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Review! My Moon & Stars Soap by Saffie Bea

Oh, lovely readers of mine! This is an especially happy post. I haven't had time to work with a brand since before my nursing degree, when I was a sponsored model and bloguese for gothic jeweler The Crypt of Curiosities. But now that I'm on maternity leave and have organised my wacky brain a bit after settling into nurse life, I'm excited to have been sent some absolutely beautiful handmade soaps from artisan company Saffie Bea. And once my body fully recovers from the postpartum aftermath, I'll finally be getting around to doing a long-awaited photoshoot and review of some truly special garments from gothic designer Phantomlovely.

Saffie Bea is a purveyor of handmade glycerine soaps, soy candles, and ceramics based in Harrogate in the north of England. They sent me four soaps to review, of which this will be the first.


I think the packaging is very sweet. The recycled heavy card box and mandala design gets the bohemian message across while remaining tidy and unfussy. The box itself is sturdy enough to be worth keeping for cute storage.


Inside, the soaps were neatly packed into deep purple shredded packing paper. I'm not sure what witchery was devised to keep it in the box, but somehow it hasn't made a mess all over the house. It's dense and actually served its purpose. Fab.


These are the four soaps laid out in all their glory. All but the Lemon Cheesecake one are vegan. This post will serve as a review for the one called My Moon & Stars, which I'm hoping is a Game of Thrones reference. Will I emerge from my bath a khaleesi, as Daenerys emerged from her husband's funeral pyre? Only I'll be squeaky clean? Let's find out...



Ok, so right away I loved that the ingredients were so easily accessible. People with allergies or who want to avoid certain products for any reason can immediately see whether or not this soap is right for them. This particular one is full of shimmer and glitter, and thanks to the handy label, we can see that it's cosmetic grade glitter, which is suitable for the skin. Craft grade glitters are usually metal-based and contain pigments that are toxic to the body, so this little detail is important. The only further information that I'd have liked to see on the label is if the glitter is also fully environmentally friendly.



The soap itself came wrapped in a thin plastic film. It's not ideal, but excusable if you take into account how environmentally conscious the rest of the packaging is. Many companies don't make half the effort that Saffie Bea has, but there's always room for improvement.


                                                                         PRETTY!

Why actually wash with this soap when you could just lose yourself to a hypnotic trance whilst gazing into its shimmery, jewel-toned depths? Bonus use as a meditation/scrying tool. I knew witchcraft was somehow involved!


Please excuse the drastic change in lighting. The light bulb in my bathroom is super yellow and tricky to work with. This was taken after rubbing a bit of water into the soap. A little bit of lather came up after a few seconds. Now, I know that the amount of lather a bath product produces can be a contentious issue for some people. I, personally, am not too fussed about it. A lack of huge bubbles is actually often a sign of a lack of weird preservatives and additives. Small bubbles doesn't mean it's not doing its job.



I usually wash with a natural sponge. Picking up some of the soap and working it into the sponge created a bit more of a lather. You'd be absolutely fine applying the soap directly to your skin with your hand, but I like a sponge because it exfoliates and cleans simultaneously. My skin gets pretty dry in the winter, so exfoliation is necessary to maintain a happy-dermis.


My Moon & Stars is sweet and gentle, as most glycerine soaps are. I was especially pleased that the scent is equally gentle. I'm not huge on floral scents because they trigger my migraines. Even though this soap is fuschia-scented, it wasn't too much for me.

This simple soap does not add moisture to the skin, so be sure to moisturise after. I used my usual cocoa butter, and though I didn't magically turn into a khaleesi, I did feel clean and smell yummy. Which soap should I try next?

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