Peaks and Layers - 2nd (and 3rd) Try

I really wanted to nail this technique, but it looks like it's going to take a few more tries.

I tried the soap peaks and layers 2 more times. Both times I didn't use any fragrance or essential oil, because I was only focusing on getting the colors and technique right.  I didn't want to risk having the layers seize up or accelerate with my essential oils. 

I'm trying to stay positive and think of a few positive outcomes here :)

1. I got some ok-looking, colored soap made that my kids will be happy to use.

but that's about it.

A few things I need to figure out: 

1. How much mica do I need to get deep, bright colors.

2. How to use TD without getting glycerin rivers in my soap.

I think the next time I try this I'll try only having 3 layers instead of 4, and I'm going to add a lot more mica to my soap.  My recipes use a lot of olive oil, which is yellowish, and I'm wondering if that's why the colors come out muted. 

No way to find out unless I try, right?