Friday Favourites - Luxury Perfumes

With spring (and even summer) on our minds, we at The Amazing Blog are rounding up our favourite perfumes that represent both our personalities and our surroundings!

Not only representing personalities but also expressing the character of the city are the Londoner fragrances.  After uncovering her love affair with London, beauty industry expert Rebecca Goswell seeks to capture the essence of her inspiration. Londoner fragrances represent the urban society; each scent is named after the postal code of the distinct part of city it captures.  We really appreciate that all of the brand's scents are androgynous, encompassing the character of either male or female which allowed everyone in the office (even Jose) to give feedback on the scents.  Our favourite scent in the line is the N6 Urban Fragrance with its notes of crisp bergamot, English fruit, jasmine and caramel.  Not only does the scent capture a bold yet classy personality, but it represents the elegant character of the Highgate Village as well. Other Londoner fragrances include W1X, EC2 and SE1.  Explore the city without leaving your home with the Londoner fragrances which are available here for £81.

Taking us on holiday to the Italian Mediterranean with every spray is Blu Mediterraneo by the classic Italian perfumers, Acqua di Parma.  Blu Mediterraneo’s first impression is energetic but is later complemented by a soothing aroma after settling on the skin.  These characteristic are captured with notes of juniper, bergamot and spices which are complimented with hints of sage, cypress and Virginia Cedarwood.  After the first spritz, we couldn’t stop passing the fragrance around the office.  From the ocean-blue colour of the bottle to the scent of the perfume, Blu Mediterraneo is the perfect escape!  Find the Eau de Toliette here for £54.

Another beautiful perfume to add some colour to your dressing table, is the innovative brand Aura-Soma Pegasus. An interesting idea, you choose your perfume based on the colour of the bottle as opposed to the scent. The concept behind the brand is that the colour you select is a reflection of your mood and personality, and the fragrance you get will act in harmony with your spiritual and emotional wellbeing. The office favourite is 75, which has a wonderful orange flower aroma. Its combination of turquoise and magenta helped to create a peaceful environment in the office.  Aura-Soma Pegasus perfume are more than just cosmetic; they are intuitive. On top of this unique feature, the perfume is the only one in the world to contain organic alcohol, an aspect we greatly admire. Aura-Soma Pegasus perfumes are available to buy here for £85.

Jane Scrivner – Expert Eye Duo

These days, a full night’s sleep is a rarity for me, so I am often plagued with tired, puffy eyes. So we at The Amazing Blog were happy to discover the new Expert Eye Duo by Jane Scrivner. Consisting of the Ultra Hydrating Eye Masque and Eye Firming Concentrate, the Expert Eye Duo combines the qualities of these two powerful products to help reduce fine lines and refresh the skin around the eye area.

The duo contains a product for both day and night, alleviating fatigued eyes around the clock. The Eye Firming Concentrate contains apricot, calendula and eye bright, helping to tone the skin around the delicate eye area. Applied to a clean face before bed, the serum worked wonders while I got my beauty sleep. The oily consistency is a rare quality in a product specifically targeted at the eyes, but I was delighted to find that it wasn’t at all greasy, and really helped to nurture my skin. The Ultra Hydrating Eye Masque contains oatmeal, white birch, eye bright and shea butter to nourish the skin around the eyes. Perfect to use in the morning, it is designed to reduce dark circles and wake-up tired eyes. A rich cream, it really worked to plump up the dehydrated skin around my eyes, leaving me looking alert and awake for the day ahead. You can use these products separately or together to rejuvenate your eyes! The Eye Expert Duo is available here for £72.

Timeless Truth – BioCellulose Apple Stem Cell Collagen Mask

Here at The Amazing Blog, we love a good face mask. So when The Beauty Masks, sent us their Timeless Truth BioCellulose Apple Stem Cell Collagen Mask to try out, we couldn’t wait to give it a go! Part of the brands innovative BioCellulose series, the mask promises the best in hydration and anti-ageing, using state of the art ingredients that mimic the actions of human stem cells.

As a sheet mask, it couldn’t be simpler to use. You apply it after cleansing and leave it to work its magic for 15-20 minutes. After that, you just massage in any excess residue, and you’re left with fresh feeling, hydrated skin. The mask is packed with highly active ingredients which work in synergy with your own skin. Swiss Apple Stem Cells work in the same way as our own, helping to nourish the skin and combat signs of aging, and Marine Collagen is a great ingredient for locking in moisture and renewing elasticity. We’re not really clear on the science, but I can tell you that it works. After use, my skin felt intensely hydrated, plumped and firm. Working the excess into my skin was also a lovely excuse for giving myself a little facial massage, and who doesn’t love that!

Suitable for all skin types, Timeless Truth recommend using the mask 3 to 4 times a week.  Available singularly for £7.95 here, or in a box of 5 for £38.50 here, the mask is perfect for those with dehydrated, lacklustre complexions, or those who simply want a little facial pick-me-up. After all, an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Tweezy

We all have those moments when we catch glimpse of our reflection in the mirror and suddenly notice the dark shadow on our upper lip or peach fuzz in unwanted areas of the face.  Unfortunately, schedules often work against us, leaving us too busy to make a waxing or threading appointment. Solving our problems is the innovative hair removal tool, Tweezy, which is helping all of us here at The Amazing Blog achieve a smooth face without spending too much time or money!  We knew the true inventiveness of Tweezy when all of the girls in our office jumped at the chance to own one themselves.

As a beauty fan, you’re probably familiar with threading or have even experienced it yourself!  Like threading, Tweezy easily glides across skin to remove dark, thick hairs or even thin, baby hairs.  However, the Tweezy is different from threading as it uses a spring to remove hair rather than a fine strand.  Not only does this make Tweezy a superb DIY tool, but it is also more hygienic, as it is far easier to store and is cleaned with a simple antibacterial wipe.  Even successful makeup artists recommend using Tweezy, as it smoothes out skin making a flat surface, for perfect cosmetic application.  This handy beauty gadget has certainly become a necessity inside my makeup bag, as well as an essential for travelling, as my newly smooth skin makes the application of makeup even easier!  Purchase your Tweezy here for £12.99, or purchase two (one for your makeup bag and one for on-the-go use) here for £17.99.

Goldwell - Kerasilk Rich Keratin Care Shampoo and Daily Mask

According to Goldwell one in two women have major haircare issues, first thing in the morning. Apparently we girls spend most of our morning routine attempting to control frizzy, curly or unmanageable locks.  Because Goldwell understand this problem, they allowed us, here at The Amazing Blog , to try both their Kerasilk Rich Keratin Care Shampoo and Daily Mask, currently only available in salons.  Combining these salon treatments with the Kerasilk at home products, we have found our hair to be calmer, healthier and softer than ever...

Though the Shampoo and Daily Mask are thinner creamy liquids in comparison to other hair products, the shampoo lathered really nicely and, when combined with the mask, left my hair feeling stronger, straighter and silky smooth.  We left both products on for 5-10 minutes each, as recommended on the bottle, to obtain the best results for my frizzy mane.  After a few washes, we were delighted to see that the Kerasilk products really work, with the silk proteins and keratin achieving their goal of smoothing and transforming my unruly tresses. We also noticed a big reduction in daily styling time and effort, with really long lasting results. As the Goldwell Kerasilk line only launched in February 2014, the Shampoo and Daily Mask treatment is currently offered solely in salons. To experience your own Kerasilk treatment, find your nearest salon here, and book your pampering treat today.