Carun Active Hemp Soap Bar

RRP: £4.99

--What does the promo say?--
"Organic Cannabinoid rich gentle cleansing soap bar.

Naturally effective hypoallergenic skin maintenance and protection.

Naturally Antibacterial, analgesic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.

Made from 100% organic oils, Carun soap is an incredibly gentle cleanser, helping to balance and maintain your skins natural PH and moisture levels."

--Packaging--

Packaged in a very environmentally friendly manner, the soap bar comes in a cardboard box with the white, blue and green colour scheme which characterises it as part of the Carun line. 

--Application--

Lather up under running water to create a foam which you can rub over clean dry skin and then rinse off.

--Appearance--

The soap is a creamy light cacao/off yellow colour which lathers into a white foam, leaving no visible residue on the skin. The Carun name and its trefoil logo is carved simply into the bar.

--Scent--

Again a creamy scent with a slightly refreshing zest to it, most likely thanks to the cacao and sea buckthorn.

--Texture and consistency--

The foam is fine yet luxurious.

--Effects on the skin--

The soap effectively rebalances the skin, reducing the amount of sebum production and generally calming the skin's condition, leaving it feeling moisturised.

--Value for money--

At £4.99 this is hardly going to break the bank and it indisputably calms acneic skin down, especially in conjunction with the Active Hemp Face Cream. One bar lasts ages and is not costly to replace. I was sent mine for free, but would buy again.

perfect partners

Active Hemp Face Cream, £16.99

Hemp Ointment, £16.99

Hemp Body Oil, £13.99

Hemp Bath Spa, £19.99

Villainess Body Soap

RRP: $5/£4

--What does the promo say?--
"Absolutely smooth, sheer, silken lather."

--Packaging--
The packaging consists of an olde-worlde paper label wrapped around the soap, encased in a plastic wrapping which is rather difficult to tear open. I'd prefer fully paper packaging myself; even cardboard would work well with this brand. Apart from that, things are all good, with the soap packaging design fitting in consistently with the Villainess brand as a whole.

--Usage--
Lather up over your body during a shower or bath. Rub the bar over arms, legs, chest and stomach area to make bubbles before rinsing off.

--Appearance--
Again, the colour descriptions on the website are slightly out: rather than being a "frothy bog green", I'd say that this was more of a distinguished pale brown, even though the lather that's created is pale white. No visible residue is left on the body after use.

--Lather, texture and consistency--
As described: not as obviously foamy as bath bubbles, but a definite, pleasing, sophisticated sheen of lather. Washes off easily when you want it to, but doesn't slide off the body seconds after application. I found it a real pleasure and treat to use. My fiancé was not so sure: he didn't find it luxurious enough and is more used to using shower gels rather than body bars. Equally, I found that it washed off well, but he said that his skin felt 'sticky' after use.

--Scent--
I have to say that I wasn't keen: the vetiver is quite overpowering and packs a serious masculine punch. This might be a better present for your boyfriend than for you. However, saying that, even my man didn't like it: he found it just too 'soap-smelling' and has preferred other samples that I've stuck into the shower in the past.

--How does your skin feel afterwards?--
Smooth and lovely. No objections.

--Value for money--
This is a great value body bar that I can see lasting me a long time; after a few uses it still looks brand new, and I would definitely choose it over Lush's Buffy in terms of refinement, efficacy and identity. Even though I wasn't too keen on the scent, Villainess luckily offers a really good range of variants so that there's bound to be something that suits me (Ginger Snapped? Yes please!).

perfect partners
Grundy Smooch! Body Scrub, £7/$10
Grundy Whipped! Body Cream, £7/$10
Grundy Mud Face Mask, £7/$12
Grundy Perfume Oil, £10/$16
Grundy Kaboom! Bath Bomb, $8.50 (available only through Villainess website)