Victoria Green – Amy 3 in 1 Travel Makeup Wallet

We find that managing to keep our makeup and toiletries organised in one bag when travelling can be a real nightmare. We will jiggle and juggle and then the bag becomes so bulky that we just can’t fit it in the carry-on! Finding an all-in-one makeup/travel bag that’s both functional and stylish is a real challenge. However, fear not The Amazing Blog found the solution when we saw the ‘Amy 3 in 1 Travel Makeup Wallet’, a versatile trio of waterproof popper wallets that combine to make up one bag, all designed by Victoria Green at the 2019 showcase for CEW Awards .

This smart little makeup wallet has already been featured in the top media outlets such as The Independent, The Sunday Times, the British Beauty Blogger and many more. The award-winning founder of the brand, Victoria Green, found herself as a disorganised woman living a hectic life ­which is not the best combination! In her past life she travelled the world constantly and was always that one person who got stopped by security at the airport, always having her beauty products confiscated. This is when she had a ‘light bulb moment’ realising that she wasn’t the only one that this happened to and that it was a common problem. Hence, Victoria Green’s travel/makeup bags and organisers were born.

Victoria’s Amy 3 in 1 Travel Makeup Wallet is elegant, practical, strong and leak proof; it’s also made from vegan leather, making it easy care and wipe-clean. It is fabulously functional and makes you effortlessly organised, with each compartment coming with a zip and poppers ensuring your beauty items are protected. A big plus is a central section which is transparent and TSA compliant so ideal for your cabin bag. This 3 in 1 design allows you to use each section separately, creating a single, double or triple bag according to space in your luggage. Each compartment is wipeable, fits full-size makeup brushes; it’s 100% phthalate-free with inner packaging composed of 100% recyclable paper. All the Victoria Green bags are also vegan and cruelty-free. We not only love this bag for our toiletries but applaud Victoria Green for being partnered with cancer poverty charity Something To Look Forward To and for their pledge to be PVC-free by 2020. We already have our Amy 3 in 1 Travel Makeup Wallet at only £20.00, to get yours for summer travels ahead, see here.

Collagem – Beauty Supplement

While explorers never found the infamous ‘fountain of youth’, we at The Amazing Blog are ever hopeful that we’re one step closer with our latest discovery of Collagem. This beauty supplement has 12 active ingredients from collagen to vitamin C , all effective at delaying signs of ageing and improving the skin from within. They refer to it as: “ Your daily beauty dose”.

Kasia Devraj the creator of the premium Collagem supplement brand and owner of Beauty Boosters Ltd decided to create a collagen supplement after being unable to find one that would encapsulate all that she wanted, bioactive collagen peptides, low molecular weight collagen and antioxidants to help combat anti-ageing. More importantly, it had to be free of artificial preservatives and flavours, added sugars and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). She partnered with scientists and biotechnologist to launch Collagem initially into Poland and then the UK earlier this year.

Collagem is a powder supplement that comes in small packets with an orange flavour. The key ingredient is hydrolysed marine collagen. The other ingredients, bioactive collagen, beta carotene, hyaluronic acid, bamboo extract, CoQ10, and selenium all of which have properties to prevent premature signs of ageing and retain moisture. Additionally, the vitamin C helps boost the immune system while the MSM detoxifies and improves skin texture. When you pair the two together, they also help rebuild new cell tissues and r-alpha lipoic acid (R-ALA)stimulates bio-energy production in each cell. The formula not only has multiple ingredients working together to help create a more youthful looking skin, but has vitamin B complex that strengthens hair and nails as well as decreasing cellulite. We liked the taste, however, felt that we needed to take it for a longer period of time (3+ months) before we could see any real improvement in the skin or nails. Unfortunately the 14-day trial which we were sent was not long enough for us to see any visible results. What we particularly liked was that there are no added sugars, sweeteners, colours, preservatives, GMO, alcohol or caffeine.

The Collagem individual packets are a real plus, perfect for keeping in your handbag. Each box comes with 14 sachets (200-250ml)with the correct dose of powder in each. They recommend mixing one supplement package in water or juice after a meal daily for optimum results. We preferred to start our day with it at breakfast. You can buy a box here for £45.

The Quick Flick Eyeliner

As the fellow make-up aficionados amongst us will know just how difficult it is to create the perfect liquid eyeliner wings.  A smudge here or way too long there…. However, every problem has a solution and thanks to the brand The Quick Flick you can wave ‘bye bye’ to your wobbly lines as this creates the perfect eyeliner wing every time. We’re so happy to have found this clever stamp, as it gives a beautiful winged look with ease, which for some of us has been known to turn into a complete catastrophe!                                                  

The Quick Flick is a brand that hails from Australia and created by Iris Smit in 2017. As with a lot of us, she struggled every day with her eyeliner and was determined to try and find a solution, hence Quick Flick was born. It is both cruelty-free and vegan-friendly, all that we love at The Amazing Blog and comes in four colours: Intense black , Hot Fudge, Blue Velvet and Green Envy . Not forgetting to mention, that there are three different eye flick sizes: petite (8mm), modest (10mm) and grand (12mm). So you can keep it natural or add a little more drama . We decided to try the classic Intense Black in 10m, which won the incredible Beauty Global Awards 2019 . This has an hyper-pigmented formula that stays in place all day without fading, cracking or running and we were impressed. The composition of the product is very clean and is composed of oils (shea butter, jojoba oil, canola oil), plant extracts and vitamins E and C.

The box comes with a Quick Flick pack of duplicate dual-ended eyeliner pens (one for the left and one for right eye). Each pen has a perfectly shaped wing stamp one end, as well as felt tip eyeliner on the other, to complete your look. You have only 3 steps to use it: First prep your eyelid with an oil-free primer then align the bottom of the stamp with the edge of your upper lashline and stamp gently. Finally, use the felt tip eyeliner pen to fill in and shape. All of this in less than 2 minutes! What could be better to help rock your look at those long hot and steamy summer party nights ahead. You can buy the Quick Flick Intense Black for £ 20 here .

SLIXIR - Hand & Polish Cream

We love treating ourselves to an hour of timeout at the nail bar or just putting on the radio and doing a quick home mani pedi. At The Amazing Blog our biggest gripe with regular nail polish is that it always seems to chip after only a few days of wear. That’s why we were thrilled to try the Hand & Polish Cream from SLIXIR that we heard makes nail polish last longer, nourishes cuticles, and acts as an anti-ageing hand cream.

Helen Gilmore founded the British brand after having worked in the nail industry since 2002. She was previously the UK and ROI Head of Marketing for CND (Creative Nail Design, Inc), the company that made the popular gel manicure CND Shellac. Having had experience with consumers all over the world in nails and nail care, Gilmore found that the general feedback and biggest moan was about wanting a long-lasting nail polish. Having seen a niche in the market, she began her journey in creating a unique hand and nail product, Helen commented:  “Each day I focus on creating effective and luxurious ways to make this happen; solutions that fit easily into women’s lives and make great hands and nails a readily understood science.”

What stood out to us about SLIXIR is that it eliminates the need for both a hand cream and a cuticle oil with its unique blend of natural plant oils while improving the appearance of your nails and nail polish. We love multi-taskers! It doesn’t make your hands feel greasy and leaves them feeling heavenly soft. Honestly? Our hands felt smooth and hydrated, almost as though we ‘d put a primer on. For this kind of hydration, the formula includes avocado oil and jojoba oil as well as copper active, which specifically soothes and targets the nail beds. Colloidal oats further protects your hands from dryness and environmental stresses.

We cannot emphasise enough about the importance of giving your hands extra care. This is because the dermal layers are thinner, more exposed to the elements, which in turn reveals ageing faster than the face. SLIXIR is one step ahead and equipped with anti-ageing ingredients. This cream is packed full of  antioxidants and multivitamins which neutralise free radicals, helping to hold back visible age-related changes on your hands such as wrinkles and lack of elasticity. We also like that this cream doesn’t have any parabens, mineral oils, or animal cruelty. You can use it on all skin types and nail polishes and they recommend applying it twice a day, paying careful attention to nails. SLIXIR Hand & Polish Cream (75ml) is available here for £21.95 and offers free shipping within the UK. This all-in-one cream now has pride of place by our desks!

Flux ‘n’ Flame Jewellery Course

With summer in full force now, we’ve been looking for new ways to relax and rewind for our weekends at The Amazing Blog, which had us stumbling upon the Flux ‘n’ Flame Jewellery School. While we love our makeup, skincare, and wellness products; but we also like sourcing and designing gorgeous jewellery. So, we were excited to learn about the many jewellery-making classes that this school offers. Located in Dorset, just 20 miles off the coast, Flux ‘n’ Flame provides the ideal countryside escape for the weekend or a day to relax, put aside your phone, and bring home a piece of one-of-a-kind jewellery at the end.

Since its founding in 2003, Flux ‘n’ Flame has grown to become one of the top independent jewellery schools in the UK. Jesa and Al Dickson joined their combined 45 years of experience as professional jewellery designers and makers to create an experience like no other. Classes are kept at a maximum of eight people to ensure an intimate, friendly, and comfortable atmosphere in Flux ‘n’ Flame’s professional and fully equipped workshop.

In the class, you learn the many practical skills of jewellery making such as soldering, sawing, and filing. You also learn different techniques from the best while being given the freedom to work on your own project at your own pace. No matter your skill level, a complete beginner like us or an expert, the teacher provides support and guidance during throughout the process. For more advanced jewellery makers, you can perfect your existing skills and learn new ones. Endless tea, coffee, and biscuits are also provided to stimulate the creative process. Let’s not forget at the end of the course you get to take home a piece of jewellery (necklace, rings, bracelets, and more) that you’ve worked hard to make and will have your friends asking where you bought it.

Whether you want to do anything to escape our bustling city, learn a new skill, or build up an existing talent, Flux ‘n’ Flame offers the perfect class for you. Each class is seven hours long and prices vary depending on how many days of classes you would like. A one-day course is £115 per person, a two-day course is £225 per person, and a three-day course is £315 per person. You can find the class calendar here and book a class here.  We can’t wait to book in and show off our new designs!