Friday Favourites - Lip Feature

Here at The Amazing Blog, we always have a hard time finding the perfect lip colour. It’s difficult to determine exactly which brand and shade is just right for you, so we’ve decided to make it a bit easier by compiling some of our favourite lip brands and what we like about each of them.

Makeup by James is a line of lipsticks and lip glosses designed to give women a natural flawless look. The names of the products are inspired by famous streets and bridges in London. Makeup by James caters to the modern woman by using colours for all cultures to give a chic, modern look. We love this brand because not only is there a colour for everyone, but it is full of Minerals for a longer lasting colour and it's London theme comes through in every part of the product and brand. Our favourite lipgloss was Chelsea Bridge, not just because of it's vibrant colour but also its affordable price of £9.99 here.

Max Factor’s Lipfinity lip colours are hot, must-have shades that last all day. These glosses last up to 24 hours, and you can chose from 25 subtle to vibrant shades. First, you simply apply the colour, and then use the moisturising balm to keep the colour from coming off. This makes the gloss stay put for hours, which is what is so great about it; there is no need to reapply all day long! The Lipfinity lip colour is available for £10.99 each here at their UK distributor.

Oriflame Sweden makes The ONE colour lip gloss that is perfect for any occasion. It has lipgrip innovation that attaches to your lips for an anti-smudge result. It glistens and shines, which makes the lips the “centre of attraction.” There is also a blend of conditioners in the gloss to keep lips soft for lip-loving colour and shine that stays put! A lot of times, shiny lip gloss can be thick and tacky, but The ONE is not overly sticky. The ONE lip gloss can be bought here for £8.95.

The Rajeuner Lip Serum is a little different to the other products in this Friday’s feature, as it is for protection rather than appearance. It’s a unique formulation containing plant extracts and an SPF to ensure your lips are moisturised, repaired, rejuvenated and protected. A long-lasting treatment with a silky, silicone base which is completely free of petrochemicals and parabens, the serum slides on and is absorbed immediately into the lips, meaning there’s not stickiness which can cause havoc. The plant extracts and SPF also help to to prevent and soothe dry lips. This product should be applied when lips feel chapped or sore, something which I find happens all year round, making this a make up bag staple. The lip serum can be bought here for £12.00.

Couleur Caramel is a 100% natural makeup brand. The Gloss is perfect for dull, thirsty lips, and will add a radiant shimmer due to it's mineral rich composition. It is available in many delightfully chic colours. The gloss contains organic jojoba oil and organic apricot oil, which nourishes and moisturises the lips to make them as soft as possible. This all natural product is a great everyday look for those who are constantly applying lip colour. Each 9ml tube is here for £16.00 on the Coleur Caramel page. We all have our own preferences on lip colour and brands, so hopefully one of these will be just right for you!

Korres Santorini Vine Body Milk & Showergel

It’s all Greek to me! Here at The Amazing Blog we are so excited to use our new Korres products, straight from the beautiful islands of Greece.

All of the Korres skin products avoid the use of chemical substances like mineral oils, silicones, parabens, and propylene glycol, so we can use them with a clear conscience. Instead, they are all made of natural ingredients like medicinal herbs, Greek flora, natural actives and using renewable energy. They offer products for many different uses, including hair, skin, and fragrance. We tried out the Korres Santorini Showergel and Vine Body Milk. The Showergel is a lovely, all over body product with a gorgeous aroma of white grape and sea spray that fills the bathroom with it's relaxing scent. This can then be followed up, post shower with the Body Milk.The combination of almond oil, active aloe, provitamin B5 and shea butter provides long-lasting hydration while enhancing skin suppleness. It has a fresh, fruity scent of blossoming Greek vineyards that will make you feel like you are in the Mediterranean. So, when I reach for the body milk after enjoying the showergel, it's nice to get the feeling of being whisked away on a mini Greek vacation in a bottle. Also, the Body Milk is able to provide your skin with plenty of moisture without making it feel greasy.

Purchase your Korres Santorini Vine Body Milk here from their UK distributor for £10 and the Santorini Vine Showergel here for £8, and other Korres products here.

Badger Balm - Organic Body & Skincare

Here at The Amazing Blog, as our readers know, we're all for organic products containing home grown ingredients. But the first thing that really appealed to us when we received samples from Badger Balm was the crazy cute badger who resides on the packaging!

This is a fab brand from the USA that has created a range of organic balms and skincare products that are free from petroleum and artificial colours. We just cant get enough of the variety of products. We tried the Hardworking Hands Balm, Peppermint & Tea-tree Foot Balm, Lavender & Bergamot Sleep Balm  and the set of Classic Lip Balms which all come in little pocket sized tins and handy packaging, perfect for make up and weekend bags everywhere. We highly recommend trying the Cheerful Mind Balm, designed to lift spirits when you’re feeling a little run down - we've certainly passed that around the office when one of us is feeling a little blue. However, our favourite product is the Lavender & Bergamot Sleep Balm because it is just so relaxing, unusual and, different from what we normally try out at The Amazing Blog. If you suffer from restless nights, this product is perfect. The scents infuse to create a soothing fragrant lullaby to send you off swiftly to sleep after a hectic day at the office. After all we all need some help getting those precious Zzz's now and then. Thanks to Badger Balm we can come into the office refreshed and ready to face the day.

 All Badger Balm products are available on their home website here  or  internationally here. Prices range from £3 to £30.

English Rose Cosmetics Rose Bath Oil

We can now confirm that your search for a bath product that will keep your skin soft and smelling great is finally over. Here at The Amazing Blog, we are in love with our new discovery, the English Rose Cosmetic’s Rose Bath Oil from English Rose Cosmetics. Owner, Karin McKay, loves using bath oils because the vegetable oils that they contain, are non-irritating unlike some ingredients typically found in foaming bath products. This bath oil contains sunflower oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, and rose absolute which makes it rich in Vitamins A, D, and E.

This heavenly oil can be used while taking a bath or is gentle enough to be applied directly to the body as a fragranced body oil that will leave the wearer with a delicious rose petal scent all day. It is the perfect finishing product for your morning routine to leave your skin feeling soft and fresh. English Rose Cosmetics is committed to working with suppliers that do not conduct tests on animals, and using naturally effective ingredients that bring benefits to you, the consumer.

A tall, square, retro style glass bottle of “Lay Back & Think of England” Rose Bath Oil can be purchased directly from the English Rose Cosmetics website here for £12.

Friday Favourites: Our Lazy Summer Weekend Reads

With the summer season comes summer holidays, and with all of that free time, we here at The Amazing Blog plan to settle down with a good book. Being the good Samaritans that we are, we thought we’d take the legwork out of finding the good reads for you, and list the best reads for a long weekend of relaxation.

So you love writing, you may even have a blog where you spend your spare time posting away. Sounds familiar? Well have you ever thought about writing a book? The mere thought of it is intimidating, but here at The Amazing Blog, we have discovered it is easier than you might think. The talented British author and entrepreneur, Lisa Newton, has written a book which can be used as a guide to create your first literary success. The book is filled with handy tips to help you reach your goals and this easy step by step guide allows you to write down your notes, organise your ideas and get writing. Lisa wrote ‘How to write a book in two weeks’ to answer the questions of prospective writers out there. If you want to start your writing journey, Lisa Newton’s book is available here from £3.99.

If you feel that writing a book in 14 days is too far into the deep end for you, Lisa Newton’s other literary creation ‘Cosmic Ordering With Vision Boards’  may be a better place for you to start. This book is designed to banish those dusty to-do lists and replace them with boards depicting what you want, ‘vision boards’ to help bring you closer to your desires. ‘Cosmic Ordering With Vision Boards’ can be ordered from Amazon here for £6.02.

For the beauty buffs among us, we’re sure that you’ll be more than familiar with cosmetic store, Lush. Renowned for their cruelty free, aromatic beauty products, and their friendly, hands on approach to retail, they’re now expanding into the world of publishing. Their book, Danger: Cosmetics To Go, tells of the rise and fall of Cosmetics To Go, the company that came before Lush. Filled with the most wonderful retro photography, interesting insights into the ranges and products provided by the postal order service, I really enjoyed flicking through its pages. I particularly enjoyed exploring the origins of much loved products like bath bombs and massage bars, and seeing how the packaging has evolved throughout the years, but has never lost its eccentric essence. It’s exactly how you would imagine Lush to be in book form, and is a must read for any fans of the quirky store. You can get your hands on the book in store at Lush, or on their website, here for £19.95.

For any of our younger readers looking to get into the fashion industry, keep your eye out for From Intern to Stylist by Celebrity Stylist and presenter, Charlene Campbell. A short, simple exploration into one girl’s journey up the fashion ladder, it’s a great beginner’s guide for anybody considering a career in clothes when their school days are over. With everything from the working order of season shows, to a handy list of references and agencies in it’s final pages, it’s the ideal starter, giving you the contacts you will need to explore the industry further and get your stylishly adorned foot in the door. The book is newly available to buy in appropriately fashionable Topshop, or online, here for £9.99.

Finally, for anybody who is concerned with the price of beauty, we’d highly recommend that you check out No More Dirty Looks. An in-depth expose into the dangers of our everyday beauty products, and their ill, this book will have you determined to detox your collection and embark on a new clean routine immediately. Casually written, and structurally sound, it breaks down into chapters those nasty ingredients that are actually making us look worse, and recommends friendly alternatives. Initially it’s quite scary to read about how little regulation there is in the cosmetics industry, particularly in the US. An excellent read, I’d proceed with caution if on a budget, as we had a shopping list as long as our arm when we put it down, ready to cull our cabinet in favour of healthier options. Purify your prettiness by buying the book online, here , for £6.29.