#Fairtrade Fortnight 25th Feb - 10th March with Visionary Soap *

Hi Belles,

Sorry for posting this so late ...forgive me but I have had uni assignments and placement applications including an placement assessment day to prepare for but I am back to reality now.

Last month  Visionary Soap Company offered me the chance to review a few of there products in association with this year's Fairtrade Fortnight . I chose the following to review: a Peppermint lip balm, Orange Geranium hand & body balm and Shea butter & Oatmeal soap.

Who are Visionary Soap?

Visionary Soap is a leading UK body care company which focuses on producing Fairtrade products since they began trading in May 2005. All products are handcrafted and manufactured in the UK using Fairtrade ingredients from countries abroad such as Ghana, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Pakistan, India, Domincan Republic & more. All 38 products have been certified in accordance with international Fairtrade standards which is impressive as currently noone else in the industry has been able to achieve that recognition. . Impressively  none of there products contain palm oil, synthetics dyes or fragrances, parabens, petroleum-based ingredients, alcohol, sodium laureth sulfate or animal products. They are also gluten and GMO free, eco-friendly , suitable for vegans and cruelty free! 

To find out more check out there Official Website, Facebook or Twitter page.

                                                                                                                    

Peppermint lip Balm

Everyone knows that I am a big fan of lip products in particular lip balms, lip moisturers or lip butters as I love taking care of my lips. So when I saw they created a peppermint lip balm , I got very excited as currently I use Palmers Dark Chocolate & Peppermint lip butter.

This lip balm comes in a small 5ml sized Emerald green coloured jar with a sleek chrome top ;which is perfect to carry around any handbag. The consistency of the balm is soft and really light on the lips which is good as It can smoothly be applied under my lipstick. The peppermint scent and flavour is naturally subtle and definitely not overpowering which is perfect for winter as it means my lips will be smelling sweet plus it reminds me of candy canes! I love that it is not a balm that just coats the lips, meaning I do not have to worry about chapped lips during the Winter because it is very rich and moisturing. It is made with both sunflower and olive oil , combined with Shea butter, candelilla wax and natural vitamin E preservative flavoured with peppermint essential oil.  One thing which stands out for me with this product is that it contains 34% fairtrade ingredients which is more than the 5% minimum requirement.

The Peppermint Lip Balm retails for £3.49/5ml and you can buy this from Visionary Soap company  HERE.  

 Orange Geranium Hand & Body Balm

I suffer from slightly dry hands, elbows & knees and I think this Orange & Geranium  Balm is great for combacting this problem. 
The consistency is not like usual body lotions as it not in a liquid form but more like a semi-soft butter consistency; however it is easily absorbed into the skin without being too oily, which is always a good trait! 

My two favourite ingredients are featured in this balm which are olive oil and shea butter. The use of olive oil aids in providing the balm with the rich hydrating quality; whereas the use of shea butter provides the sealing factor to lock in the hydrating oil to ensure that moisture boost , making it very ideal especially in the winter season. 
 
The scent is perfect for all year round as it contains a combination of zingy fresh citrus orange to revitalise the skin and luxourious geranium to add warmth. Again I like the packaging as it is a sleek chrome round tub,which is perfect to take on holiday without taking up too much space due to it being under 100ml in size.

The Orange Geranium Hand & Body Balm retails for £6.85/60ml and you can buy this from Visionary Soap company  HERE. 

Shea Butter & Oatmeal Soap

The last item which I sampled was the Shea Butter & Oatmeal Soap. 

The natural organic scent and look of this product is not like your usual soap, you purchase from the high street as it is not processed in the usual white colour block, but more rustic, organic and natural.

It does not smell of fake processed chemicals due to its natural handmade authenticity, but rather a slight sweet smell of oatmeal (just like grandma used to make) and shea butter, which is not overpowering.  Due to the soap being handmade, it contains small pieces of actual oatmeal which you can see and feel when it lathers on your skin but I like that aspect because it will aid as both a cleanser and natural bodyscrub . The soap lathers up like any normal soap and leaves skin feeling moistured from both the shea butter and olive oil content.

The Shea Butter & Oatmeal Soap retails for £3.69/100ml and you can buy this from Visionary Soap company  HERE.  

What is Fairtrade Fortnight?

Fairtrade Fortnight  is an 2 week campaign both online and offline by Fairtrade which recognises and highlights the million of people in developing countries who grow things , this includes farmers and workers. Due to the current tough times, with climate change, increase food and fuel costs including the volatile market prices, it means that they require our support due to a uncertain future.

In the two weeks, they are asking that everyone plays there part in supporting this national cause to ensure that farmers and workers can continue to farm and earn enough to make a living in order to provide for families and investments into their local communities. Although nowadays the progress is steadily improving, due to the fairtrade option being prominent in major supermarkets, beauty stores coffee shops etc , they still need to continued support to reach out to more people in need of a fair deal in trade. Are you going to join the nation in supporting Fairtrade? To find out more about Fairtrade click here. 

Have you tried any products from Visionary Soap?

Peace, Love & Besos