Celtic Herbal - Balms and Candles

We at The Amazing Blog tend to opt for peaceful scents that lift our mood, and Celtic Herbal certainly does just the trick. Celtic Herbal is a Welsh artisan company, who incorporate both their love for natural ingredients, and the surrounding Welsh landscape, the one in which they source some of their key ingredients. What makes each product all the more special, is the fact that they are handmade, and not tested on animals.

We tried four products from their range: two balms and two candles. The handy-sized balms offer a simple solution for dry and cracked skin and fit perfectly into our handbags to use on the go. Celtic Herbal’s Peppermint Lip Balm is made from 100% natural beeswax and has a cooling effect. It’s made up of lovely ingredients, like peppermint oil, sweet almond oil, castor seed oil, sunflower seed oil, and calendula officinalis flower extract. We loved the piquant of the mint which gave a teeny bit of a tingle, and we found that this balm kept our lips moist and supple throughout the day.

With the Celtic Herbal Sleep Balm with Mandarin & Ylang Ylang, we found that when applied to the pulse points it helped to relax our mind. This Sleep Balm is made with warming mandarin oil to ease pressure and Ylang Ylang for calmness. It’s 100% natural and contains mandarin orange peel oil, beeswax, sweet almond oil, castor seed oil, and cananga odorata flower oil. Good to apply at the end of a busy day to bring peace and harmony.

Aromatherapy harnesses the power of botanicals and essential oils, and there are so many different ways to utilise it. Celtic Herbal has created candles from ethically sourced soy wax which are made in small batches to ensure the highest quality. Their Natural Rose Geranium & Grapefruit Travel Soy Candle comes from the Refresh range, emitting a sweet and floral scent that is connected to the balance of the nervous system. It’s said to help lift depression and relieve anxiety - we found it very mood enhancing.

The final product that we tried was their Natural Mandarin, Lime & Basil Travel Soy Candle. This comes from the Purify range. Its warm and uplifting scent intends to bring clarity and fresh perspectives. Perfect to help you unwind after a long journey. The 30g travel candles have a clean burning time of four hours, and the 105g candles can last up to twenty-five hours. Time to breathe in and relax! Purchase the Celtic Herbal Peppermint Lip Balm 15g here for £4.00; Sleep Balm with Mandarin & Ylang Ylang 25g here for £5.50; Natural Rose Geranium & Grapefruit Travel Soy Candle 30g here for £5.50; Natural Mandarin, Lime & Basil Travel Soy Candle 30g here for £5.50.

Beauty UK Posh Pout Lip Crayon Collection

With the change in seasons we often find that our wardrobes tend to get darker and we lose all our bright summery colours. However we love to bring back a pop of summer colour with our lips. Like girls, here at The Amazing Blog office, we love trying out new lipsticks, glosses and balms in an array of different shades depending on the mood, season and, of course, outfit. So, we are happy to tell you all about one of our new favourite lip collections, Posh Pout by Beauty UK.

Beauty UK’s Posh Pout lip crayons are the perfect handbag accessory for girls on the go. These lovely lip crayons are not only highly pigmented, but also work to hydrate your lips and prevent the cold Autumn weather from drying them out. The intense burst of colour is relatively long lasting and leaves a stain on the lips, so even when the product wears off, the colour still remains, keeping your lips perfectly kissable all day long.

These fantastic lip crayons come in six different shades, all of which are bright and bold, perfect for cheering up any winter outfit. This includes Big Pinkin, a Barbie pink that Nicki Minaj would be proud of, Would I Lilac To You, is a beautiful soft lilac shade that is something a bit different to our normal go-to lip shades. Power to the Purple, is an elegant plum colour that is perfect for creating the Autumn berry lip. How Nude, is probably the tamest of the shades and is sheer and simple, we think this is a great shade for when you want your eyes to do the standing out. Corally Incorrect is a gorgeous summery coral that would work well to bring a burst of warmth and colour to the colder months and finally Sugar Plum Fairy, a frosted plum hue that is pearly and wonderful for Christmas time.

We think that the Posh Pout lip crayons are a must-have for any lip fanatics because the shades on offer are so vivid and there is a colour suitable for every taste. The office favourite was Corally Incorrect as it is such a classic shade that can go with virtually anything, Summer or Winter, it is just so versatile. However, we also loved Would I Lilac To You, as it is a little bit different and definitely a shade that used to be outside of our colour comfort zone.

If you are keen to experiment with your lip colours, then you can get your hands on your very own Posh Pout lip crayon for a mere £2.99 each; either from the Beauty UK website or from Superdrug.

The Amazing Blog's Bank Holiday Essentials!

It is with heavy hearts that we note Autumn is now looming and Summer now drawing to a close.  This weekend we're all preparing for the bank holiday which is only a week away! This is the perfect break away for us all to get some ‘me-time’ and take in the last bursts of sunshine (we hope) getting away for a long  weekend with friends and family.  In anticipation, here at The Amazing Blog we have compiled a special collection of products that we think are absolute essentials for your bank holiday travel adventures.  Enjoy... Oh-lief is one of our greatest  discoveries - it hails  all the way from  South African. Thecompany was born ‘out of the desire to use products that would not harm the skin or the environment’. Their products are made from locally sourced, 100% natural, organic and raw ingredients. We've all been blown-away by what we can only describe as their 'miracle cream' it's the Oh-lief's Natural Aqueous Cream. Originallyformulated for babies’ skin (but perfectly fine for adults too).  It is a brilliant multi-tasker - i.e.  as a  great cleansing wash or a highly moisturising body and face butter. Basically it's fantastic 'all-in-one'.  The product is a very thick, soft, hydrating cream and as we mentioned, 100% natural . The Natural Aqueous Cream retails at £6.83 and can be purchased from the Savant Health websitefrom the 1st September. It's perfect for everyone from baby to granny and will be ideal for any family who travel.

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Vegesentials is another one of our new finds. With no  pre-packaged or GMI ingredients their new range of combined fruit and vegetable drinks are not only unusual but delicious and good for you too.  Absolutely perfect for the whole family to enjoy, they come in five different blended flavours. Our favourites were the Carrot, Mango, and Parsnip and the Celery, Apple, and Kale varieties. They are cleverly blended, and do not taste like a salad as some of you might think. They're great way to get part of your five-a-day and  for also putting into your rucksack or the car for the long journey ahead. They are available for £1.59 from the Vegesentials website as well as Whole Foods stores and Waitrose.

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Another interesting product that we found is the healing Cardiospermum Gel. It is a clear to green-ish gel created from the Cardiospermum Plant (as name suggests). This is a wonderful remedy for people with sensitive skin as this plant extract and aloe extract in the formula are very soothing for sensitive and dry skin. We think that this would be good for anyone who over-suns themselves and needs some instant skin-cooling relief. The only thing you might want to be a little careful about is not to use this gel on broken skin - it stings! Again,  it's perfect for people who are travelling and who are spending time outdoors where we know skin irritations often happen. The Cardiospermum Gel is available from The Skin Shop website for £9.95.

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For those of you heading off to the beach for the bank holiday weekend, you might like to think about a very special sunscreen. We stumbled upon a unique formula called Safe Sea by Lifesystems and Nidaria Technology which has an amazing Jellyfish Sting Protection. We have the 15, 30 and 50 SPF and are looking forward to taking this with us to the seaside as this is the year for record breaking shoals of Jellyfish on our UK shores -  therefore we think it most appropriate!  Safe Sea Sunscreen with Jellyfish Sting Protection was developed to help protect against the stinging mechansim of most Jellyfish, Sea Nettle, Sea Lice and Coral. It contains unique, patented ingredients that deactivate the stinging mechanism, leaving you safe and sound. Jellyfish and the like are becoming increasingly common both at home and abroad, but Safe Sea will help to take the sting out of any chance encounter. A truly amazing formula that you can purchase the sunscreen on the Purple Turtlewebsite for £9.95.

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Packing snacks for weekends away is a must, as we all know there's always someone who will be moaning about being hungry on the journey. Pre-made granola is a perfect snack to bring along on these occasions, and we have found one that is sure to please everyone - even those  with dietary restriction. Nature’s Path Organic Gluten Free Nice & Nobbly Granola this is delicious and gluten-free, so it is perfect for those who cannot have the usual cracker type snacks. We tried their Pumpkin Seeds, Almond & Raisins with a Dash of Cinnamon  and their Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries & Yoghurt Chunks varieties.  Both of which we highly recommend, they were extremely moreish on the taste buds and we found ourselves continually nibbling straight from the packets - so also perfect for in between phone calls in the office! Plus, this granola will be brilliant to help fill any hunger pangs and keep you and your companions bolstered up for the trip. Visit the Nature's Path website for information on their stockists.

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And finally for all those chatter-boxes on your journey, we've  found something to help you compete (after all you'll need something to keep your lips moist to respond to all their banter); its the wonderful Kukui & Shea Butter Natural Lip balm fromPure Thoughts This lip balm helps to soothe and protect with its unusual Kukui nut oil (well-known for its ability to heal dry skin). It's unscented and can also be used anywhere on the body to treat dry skin.  Pure Thoughts is a 100% natural skincare company that we have recently discovered. They do lots of other products too (watch out for our review on their Whipped Shea Body Butter). But we think that this lip balm is a real winner it smells lovely, the feel is just perfect - silky instead of sticky. It retails for £3.95 on the Pure Thoughts website.

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Juliette at Home - Lip Balms

Lip balm truly is an everyday essential for us girls here at The Amazing Blog. Every morning I wake up, wash my face, and then apply a smooth coat to my lips for that perfect finishing touch. When I came into work and saw four different samples of Juliette at Home Lip Balms, I knew I was going to have to try them out right away. And after a quick test, well… I now have one at home, one at work, and one in my purse.

I apply lip balm at least ten times a day to ensure that my lips stay moisturised and fresh (modestly of course) - carrying some in my purse is a must. The Juliette at Home balms come in a small simple tin allowing me to take them just about anywhere. And much like other Juliette at Home products, the tin is crafted with antique and modern elements giving it a contemporary design. The lip balm comes in four different flavours: Turkish Delight, Marshmallow and my personal favourites Parma Violet and Bitter Chocolate. With the spring months upon us, I absolutely fell in love with the smell of Parma Violet. The Bitter Chocolate had a sweet smell that made me believe I was actually indulging in some delicious truffles. No matter the flavour, all these balms left my lips feeling soft and hydrated. And each went on smoothly without leaving that irritating greasy feeling.

With the wonderful smells, non greasy application and simple tin, what is there to complain about? Just like my mascara, I now carry these lip balms everywhere I go. And for £4 each, you truly can’t go wrong purchasing a couple of your own.

Apodea

Having been cursed with such sensitive skin that I have to avoid anything heavily perfumed, artificially coloured or synthetic (which pretty much rules out most of the latest beauty offerings) working in an office of beauty junkies trying every new beauty fad is often a frustrating experience. As a result I am constantly on the look out for natural, gentle and effective products that won’t break me out in a rash but are slightly more interesting than the incredibly basic (and boring) dermatological and emollient offerings that I was subjected to as a child. This normally means that a product must be all natural, organic and free from synthetic fragrances to even warrant a second look (and any added bonuses are always a plus) which is exactly why I was happy to stumble upon my latest find, Apodea.

Apodea is a unique, authentic, organic and biodynamic bodycare range produced in small batches by the Rossi family from their Umbrian farm in Italy. The high quality artisan range is built around a core of organic bee derived products – honey, beeswax, and propolis – which possess protective, calming, hydrating, anti-bacterial and healing properties. Apodea focus on quality and small-batch production to maintain their high standards ‘from bee to balm.’ The Rossi family are passionate about biodynamic beekeeping which is part of a holistic approach to farming that rejects harmful commercial practices such as clipping a queen’s wings to prevent them from swarming elsewhere and harvesting the honey too early or too frequently. It’s not surprising that these practices produce better products, leave the land more fertile and positively encourage nature’s forces. The honey, beeswax, and propolis ingredients are produced after bees from the Rossi family’s hives have had a chance to roam free over the unspoilt Umbrian countryside, collecting nectar from fragrant wild plants including peach, almond and olive trees, honeysuckle, lilac, rosemary, wild thyme and limeblossom in the fertile Tiber Valley...sounds like the ideal life to us!

The Rossi’s began by making their now best-selling multi-purpose saviour Propolis Balm for friends and family in the 1980s and have gradually developed more products and continue to add to the Apodea range which today includes a Hand Cream, Lip Balm, Body Emulsion, Vegetal Soap, Deodorant, Shampoo and Conditioner. Office favourites here at Amazing PR include the Hand Cream with honey and lemon which was quickly absorbed and non-greasy with a refreshing subtle lemon fragrance and the Lip Balm which was instantly hydrating and has a pleasant sweet orange smell.

Apodea’s packaging is 100% recyclable and the products contain no synthetic fragrances, artificial colouring and are not tested on animals. In addition to bee-derived ingredients, Apodea products also include high quality organic Italian cold pressed and essential oils such as Sicilian lemon and geranium. All the products are very gentle and naturally lightly scented, which makes them safe for pregnant women and also equally irresistible to men!

You can buy Apodea’s products online here.