holistic

Pure Anada - Delicate Compact Palette & Sweet Stillness Nail Polish

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At The Amazing Blog, we think there is nothing better than having a new selection of make-up to experiment with to cheer us all up! Particularly, when it has a range of beautifully subtle daytime shades of blush and eye colours. We’re talking about Pure Anada and today we’ve bringing you another of our #amazingfinds with the Delicate Compact Palette and their softest pink Sweet Stillness Nail Polish. 

If you want to know why we’ve chosen to review Pure Anada a Canadian beauty brand, then see our other feature here. Let’s do a quick recap of their inspiring story behind this brand. Growing up in a eco-household, Candace Grenier, founder of Pure Anada, already had a vast knowledge of what proper nutrition should be and the importance of what the body needs. Passionate about making things for herself, she decided in 2003 to make her home and environmental as holistic as possible, discarding anything chemical. She went on to create a line of ‘natural, safer alternatives to mainstream cosmetics’ homecare, skincare and make-up which is where this success story began. These products are ethical, i.e. no discrimination or child labour is ever involved in the processing of making her raw materials. With clean formulations free from common allergens and ingredients that are naturally sourced, and everything is made in their certified organic labs in Manitoba. Their products are also cruelty-free, mainly vegan and certified with the Leaping Bunny programme. We found these at their UK retailer Live in The Light, so it’s a big thank you to them for sending us these products for review. We’re big fans of this online retailer and recommend a visit to their website as they also share our ethos in promoting holistic and environmentally friendly brands.  

Today we want to talk about Pure Anada’s Delicate Compact Palette and Sweet Stillness Nail Polish.  First things first, the Delicate Compact Palette’s colours are discreet, natural and gave us an effortless no make-up look. The pale rosy pink blush named Sweet Pea pairs perfectly with four eye-shadow colours: The satin luxurious taupe/grey that shifts to a shimmering pink called Haunt, a velvet taupe/mauve titled Macchiato, an iridescent champagne blush named Darling, and finally a matte ballet slipper pink Water Lily. If these moreish colours don’t swipe you off of your feet, then perhaps their win with the Sweet Pea blush at The 2020 Beauty Bible Awards here will. The packaging is recyclable with a pretty floral designed outer box and metallic foil etched cardboard inner palette, that also comes with a mirror inside. It only contains all-natural formulas comprised of pressed mineral pigments and jojoba oil for softness. The jojoba oil keeps the texture silky and smooth and most importantly, non-greasy.  Apart from the colours and natural formulas what we particularly like about this make-up is its cost-effectiveness. Unlike most palettesthis one is refillable! When finished, you can buy the individual colours and pop them right back into each of the magnetic slots in palette. Best of all,  the coverage is sheer but buildable and the blusher promises a demi-matte fresh healthy glow to the face and that’s exactly what it delivered. This is for us a smart investment with its natural everyday colours and is available for £29.95you can find it here.  

Moving on to the Sweet Stillness Nail Polish which is from a range of twenty long-lasting colours. This Sweet Stillness is a pale rose pink non-toxic nail polishMore importantly, it is free of the five most toxic ingredients which are usually found in regular nail polish. The three most toxic ingredients being dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde, and toluene. They are followed by another two which are formaldehyde resin and camphor.  If you wish to know how toxic they are, here’s a quick explanation:  The dibutyl phthalate, or otherwise called the plasticizer, is used to provide sheen. It has a carcinogen effect and can cause thyroid problems and is often linked to hormone changes. Formaldehyde used to harden the nails, is also carcinogen when inhaled and while it’s evaporating can sometimes cause allergic reactions if it comes in contact with your skin. The toluene used to give a smooth finish and keep a uniform colour can cause eyes, lung, and throat irritation when inhaled and can also affect the central nervous system. The formaldehyde resin used to strengthen the nails is a skin allergen and remains active for up to three days after your nail polish dries, and can cause dermatitis. Finally, camphor, which used to be a treatment for cold or flu, is now chemically manufactured and can have a serious side effect when ingested. When exposed in large doses, primarily through inhalation, it’s known to cause irritation, nausea, dizziness, and headaches, it is therefore highly toxic! Quickly added the formulas in the Sweet Stillness Nail Polish are solvent-based and not water-based, but this is long-lasting and a more durable option than water-based.  We’d also advise applying it with their Super Base Coat and the Free Topcoat. You can find Pure Anada’s Sweet Stillness Nail Polish here for £8.95. 

La Sultane de Saba – Hammam Rituals Kit

Here at The Amazing Blog, we try to make time for relaxation - this is one of your top priorities; and recently we've been taking this routine to the next level, thanks to the luxurious spa brand La Sultane de Saba. This natural artisan French spa brand has established itself as spa and wellness experts, bringing unique globally inspired treatments to their 4 Parisian flagship spas and also to over 2,500 international spas. They pride themselves on developing products from the proven beauty traditions of past generations. Their products and treatments work on a holistic level and they understand how important it is for us all to find time for relaxation and downtime in our busy modern schedules. This amazing Moroccan inspired Hammam Rituals Kit is a home spa treatment and it's certainly helped us to let our stresses and strains fade away...

The Hammam Ritual Kit comes in an elegantly designed rich brown zippered pouch, it contains natural Rassoul Lava Clay, Black Soap, Shea Butter, a Kessa Glove and a spatula. The three products provide your hair, body and face with a variety of benefits that we'll go into more detail about below. You can use the included Kessa Glove with any of these three products to give skin a deep scrub that gets rid of dead skin cells. The included spatula allows you to use every last bit of these products.

First, we have the Rassoul Lava Clay which can be used on hair, body and face.  When applied to the hair this formula works to add volume and reduce oil. When used on the skin this spread is highly cleansing and works wonders for those with back acne. The star ingredients in this treatment are lava clay, rose and salicylic acid. The lava clay comes from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and works to purify. The rose works to calm, sooth and tone. The Salicylic Acid helps to improve cellular growth, create a more even skin texture, and is highly cleansing.

Next, we have the Black Soap which is a face and body cleanser for all skin types. The soap cleanser contains organic black and green olives, eucalyptus and olive fruit oil.  The organic black and green olives work together to hydrate skin, leaving a refreshed feeling. The eucalyptus provides an anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and decongesting effect.  And lastly, the olive fruit oil helps to regenerate and replenish skin. This Black Soap has made a great addition to our shower routine.  

Last but certainly not least, we have the Shea Butter. This body butter contains Shea which is nourishing, balancing, and healing. Shea naturally contains vitamins A, E & F providing skin with a variety of health benefits. The added orange blossom provides skin with a calm, soothing effect. In addition to being a body butter (which is our favourite use for the product), this product can be used to prevent/reduce stretch marks, fix chapped lips, as a moisturiser, massage balm or even as a hair mask.  You can purchase the Hammam Rituals Kit here for £52.95. We would also like to mention that The Spa at Dolphin Square in London uses La Sultane de Saba products, so if you are looking for an authentic full-on Hammam experience, we recommend booking in here.

Pranalife 4 and Pranalife 1-7-6 by Equisalud

At this time of year, the change in seasons can sometimes make you exhausted and discombobulated. We felt that it was time to address this in a more holistic way, looking into our ‘chakras’. This is an ancient and holistic practice which balances seven energy centres throughout the body. We at The Amazing Blog were excited to try Equisalud's Pranalife range. Equisalud are one of the leading laboratories in dietary supplements based in Huarte, Pamplona.

Chakras connect your spiritual body to your physical body. The seven are located at the base of your spine, slightly above on your spine by your pancreas, your digestive system, your heart, your throat, your third eye and your crown, respectively. It is thought that all of the chakras need to be free from stress, emotional or physical problems for one to live a happy, healthy and free life. This is where Equislud’s special product Pranalife comes in; they have created ten energy centre harmonisers to help aid in the restoration of these chakra points, in the form of liquid drops. There are seven varieties of drops for each specific chakra and three which focus on the three energy lines;  1-7-6, 3-4-6 and 2-5-6. We tried Pranalife 4 and Pranalife 1-7-6.

Pranalife 4 works to harmonise the chakra 4, which is related to the cardiovascular and immune functions. Pranalife 4, therefore, works to balance the immune system and strengthen the stream of life that is anchored in the heart, according to ancient Oriental traditions. The energy line 1-7-6 involves all of the body. It's important to allow the spiritual energy to flow throughout the chakra line so keeping this clear is crucial. Pranalife 1-7-6 works towards this, aiding in regular control of hormones and the glands. The Pranalife drops are easily dissolved into water, and it's suggested that you drink the mixture three times a day before a meal. We found this was easy enough to incorporate into our daily routines and the bottles are small enough to carry to work and back. It's worth it, in our eyes, for an overall health benefit.

You can purchase the two bottles we reviewed, as well as the whole Pranalife range here for £15.27 each.

Being in a foreign country, working three full days a week, and going to university is bound to stress anyone out. By the time my birthday came around at the end of February, I was in desperate need of some relaxation and pampering. I stumbled upon a holistic health and beauty salon, The Büty Salon. They offer facial and body treatments, massaging, tanning, and waxing. I decided on a FREE 30 minute aroma steam bath and power shower and a 60 minute Swedish Full Body Massage. It was the most luxurious day I have had since arriving in London and I can’t stop talking about it! They are conveniently located on Fulham and Hammersmith and you can check them out at Büty Salon.