YOPE - Green Tea & Mint TGA Soap & Hand Cream

The winters here in London are no joke, and we find ourselves in a constant cycle of washing our hands just to avoid getting sick, and then applying hand cream as the hard water dries them out. We’ve been looking for the perfect natural products to use at the Amazing Blog to keep our hands clean, healthy and soft. Enter YOPE.

YOPE was founded by Polish husband and wife team Karolina and Pawel Kosowicz after a need arose for natural personal and home care products at affordable prices. Together, they set out to create a line of products that are safe for their young children to use and accessible for families of all backgrounds to enjoy. Their mission didn’t stop there – they wanted to ensure their products were also environmentally friendly and sustainable. Over 90% of the ingredients are natural and minimally-processed, with 100% of them being safe for people and pets. All YOPE products are beautifully scented with distinctive fragrances and we loved how the scent lingered on the skin and created an uplifting feeling. Ooh and did we mention the adorable branding? Look out for the soft pastel colours and small animal illustrations covering the products. 

The YOPE Green Tea & Mint TGA Soap Formula was made to be gentler than even the most gentle hand soap on the market. TGA is a special combination of plant-based surfactants that are safe for every skin type and age. It supports the skin’s natural lipid barrier keeping our skin silky smooth all winter long! It’s formulated with pure botanical extracts, soothing allantoin and regenerating vitamin B5. This is a hand wash that we’d feel comfortable sharing with the whole family!

After lathering up with the Tea and Mint Natural Liquid Soap with TGA Formula, we recommend following up with the Tea & Mint Natural Hand Cream. This refreshingly scented hand cream contains no parabens, silicones, colour additives or mineral oils.  After applying it, our hands felt super soft with the argan, coconut and olive oils. We recommend reapplying after every hand wash to prevent dry and cracking hands. Not to mention, the green tea extract promotes the production of collagen fibres in the hand helping to keep them young-looking. Interested in purchasing YOPE soap and hand care products? The Tea &Mint Hand Cream can be purchased here for £5.99 for 100ml. The Tea and Mint Natural Liquid Soap can be purchased here for £5.99 for 500ml, both are on special offer now, saving you £3 on each product.

Siam Botanicals - Wild Roots of Zingiber

Thankfully in 2019, many beauty brands are now realising the power of harnessing all-natural ingredients. If you can find all-natural skincare products that work way better than anything synthetic, why wouldn’t you use them? At the Amazing Blog, we’ve been stressing the importance of all-natural beauty for years now, with no sign of stopping anytime soon.

We’ve been lucky to find Siam Botanicals, an award-winning and cosmos certified brand whose mission aligns so well with our beliefs. Their inspiration came from a search to find natural products for their own spa in Thailand. When they couldn’t find what they wanted, they went on to create their own. Combining traditional Thai-inspired ingredients and scientific know-how; Siam Botanicals uses the purest ingredients and source responsibly only using local suppliers whenever possible. We love how all of their products are made in small batches ensuring the best quality in every pot, jar or bottle. Living in a big city, we consider having a good cleansing routine to be a vital part of our daily regime. Which is why we wanted to try both the natural Cleansing Balm and Facial Scrub from Siam Botanicals. Their latest range is the Wild Roots of Zingiber  are all formulated with premium organic seed oils and essential oils distilled from the roots of zingiber. These remarkable asian rhizomes including plai, turmeric, ginger and ginger lily have natural skin healing properties that have long been used in effective eastern skincare remedies.  

The first product for us to try was the Lime & Turmeric Cleansing Facial Balm. The balm is formulated with cold-pressed organic seed oils, zingiber roots and boswellia tree resin all of which provide a deep cleanse and hydration. Use a generous amount on your fingertips and massage into the face and neck. Remove with a damp cotton pad and see all of the dirt and makeup come right off! We love how it doesn’t strip the skin of its natural oils and left our face feeling soft and refreshed. Turmeric root is known for its antibacterial properties, calming the skin and preventing blemishes. The turmeric combines beautifully with the uplifting zing of lime to calm the skin.

For an even brighter and healthier complexion, we exfoliated twice a week with the Ginger Lily & Plai Clarifying Facial Scrub. Its fine jojoba wax beads with argan and moringa oils offer the perfect amount of exfoliation without leaving the skin irritated. The essential oils of ginger lily and plai have natural anti-inflammatory properties and our skin looked noticeably brighter after using the scrub. If you’d like to purchase the Lime & Turmeric Cleansing Facial Balm, it can be purchased here and costs £30 for 50ml. or The Ginger Lily & Plai Clarifying Facial Scrub here which can be purchased for £19 for 15ml.

Friday Favourites – Bath Salts

When it’s been a long stressful week and then it is finally Friday, what better way to relax than luxuriating in bath salts with steaming water! There is nothing we like more at The Amazing Blog than a good soak while sipping a chilled glass of something nice. This is why today we want to introduce you to some of our top-picks very special bath salts.

Let’s start with Sea Magik Turmeric Serenity Salts. If you’re a regular reader, you ‘ll have probably already read about Sea Magik when we featured their 21 Sea Magik Mist  and Sea Magik Shampoo and Scalp Mud   We really rate their brand’s values and honesty, with their added bonus of being cruelty-free, vegan and beneficial for the planet too.

With the fluctuating change of temperature this November – some of us have been nursing a chill. So, it is rather timely to give the Sea Magik Turmeric Serenity Salts a try. We can report back that after a good soak we felt our energy levels bouncing back. Could this be the healing powers of a blend of 100% natural Dead Sea and Epsom salts which are amazingly restorative? Apart from Turmeric (a.k.a. the wonder spice) which has anti-inflammatory properties, there’s bitter orange and safflower essential oils too. They relax the body while soothing, softening and conditioning your skin with the added bonus of leaving your bathroom smelling divine. Get your 1kg bag here for £8.99, just add 1 cup of salts to warm water and relax in with this home-spa experience.

Next is Björk & Berries, a Swedish brand that puts nature in a bottle. Well, with brands like Björk & Berries, the products they put on their skin encapsulate Swedish traditions, being natural and organic. In this case, the primary ingredient is Birch, the Swedish life giving tree that has endless benefits such as anti-inflammatory, curative, and hydrating properties. If you want to indulge a classic Scandinavian spa experience and prepare your skin for the winter months coming up, the Björk & Berries Birch Ritual is for you. In just ten minutes, with their three-step skincare range, you will improve your circulation, detoxify and hydrate your skin.

Our favourite product of the range is the bath salts. Start off by immersing your body in their Botanical Bath Salts, made from hand-picked flowers and herbs to relax and detox. With lavender, lemon balm and chamomile flowers combined with natural sea salts, spring clean your body by activating your lymphatic system. The gentle aroma will take you to the Swedish forests, purifying your mind and bringing harmony to your atmosphere.  Then you can follow (as we did) with their Scrub and Serum (in a later review) from the Birch range to enjoy all the effects of the integrity of their products. You can purchase your Botanical Bath Salts here for €35.00 and enjoy a Swedish like skincare routine straight from the forest to your bathtub. It is impossible not to enjoy the scent of nature!

Perhaps like us, you’ve had insomnia? Or maybe blocked sinuses? We were recommended to try Verdant Alchemy’s Breathe in Bath Salts. Verdant Alchemy was launched in 2018 by Vivien Leung who like most of us was regularly experiencing high-stress levels. She wanted to create a well-being brand for skin and body care. After exploring all sorts of natural ingredients, she came up with her Breathe in Bath Salts. These have the COSMOS natural certification from the Soil Association.

Mainly composed of Eucalyptus, Lemon and Thyme, these Breathe in Bath Salts exude this powerful combination of natural vapours which have anti-inflammatory and immune boosting qualities, perfect for helping to clear blocked sinuses. Also combined with Epsom and Dead Sea salts they are extremely rich in minerals, helping to nourish the skin and well as supporting muscles and the immune system. To buy the Verdant Alchemy Breathe in Bath Salts 100g pot for £12.00, see here. They will help to clear your mind, just inhale, relax and enjoy.

We suggest lighting a few candles and soaking in on one of these invigorating bath salts to help reset your mind and body; so you’ll be recharged and ready to start the week ahead.

Friday Favourites - Vegtoberfest

We notice at The Amazing Blog that the best thing about being a vegan in 2019 is not having to give up any of your old favourite foods. Almost every comfort food has a vegan counterpart and you don’t have to feel left behind while eating plant-based. Vegtoberfest, the UK’s first vegan Oktoberfest celebration proves that you don’t have to sacrifice your lifestyle choices to have a good time.

Started in 2018, Vegtoberfest aims to bring the Oktoberfest celebration (with all the beer and bratwursts as you can imagine) to the vegan market. Picture the classic Oktoberfest celebrations but with a modern, vegan twist! Oktoberfest is a celebration of beer – first and foremost, and Vegtoberfest did not forget that. With vegan-friendly Bavarian beers and local craft ales, the choices are endless. There will also be a selection of wines, cocktails and vegan Bailey’s for those non-beer drinkers in the bunch.

Now, we know you’re wondering “What kind of food will Vegtoberfest have?” Good question. It wouldn’t be an Oktoberfest celebration without Bratwurst. Rudy’s Dirty Vegan Dinner, Camden’s leading vegan street food specialist, will be serving Bratwursts with all the trimmings, German Potato Pancakes and their famous Dirty Burgers. Also served at Vegtoberfest will be pizzas, pretzels, loaded fries and ice cream. Did someone say yum?

There will also be live music and entertainment both weekends. With performances from the Old Dirty Brasstards, Brasstermind and many other live acoustic acts, we’re sure you’ll be entertained the whole time! Dee Riley, London’s leading cabaret stage magician will be hosting the entertainment both weekends.

Vegtoberfest will take place two weekends in a row – on October 12th and 19th at Fest Camden. The main room will be transformed into a festival themed beer hall. We definitely wouldn’t blame you if you wore your Dirndl dresses. Early Bird tickets are on sale now for £13.50 (including taxes and service charges) and you can buy them here. Once Early Bird sells out the tickets will be £16.50, so buy your tickets as soon as possible!

Lark & Berry Fragrances

Finding only one fragrance that encompasses your style, personality and suits each season can be very tricky. At The Amazing Blog we believe a spritz of perfume adds that essential final touch to not only to how you feel but how you project your look. Today, we want to introduce you to one of our #amazingfinds from Lark & Berry, who have expanded their empire from being an exciting and disruptive force in the world of fine jewellery, to now turning their attention to making a change in the world of fragrances.

Launched in 2018 by Laura Chavez, Lark & Berry was born out of a desire to make a difference, and changing the jewellery industry. Laura noticed that she either found high-quality jewellery with skyrocketing prices or affordable jewellery that was very poor quality. She saw the opportunity to create her unique jewellery using only cultured diamonds and stones (all laboratory grown) which provide transparency, honesty, affordability and a much lower environmental impact. With Lark, meaning ‘playful’ and which was Laura’s favourite bird and Berry, being a pendant her grandmother gave her, she founded Lark & Berry.

Today we want to talk about Lark & Berry and their three fragrances in this new range of Eau de Parfum: Midnight Garden, White Dawn and Alchemy Number 3. This trio is all-natural, made with organic flower compositions and not tested on animals. We tried the Alchemy Number 3, all beautifully packaged in a subtle marbled box with a sweet hidden message (see pic above).  This deluxe bottle has a delightful touch with its gold chain and diamond charm around the neck of the bottle (perhaps it could double up as a ring?) Alchemy Number 3 boosted our senses with its heady key notes combining sandalwood and tuberose. It is deliciously long-lasting and retains top notes of the jasmine and ylang-ylang with the base notes of patchouli, leather and amber musk. As a warm and sensual fragrance, we think it complements this autumn season as the daylight draws in and the nights get longer. Each of the three Eau de Parfums retail at £75.00 for a 100ml here or at their new shop in London here. We also love is the fact that with every item sold at Larry &Berry (whether online or from their London store) five trees will be planted in areas worldwide where they’re environmentally needed the most, by their partnership with One Tree Planted (a US-based tree-planting non-profit).