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Scottish Fine Soaps Bluebell Soap Tin
by Abski2001
I came across the Scottish Fine Soaps Company brand the Christmas before last when I was gift shopping on Amazon. I do like to buy local and small company's products and living in Scotland this company caught my eye straight away.
The Brand
The Scottish Fine Soaps Company was established in 1974 and is a family run ... business set close to the Ochil hills in Stirlingshire central Scotland and managed by Derek Ross. The company makes luxury bath and body products, using (as far as possible) natural ingredients.
Soap in a Tin
I bought a couple of these soaps in a tin for small Christmas gifts and treated myself to one as well, they look lovely and are nice little presents for friends and family. I selected the Bluebell soap in a tin for me, both for the scent and the lovely coloured tin.
The tin is both a protective packaging and a nice holder for the soap inside. The tin is square shaped and has approximate dimensions of 10 cm x 10 cm and a depth of 3.5 cm. The bluebell tin is a nice pale metallic blue colour with embossed writing in bright shiny metallic blue. The tin has quite a lot of text on the front, including the flavour - Bluebell Soap, the brand and description.
This is a triple milled soap, which means that it has gone through the milling process of turning it into a paste and adding colours and fragrances three times which is considered to be a top quality soap product. This soap is a lovely rich blue colour and has a wild Scottish bluebell scent infused into it. On opening the tin the soap is wrapped in a nice tissue paper, which again gives it that little bit more of a touch of luxury.
To use this soap you simply run some hot water and rub the soap between your hands until you get a lather. This soap gently cleanses, but has not got any antibacterial ingredients; I bought this for the scent and flavour rather than a germ eliminator. This soap smells delicious as soon as I walk into my bathroom even before you use it. It is very floral and rich and the bluebells smell amazing! This is definitely brings a burst of spring into your home.
The soap lathers up easily and it is quite moisturising and rich to use. The Scottish Fine Soaps Company say that this also promotes well-being for the mind and body. I would have to agree because this really is an invigorating and pleasurable soap to own!
Overall
This soap is not the cheapest, at £4.95 for a 100 gram bar of soap it is not the most competitively priced on the market. However this is a luxury soap and also comes in a very good looking soap tin that you can reuse. As a little treat for yourself or a present for a friend I highly recommend this soap and brand. They have some amazing flavours and products on their website should you wish to investigate further: http://www.scottishfinesoaps.com.
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Scottish Fine Soaps Highland AromaticsCoorie-In Basket Set
by alyson29
As I am someone who adores beautiful toiletries, I was delighted to receive a message from Dooyoo during mid-December when I was advised that I had won a prize in their Christmas competition. The gift in question was a Coorie-In Basket Set from Scottish Fine Soaps, a company that is based in Stirlingshire, Scotland and has been ... manufacturing products intended for the mind and body for over 35 years.
I was so excited to receive my parcel, which had been ordered from Amazon, where inside I discovered a cylindrical shaped woven sea grass basket measuring approximately 12 cm in height and 12 cm in diameter. In addition, the basket sported a cute deep lid with a knotted bobble on the top. I immediately fell in love with the basket, as it well suits my taste, particularly as I prefer to store all of my toiletries inside something as opposed to plonking them all over the bathroom. I cannot admit to having previously been familiar with Scottish Fine Soaps although they are clear a superior and luxurious brand with the lid of the basket displaying a pretty fabric gift tag with the company's name displayed in beautiful embroidery.
Attached to the label are a handful of cardboard tags which provided details of the products contained inside together with a little information on the company. I was intrigued to learn of why the basket was known as "Coorie" and the answer was provided on one of the tags where I learned that it is old Scottish word meaning "snuggle" or "cuddle". Whilst the Amazon website lists the details of the basket together with information advising that the packaging may vary, I would advise that one of the three items contained within the basket did not match the product description. This did not disappoint me in the least, particularly as I adore toiletries and because my basket was a gift. However, I would point out that there are a number of buyer's comments against this gift set on Amazon, as it is clearly a common occurrence, so you may wish to bear this in mind if you intend making a purchase. The next few sections of my review will discuss each of the items together with my thoughts.
LAVENDER BATH FIZZER
I am a huge fan of lavender, as in addition to its delightful fragrance being extremely calming and beneficial for promoting relaxation, the aroma always transports me back to happy times in my childhood. The 60g bath fizzer, which was protected in tissue paper, didn't quite replicate the image provided on the Amazon website, as its appearance was similar to that of a slightly squashed ball. I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of bath fizzers, particularly as they do not offer fluffy white soft bubbles, but I was eager to try this out solely due to its lavender content.
I've previously used bath fizzers, which have been quite large in size, but the one contained in this gift set was sufficient for one bath although I suppose I could have removed it after a minute or so and kept the remainder for another bath. The pure white fizzer offered an appealing appearance with lavender seeds being contained inside. It offered the most stunning and very authentic lavender aroma, which is a must for me, particularly as so many brands simply cannot achieve a true scent.
I popped the fizzer into my running bath and watched as it began to frantically fizz away and emit its very authentic scent into the room. I disappeared to the bedroom to undress ready for my bath and when I returned I was a little alarmed to discover a considerable amount of lavender seeds nestling on the surface of the bath water. There was obviously quite a few seeds hiding inside the fizzer and I didn't relish the thought of having to clean the bath after my relaxing dip. I stepped into the water, which was soft and smooth to the touch although I cannot find anything in the list of ingredients that would have offered the smoothness. Fortunately, the lavender seeds weren't uncomfortable when I was lying in the bath where I allowed the soothing vapours to send me to a relaxing place.
After a few minutes I was no longer able to witness the lavender scent, which I found a little disappointing although it could well have been that my nasal passages had got used to the aroma. I did not find the bath fizzer drying on my skin, as it left a slight oily texture to the surface, which I found very favourable. The only grumble for me was that the lavender seeds did not vanish down the plug hole with the water, as the majority rested firmly on the base of the bath. Consequently, it was a case of getting out the Flash spray and a cloth and cleaning the tub, which is the last task I wanted to be performing following my relaxing dip. However, the seeds were easy to clean away and the surface of the bath tub was free of any grease or oily residue.
BODY LOTION
Whilst Amazon advises that the basket should contain a 100g tin of sumptuous body butter, I actually received a 100g bottle of body lotion. The appearance of the sturdy plastic bottle is considerably appealing, particularly due to the luxurious text, which provides us with a little information in relation to the lotion's contents. Prior to removing the lid I felt assured that this would be a high quality product due to its ingredient inclusion of oatmilk and pure Acacia honey. The lid was easily unscrewed and I found that I had to gently squeeze the fairly rigid bottle to release some of the pure white lotion although its consistency was thicker than I had anticipated and resembled that of a cream.
The lotion was easily applied and spread over my skin and despite my initial reservations relating to the anticipated honey aroma, which is not something I particularly like, the fragrance that greeted me was extremely pleasant although initially I was unable to pick out anything specific. Whilst the lotion was easily applied and spread it took a little longer to absorb than the other products that I generally use. The scent became evident after the lotion had fully soaked into my skin where I was able to witness a soothing and calming creaminess together with a hint of oats and honey, which I found very favourable. The lotion did not offer any stickiness or greasiness to my skin with the surface feeling wonderfully soft and smooth as well as being sufficiently moisturised. The only problems I experienced was when I was nearing the end of the bottle, as due to it being fairly rigid, it was impossible to remove the remaining contents, so there was a little waste.
SOAP BAR
The 80g white coloured soap bar offered an adorable appearance and as it was chunky I guessed it had been cut from a large block. I generally only purchase Imperial Leather when it comes to bars of soap, as I adore the luxurious creamy lather. When I removed the soap from its protective tissue paper covering I was immediately able to witness the creamy texture and a quick look at the label attached to the basket informed me of its shea butter and glycerine content, so I was assured that it would be very caring towards my skin. Whilst there was no information to suggest its aroma, it offered the identical scent to that of the bath fizzer.
After introducing a little water, the soap created a sufficient lather, which I would describe as rich, soft and creamy. The delightfully calming lavender aroma intensified during use and I would describe the soap as very luxurious. I opted to use the soap during my bath times, particularly as it wasn't a huge bar and I didn't want it running low quickly, which would be the case if I placed it on the sink as my husband would have used it. The soap was efficient at thoroughly cleansing my body with the lather being easily rinsed away without leaving any sticky residue. I favoured the fact that there was a delicate lavender aroma lingering on my skin for a short while after use, which is something I favoured, as I found it so relaxing. The soap didn't last a considerably long time where I would estimate that I achieved around fifteen baths, which I feel is pretty good going considering its size.
OTHER INFORMATION
Located on one of the tags, which were attached to my basket, is a little information where I learned that Scottish Fine Soaps are against animal testing.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
You can purchase this delightful sea grass gift set from Amazon for the amazing price of just £9.99 inclusive of postage and packing and whilst there are a few negative comments on the site, I was thrilled with the products with the exception of the bath fizzer. If the lavender seeds were omitted from the bath fizzer I would have found it quite favourable and for this reason and the issue with removing the last drop of body lotion, I feel it necessary to drop one star. As a result, this luxurious gift set receives a four star rating from me. My products have now been used and as I love the sea grass basket so much, I have placed it on top of the bathroom cabinet and filled it with cotton wool balls. This would make a wonderful gift or a treat for yourself.
I hope you found my review useful and thanks for reading.
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Scottish Fine Soaps Au Lait Body Wash Tube
by Furrball
I first used this body wash after receiving it in a gift set. The packaging is very simple but attractive- black text on a matt white background, with a little cow motif.
The packaging states that the body wash is not tested on animals. It is enriched with Aloe Vera and milk, and claims to leave skin feeling refreshed and ... restored.
The body wash itself is a pearlescent white with a slight creamy texture. When lathered onto the body, it makes a creamy lather. I prefer baths to showers, so as well as using as a body wash, i've run some of this under hot water when running the bath, and it filled my bath with lots of bubbles and smelt fantastic.
The scent of the body wash is the highlight of this product. It is slightly sweet, and smells very fresh and clean. It is not at all floral, fruity or spicy. The scent reminds me very much of the discontinued "Shiro" range which was sold by Virgin Vie for a number of years. It is almost exactly the same. The scent does linger lightly on the skin, but is not at all overpowering.
As mentioned before, the packaging claims that it will leave skin feeling refreshed and restored. I have very dry skin and some body washes leave my skin feeling rough and flaky, but this left my skin feeling soft and smooth. It did not irritate my skin at all.
There are other products, such as body butter and soap, in the Au Lait range that complement the body wash perfectly. The slight down-side to this product is that it is not widely available on the high street, but can be purchased online from Amazon or directly from the Scottish Fine Soaps website - Amazon appear slightly cheaper however.
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