AnneMarie Skincare: Palo Santo Body Butter

We at The Amazing Blog know that taking care of the skin on the body is just as important as taking care of your face. Particularly in these cold winter months and for those with a propensity to dry or cracked skin. We found that looking for a rich, hydrating and natural body butter that performs can be a bit of mission. We’ve heard a lot of good things about the brand AnnMarie Skincare and their hero product Palo Santo Body Butter and could wait to put it to the test.

The story begins with AnnMarie and Kevin Gianni, who at the time in 2008 were both healthy living bloggers, set out on a trip through North and South America. They spent their journey looking for natural care products and sharing them with their viewers on their YouTube channel, The Renegade Health Show.  After multiple viewers asked Annmarie what products she used, like many people, she realised they weren’t as clean and green as she wanted. While trying to find cleaner and greener products, she found nothing that was to her standards. AnnMarie randomly found a company after visiting a small spa in Patagonia, Arizona, United States. She contacted the brand founder Bunnie a herbalist and chemist, on working together on a collaboration for a natural skincare line and sell it on a bigger scale rather than just at the spa. In 2009, AnnMarie Skincare launched in collaboration with Bunnie and the brands has gone on from strength to strength winning awards and gaining global recognition. Their artisan products are non-GMO, cruelty-free, wildcrafted and contain organic ingredients wherever possible; these all come about through their 3-step process. In their first step, they choose their organic and wildcrafted ingredients and audit them to ensure purity. Their step two is infusing herbs into aloe vera and skin-nourishing oils for up to 30 days to create a base. The third and final step is to carefully craft products using numerous other natural ingredients such as oils, plant extracts.

In these uncertain times with lockdown, we think giving skin a little self-love and care is much needed. The Palo Santo Body Butter is a truly luxurious body treatment. It is formulated specifically to get the skin hydrated and healthy. This Body Butter includes key ingredients of shea butter and fair-trade cocoa butter which are both known to give the skin great hydration. The shea butter not only hydrates but helps the fight against ageing and soothes sensitive skin. The cocoa butter includes fatty acids which help tighten the skin’s appearance, with antioxidants that protect the skin's surface from oxidative damage caused by free radicals and environmental aggressors and give this butter its subtle chocolatey aroma. There is jojoba packed with vitamins such as E and B, and ideal for sensitive skin.  Kukui nut is for soothing and softening without leaving a greasy film and is beneficial for eczema and psoriasis. Whereas the macadamia reduces the appearance of ageing and has manganese, an essential mineral required for collagen production. The four essential oils here are cardamon, palo santo, vetiver and nutmeg. The cardamon is full of vitamin C improving the tone and texture of the skin and is a great antioxidant. The palo santo, which the product is named after, is an essential oil that has calming effects for the body and soul, it is a rare oil extracted from trees in Ecuador. It has a unique fragrance and is often used in ‘smudging’ rituals to clear and calm a room. The vetiver and nutmeg warm the skin and adds to the scent. The fragrance is unusual we could pick out the cocoa butter and vetiver and nutmeg in particular, what we loved was the performance. It is rich and luxurious as it says, but also long-lasting. When applied in the morning we found it kept skin soft throughout day and night, shielding and protecting and was still evident on the skin when showering the following morning. It is expensive but as we often say, a little goes a long way and this 200ml tub will last a good month or so. The Palo Santo Body Butter was sent to us by UK online retailer Live in the Light. They believe that products you put on your body have an impact on your health. All the products that they stock are natural, organic and chemical-free, you can purchase the Palo Santo Body Butter here for £69.50.

Andalou Naturals – Men’s Invigoriating Body Wash, Grooming Style Balm & Herbal Deodorant

Stem Cells are grabbing our attention today - fear not, we will delicately avoid beginning a debate on ethics, but rather, let us focus on the benefits which can be had from the science employed in the extraction of the exotically named phytocannabinoids from the mature stalk of the hemp plant, fortifying us with a veritable armoury of goodies to counteract free radicals, oxidative damage and pollution. Yes, we at The Amazing Blog are talking totally natural skincare here - a revolutionary, patented liposomal technology which promotes and protects the vitality and longevity of skin stem cells, and thereby giving us enhanced skin health. All this comes to us from the incredibly popular Californian brand of Andalou Naturals whose range is as expansive as it is diverse.

Started by Stacey Kelly Egide and Mark Egide, who have a long track record of success building brands in the natural space. For over 30 years these visionary partners have been creating category-defining brands like Beauty Without Cruelty, Avalon Organics, Alba Botanica, Alba Hawaiian, Sonoma Soap Company, Un-petroleum, and The San Francisco Soap Company.  Andalou Naturals, the first non-GMO project verified beauty brand and has a comprehensive product portfolio and distribution network in North America, Europe, and Asia. Founder Stacey said “for Andalou Naturals, my goal was the create an empowerment brand with a mission to influence the industry to do better”

Of course, the full range offers up lots of benefits from all sorts of sources - the apple, grape, rose, and the organ tree kernel, all contribute their nutritious elements for our skin’s wellbeing, but for today we are highlighting three of the best in Andalou’s men’s grooming range, starting with the minty refreshing Men invigorating Body Wash  which comes in a bumper 25ml tube, giving us the 3-in1 action, for hair, body and face. It can be bought here for £10.79. This one gives great value for money, and has been formulated with cannacell antioxidants and organic hemp seed oil. There is also aloe vera in the mix to soothe, and bioavailable vegan ingredients, keeping the natural credentials high, making this suitable for all skin types.

The cannacell antioxidants are also to be found in the Men Herbal Deodorant in Mountain Sage, along with the essential hemp seed oil and vegan probiotics, which is again it’s very gentle on the skin, neutralising any odour in a mild but effective way. Sizewise, we have a stick of 75g  here for £8.55

Interestingly, Andalou gives us another 3-in-1 option when it comes to their Men Grooming Style Balm which can be used to shape and condition our hair, scalp and beard. Clearly giving a nod to the avoidance of too many bottles of potions in our grasp, here we have an easily absorbed application to create and finish off the well-groomed look we are asking for. Priced at £10.79 here for a tube of 125ml. What makes this, the deodorant and the body wash all very appealing is that they are 98% nature-derived, non-GMO project verified, and vegetarian with a large vegan offering, Plus, they're gluten-free and cruelty-free. And we love that these are quality grooming products are accessibly priced for our wallets!

Smith & Sinclair - Lick Your Sent

Anyone else has a bathroom drawer full of half used perfumes? At The Amazing Blog, we all came to the conclusion that it can take years of accumulating different scents (even layering them) before you find your true signature fragrance. However, we tracked down Smith & Sinclair who have given us the most fun fragrance of the season! Regular readers may remember that we featured the Smith & Sinclair Cocktail Pastilles, It would seem that Smith & Sinclair have endless creative ideas, bringing us the craziest innovations. This time is edible fragrance. Yes, you read it right; their line of products Lick Your Scent which certainly made our heads turn in the office.

Smith & Sinclair describe themselves as, “alcohol and confectionery innovators, or the Willy Wonka for grown-ups,” and we think they couldn’t have phrased it better. It all started with Mel and Emile, the founders of Smith & Sinclair. A while back, they hosted a series of single events and they noticed that instead of falling in love with each other, people were falling in love with the alcoholic confectionery they were offering. Bingo! Out of trying to bring people together for love, they created Smith & Sinclair, to bring people together through new ways of sharing.

Featured in the Sunday Times, You Magazine, and Cosmopolitan, among other outlets, Smith & Sinclair are revolutionising the beauty and beverage industry. Their edible fragrances are crafted to up your “cocktail” game. “Cocktail” in quotation marks because the Lick Your Scent range is not only designed to liven up your fragrance but tantalise the taste buds, as they are also lickable! Different, you might say…. You can pick from a range of flavours: Pear & Vanilla, Cherry Blossom & Mandarin, or Watermelon & Citrus.

We chose the Pear & Vanilla scent because it works perfectly for autumn. Fear not, even though it is edible, it’s not sticky, the formula is created to be suitable to spray it on your skin as well as flavouring your drinks. The main ingredients are: Vodka (30%), calvados (30%) - this means it is an adult’s fragrance, it can only be purchased if you are over the age of 18 - citric acid, glycerine and pear and vanilla natural flavouring, making it 100% vegan. The question is do you store it in the bathroom or the kitchen? With the fruity and flowery scent/taste and bright packaging, your bathroom drawer will certainly now have a new addition with a difference. Set the trend this autumn and purchase your 50ml edible fragrance here for only £10. Warning: Please lick responsibly.

Sofia Latif - Face Oil

As busy people working and living in London, we’re constantly looking for ways to make our lives a little less complicated. We want to pamper both ourselves and our skin but are often too tired to conduct a daily extensive skincare routine. Therefore, simple is always best and that’s why we were excited at The Amazing Blog to experience the great multitasking Sofia Latif Face Oil.

Created with a holistic approach to skincare in mind, Sofia Latif believes in the importance of using our me-time to reconnect mind to senses, soothing the mind and skin at the same time. Now that’s a philosophy we can get behind. The founder, Sofia Latif created the signature face oil to combat her personal skincare issues with pigmentation and sensitivity. Fearing her skin would be further damaged if she used prescription creams or steroids, she spent 15 years perfecting the blend of her face oil. The Sofia Latif signature Face Oil was shortlisted for the Beauty Awards in 2018 .

We love how many amazing ingredients are contained in this signature Face Oil . With the powerful anti-oxidant properties of moringa seed oil, the elasticity improving marula seed oil mixed with rosehip oil with natural retinol action and pomegranate seed oil for skin regeneration; this is truly an all-in-one product. The organic sweet almond oil seals in moisture while jasmine flower works to balance and Bulgarian rose flower refines. We’re also happy to report that this Face Oil is vegan and doesn’t contain any synthetic ingredients, palm oil, mineral oils, phthalates, SLS / SLES, and silicones.

The Face Oil is made in small batches in London, so it’s always fresh. We suggest applying it at night on cleansed skin or adding a drop or two to your moisturiser or primer to give skin an extra radiant glow. Wanting to give back, Sofia Latif provides microfinance loans linking with non profit Lend with Care to female entrepreneurs who are working their way out of poverty by starting their own small business, to date they have give over 20 loans since 2017. An amount of the sale from each product goes towards the investment in these women’s future. The Sofia Latif Signature Face Oil 10ml can be purchased here for £20.00 or for 30ml for £45.

soapNskin - Skin Cashmere Face & Body Mask

Most of us have long perfected the art of our regular skincare routine. At The Amazing Blog, we love to put our best face forward, but then often end up forgetting about the rest of our body. It’s time to start developing a proper daily body care regimen too, it’s as important to take care of the skin on your body, as it is the skin on your face. One of our favourite brands soapNskin, who recently launched a very special mask that we’ve been waiting to try with anticipation! Regular readers may recall how much we love this brand, when we featured their Argan & Orange Blossom Elixir here .

Founded based on friendship and heritage, soapNskin was created to empower women to change the way they see beauty. Beauty has been a part of culture for thousands of years and soapNskin pulled from some of that ancient beauty wisdom. Drawing inspiration from the mystical Silk Roads of the East, founders Rabia & Samar learned that nature, when harnessed correctly, offers interesting alternatives to chemical-based products. Every product from soapNskin is hand-bottled on demand, in their London studio. Freshness and quality is not something they’re prepared to compromise on when it comes to beauty, and they certainly prove this. We love how everything is made in Britain, cruelty-free, natural and that they support empowerment and gender-quality, providing a fair wage for workers where their ingredients are sourced.

Today we decided to pay homage to the more neglected parts of our skin with the Skin Cashmere Face & Body Mask. After cleansing your skin, simply combine the Skin Cashmere with your favourite floral water (we used rose water) and mix it into a thick paste. It’s quite fun to mix the Skin Cashmere yourself and apply it to the skin. Leave it on for 5-7 minutes, allowing the ingredients to soak into the skin, then remove with a warm damp cloth before the mask dries. It left our skin feeling fragrant, cleansed, hydrated and smooth, after rinsing off the mask we followed with applying our regular body moisturiser. The Skin Cashmere Mask is inspired by the ancient bridal rituals of the region of Kashmir, the mask contains rose petal, turmeric and sandalwood powders to protect the skin from ageing and pollutants. It also contains yoghurt and chickpea powders which exfoliate nicely and leave your skin glowing and silky. Kashmiri brides have practiced this tradition for hundreds of years to achieve cashmere-like skin and now you can, too. We urge you to discover a true test of time, with the soapNskin’s Skin Cashmere Face & Body Mask, a pot of 100g can be purchased here for £55.