Scentimental candles : Candle Mini Duo Set

With yesterday’s arrival of the Winter Solstice and the dark evenings that still envelop us, we thought it timely to celebrate such a landmark by lighting some candles. At this time of year, at The Amazing Blog, we like to sit quietly with a lit candle, reflecting on past events and giving thanks for all the good things. There's also something rather inviting about putting candles in the window, it makes a home feel welcoming and 'hygge'. To add to the Christmas vibe and get you in the mood, meet another of our #amazingfinds with Scentimental and their Candle Mini Duo Set, their heady fragrance and evocative aromas, will add to making your surroundings warm and harmonious.

Scentimental began in 2015 when Salma Bello, the founder, took her inspiration from a visit to Grasse, the world-famous perfume capital. From here, she went on to create her British/ Nigerian home fragrance brand, which uses the medium of scent to tell the untold stories of many places that contribute to the richness of a global community. Scentimental is based on the principle that "Each fragrance is personal, intimate and memorable and leaves a lingering sense of nostalgia as well as a footprint on your bucket list/travel map." And with this olfactory journey, the brand seeks to empower the culture and its people and, in their own little way, reinvent tourism by taking their community on unforgettable fragrant memories and travels around the globe. Salma explained, "Our scents individually speak to a myriad of cultural depths and heritage. With each of our fragrance compositions, the key ingredient is a vibrant effusion of culture." Scentimental is a luxury artisan brand 'born in Lagos', with products handcrafted in the UK. They offer affordable, premium-quality fragranced goods with a selection of hand-poured and gender-neutral candles, reed diffusers and fragrance oils.

They kindly sent us for review their Candle Mini Duo Set that offers "A memory waxed in time." Beautifully presented in a small elegant gift box, wrapped in bespoke tissue with a 'Scentimental Express Telegram' to encourage us to light the candles to make a wish or set intentions. The two 9cl (70g) travel candles inside are Lagos and Kwara. Both are richly scented, and even as the gift box opens, without being lit, the candles fill the air with an exotic fragrance.

Lagos has a notable light and fruity element, "An accord of tart pineapple notes, mango, and cucumber." As it warms up, the heart notes echo a floral mix of hibiscus, lilac, damask rose, and jasmine finally layered in the base note of white musk. The white musk anchors the fragrance and is there to elevate the mood and offer a feeling of general well-being. We found its fragrance unique and uplifting. It's aptly described as "Effervescent, vibrant and bursting with energy just like the city it's named after." It has a touch of tropical and exotic easily spiriting us away to far and distant climes.

Kwara is a different candle altogether, and our favourite of the two. It smoulders with the heady and intense fresh top notes of tomato, and green leaf with a dab of pine; which then open up with calming notes of earthy rosewood, followed by spicy black pepper and finally the soft accents and base notes of sandalwood. Sandalwood is well placed here, as it’s believed to be beneficial in treating anxiety and fatigue, Whereas the spicy black pepper relieves stress, making them a harmonious coupling. It’s a luxurious, warm, nostalgic scent that sets the scene; and made us want to hunker down and snuggle up during this hectic festive season.

All their candles are made of blended fragrance oil and 100% natural soy wax, a non-toxic alternative to paraffin. As a natural and renewable resource, soy wax is biodegradable and has a lower melting point than other waxes commonly used for candle-making. This difference means soy wax candles will burn and last longer; they also burn cleaner and emit less black soot than other candle types. These 9cl (70g) candles each offer a burn time of 15-18 hours, whereas their other larger 30cl (220g) candles burn up to 40 hours. Whether you are looking to light a candle to set intentions or want to fill the room with a hypnotic aroma, we find at this time of year, candles always help to brighten up the mood.

These luxurious and unique scents will undoubtedly lift any flagging spirits – which after this challenging year, is something we all could do with! To help you get to your happy place, we recommend purchasing the Scentimental Candle Mini Duo Set for £40, available exclusively online here.

We wish you all: Health, Wealth & Happiness.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Barber Pro - Foot Peel Treatment

With all the Christmas Shopping now well underway, we at The AmazingBlog are keen to look out for those special products which go to help us all in the pursuit of ticking the ‘Done’ boxes on those names on our presents lists. When we find something extra special, we end up shouting about it, and this week we have an absolute corker for you in the shape of a pair of magical booties from that inventive team over at Barber Pro, who have literally condensed the most wonderful pedicure into a handy pochette with clear instructions on how to make the most of their ingenious Foot Peel Treatment. So here we go with our festive bellow …

This is not a ‘foot mask’ but more of a peel - to be exact, with all the benefits of one of those blissfully indulgent appointments with a pedicurist who knows their stuff and take our worn-out hooves, and transform them into tingling tootsies ready for the party circuit. Now, this process is quite involved, so attention should be paid to getting it right, and then enjoying those well-earned benefits - even if that does mean another round of Christmas shopping … the beauty here is that the process works over several days and means whatever we are doing the results continue to generate.

The key ingredients in this award-winning Foot Peel Treatment, include salicylic and glycolic acids, along with the more pampering focused goodies of sage, lavender, honeysuckle, peach, rosemary, as well as lemon and lime, with a jolly good dose of vitamin E thrown in for good measure. The first candidates on that list may not immediately fill you with ideas of relaxation, but their presence is vital in the process of ridding the skin of all the detritus which can build up through lack of attention, and we all know the one area of our body which works hardest of all, and gets the least amount of attention is the feet. Having washed the feet with clean water, we literally slip them into these envelopes of heaven and allow the science to take over. Fear not, the process is a gentle one - there are no mineral oils, lanolin, petroleum or parabens here, and for 90 minutes we allow the magic to begin.

 It will take 7 days for the incredible results to bloom, and in that time do be prepared for any skin nasties to be discarded, but the wait will be worth it. Obviously there are aftercare pointers to observe - no foot creams for a minimum of 7 days also, and it is best to not be scrubbing the feet too harshly as that could undo all your preparation, but you will be left with a matching set of perfectly primed pinkies, ready to sheath in those Monster Munch socks which undoubtedly will be in our stockings ℅ Santa! Costing £7.95 from here - if you manage to find a pair, grab them as they are proving incredibly popular … and we can happily see why.