Giveaway: Vegan Soap from the Fanciful Fox!

Remember a few weeks ago when I celebrated my Blogoversary, and I said I'd be having a giveaway? Well I'm finally getting around to it. SO SUE ME. I've been a little distracted with this. (By the way, there's still time to vote...)

I talk about Scranton a lot around here. It's my hometown, and I love visiting whenever I can. And whenever I visit, I go straight to Adams Ave for all my needs: Eden for tasty vegan food, a cold beer at the Bog, and The Fanciful Fox for the best beauty supplies.

The owners, Kathie and Amanda Fox, are some of my favorite people. They are equal parts adorable, talented, and kind-hearted. What started as a rainy day craft activity has turned into a thriving business that is not only sustainable and eco-consious, but full of luxurious gifts for you and your home.

More about the store from their website:

The Fanciful Fox is a vegan, fair trade store located in beautiful Scranton, Pennsylvania.  The mother-daughter team of Kathie and Amanda Fox work daily to make all sorts of plant- based bath and body products for all skin types.  They are completely dedicated to the planet and all the living creatures on it.

They do not test on animals and research every ingredient in their products to make sure they don’t buy anything that has been tested on animals.  Amanda was  2009 recipient of PETA’s Compassionate Business Award.

Additionally, they do not use petroleum by-products, parabens, or other harmful chemicals.  They use organic and wildrafted ingredients whenever possible.

All products are handmade in small batches, and made with love.

If you stop by their boutique, in addition to great bath and body products you will find an eclectic collection of fair trade products.  They have a great variety of handmade items from all over the world that are made from recycled objects or come from sustainable sources.

The Foxes happen to love my baked goods. I happen to love their soap. It's a beautiful friendship, really. So let's talk about some soap I've tried.

The Dead Sea Soap is amazing. It looks a little funky. And there's mud in there. I'm not gonna lie, I was a little skeptical. But it smells lemony and wonderful, so I brought it home for Ken and figured I'd give it a try. As someone who does not use bar soaps, I must say this soap could convert me. It's amazing! It mildly exfoliates and softens my skin like a dream. It lathers well, but doesn't leave that soapy-squeaky feeling that makes me despise bar soaps. Ken loves it, I love it, it's a crowd favorite!

I also got a chance to try the Breakfast bar, and love it for its mild exfoliating qualities. The top half of the bar has oatmeal, and the bottom half has coffee. The soap has a very mild fragrance, and does not actually smell like oatmeal or coffee. This is probably for the best if you're extra sleepy like me in the mornings, so that you don't confuse your soap with your breakfast. Still, a great exfoliating bar soap!

The Sweet Vegan Bakery soap looks adorable and smells like your Grandma's kitchen, if your Grandma likes to make almond cookies like mine does. It lathers well, but has more of that traditional bar soap feel that I'm not a big fan of. I prefer to use it for shaving my legs, or as a hand soap. Also, because of how sweet it is, this soap is not for everyone. Since I regularly smell like a cookie, I didn't mind it, but if you're not a fan of sweet smelling body products, this soap is probably not for you. Luckily, the Fanciful Fox has many other fragrances for you to try, and they're always coming up with new creations.

And now lucky readers, one of you will get to try these goods for yourself! Because those Foxes are so awesome, they're donating two bars of soap for a super awesome giveaway. The prize will include one bar of the Dead Sea Soap, and one bar of your choice. To enter, just go to their site, check out the stuff, and comment letting me know which fragrance you'd like in your prize pack! It's that simple. Check out their other soaps here.

For an extra entry, you can "Like" both the Sweet Swallows Facebook page and the Fanciful Fox's Facebook page. After you do that, just remember to come back here and leave a second comment so I'll know that you did. I'm not a mind reader, people!

The contest will be open to anyone in the United States (sorry, friends abroad!), and you'll have till Midnight EST on Wednesday, October 6th to get your entries in. I'll announce the winner on Thursday, October 7th. Make sure you don't post anonymously, or I won't have any way to contact you! Good luck!