of sense to me or is that scents to me.:w
FedX arrived and picked up the remaining 5 boxes :y .....everyone should have their boxes by week's end.
Are you interested in knowing about Perfumer's Alcohol or Formulator's Alcohol?
Colleen
:p Hmmm... is curiosity killing the cat? :DQuote:
Originally Posted by churley
Huh... isn't it all isopropyl alcohol? Enlighten us.:shrug:Quote:
Originally Posted by churley
Quote:
Originally Posted by churley
Quote:
Originally Posted by churley
I'm holdin out.....:roflmaoQuote:
Originally Posted by azjoe
Soapmistress
Evenin Gents!
I am sure all of you are familiar with the following list of ingredients: witch hazel, aloe vera juice, alcohol, vinegar, water, hydrosols aka rose water, orange flower water etc.
The focus of this wee "informal" article of information is in regards to "alcohol"....and I just couldn't hold out any longer...LOL ;)
Many people do use Vodka, preferably Everclear or Grain alcohol to make AS/Colognes etc. while suitable for home use; it is against the law for a business to use vodka or other intoxicating spirits for use in personal care products for resell to the public. Per The US Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ( 27 CFR part 21 ). They're everywhere aren't they...
Just for common sense thinking I suppose a person could use rubbing alcohol as an ingredient in making aftershave although they are usually diluted at 1:1 with water and rubbing alcohol has a rather distinctive smell that I think would interfere with fragrance oils or essential oils.
What is used by people like me; who make, produce AS, Colognes, etc. are professional dilutants <sp? known as Perfumers Alcohol or Formulators Alcohol purchased from Suppliers. These formulas must be approved for use by the ATF by submitting formulas/samples to the ATF National Laboratory for examination....and then approval or rejection. The supplier provides to me the assurance that their product has been approved by the ATF and supplies MSDS sheets to me.
Perfumers Alcohol is as the name implies....the base used for fine perfumes and your higher end Colognes. INCA: SDA 40B 200 proof, isopropyl myristate, isopropyl alcohol.
Formulators Alcohol is designed for use with products/formulas that require the addition of water, including AS, Colognes, astringents, AS balms, milks etc. INCA: SDA 40B 200 proof, Propylene Glycol, Isopropyl alcohol.
Dinners late....gotta go.
Colleen
I received my package today...1#1 no #2 2 #3 ...?
I tested out the aftershaves I received...I didn't receive the brown one #2...# 1&3 didn't do it for me...the scent needs to be more defined rather than a blended scent...these had little strength like a toilet water frag...I think as needs to be stronger but not like a colonge...citrus needs to be either lemon or lime for example not a combination of both...of course this is my opinion...what do I know!
To eliminate any bias, please don't post your thoughts publicly. Either put them in a Word document that you can send to Colleen as an attachment, or pm her. Also, use the products multiple times before forming an opinion, at least 3 or more. Depending on the quality of your shave, you may find your thoughts change.Quote:
Originally Posted by clarman
RT