Soapsmith - bathroom goods from London

Our town couldn't be much more in the limelight right now. First the Queen, now the sports thing - we're in the international public eye like never before. A great time to be launching a London-themed range of bathroom products, right?

That's what Soapsmith have done, but their London-themed soaps, bath stuff and body care range are anything but a gimmicky tie-in. Think gorgeous quality artisan-type products with well-composed, complex scents. The fragrances are all named after parts of town, from the soothing Lavender Hill to the zingy Limehouse. My favourite is Brick Lane, which taps up the East End's Bengali heritage to create a sumptuous blend of spices and wood notes.

The soaps are old-school - big chunky blocks of glyceriney goodness that are embossed with the brand's trademark "S". Really satisfying to use - much more tactile and enjoyable than a pump bottle of liquid soap.

The bath salts feature a little scoop to prevent you getting carried away and dumping the whole lot in the tub. I tried this in Lavender Hill - it's a soft, gentle powdery lavender, and makes the water very soft. I didn't really appreciate the lavender "bits" in it though, as they got everywhere and reminded me worrying of drowned spiders.



I also tried the body butter in Camden Town. This scent smells quite unusual - somewhere between a sugary, minty stick of rock and the Soap & Glory "pink" smell. The website says it's "coconut, bergamot and a hint of musk". The texture of this is divine. It behaves a lot like coconut oil - it's solid at room temperature but on contact with the skin it melts down into a light and very emollient balm texture.

The packaging is clean, clear and very tasteful, with uncluttered text and a clear colour theme for each scent. The quality is as good as it needs to be - solid and utilitarian. It's quite gender-neutral too - you could definitely give the soaps as a gift to a friend of either sex.

Soaps are £7.95 each for 150g and you can buy them from Roullier White, where you'll get free samples if you buy two or more.
The full range is available to browse at soapsmith.com, where there's a full offline stockist list.

*Disclosure - PR samples

Underground observations

picture from wikimedia.org

One of the facts of life in London (and perhaps any major city) is that those of us who work in the centre of town spend a lot of time commuting. For my part, I spend over 10 hours a week sitting on the Tube on my way to and from work. The costs of living near the centres of business are prohibitive, so we make daily slogs on public transport to reach our places of work.

Because time is short and commutes are long, it's quite usual to see people saving a bit of time by doing their makeup on the train.

I am always totally fascinated when I see someone doing her makeup across the carriage from me. Even bleary from lack of sleep first thing in the morning, I can't help but sneak curious glances at this normally private ritual taking place in front of everyone in the harsh fluorescent light. The variation in technique, product choice and order-of-work is remarkable - truly no two women are the same in how they make up.

Events: Carnaby 20% Shopping Party

In case you've not heard, Grazia Magazine are holding a shopping evening on Thursday 12th November from 5pm til 9pm. Many shops in the Carnaby area are offering 20% off, but you need to register to get a ticket via the Carnaby website.

Some of the more beauty focussed outfits taking part include MAC, Pixi, Neal's Yard Remedies, the Beauty Lounge, and Cowshed. Sounds like one not to be missed!