Ancienne Ambiance Colonia VIII

Everyone needs a signature scent— period. Finding a personal fragrance that can transition from day to night or season to season can be quite a mission, but we at The Amazing Blog think we have got you covered. And as much as we love discovering new brands to fall in love with, there are some things, like a signature scent, that have us reaching back to brands we already know and trust. We keep returning to Ancienne Ambiance because we adore how luxurious their products are, like the Goddess Argan Hand and Body Wash and Beauty Oil. They are an artisan brand inspired by the ancient world and winner of the Beauty Shortlist Awards 2017, and we know that the unisex sweet fig blend of the Colonia VIII Perfume EDP will hit every note on your must-have list. 

The fig tree has a long, sacred past. With roots in Greek and Roman mythology to a symbol of enlightenment in Buddhism, this little fruit has made its mark on history. Ancienne Ambiance specialises in crafting niche fragrances inspired by the ancient cultures that started it all. The Colonia VIII scent honours the art of perfumery, as each perfume is bottled with the finest ingredients in limited quantities in France, all in a stunning 100ml glass column bottle that is sure to make you feel as lavish as Cleopatra. The fragrance has its base notes rooted in the warmth of sandalwood, its heart notes rounded in coconut, and the top notes have light, natural green notes that will follow you around throughout your busy day. Everyone will stop you just to ask what you're wearing: trust us, we know from experience. 

Want to make sure your scent lasts all day? Apply it to your pulse points or the inner wrist and elbow, behind your ears and knees, and at the base of the neck. Mist it on your clothes and hair as well and avoid rubbing the scent into your skin, as it makes the fragrance fade faster.
You can purchase the Colonia VIII Perfume here for £60.

All That Jazz: Cuticle Oil, Cuticle Balm & Bee Bar Lotion

This past January we raved about All That Jazz’s hand and foot care products in one of our blog posts. We know that their products are amazing, and now we are excited to announce that the brand has finally received the recognition that we think it deserves. At the prestigious 2018 Beauty Shortlist Awards, All That Jazz was awarded the Winner of the Best Nail Brand category, meaning that out of all the brands entered in the competition, they have the best nail care products. In addition, All That Jazz was ranked as a Finalist in the Best Nail Product category for their Cuticle Balm. They also won Editor’s Choice Awards for their Bee Bar Lotion, Baseline Base Coat and Top Note Top Coat. Talk about sweeping the board and taking home the gold!

We at The Amazing Blog know how day-to-day tasks can take their toll on our hands, especially in this wintery weather. So we wanted to feature some of our favourite hand care products from the brand with their Cuticle Oil and Cuticle Balm, and the incredible Bee Bar Lotion! 

All That Jazz’s Cuticle Oil has a coconut oil base which helps to deeply moisturise the dead skin on nails. By using this product twice daily, you reap the benefits of vitamins A, C and D and carotenoids that are in this oil and create a protective barrier on the skin. We used the oil in the Apple Cucumber scent, a fresh, crisp and invigorating fragrance which left our fingertips feeling revitalised. This oil also comes in the other fragrances, Captivate, Chocolate Orange and Maple Spice. We hear X Factor Judges Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger are also big fans of Maple Spice!

All That Jazz’s Cuticle Balm also comes in the same 4 scents; we used the balm in Captivate. Captivate has a soothing aroma of lightly perfumed musk and coconut oil, a refreshing and relaxing fragrance. The special ingredients in the balm include beeswax and cocoa butter that naturally lock in moisture as they are natural emollients and humectant. We found that the balm works amazingly alongside the cuticle oil, our nails have never looked better!

The Bee Bar Lotion is one of our favourite multi-taskers. It is our go-to product as it's incredibly moisturising and nourishing with a little going a long way. It is filled with shea butter, golden jojoba and natural antioxidants; it is ideal for any dry or damaged hands offering fast hydration and protection. The lotion comes in 7 different scents, we received ‘Hawaiian’ which has a deliciously fresh and tropical aroma. Used sparingly this lotion can last up to 6 months and doesn’t dry up or lose its fragrance. However, if you like it as much as we do then we doubt you’ll manage to keep yours that long!

All That Jazz is an award-winning nail care brand with high-quality products that have fast become our special must-have products. You too can purchase the All That Jazz Cuticle Oil here for £7.99, Cuticle Balm here for £8.99 and Bee Bar Lotion here for £7.99

Bloomtown Botanicals-Clay Masks and Roll-on Infused Oils.

Here at The Amazing Blog, our readers will know that we are constantly searching for new products that will help to give us that elusive perfect complexion! Today, we're featuring a skincare brand that we've heard so many great things about Bloomtown Botanicals. They are natural skincare company that prides itself on creating vegan skincare products and are also palm oil, paraben and cruelty-free.  We also the fact that they use recycled/recyclable materials and packaging wherever possible in order to reduce an environmental impact. Bloomtown Botanicals were kind enough to send us a selection of their Blue Clay and Indigo Leaf Soothing Mask, Black Clay and Tea Tree Treatment Mask and roll-on infused oils including The Woods, The Meadow and The Rose Garden.

The Blue Clay and Indigo Leaf Soothing Mask is designed for sensitive skin that needs extra care.  Formulated with soothing and skin calming natural ingredients such as blue bentonite clay, indigo leaf extract, nettle root, coconut extract, and radish root extracts this mask helps soothe skin irritation and works for smoother and more even complexion.  Indigo leaf the star ingredient of this mask is renowned for calming skin irritation and its anti-inflammatory benefits. The mask leaves skin silky soft and more refined. We are not the only ones to be loving this mask, as it won an award with our client Beauty Shortlist Awards in 2017.

While the Blue Clay and Indigo Leaf Soothing Mask calms and hydrate skin, the Black Clay & Tea Tree Treatment Mask purifies and detoxifies oily and acne prone skin. The mask contains anti-bacterial tea tree oil, white willow bark extract, coconut extract as well as oils of bergamot, cedarwood, pine, juniper and rosemary. Together these ingredients work in harmony to effectively remove excess oil, dirt and impurities. The black clay and tea tree treatment mask acts as a gentle exfoliator that cleanses skin and minimises the appearance of pores. After using the mask skin is healthier, clearer and more youthful-looking.

For those of you who like to sport a natural scent, the brand’s Roll-on Infused Oils might be just the ticket. All the oils are made with sweet almond oil, meadowfoam oil, sesame oil, vitamin E and specific essential oils. There are six different fragrances in total; however, we tried these three: The Woods infused oil is our favourite! It's a heady mix of vetiver, cedar and bergamot oils all of which gives it a sophisticated and earthy scent. The Meadow infused oil contains rose geranium, lavender and chamomile oils, its floral and garden-fresh scent is simple and refreshing and it immediately evokes memories of the lush countryside. The Rose Garden oil has a more romantic and sensual fragrance, enriched with musk rose and white floral its perfume gives an enchanting and mysterious feel.  More than just their fragrance what we love about these Roll-on Infused Oils is their longevity and quality. For such a small bottle, they are very economical and have a great staying power. You can purchase the Blue Clay and Indigo Leaf Soothing Mask for £12 here the Black Clay & Tea Tree Treatment Mask for £12 here and the Roll-on Infused Oils here for £4.80.

Christmas Candle Feature

As winter envelops us here in the UK, we all at The Amazing Blog, are looking to create that cosy warm hygge atmosphere. There is always something very special about lighting a heady and atmospheric candle. Not only the flickering light casting shadows but the gorgeous evocative aromas that help to create the right ambience. And we can't wait to share with you some of our  favourites candles to get you in the mood .

Breathing the scent of flowers when arriving home is the ideal way to start the evening. Sloane Home Topiary Garden with its fresh and floral notes help you create the peaceful atmosphere we are all craving for during those cold nights. The Sloane Home candles are all handmade, cooled, labelled and packaged. The Topiary Garden candle is made with mineral wax and beeswax, the top notes include apple and bergamot, the heart notes are juniper berries, patchouli, rose and jasmine and the base notes are vanilla, moss and ambergris. These ingredients make a modern, classic yet wonderfully scented candle. Purchase the Topiary Garden Candle  here for £32.00

When looking for a more luxurious and relaxing ambiance The Wakefulness candle by Aurelia Probiotic Skincare is our favourite. Specially crafted to energise and uplift your spirits this candle instantly install a sense of well-being in your home. The candle is made with a unique blend of oils including rose geranium oil, palmarosa, neroli and ylang-ylang oils. To complement the floral notes, the brand added grapefruit and mandarin to bring a fruity and fresher scent to the candle. The combination of these most relaxing and revitalising oils instantly put you in a peaceful and relaxing mindset. The candle is made from natural wax and is contained in an elegant ceramic vessel that perfectly complements your room décor.

Purchase the Wakefulness candle here for £55.

Strawberry Thief scented candle is a rich, earthy grounding candle made by Morris & Co’s. The candle is a rich and luxurious blend of scents including amber, sandalwood, patchouli, incense and vanilla, the heart notes include rose and violet, and the base notes are red berries, mandarin and bergamot. More than the delightful scent, what make us love this candle is the wintery and festive packaging it sports. The candle is contained in a colourful and printed glass with Morris & Co signature design and it  burns for up to 50 hours. Purchase the Strawberry and Thief candle here for £25.

In our opinion, Skandinavisk makes some of the most beautifully scented candles you can buy. We sampled their SKOG  candle which instantly transported us to a Scandinavian forest – in fact, Skog is Norwegian for forest.The Boreal forests cover half of Scandinavia. Unbroken, the forests stretch right from the far south to the arctic circle. The rich and natural scent of the pine candle is complemented by notes of subtle leather and lily of the valley. SKOG candle is hand-poured and made with 100% cotton wick. This candle is the perfect way to add a sophisticated festive and scandi feel to your home. Welcoming and warm, the mini candle will instantly transport you to somewhere a little more beautiful and peaceful. Purchase the Skandinavisk SKOG candles from Cotswold Trading here £15 for the mini candle (16 hours burning time) or here £29.99 for the regular candle (50 hours burning time) there is also a SPECIAL DISCOUNT of 10% at the time of publishing this feature - enter code CANDLE10 at checkout. 

Is there anything better than having a nice beauty sleep and a peaceful night after a long working day? Scentered candle after a year of research and creation created a therapeutic and most relaxing candle that they named Sleep Well. The name says it all; the candle is specially crafted to help you relax, calm your mind and uplift your spirit, thus helping you to have a good night sleep. Formulated with 100% natural ingredients including lavender, chamomile, palmarosa, Ho Wood, Geranium and Ylang Ylang this sophisticated candle combines all the soothing and therapeutic benefits of its components. Fragrance your room with these calming scent, relax and have a good night.You can purchase the Sleep Well candle here for £32.95.

Last but not least, and probably the most glamorous candle of all is the delicious new ‘Bacca’ scented candle from Ancienne Ambiance . This is a must-have when it comes to Christmas candles. ‘Bacca’ which is Latin for small ‘small round fruit’ perfectly describes the vibrant and fruity scent of redcurrants, blackcurrants and an array of freshly picked bursting berries in the candle. This candle is truly 'berrylicious' and has an excellent burning time or 60-65 hours, which from our experience has a scent lasts throughout. The beautiful and sophisticated scents of bursting berries were loved by the Romans, Etruscans and Greeks as they were thought to have medicinal properties. We just love the added bonus of this feel-good factor.

The candle comes beautifully packaged in hand-crafted luxurious gift boxes made in the UK, making them a perfect gift or a gorgeous mantelpiece. Each candle is hand poured in the UK using a unique slow burning natural wax blend and a lead free wick. We want one of these candles burning on our Christmas Day! Purchase the Ancienne Ambience ‘Bacca’ Candle here for £40.

Whether you are looking for just a gently scented relaxing candle, or a rich and luxurious fragrance to set the party scene; we certainly think you'll that find one of these here. 

Christmas Gift Ideas for Her

Every year during the festive season, we all face the same struggle asking ourselves the same question; what on earth do we give to our mothers, sisters and best girlfriends (yes girlfriends, we're expecting gifts from you too!) So this year at The Amazing Blog we've come up with a great collection of gifts ideas that we think will suit even your fussiest of friends.

The first gift idea we would like to share with you is from one of our favourite brands Heathcote & Ivory, we'd like to suggest their Heathcote and Ivory Sakura Silks Exquisite Spa Set. This set comes in a stunning and colourful hexagonal tin box - which we think will make a glamorous storage box afterwards. When lifting the lid a gorgeous floral and zesty aroma gently pervaded the office - we were in love! This gift set contains three products; a hand cream, bath salts and a body butter.  The hand cream is formulated with shea butter, vitamin E and panthenol, green tea, jasmine and cedarwood. Together these ingredients intensely nourish hands and cuticles leaving them velvety soft and delicously scented. The Sakura Silks bath salts are the perfect way to indulge and pamper your body at home and help create a luxurious and relaxing at home spa experience.  Finally, the body butter is a rich moisturising cream made with a unique blend of essential oils including lemon, lime and sweet orange. Shea butter and vitamin E are known for their hydrating and protecting properties smooth, soften and provide the extra-hydration skin needs during winter.  All of these products are paraben free. You can purchase the Heathcote & Ivory set here for £15.

We think that a fragrance or perfume is a nice treat when it comes to a Christmas gift. With this in mind, we'd like to suggest the newly launched Change perfume created by the actress Lisa Riley.  Inspired by celebrating a new chapter in her life, the Change perfume is a versatile and memorable fragrance which will suit almost everyone with its floral and oriental notes. The top notes are mandarin leaves and mulberry flowers while the middle notes are tuberose, orange flower and jasmine; and the base notes include sandalwood, Tonka bean and patchouli. These luxurious ingredients work to create and rich and sensual perfume that is timeless and transcends all seasons. You can purchase the perfume here for £14.99 + p&p.

We think that owning a beautiful silk scarf is an investment as well as  a classic item for every woman's wardrobe. So we've chosen one from Libby by Design, these are all limited edition handmade silk scarves. Each of these designer scarves are made in England, 100% silk, and hand finished with rolled borders. Every piece is unique, some even have themes from Rudyard Kipling, but all take their inspiration from in the style of Indonesian batiks. We have featured our favourite “How the leopard got his spots” which is a versatile 98cm silk square that can be worn in numerous ways. These scarves are the perfect accessory for brightening up either a heavy winter coat or worn as a sarong on a sandy Caribbean beach. Purchase your scarf here for £174 with SPECIAL OFFER of 15% off if you order before Christmas!

For another Christmas gift idea, we were rather taken with this Morris and Co design inspired lavish body gift set. One of our favourites of this year, is their Pure Morris The Collection, this includes a travel size shower cream and a body lotion, together with a full size hand cream. The shower cream is a gentle body wash that is formulated with vitamin A and E, kelp, silver birch and thistle extracts. These ingredients deeply cleanse the body while keeping skin balanced and hydrated. The body lotion is also infused with the same extracts, but in addition there is also almond oil and cocoa butter which help to soften and smooth the skin leaving it velvety soft. The hand cream is formulated with natural ingredients including shea butter, jojoba oil and macadamia oil making it a deeply nourishing cream to protect hands during the winter season. The products come in an intricately embossed tin. The Morris and Co Pure Morris gift set can be purchased here for £22.

For the glamourpuss in your life, we think that the Rouge Bunny Rouge Surprise Eye Shadow Palette will be an excellent choice. Rouge Bunny Rouge is a favourite here at TheAmazingBlog; this international make up brand always keep us up to speed with their new launches. So we were happy to learn about the Surprise Eye Shadow Palette which contains five long-lasting shimmery shadows including a highlighting shade, three smoky neutral tones and one frosted iridescent shimmer eye shadow. NB: This quintet of colours are a 'surprise' so we cannot show you the exact selection of colours (the image above is just the palette casing).  Lightweight, creamy touch offering an extended 8-hour wear, the eye shadow formula is made to stay put and to look freshly applied all day long. All refill shades are made to fit perfectly into this Limited Edition. The palette also comes with a free decorated presentation box which makes it an even more impressive present. Purchase here for €50.00.

We hope we're provided some good inspiration for gifting your loved ones, as well as yourself of course!