ChicP - Houmous

Houmous. It’s a food that dates back to as early as the 13thcentury in Egypt and something we at The Amazing Blog have devoured since it became a trend with the likes of Whole Foods. What we adore about this food is it makes a hearty and healthy snack that leaves you satisfied for hours unlike a bag of crisps. With our tastes for houmous in mind, we were interested to try two flavours from ChicP 

The company was founded by Hannah McCollum, who worked predominantly as a private chef, on the‘passionate commitment to reducing food waste’. All of ChicP’s five colourful houmous flavours are made with raw vegetables that were discarded due to their irregular shape or size. Supermarkets reject approximately 40 per cent of produce because of these qualities and nearly 1/3 of UK produce goes to waste because people don’t eat it. McCollum wanted to combat this with ‘houmous made from imperfect veggies’ to promote better choices for your health and the environment. 

We were drawn to not only the company’s ethos, but also the delicious taste of its houmous. This houmous is much lighter than any others we’ve tried and is creamy, satisfying, and flavourful. The first flavour we tried was the Carrot, Ginger & Turmeric  The spread immediately tastes like you’ve dipped a carrot into an ordinary blend of chickpeas, saving you the extra step of doing it yourself. While the carrot taste is evident, the ginger and turmeric follow after and linger yet don’t overpower. This flavour works splendidly as a dip, but we liked putting it over baked chicken and pasta. We felt the second one we tasted would be more suitable as a midday snack or sandwich spread. Herby is true to its name and has a strong veggie taste, as 16 per cent of the recipe is spinach and parsley. However, lemon juice concentrate, vinegar, and garlic purée increase the flavour’s depth and tastiness. 

The houmous here is vegan and contains no additives or added sugars. Carrot, Ginger & Tumeric and Herby also only have 113 calories (469 kJ) and 127 calories (526 kJ) per quarter pot, respectively, and are reasonably priced at £3 for 170g. Additionally, there are three other flavours available in ChicP’s collection: Beetroot, Horseradish & Sage, Chilli Pumpkin, and Banana Chocolate. You can purchase their houmous here, or at one of the retailers listed here.

Carrot Discovery Kit - Docteur Renaud

Here at The Amazing Blog, we love trying out new skincare products. What we don’t love, however, is paying full price for things that we aren’t sure about yet. Thankfully, brands like Docteur Renaud offer sample kits of some of their most popular products so we have the chance to try them out before purchasing full sizes.

We recently tried and fell in love with the Carrot Discovery Kit by Docteur Renaud, a range that includes the ultra-popular Carrot Scrub Detox, the Carrot Radiance Boost Day Cream, and the Carrot Renewing Night Cream. The kit contains a 20ml tube of the scrub, which is enough to 2-3 months if you’re using it twice a week. This scrub is delightfully creamy with small orange granules that are just abrasive enough to remove toxins and refine skin texture. This kit also contains 5ml tubes of day cream and night cream. Both creams are nourishing and moisturising without being greasy, and they leave being a soft, sweet scent. The night cream in particular is perfect for doubling up at an overnight mask for extra dry areas—just use an extra thick layer and rinse off in the morning! These 5ml tubes contain enough cream to use once a day for 1-2 weeks, which is great for fully testing this range. All three products feature carrot—an ingredient that adds radiance and a healthy glow to the complexion. It also naturally possesses the ability to protect the skin from free radicals.

The Docteur Renaud Carrot Discovery Kit is priced at £9, and is available from Skin Evolution here.

Sunlover - Nutricosmetic Drinks

Here at The Amazing Blog, we understand that there are some nutrients we get best from the sun's warming rays. However, for the more fair among us, we'd rather steer clear of spending too much time in the sun. So when Sunlover sent us these nutritious drinks that claim to offer these very benefits in a can, we we're intrigued. 

Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, the nutricosmetic beverage comes in two delicious flavours.  Protector, a thirst-quenching orange and carrot flavoured drink is great for topping up your vitamin levels, as well as protecting your cells from oxidative stress. As well as this, Copper helps to regulate and protect the skin’s melanin, whilst Zinc and Selenium help to shield skin cells from free radicals, ensuring you’re looking radiant and healthy at all times. Although refreshing, our favourite was the Regenerator, a pomegranate flavoured drink that's both nutritious and delicious. Containing VIQUA, it helps to keep elastin levels topped up, as well as providing a range of nourishing minerals and vitamins, making it ideal for keeping your skin at its absolute best. We also loved that Sunlover improves your tan, so we can prep for summer and get ready for that bronzed and flawless complexion. Did we mention that these sugar free beverages have zero calories? You can’t go wrong.

Sip on the sun in liquid form and have a radiant complexion that shines like sunbeams with Sunlover. Grab a can here for only £2.50.

EE's Cosmetics Carrot and Cranberry Face Cream

 

Our fellow readers of The Amazing Blog may already know that we love all things organic and packed with goodness. Preservatives and harsh chemicals can be found in approximately 75-90 % of cosmetics such as make-up, lotion, deodorants and shampoos etc... these are absorbed by the skin and dispersed throughout the body by the bloodstream - leading in some cases to a disruption of the body's hormonal balance or even to breast cancer. At The Amazing Blog, we encourage our readers to invest in natural products, as the benefits are noticeable in the long run. Today's post is on EE's Cosmetics' Carrot and Cranberry Face Cream, The Amazing Blog's best kept secret.

EE's Cosmetics products are unique formulations designed to minimise the effects of Age has on our skin as well as repairing existing damage. They are hand made with the utmost attention only using carefully selected natural ingredients in therapeutic quantities and sourced only from the most reputable suppliers, and in limited batches ensuring maximum freshness. The Carrot and Cranberry Face Cream is rich in Macadamia, Argan, Baobab and Watermelon Seed Oils making this cream exceptionally nourishing and restorative - the Carrot and Cranberry extracts stimulate cell growth, improving the complexion and adding tone and elasticity to the skin. With the chilly days and constant weather changes, my skin has been feeling very dry and tight, and EE's Cosmetics Carrot and Cranberry Face Cream has completely changed the appearance and texture of my skin - its rich formula has made wonders for my skin. Besides, it smells delicious and not artificial at all.

At The Amazing Blog, we couldn't be more pleased with EE's Cosmetics products - they're natural, free from harsh and unnecessary chemicals, cruelty free and handmade. In fact we all loved texture and smell of this face cream so much that we had to 'toss for it' (lucky me I got it!) You can purchase this fabulous cosmetics from EE's Cosmetics website - the Carrot and Cranberry Face Cream retails at £22.00 for 25ml.