The most gorgeous handmade soaps by M.Strand

I've been meaning to do this post  for a while, because I wanted to test the product for a nice and long time and then give you a proper review and some swooning. 
Well, I've decided I need to show you the setup of this pretty thing in a separate post than the review because there are so many pictures I want to include, that it would have made for a much too humongous post.

One fine day I was walking around Covent Garden when I was drawn in by the most gorgeously arranged little pieces of soap.

When I got closer I literally started squealing a little because of the detail that went into all of them.
I mean,just look!

M.Strand is a handmade skincare brand that make soaps and creams,from what I had the pleasure to see. The amount of care that goes into making, packaging and decorating is simply brilliant and if for nothing else, just go by their stand to marvel at the beauty of it all. It's as if it is pulled straight out of a Hobbit movie, as it has that fairytale look about it all.

The even better news is that they now even have a website, with web store at mstrand.co.uk , but if you have the chance, trust me when I say it will be very worth it to see their stand in person.





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Soap Lovin' | The Scottish Fine Soap Company Jasmine Soap

You might be aware of this or not, but I like soaps. A lot! And not necessarily to use them in the shower or bath because many times they just remain untouched as I don't want to ruin their beauty. 
I like them because of the work that goes into them, the selection of ingredients, the whole process of creating a little cube of utter beauty.
Now when I say soaps, I mean those handmade, artisanal ( at least artisanal looking), beautifully crafted ones. Nothing against Dove, Palmolive and co. but mass production has never warmed my creative heart.
And on my birthday, my wonderfully perceptive friend presented me with a gorgeous mint tin with an even more gorgeous soap in it:

This particular one is by The Scottish Fine Soap Company that I will shamefully admit not knowing about prior to this but is it not just gorgeous?

You can probably tell it's Jasmine scented soap and it truly smells of all the floral goodness that jasmin provides.

                            
I will also admit to not using it yet because really, I can't find it in my heart to pour water on it and ruin the whole thing. But I might, very soon.

Bottom line is, I utterly enjoy soaps! Am I the only one here?


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All About The Beautiful Marseille Soap

Let me tell you the story of the most beautiful soap I have ever used.

It's girly, it's lush, it smells incredible and it is so good to my skin!

Le Savon de Marseille, or simply Marseille Soap in English. This soap has been made in France (in Marseille, as the name says) for over 600 years now and the recipe has pretty much stayed the same.

It's made from just vegetable fats and oils, so no animal components, which should make vegans jolly.
Traditionally, it is mixed with sea water from the Mediterranean. ( How awesome does that sound! )

I found these soaps by accident at a home decor store called Bamboo and was super excited about it because I had heard so many good things about the Marseille soap but was never able to actually find it and buy it.
I got these two: Lavander and Forest Fruit.
As girls usually do, what did I try out first? Exactly, the pinkish looking one!

I love the look they have, it really looks like something that could have been made couple hundred years ago. Nothing too fancy, but beautifully traditional.
Not to mention I jumped up and down when I saw it also had Shea Butter ( the Beurre de Karite you can see written in the upper right corner.)
If you don't know how obsessed I am with Shea Butter ( and for a good reason!) , you can read all bout the Why I Love and the How I Like to use it on the links right there.

I used to be absolutely fascinated with this Shea Butter and Adzuki Bean Soap but I have to say ... this one beats it by a mile!

Like I've repeated so many times, my skin is super dry, and with the weather and temperatures changing, it got an extra boost  of  "oh no,it's getting drier!"

But my skin didn't even feel remotely dry! AND it makes the most lush foam! I now basically look forward to showering so I can cuddle with the foam. The softest, most delicate foam you will have ever touched!

Not to mention that one day I just decided to see what happens if I foam my face up a bit too. Well, what happened was that my eyeliner and mascara made a very clear disappearance from the scene.
I would have never thought it removes make-up so well too!

And the smell....oh the smell! Incredible! I'm super fussy with smells but this one won me over in a second!

I am generally of the conviction that soaps are much better, less ingredients, less bad stuff going on your precious skin.
Not to mention you get much better quality for a comparatively low price if you take soap vs shower gels.A super gel will cost you much more than a super soap.

This has definitely become one of my must have products and I think it will take a very special shower gel to ever convince me to give this soap up.



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My Soap of Choice : Adzuki Bean & Shea Butter

Today I will tell you about one of my favorite bath products.
Maybe you know by now that I'm a big fan of Shea butter, if not, you can read all about the miracle moisturizer in This Post .
But the moment I found a hand made soap WITH Shea butter , I immediately got it. And I will tell you, I was not disappointed at all!

I'll be honest and tell you I had no idea what the Adzuki bean was or what it did. I then found out it was a type of bean that grows in east Asia and the Himalayas,and that it is widely used in Japan, so check on the 'exotic ingredient'.
To be quite honest, I haven't figured out what skin properties it might have,as you actually have the bean in the soap, not some powder or extract.Maybe for an occasional exfoliation? Maybe to play in the shower? Or maybe it's the ideal prison soap, where you will have to bend to get the fallen bean when it detaches from your soap.

Bean close-up below.

I will admit that I really, really like the packaging and the red Adzuki bean looks great in the color palette and goes perfectly with the label design.


What is does and how it does it:

I'm a bigger fan of soaps than I am of shower gels,even if the latter tend to come in more smells most of the time. This soap for example has a very subtle scent that I like.
What it does is moisturizing your skin and NOT drying it out. And this fellow does that really well! I have dry skin and whatever I put on it ends up drying it out. Not the case with this soap!
Nobody was more surprised than me. Not even when shaving my legs did I feel that uncomfortable "my skin's so stretched out it's gonna break!".
I felt my skin comfortable and that is a very rare thing. The Shea butter really does its job well and whenever I find a bath product that keeps moisture in my skin, I will be impressed.

Ingredients:

The ingredient list is more or less vague,like so

With some additional info in dutch that says that "each soap base is made from a selection of plant based glycerin, rapeseed oil , olive, coconut, sunflower/ castor oil and unrefined shea butter."

I got this particular soap in Holland at a de Tuinen store but you can also find it on the online store of Herbapharm  for under 4 Euro if I remember well.



All in all 
I am DEFINITELY going to keep using this! I still have 2 spare ones for when the current one runs out.
If you can't get hold of this particular one, I recommend you look for soaps with Shea butter in their composition.Your skin will be impressed.
And like I always say: The less ingredients, the better!

Do you prefer using soaps or gels?



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