Charlie Miller - Haircare

There’s no disputing the fact that going into a salon, will always give us our best hair days at The Amazing Blog, however, we don’t always have the time to sit in the chair and get pampered. So, finding a renowned salon brand of haircare that allowed us to ‘good hair days’ at home has to the answer. We were highly recommended (by those in the know) to try the new Charlie Miller Shampoo and Conditioner and we couldn’t wait!

After working in the hair industry for many decades, the Millers knew exactly what they wanted to achieve with their luxury haircare line. Charlie Miller, the founder of Charlie Miller Hairdressers, started his career over 50 years ago as a hairdresser and followed on by opening a chain of salons. Now, his sons Jason and Joshua Miller have sparked a second-generation evolution to the family haircare business by launching a brand of take-home hair products.

Charlie Miller Haircare was launched at the end of 2018 with hopes of providing the luxury Charlie Miller experience without having to travel into the salon. With 3 shampoos and 2 conditioners, the haircare line has something for every hair type. All of the products are formulated with jasmine extract, organic calendula flower extract and organic sage oil to help lock in moisture, soothe dry scalps and encourage new hair growth. The Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner work best when used in tandem to help hydrate, moisturise and comfort the scalp. The Hydrate Shampoo and conditioner left our hair feeling so healthy and smooth with great texture and shine! This was our favourite in the range.

The Volume Shampoo and Conditioner work together to provide extra body to limp and flat locks. Just massage into scalp, rinse out and blow-dry and style to reveal fullness from root to tip. We loved how much bounce (and no frizz!) we had after testing out the Volume Shampoo and Conditioner. Charlie Miller even has a Silver Shampoo that has hues of blue to help neutralise and remove yellow tones in highlighted or platinum hair.

Did we mention their fragrances? We loved the subtle floral fragrance with hints of lemon, green tea, and jasmine. It’s a light and uplifting scent, perfect for keeping hair fresh all day long. Each of the shampoos and conditioners are sulphate and paraben-free, so you don’t have to worry about harming your precious tresses.

Want to have the Charlie Miller’s hair experience at home? Then see the whole line of Shampoos and Conditioners which can be purchased here. The Shampoos retail for £17.95 per 250 ml and the Conditioners retail for £18.95 per 250ml.

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.

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.