To think a lot of people are fooled by this brand

[Doubtfuldaphne]

They've Just stuck two names together and do some minimal looking packaging to fool people.
The quality isn't good and still people think it's posh. It's not!
It's in most supermarkets.
Who can guess which brand I'm talking about?

I have Asda hand wash at 55p in the downstairs loo

But soap and glory hand wash in my bathroom

I don't know if they do handwash but Tropic stuff is lovely. I don't use soap or any products in general (although do have some MB shower gel which doesn't irritate my skin) but the Tropic cleanser in particular is really calming and smells lovely if you have sensitive skin as it's all natural ingredients.

£30?! £30?! For hand soap? I'm a fan of the finer things in life, but £30 for hand soap? Fuck that for a game of soldiers.

I can't help but think everyone is missing the point! If Moulton Brown seems an expensive indulgence, don't buy it! If the au pair or the butler picks it up on the way in and you don't notice, fair play, that's the point of aspirational consumer crap. If you think you can afford it, but actually have to weigh it up... you can't afford it!

I'd love to see a B&K/M&B blind testing. Would anyone really be able to ascertain twenty quid's difference? I think not.

In short, if you have to think, 'can I afford it?', you can't. Same for BMWs, Breitlings and homes in most of Surrey. Cheap imitations fool only you. Otherwise, get on with your life and buy stuff that cleans the bog or washes your hands cheaply and inoffensively.

Here a harridan - was it the little soap company organic soap you used that. I use that and it has been discontinued. Gutted, luckily I stock piled some. But I also like trevarno calendula soap - you can get it on amazon.

I'd also like to see a genuine blind testing Babycham. I know when they've done it with wine a lot of people, even experts often prefer the cheaper wines, or cannot tell which is the vintage champagne and which is the Aldi cava .

And a lot of time, people cannot get away from 'it it's cheap, it's rubbish and if it's more expensive, it's better'. A lot of people see Aldi and waitrose this way but in comparisons people often think Aldi is better and Aldi is cheaper for a lot of reasons that are not related to the quality of the products they sell (fewer staff, simple ranges, utilitarian stores, no home delivery).

Yes, there often is an element of 'you get what you pay for' but not always, and sometimes brands that want to promote a quality/luxury image, ensure their prices are kept high, because discounts devalue the image of the brand. Think Apple for one. Universities are another - I once read that most universities will only charge the max £9k per year tuition fees, because if they charge less, people may think it's not a good course.

But it's not only about thinking 'can you afford it' but also 'is it worth the money', especially for people on 'normal' budgets that can afford a reasonable number of treats, but have a finite amount of money so can't afford to buy luxury versions of absolutely everything.

I can afford Molton Brown and I have bought it in the past but thinking about it, I don't think it is over ten times nicer than supermarket versions, but I don't get any pleasure from 'luxury toiletries' and see hand wash as just groceries that you pick up with your supermarket shopping, not a 'luxury treaty thoughtful gift'.

I've received Molton Brown as gifts in the past and it made me feel quite guilty because the giver was not well off but they'd seen it in my bathroom and thought 'oh that's the kind if toiletries that ilkley likes'. But they will have got it from an outlet store, TKMaxx or QVC, so not paid full price.

Not everyone appreciates luxury though. I bought both my twin sisters MB hand cream and hand wash sets for their 30th birthdays and they were both very underwhelmed and obviously didn't have a clue how 'lovely' it was and at least one of them mentioned a couple of years later that they'd never used it and thrown it out during a clear out .

Oh also harridan dove sensitive soap bars I think are recommended by the national eczema society. But double check me on that x

nottested.co.uk/Toiletries.html

B&H don't test on animals - unlike many, many other 'posh' brands.

So it's win win - cheap and no bunnys harmed.

My favourite was l'Occitane almond hand soap but they've stopped making it. It was about twenty quid for half a litre but I could definitely pass a blind test with it - it was lurvely.

Reminds me of when I worked in Tescos, the value and the finest ready meals came from the same factory just different packaging. It was the mid priced meals that came from somewhere better.

What babycham said..

OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat I agree that sometimes value doesn't equal quality, but sometimes it does. I tend to like to check reviews or try products at least once myself before deciding. You can go into Jo Malone and possibly MB? Not sure as I haven't tried their range and try out their products. I did that before buying to see how long the scent last on the skin.

But not everyone is fussed, my DM buys whatever is on deal and it does the job of cleaning hands. Just depends what you are looking for.

I have 3 priorities for hand wash.

1. It needs to get my hands clean.
2. It needs to not leave my skin cracked and bleeding
3. It needs to not make my eyes stream

I rarely pay more than a quid in case the last 2 become a problem. I didn't mind throwing away the £1 bottle of coconut original source that had me coughing my guts up every time ds2 came near me, but I'd be wincing if I had to do the same with something costing a tenner.

Had a lot more misses than hits, lately so currently using ds1's bar of pears soap.

The Baylis and Harding handcream is shite. I gave it to the charity shop.

Baylis and Harding is for people who buy into the 'handwash that looks good in your bathroom' stuff.

Molton Brown might be ten times as pricey, but its just the same - horrible aftershave-ey smelling bleurgh stuff that comes in nice bottles.

The best handwash stuff is Carex or Simple

I just use coal tar scented soap! Everything else gives me spots hives or a rash. So I've succumbed to smelling like my dad for the rest of my life.
Another brand I really love is Jason. It's fantastic.
So my Xmas gift box of b&h is probably going to sit in a cupboard forever.

I like Baylis and Harding.

It's a British firm, doesn't test on animals and some of their stuff is great. Some I don't like, but I've yet to find a brand where I like all of it's products.

Reading this thread reminds me of people who purposely go out of their way to avoid stuff just because it's popular so they can sniff at things that too many people like so they can feel a bit more unique, even though their shelves are full of other brands.

I hate food smelling soap, or shower gel. I just buy whatever's on offer.

How lovely that so many people are enthustic about hand washing

People match their handsoap to their bathroom?

How can soap be posh? It doesn't make sense why you would tell people what brand stuff you got for Christmas (instead of saying smellies or bath stuff) unless you were the one who thought it was expensive.

Most branded hand wash is too drying for my skin

I get on best with Palmolive aquarium or Dove or unscented stuff like simple or Boots own brand sensitive.

I don't know about B&H or Molton Brown, but L'Occitane hand wash is divine.

(I only know that because posh ex-flatmate's mum bought us a huge bottle once. Have never had it before or since )