Hi everyone! Today I'd like to review my first indie subscription box for the Spring 2014 Soap Box from Fortune Cookie Soap. The easiest way to find all of these products together is to check the New section of the FCS website. If you're interested in any of these products, keep in mind they're all limited edition and some are already selling out. If you've never heard of Fortune Cookie Soap before, you might enjoy reading my overview of the company.
Each Soap Box has a theme, and the box seems loosely based on the trope of the Garden of Good and Evil. Products are divided into The Goods and The Evils, though many of the names (in both groups!) are a little risque.
Since this is a pretty picture heavy post, follow the jump to read my full review!
Since this is a pretty picture heavy post, follow the jump to read my full review!
The Goods
Body Wash in "Native Nectar":
This was my first experience with FCS's body wash. After trying it a few times, I find the liquid feels thin, doesn't lather very easily, and doesn't create an especially thick lather. For some people, especially my fellow dry-skinned folks, this might be a perfect combination. Thick lather can mean a lot of surfactants, which can be drying. To this body wash's credit, it seems to clean just fine, and my skin doesn't feel stripped after I wash with it. I just don't find it as enjoyable to use as some of my other products.
This was my first experience with FCS's body wash. After trying it a few times, I find the liquid feels thin, doesn't lather very easily, and doesn't create an especially thick lather. For some people, especially my fellow dry-skinned folks, this might be a perfect combination. Thick lather can mean a lot of surfactants, which can be drying. To this body wash's credit, it seems to clean just fine, and my skin doesn't feel stripped after I wash with it. I just don't find it as enjoyable to use as some of my other products.
The scent is described as "Fresh, cracked coconut." Though I do get a surprisingly realistic shaved coconut scent, it's got an undertone of paint that sort of puts me off.
Bottom line: I won't be purchasing a full size of this scent or product.
OCD Hand Sanitizer in "Afternoon Delight":
Much as I'd like to pull a Brightest Bulb and take bacterial cultures of my hands before and after using this product, I don't have the resources to do so. Instead, I'm going to go on faith in the ingredients list that this product is effective at killing germs. The active ingredient is 62% ethyl alcohol, which is about on par with mainstream US hand sanitizers, so I feel confident this does what I expect it to do. A squirt of the gel-like product melts pretty quickly under the heat of my hands, and feels exactly like mainstream alcohol-based hand sanitizers do as I rub it into my skin. The scent is light, but endures - I can only smell it when I put my hands up to my nose, but I can still (faintly) smell it after washing with soap and water at least twice.
Much as I'd like to pull a Brightest Bulb and take bacterial cultures of my hands before and after using this product, I don't have the resources to do so. Instead, I'm going to go on faith in the ingredients list that this product is effective at killing germs. The active ingredient is 62% ethyl alcohol, which is about on par with mainstream US hand sanitizers, so I feel confident this does what I expect it to do. A squirt of the gel-like product melts pretty quickly under the heat of my hands, and feels exactly like mainstream alcohol-based hand sanitizers do as I rub it into my skin. The scent is light, but endures - I can only smell it when I put my hands up to my nose, but I can still (faintly) smell it after washing with soap and water at least twice.
The scent is described as "Pink watermelon dancing with fresh apricots, crowned in white florals." In the bottle I smell watermelon-flavored candy, but on my hands (and after the strong, sharp alcohol scent fades), the watermelon almost instantly transforms into a tangy grapefruit scent on me. Almost as quickly, an unidentifiable green note joins the grapefruit for a rather odd mix.
I was going to comment on the questionable name of "OCD" for a hand sanitizer (I've read criticism of brands or products named after serious medical conditions before), but then I checked the main landing page for the OCD Hand Sanitizers and saw the brand's note that a portion of proceeds goes toward the International OCD Foundation. I know this has nothing to do with the products themselves, but if you have any thoughts about the product name and whether the donations justify it, I'd love to hear them in the comments!
Bottom line: I may consider purchasing a full size of this product (it's surprisingly cheap, and comes in more scent options than mainstream's Industrial Strength Lemon!), but I will not purchase any products in this scent.
Cuticle Cream in "Marshmallow Dreams":
I should get my inherent bias against this product out there - I'm generally very skeptical of cuticle butters. I don't think I've ever met one I liked. This one was no exception. Here's how my fingers looked about five minutes after applying (and, yes, rubbing in) this product:
Perhaps this is my issue rather than a defect in the product, but I don't really have the patience to let greasy cuticle creams soak in. This poor product was doomed to an unfavorable review from the start, I'm afraid.
The scent is described as "Lavender sprigs draped over sage and basil, livened with a splash of vodka, and a swirl of sticky, sweet marshmallow fluff." On me, it smelled nothing like the description, though it was nice. It smelled of slightly tangy baked goods.
Bottom line: I won't be purchasing a full size of this scent or product.
I should get my inherent bias against this product out there - I'm generally very skeptical of cuticle butters. I don't think I've ever met one I liked. This one was no exception. Here's how my fingers looked about five minutes after applying (and, yes, rubbing in) this product:
Perhaps this is my issue rather than a defect in the product, but I don't really have the patience to let greasy cuticle creams soak in. This poor product was doomed to an unfavorable review from the start, I'm afraid.
The scent is described as "Lavender sprigs draped over sage and basil, livened with a splash of vodka, and a swirl of sticky, sweet marshmallow fluff." On me, it smelled nothing like the description, though it was nice. It smelled of slightly tangy baked goods.
Bottom line: I won't be purchasing a full size of this scent or product.
The Evils
Whipped Cream in "Make It Rain":
I have extremely dry skin that devours any moisture instantly, so keep that in mind when I tell you this product was a little too rich for me. I rubbed it in for a solid couple of minutes before it felt like it was starting to absorb, at which point the texture changed from a lotion feel to a more slippery, glycerin-y feel. I'll likely try this on my legs and feet overnight to see if they fare better, but I have little patience for products that prevent me from using my hands.
The scent is described as "Sparkling droplets of citrus and jasmine dripping with musk, clutched by bloated cedarwood boughs." It smelled fresh and a little sweet in the jar to me, and I expected it to be one of my favorite products. Unfortunately, on my hands it transformed into a mildly minty, fruity scent that reminded me of disinfectant. The scent lasted through a couple of hand washes, but became milder and more enjoyable.
Bottom line: I won't be purchasing a full size of this scent or product.
I have extremely dry skin that devours any moisture instantly, so keep that in mind when I tell you this product was a little too rich for me. I rubbed it in for a solid couple of minutes before it felt like it was starting to absorb, at which point the texture changed from a lotion feel to a more slippery, glycerin-y feel. I'll likely try this on my legs and feet overnight to see if they fare better, but I have little patience for products that prevent me from using my hands.
The scent is described as "Sparkling droplets of citrus and jasmine dripping with musk, clutched by bloated cedarwood boughs." It smelled fresh and a little sweet in the jar to me, and I expected it to be one of my favorite products. Unfortunately, on my hands it transformed into a mildly minty, fruity scent that reminded me of disinfectant. The scent lasted through a couple of hand washes, but became milder and more enjoyable.
Bottom line: I won't be purchasing a full size of this scent or product.
Fortune Cookie Soap in "Forbidden Fruit":
I've used several of these soaps before, and I'm kind of dreading using this one. They're charming as hell to look at, and this one is a particularly stunning swirl of purple and green, but I find them thoroughly unappealing to use. I'm no expert in soap physics, but as a lifelong bather, my research indicates it's easiest to lather up with a large, flat expanse of soap. As pretty as this cookie-shaped soap looks, it's all angles! I got so frustrated with the last one I used, I ended up gently prying it open and flattening it out into a disk, which made it much easier to use. Even then, I found the lather was too thin for my taste, and I was relieved when I finally used it up. I'll likely assign this latest soap to a dish next to my sink, and see if it serves better for washing hands.
The scent is described as "Dusky verbena creeping over fresh blueberry skins and lemon zest." To me, it smells like lemon flavored Pez, which is a high compliment as far as I'm concerned!
Bottom line: I won't be purchasing this product again, but I will likely purchase something else in this scent.
I've used several of these soaps before, and I'm kind of dreading using this one. They're charming as hell to look at, and this one is a particularly stunning swirl of purple and green, but I find them thoroughly unappealing to use. I'm no expert in soap physics, but as a lifelong bather, my research indicates it's easiest to lather up with a large, flat expanse of soap. As pretty as this cookie-shaped soap looks, it's all angles! I got so frustrated with the last one I used, I ended up gently prying it open and flattening it out into a disk, which made it much easier to use. Even then, I found the lather was too thin for my taste, and I was relieved when I finally used it up. I'll likely assign this latest soap to a dish next to my sink, and see if it serves better for washing hands.
The scent is described as "Dusky verbena creeping over fresh blueberry skins and lemon zest." To me, it smells like lemon flavored Pez, which is a high compliment as far as I'm concerned!
Bottom line: I won't be purchasing this product again, but I will likely purchase something else in this scent.
Steam Me Up Scotty! in "Me So Thorny":
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This was my first time trying a Steam Me Up tablet. This product is meant to hang out in the far corner of your shower and slowly dissolve, releasing a scented steam. But man, it was such a disappointment for me.
Note: this photo was color corrected.
This was my first time trying a Steam Me Up tablet. This product is meant to hang out in the far corner of your shower and slowly dissolve, releasing a scented steam. But man, it was such a disappointment for me.
I knew we were off to a bad start when it arrived half crumbled:
This wouldn't really bother me for a dissolving bath product, but in the case of a shower tablet, a higher ratio of surface area to volume just means more of it gets instantly washed down the drain. The crumbling also presented a packaging issue, since the steam tablets are only loosely wrapped in foil. I got lucky that most of the product bits seemed to stay in the foil during shipping.
To test it out, I plopped the tablet crumbles into a corner of my shower that's well away from the water stream. I splashed a few drops on it to get it going. The tablet fizzed pitifully, gave off a bit of scent for a couple of minutes, and was more or less gone shortly thereafter.
The scent is described as "Citrus, lavender, and french vanilla corrupted by a dark shadow of patchouli & sandalwood." To me, it smelled of mild sandalwood and incense. It wasn't bad! Anyone who loves the scent of new age shops full of flowy skirts and prayer flags is likely to enjoy this smell. I'm a little embarrassed to say the scent is nostalgic for me, but it wasn't my favorite of the collection.
Bottom line: I won't be purchasing a full size of this scent or product.
Bath Fizzy in "Bloom Bloom Room":
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I'm relieved to say this fared better than the shower tablet! I ran a hot bath, then dropped in the flower-shaped bath fizzy. Unlike the Steam Me Up tablet, this one was full of vim and vigor... or, at least, a ton of sodium bicarbonate. It fizzed admirably and left behind moderately scented, slightly cloudy water. The scent faded down pretty quickly, which was a relief because strong, cloying scents can quickly turn into a headache for me. The scent was mild but consistent through the rest of the bath. I've been out of the bath for about an hour now, and I'm noticing my skin is still softly scented with the perfume.
The scent is described as "A sinfully sweet combination of Jasmine, Lilac, and Lily of the Valley darkened with throbbing musical notes of fresh peach & citrus, all swirling around poles of decadent spun sugar." It reminded me a lot of the bananas from Runts candy - a very sweet, bubblegum-y, fake banana scent.
Bottom line: I won't be purchasing any products in this scent, but I would definitely consider buying more Bath Fizzy tablets in a scent I really enjoyed.
Note: this photo has been color corrected.
I'm relieved to say this fared better than the shower tablet! I ran a hot bath, then dropped in the flower-shaped bath fizzy. Unlike the Steam Me Up tablet, this one was full of vim and vigor... or, at least, a ton of sodium bicarbonate. It fizzed admirably and left behind moderately scented, slightly cloudy water. The scent faded down pretty quickly, which was a relief because strong, cloying scents can quickly turn into a headache for me. The scent was mild but consistent through the rest of the bath. I've been out of the bath for about an hour now, and I'm noticing my skin is still softly scented with the perfume.
The scent is described as "A sinfully sweet combination of Jasmine, Lilac, and Lily of the Valley darkened with throbbing musical notes of fresh peach & citrus, all swirling around poles of decadent spun sugar." It reminded me a lot of the bananas from Runts candy - a very sweet, bubblegum-y, fake banana scent.
Bottom line: I won't be purchasing any products in this scent, but I would definitely consider buying more Bath Fizzy tablets in a scent I really enjoyed.
Perfume Oil in "Venus Fly Trap":
The scent is described as "Bergamot, narcaisse & musk lurk beneath delicate notes of water orchid, sparkling lemon & pink jasmine." This is one of the last Soap Box products I tried, and if I'm being honest, my very first reaction after applying this perfume oil was "thank goodness this smells like a normal perfume!" It's a pretty simple white floral aquatic. Since I have a weakness for aquatics and floral aquatics, I'm happy with it. It started to fade a bit after 1.5 hours and was noticeably faded after two hours.
Bottom line: I have previously purchased other perfume oils from FCS and would do so again in a scent I enjoyed. I would consider purchasing this scent in a different product.
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All these products and scents are currently available on the Fortune Cookie Soap website, but I would recommend buying them soon if you're interested! They're all limited edition, and many products seem to sell out quickly.
Did you receive this Spring 2014 box from Fortune Cookie Soap? How did you feel about the products? What were your hits and misses? Let me know in the comments!
The scent is described as "Bergamot, narcaisse & musk lurk beneath delicate notes of water orchid, sparkling lemon & pink jasmine." This is one of the last Soap Box products I tried, and if I'm being honest, my very first reaction after applying this perfume oil was "thank goodness this smells like a normal perfume!" It's a pretty simple white floral aquatic. Since I have a weakness for aquatics and floral aquatics, I'm happy with it. It started to fade a bit after 1.5 hours and was noticeably faded after two hours.
Bottom line: I have previously purchased other perfume oils from FCS and would do so again in a scent I enjoyed. I would consider purchasing this scent in a different product.
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All these products and scents are currently available on the Fortune Cookie Soap website, but I would recommend buying them soon if you're interested! They're all limited edition, and many products seem to sell out quickly.
Did you receive this Spring 2014 box from Fortune Cookie Soap? How did you feel about the products? What were your hits and misses? Let me know in the comments!
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