Molton Brown- Moisture-rich Aloe & Karité Ultrabar

So here's a confession: before I used this soap, I had never shaved my armpits in my life. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a dirty hippy (okay, I'm totally a dirty hippy), I've just always had a fear of dragging a razor across my flesh and would rather burn the stuff off with poisonous chemicals or rip it out with hot wax. But this soap bar was a shaving bar, so I felt I had to have a go at shaving with it. Armed with my disposable razor from the supermarket, I dived in.

Molton Brown are known for their soaps, just not the solid ones (they only produce 2- this one and an exfoliating one). Their handwash is a good gauge of the quality of the restaurant you're in. I've had the pleasure of using their liquid body-wash before too and loved it, so I hoped that their solid stuff would be just as good. My brother got me this for Christmas; I actually wanted the other bar because I don't shave, but hey, you don't look fancy soap in the mouth.

Price- £12.50 for a 250gr bar. It's a bit of a luxury price, but you get a good sized bar for your money.

First Look- the packaging on this bar was awesome- I just broke the sticker seal on the back and it opened up like a cardboard butterfly. The bar was a milk chocolate brown with Molton Brown embossed on it.

Dry Feel- it was a very strong block, almost wooden. Despite the shea butter content, the bar didn't feel oily at all or melt on my fingertips.

Smell- incredibly mature and musky, the sandalwood here was much nicer than the Howling Pig stuff. The soap base was present as well as a hint of the shea butter and overall the smell was relaxing but invigorating. A little masculine, but in a naughty, sexy way, it clung very heavily to the skin, but I didn't mind because it just made me feel rich all day.

Shaving- now, I'm a lady who doesn't shave. And this is shave soap. As much as I wish my facial hair was illustrious enough to shave, it isn't, so I had to resort to shaving various other sections of my body. The soap forms a great shaving lather when dampened and rubbed directly on the fuzz patch, and I felt little to no irritation while I hacked away. I somehow escaped my first real encounter with a razor without any cuts, so this soap passes the shave test with flying colours.

As a body soap- the soap performed well in the shower too, lathering up well without melting too fast. I get the feeling that a bar would last a long time even if you were using it twice a day in the shower. My skin was left feeling supple and recharged afterwards, without feeling artificially pumped up.

As a hand soap- this is not a hand soap! Why would you waste this on your hands unless it was the only soap in the world?

As a face soap- obviously, this soap was designed for use on men's faces as a shave soap for use in the shower (so you can hack away at your fuzz face and wash your gross pits at the same time). It did leave my soft delicate lady face a little tight but not dry, almost like an instant facelift.

Overall- this soap worked excellent for shaving and that's exactly what I'm going to keep it for. The scent is sexy, and I do like it on my body, but I don't really want to waste it. If you are a guy looking for a better alternative to shaving foam that comes in a can and runs out in a week, then you need this bar. Hell, even if you're not looking, you need this bar. This bar will get you laid. End of story.

Clinique- Anti Blemish Solutions Cleansing Bar for Face and Body

Apologies for the lack of update last week. There was a trip home, in which I forgot to pick up any of the soap I have there, extra cheerleading practice in anticipation of our competition this December, a nerve-wracking presentation in front of the whole class and a peaceful protest with 49,999 other student which devolved into trashing Tory HQ. I wasn't smashing windows or throwing fire-extinguishers. I sat in the pub less than a mile away, eating chocolate fudge cake and watching the biased media coverage on BBC news 24. But enough of that.

Clinique, for those not in the know, are a semi-luxury skincare brand, more expensive than Garnier but little less pricy than Lancôme. I've been using their 3 step skincare for about 2 years now, but always with the liquid mild soap. A shop assistant pointed out my hideous pustule covered chin and handed over a washbag full of anti blemish samples, including this 50g bar of soap.

Price- a 150gr bar retails at £12.50. Not cheap, but if you're only using it on your face, it should last a while.


First Look- the bar has a matt surface and is a creamy off-white shade. It looks unassuming, like any other run of the mill bar of soap. Almost clinical.


Dry Feel- dense, it has a very strong feel to it and wont mark easily. The surface gently melts on contact with warm fingers.

(I try to take my photos in good sunlight, but the London weather doesn't always cooperate)

Smell- Nothing. Completely neutral. It doesn't even have a soapy smell... like some kind of ghost soap. How do I know it's even there? What if I've imagined this whole bar of soap? To the shower! *Batman scene change noise*

As a body soap- I don't get back-acne, but I do occasionally get a back spot in summer. The soap felt extremely luxurious and gentle on the body.

As a facial soap- it lathered up no problem straight on my cheeks, making a light and silky film. For the love of all that is soapy, DO NOT GET THIS IN YOUR EYES. I felt it was important to test how eye friendly this facial soap wash and happily flicked some lather in my eyes. The burning pain that seared through my tearduct is making my eyes water even now.

As a hand soap- don't bother. It won't shift any cooking smells or real dirt.

Overall- my cheeks felt a little dry after use, but not tight. It also didn't shift a gross little whitehead that was frolicking across my chin but that faded down during the day, so maybe it did work it's magic. I don't need to use this on my body, so I won't, but I feel my face has found a new friend. My face felt much cleaner than usual and there's the added bonus of being able to take this cleanser on a plane as hand luggage. 

Update- It's only been a week since I started using the Clinique Anti Blemish collection, and my skin already looks much better, with a huge reduction in gross chin blemishes. Definitely recommend!