If you've got a mold and some willpower, you can make soap look like anything you want, so it follows that these pistol-shaped soaps ($4 for two) recently appeared on Etsy. Their creator definitely gets kudos for creativity, and the red and blue shades are unrealistic enough to be nonthreatening, but life-size soap that looks like an actual gun could be another thing altogether. The shop owner Read more

Besides pumpkin ale and other spiced boozes, seasonally scented soaps are the perfect hostess gift to give, like these adorable, handmade sugar skull soaps ($9 each). Perfumed by the folks at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, these cute cleansers include a blend of five sugars along with a hint of candied fruits. But if you're looking for something with less of a playful design, go with the brand's Read more

Sharks may induce fright among some people, but they're an essential part of the balance of marine life. Unfortunately, tens of millions of sharks are killed each year for their oil, cartilage, and fins (the latter is often used to make shark fin soup). It's a rough practice: after being captured and de-finned, sharks are tossed back into the water only to eventually suffocate, bleed to death, or Read more

I came to an odd realization this morning: I love soap, but I never actually use it on my body. When I get a fancy bar, in fact, I recoil at the suggestion that I would ever actually put it in the shower. It's not that I'm a soap hoarder, or even that I have a problem with using soap to clean yourself up. To see what actually makes my soap usage out of the ordinary, just keep reading. Read more

Spring has sprung, and with it comes that most delectable of seasonal confections, the Peeps bunny. As a vegan, I'm not inclined to eat the real thing, but these Peep soaps ($12) make a nice substitute. They're hand painted, covered in sparkles, and come in three Peeps-accurate colors. An adorable way to be nostalgic without actually consuming a ton of gelatin and high fructose corn syrup Read more

French soap maker Compagnie De Provence Marseille has come up with some truly adorable packaging to help celebrate the company's 20th anniversary. Right now, you can buy the brand's extra-large 180 gram soaps ($8) wrapped in origami paper. That way, when you open up your bar, you just follow the directions to make your own sweetly-scented little paper critter. You can even see a short unwrapping Read more

Last April, 100 sled dogs were slaughtered near Whistler, Canada after a company saw a downturn in business. As part of a campaign with the Vancouver Humane Society, Lush Cosmetics is demanding a ban on dog sled races in British Columbia. Lush stores in the province will have leaflets explaining how sled dogs suffer because of the industry, but if you're not in Canada, you can still help the Read more