As I continue my quest for the best smelling, all natural bar soaps I can find, I felt like I had found gold when I came across Saipua Soaps. I discovered Saipua at a kitschy little boutique near my home in Silverlake, and I was instantly obsessed. I loved every detail from the special stamped and hand wrapped outside to the lush, sweet smelling lather that kept my skin completely moisturized. In an age of body wash, shower & bath gel, and scrubs of every sort, I like to stick to the basics and find the best bar soap possible. I don’t bother shopping for this at any old store–I will sometimes, see what the drugstore has, but I have always been happy with the choices I’ve made when finding soaps at Whole Foods, natural beauty product shops, and eco-friendly beauty boutiques.

After doing some research on Saipua, I realized I had found something truly amazing for my skin. The Brooklyn based company started making soap in 1999, and is a family owned business. The soaps, which come in a variety of formulas, are made in small batches and are hand cut. ReForm School, the boutique I bought my first bar at had a ton of the soaps, I always, almost always choose a rose scented soap because it’s my absolute favorite, but this time I took a risk and went for the Saltwater Soap that was made with seaweed and crushed sea salt, scented with rosemary and patchouli oils. This soap smells amazing. I’ve used the entire bar since then and now want to try more. I could definitely stay loyal to this product.

Saipua is sold at tons of tiny boutiques across the U.S. but you can also find it at Anthropologie, although they only carry the geranium line. The Saipua website has everything, and trust me–I wanted to buy it all, but instead I learned about the different lines and ingredients, most of which include olive oil, herbs, butters, natural extracts and oils. The scents are truly amazing!! I can’t say enough about these, and the price point for the soaps are great too, ranging from $8-$12. Along with the olive oil formulas, Saipua makes batches of tea soaps and sauna soaps, even a peppermint pumice soap for tired feet. Splendid! Below are a few of my favorite bars…

Saltwater Soap with Rosemary and Patchouli

Rose Geranium

Clary Sage with Patchouli and Dill

All soaps $8, available at saipua.com and anthropologie.com

bar soaps, natural soap

We’ve all read about proper work attire and etiquette in the office–but who knew that in some countries, appearance counts even if you’re in a profession outside of an indoor office setting–say, for instance, when you’re out fighting crime.

Lesson #1: Before you start the day, make sure you coat at least two or three layers of extra strength Mitchum solid scented deodorant under your arms so that you’re fresh and ready for those common five hour stake outs.

Sounds bizarre.

Police chiefs of Sharda Police Academy in Bangladesh rank personal hygiene right up there next to labor relations and law enforcement. BBC recently reported that officials hired a notable beautician to teach new men and women recruits that in order to be “world class police leaders,” you must be groomed and presentable. It’s the first time ever in history that a beautician gave lessons to a police academy.

It’s amazing that they can take time and money out for top beautician Kaniz Almas Khan to teach them about such relatively trivial matters. What is there, low crime rate in Bangladesh? That can’t be it–Bangladesh is one the most poorest developing countries in the world. Also, what happens if you’re a great police leader, but you’re unkempt–does your credibility really go down? Who knew.

Apparently, they learned everything from how to correctly match their uniforms to just how important odor really is. They learned how to choose the right perfume and aftershave. The overall course included grooming, personal hygiene, physical fitness, skin-care, diet, and dining etiquette.

Khan told BBC, “It’s great that people are becoming more conscious of their looks.”

….Why exactly? I understand that world leaders and politicians are always presentable because it enhances their approachability–but why do police leaders need an extensive course on body odor and matching attire in order to be considered world class leaders?

To be honest, being that conscious of your looks is a sign of weakness. Worrying about armpit stains and breaking a nail when you’re on the job in which people’s lives are a stake is frankly a little prissy . These are not adjectives that I would want to use to describe a nation’s “world class” police leaders. Officials defend the beauty boot camp by saying that the idea is to make them fit to serve in United Nations peacekeeping missions anywhere on the planet. Beautification should not be a priority for these aspiring police leaders because etiquette various from country to country. They should be more focused on peaceful law enforcement and civil communication rather than try to win this unofficial beauty contest.

These people are training to work hard on a job that takes skill and perseverance as they risk their own life for law enforcement on a daily basis. If I were them, I’d want to be proud of the sweat on my shirt.

Info & Image source: BBC.com

beautification, personal hygiene

For the second time in a row, Miss Venezuela was crowned the 2009 Miss Universe last night. This is the sixth time that a Miss Venezuela has received the title of Miss Universe. What is it about the Venezuelans that’s so charming? This was the first time in history where last year’s Miss Universe (Dayana Mendoza) crowned a new queen from the same country.

It can’t be that Venezuelan grace. There were a couple of awkward moments when Stefania Fernandez was crowned onstage. Both her sash and her crown fell in a clumsy moment as the former Miss Universe passed the reign on to Miss Venezuela.

Probably ever beauty pageant’s nightmare. This just goes to show that even beauty queens aren’t perfect. BUT, with her scholarship, new NY apartment, vacation to the Bahamas, and a new wardrobe as part of her Miss Universe winnings, I think 18-year-old Stefania will get over it.

Image Sources: lifestyles.in.msn.com

beauty pageants, miss universe