soap

Firebird Bath & Body Haul – Cherry Limeade, Pomegranate Rose, Grapefruit Ginger

I suffered a devastating emotional blow recently, when I realised I’d somehow lost my beloved Firebird Gingerale Perfume Oil (featured here). Firebird Bath & Body is a one-woman small business based in Baltimore, USA, which specialises in handmade perfume oils, soaps and bath salts, as well as tinted and untinted lip balms. Owner Brooke says that her scents are inspired by things like, “a wooden cigar box, the smell of the ocean in winter, or the scent of your clothes after a night around a camp-fire.” Lush.

Even worse, when I logged onto the Firebird Bath & Body Etsy store, the Gingerale Perfume Oil was NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. *PANIC ATTACK*. Finally, I settled on the new Grapefruit Ginger Perfume Oil ($9.00USD), throwing in Pomegranate Rose Perfume Oil ($9USD), Pomegranate Rose Botanical Bath Salts ($5USD/70g), and Cherry Limeade Soap ($5.50USD) for good measure.

My parcel arrived yesterday, enveloped in a perfumed fug. I’m making friends with Grapefruit Ginger Perfume Oil; it’s still got a lot of the zingy ginger of my old favourite, but it is soften by the juicy sweetness of the grapefruit. Pomegranate Rose Perfume Oil and Bath Salts are just an all-out floral-lolly-fest – totally gorgeous if that’s your sort of thing (like it is mine). Cherry Limeade Soap is the only BAH-BOW for me; just a little too much like the god-awful cough medicine my Mum used to have us take as children when we had sore throats (or were at least pretending to have sore throats in order to miss a day of school)… I see what you did there, Mum.

Ecostore Lemongrass Soap

A plant-based soap with the fresh scent of lemongrass to gently cleanse your skin and enliven your senses. Our gentle plant and mineral based soaps cleanse and nourish your skin without removing the natural protective oils. We use vegetable oils in our soaps rather than the more commonly used animal fat.

In keeping with the time-honoured tradition of Australians claiming all things New Zealand as our own, I’ve pretty much decided that Ecostore is an honorary Australian brand. I’m a fan of the company’s philosophy and charitable foundation, plus the fact they don’t test on animals, use Green Palm-certified sustainable palm oil, use some plant and mineral ingredients (although there’s no mention on the website — which is a triumph of web design, by the way — of any products containing certified organic ingredients), and use recycled and recyclable packaging.

However, the best thing is that Ecostore Lemongrass Soap ($2.60 AUD) costs less than a cup of coffee and you can pick it up at your local supermarket next to the value-packs of Imperial Leather (you may recognize Ecostore as the brand of your dishwashing detergent or laundry powder). The lemongrass scent is zesty but is softened by a gentle creaminess (my housemate likened it to lemon sorbet). It fills the bathroom when I’m in the shower, but doesn’t linger afterwards. The formula is… Well, it’s soap. It doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight or scaly.

P.S. I’ve also tried the Ecostore Coconut Soap, but I was (BITTERLY) disappointed that the creamy coconut scent seemed to disappear once the soap was out of the box and in my shower.