Soap Showdown

Hey everyone! I hope you're doing well and just excited as I am that there is some regular posting going on. Today's post is about some some soaps that I've used recently. I don't know what it is, but lately I've really gotten into using bar soap as a body cleanser instead of liquid body wash. Maybe it's because it seems more old fashioned. When I use bar soap, I feel connected to the millions of people who went before me for the past hundreds of years and got by with only a humble cake of soap for cleanliness. None of this new-fangled liquid stuff. I've also been more wary of chemicals lately, which is slightly ironic, and I feel like there's more chemicals involved in liquid body wash than soap. Plus, the soap bar has had hundreds of years to prove its reliability, so why not tap into that for a while?

Punch Studio Jasmine Luxury Soap

First up is some deliciously fragrant jasmine soap from a Punch Studio holiday set I got a couple years ago. I know, I'm a little late in getting around to using the soap. But it just looked so pretty in its lovely box and smelled so nice that I hated to use it. Thankfully, even though this one is gone, there is still a second one to use. I plan to do a full post on the set I got, because I think they come out with one every Christmas season.

The bar is a good size, not too big or too small, so there's no risk of slipping and sliding in the shower. It's very fragrant, and the smell lasted a good while after I was out of the shower and dry. It also creates a nice lather, which I feel is integral to feeling like I'm actually clean after using a soap. Another perk to the soap is that it's made in the USA. Woo! I'm always happy when something is made within my beloved country. Let's create and support local jobs :) If you're interested, I see Punch Studio stuff a lot at T. J. Maxx. That's where we got the set this is from, and I often see their stuff throughout the year. Just check out the area where soaps/shampoos are sold.

Addison & Gates Blackberry & Vanilla Luxury Soap

Here we have my beloved little Blackberry & Vanilla soap. And I do mean little. It's a cube with sides about 1.5 to 2 inches long. The size does pose a small problem, because it's more difficult to handle and use quickly in the shower, and the corners are slightly uncomfortable, but it's not too much of a hassle to get a good lather. I quickly got over the size issue because the smell is SCRUMPTIOUS. Oh is it heavenly. It makes me want to bite it. I haven't, though, in case you were worried. The scent is so pungent that it scents the entire shower area when dry. This isn't one of those soaps that you have to add water and practically put your nose on in order to smell. I like that, since I rely on my soap for perfume as much as cleanliness. And isn't the packaging adorable? I had to have a shot just to dedicate to the pattern. It's like a geometric floral. While the small size was a tad annoying, it was only a trial size, and there were bigger bars I could've bought. I bought this at World Market, and I recommend checking that store out even if you don't want the soap. There are so many neat things there.

Edna Lucille Southern Magnolia Homestyle Soap

This soap was a gift, and I wanted so much to love it. Not only because it was a gift from my well-intending mother (who knows of my deep love of magnolias), but also because the packaging makes me think of old-timey goodness. I'm just such a sucker for retro.

To start off, the smell is not exactly what I would love. There's definitely magnolia there, but there's also a soap smell mixed in. The other soaps just make you think of their name, but this makes me think of soap and powdery magnolias. Besides the smell, it doesn't really lather all that well. The soap is kind of a mix of a creamy soap and these weird translucent soap chunks. Maybe if it was entirely made of the creamy colored material, it would be better, but the cubes throw it off. It also leaves me skin feeling kind of slick instead of moisturized. I'm wondering if there isn't some sodium hydroxide in there. I'll see if I can find the ingredients list. Sodium hydroxide is a strong base, and it will leave your skin feeling that way. Stay away!

Asquith & Somerset Magnolia Luxury Soap

This soap was also bought at World Market. It's funny that I would buy an abnormally small and an abnormally large soap in the same shopping trip. This guy is just a little too big to fit in my soap dish, which is a bummer because the dish cuts into the soap, and I don't want to waste crumb of this stuff! It is so heavenly! It's what the other magnolia tried to be and failed. I don't get what's up with the royal pig on the packaging, though. It doesn't matter because this soap is the bomb dot com! It has a rich lather, luxurious scent, and cleans while still being moisturizing.

It's kind of hard to rank them, because I like three of them so well, but the Asquith & Somerset Magnolia soap is my favorite and the Edna Lucille Southern Magnolia is my least favorite. The Blackberry & Vanilla and Jasmine soaps are both so nicely scented, but their lather is just a little weaker than the Magnolia soap, so they have to tie for second. If you can't find these particular soaps, I would just head on over to World Market or T. J. Maxx and look for any soap that says "triple milled" or "luxury" in a scent that you like. It's most likely a winner.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a lovely day!
Stacie