Eleni and Chris facemasks : Glow, Detox, Hydration

If you keep up with us here at The Amazing Blog, you'll know we're fans of the Scandinavian hair and skincare brand Eleni and Chris.  So naturally we were thrilled that we get to review all three of their new Sincell Face Masks. These sheet masks are perfect for a quick and easy pick me up for any age or skin type and can be easily catered to your skincare needs, whether you need some added Glow, a Detox, or a bit more of a Hydration boost.  

What makes these sheet masks stand out amongst the crowd are the pure ingredients that are only found in the dreamlike landscape of Scandinavia. Your skin will quickly crave unique ingredients like the cloudberry extract found in the Glow Sincell Mask, which is renowned for its ability to increase cell production by 22% within 24 hours to smooth your skin tone, leaving you with nothing but a natural glow. Scandinavian glacier water and SEA3Oil are two more key ingredients carefully sourced in Scandinavia and then infused in the ultra-fine fibres of each mask to retain the delicate osmotic balance of your skin.

The Detox Sincell Mask is also packed with grapefruit, oat and liquorice root extracts, which protect your skin against all those toxins and free radicals. Last, but certainly not least, the creamy Hydrating Sincell Mask is sure to bring back that much needed moisture that the winter weather has sucked away. The apple extract, cocoa butter, hyaluronic acid and sage leaf extract will instantly rehydrate your skin while also improving its ability to keep that moisture in its place.

These user-friendly sheet masks go on dry skin; no water necessary means one less step. These sheet masks give a great creamy consistency, they also don't contain any fragrance or mineral oils which is a huge plus. Leave on the face for 15-20 minutes, remove and gently massage any excess into the skin. Eleni and Chris recommend using the mask 1-2 times a week for good results. If you’d like to get your hands on these revolutionary sheet masks first, you can purchase them individually for £9 or a 6-pack for £49 here.

Goddess Argan Hand & Body Wash and Beauty Oil by Ancienne Ambiance

Beautifully scented products are one of our little weaknesses at The Amazing Blog. As much as we love discovering and trying new products we also like to return to brands that we know, when they launch new products. One of these is Ancienne Ambiance, an award-winning London-based artisan brand who produce luxury home fragrances, perfume and body care all inspired by ingredients from the ancient world. We recently spotted their Goddess Argan Hand and Body Wash and Beauty Oil, and couldn't wait to try them!

There is nothing better than a relaxing shower and the right product can transform a basic shower into a heavenly one. The Ancienne Ambiance Goddess Argan Hand & Body Wash reminds us slightly of what we think a luxurious ancient Roman bath might have been like. This rich hand and body wash is formulated with 100% natural sweet coconut oil and argan oil and is a real treat. Apart from the coconut and argan oils it is also packed full of vitamin E and antioxidants. This product not only cleanses your body but is also gentle enough to use on the face too. It's designed to awaken the senses with its delicate scent and leaves the skin fully hydrated.

To complement the Goddess Argan Hand & Body Wash the brand has also created the Goddess Argan Beauty Oil. Known as their 'miracle oil' it is enriched with a wonderful cocktail of grape seed oil, argan oil, sweet almond oil and paprika oil. This Beauty Oil is a great multitasker and will give your face, body and hair all the care and hydration they need. All the ingredients work in harmony to intensely nourish dry skin and are also gentle enough to treat and soothe skin irritations such as eczema. This is a brilliant all-in-one product that leaves face, body and hair moisturised, replenished and soft.

We think that these two products also make the ideal travel companions with their combined multipurpose use.  So if you too want to feel like a Goddess, you can purchase the Hand & Body Wash here for £16 and the Beauty Oil here for £40.

The Handmade Soap Co: Lemongrass & Cedarwood Shower Gel and Lemongrass & Bergamot Body Butter

At The Amazing Blog, we value brands that care about our planet especially when their products and ingredients help to make this world a greener place. We came across The Handmade Soap Co, at our client's Supply & Buy event, where we engaged in a long chat with one of the founders Donagh Quigley.  This Irish artisan brand started in 2010 and has gone on to create some of finest natural bath and body products using only 'essential oil blends and nature’s pantry'. Donagh very kindly gave us their Lemongrass and Cedarwood Shower Gel and Lemongrass and Bergamot Body Butter to experience for ourselves.

Shower time is often synonymous for us with revving up for the start of another day. And we certainly enjoyed using this zesty and woody fragrance to stimulate the senses and help us on our way. The Lemongrass and Cedarwood Shower Gel is an amazing shower gel which cleared our heads and helped to give us focus for the day ahead. Formulated with natural and botanical ingredients including lemongrass, cedarwood, amyris, mandarin, patchouli and geranium oil; this shower gel gently cleanses the body while making it feel velvety smooth and wonderfully fragranced. 

The Lemongrass and Bergamot Body Butter was our favourite. This luxurious body butter is packed with the finest plants and botanic extracts including: Shea butter, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, aloe vera, bergamot oil, ylang-ylang flower oil and bergamot oil. What a list! This delicious blend makes a highly nourishing butter that pampers the skin and hydrates. The lemongrass and bergamot also gives an irresistibly fresh and zesty scent that lingers on the skin all day long.

The Handmade Soap Co's products are made with 99.7% of natural ingredients with the other 3% being only the binding agent and preservative (to stabilise the body lotions). We're happy to report that this brand is without parabens, petrochemicals and SLS. Even the card that is used for the packaging is from sustainable sources and printed with vegetable-derived ink! You can purchase the shower gel here for £10.64 and the body butter here for £17.76

Mirati Cosmetics Body Lotion

The Amazing Blog loves finding new hero ingredients that are unique and nourishing for the skin, so while researching various ingredients, we came across Ghee! Yes Ghee, and that's where we discovered the Slovenian skincare brand Mirati Cosmetics. The majority of skincare have a cream base, which is essentially made of oil and water. Ghee, or clarified butter, takes this process two steps further – firstly, the butter is produced from cream, then it is clarified, leaving out all the water and milk, purifying the butter and ensuring that only the qualities essential to caring for your skin remain. As the key ingredient in Mirati Cosmetics' skincare, it moisturises, soothes and is rich in antioxidants.

Given the current plummeting temperatures, we decided to try the body lotion.  As well as using certified organic Ghee from India; the body lotion also contains plants grown in the Mediterranean, America, Australia, South East Asia (i.e. organic aloe vera and honeysuckle). The honeysuckle gives the lotion a beautiful scent that lasts all day, while the aloe vera stimulates blood circulation, tightens and smoothes skin. The body lotion is suitable for all skin types as its gentle but effective formula works to improve skin texture and appearance over time. Just apply the lotion to skin after washing and gently massage it into skin until it’s fully absorbed. The product is dermatologically approved, paraben, phthalates, SLS and Synthetic fragrance-free and is cruelty-free.  Mirati Cosmetics is also committed to giving at least 10 % of their profit to good causes see here. You can purchase The Body Lotion here for £17.99

Hand and Foot Care by All That Jazz

During the long winter season, our hands and feet are highly prone to chapping and dryness when we have to go back and forth between the cold winds outside and the dry heaters indoors, often leaving our skin worse for wear. We neglect these parts of the body and forget to give them the care and hydration that they deserve. At The Amazing Blog, we believe that taking care of our hands and feet should be an essential step in every good pampering routine. So, when we received All That Jazz Hand and Foot Scrub, Effervescent Soak and Hand and Foot Cream it piqued our interest.

First, we tried the Chocolate and Orange Effervescent soak, and we absolutely loved it. The soak is formulated with sodium, citric acid and cacao seed butter giving it that delicious scent that is so moreish that it reminds us a little of Jaffa cakes. Not only will it leave an incredible aroma, but when added to hot water this treatment leaves palms and soles softer and smoother than ever before.

To complement the Effervescent Soak, the brand also created a Hand and Foot Scrub; we used the Apple and Cucumber Hand and Foot Scrub where you can really smell the freshness of these appetising aromas. This scrub is enriched with the most natural and nourishing ingredients including sweet almond oil, camellia oil, rosehip oil and cocoa seed butter. Whilst removing all dead skin and impurities, this scrub also leaves skin intensely hydrated and smooth. 

What would a body care routine be without real hydration? A fraud that’s what we say. Our friends at All That Jazz must have thought the same when they created their hydrating Hand and Foot Cream, which penetrates and moisturises the skin creating a hydrating and anti-aging barrier. Infused with shea butter, coconut oil, grape seed oil, and olive oil, this Maple Spice scented lotion has everything you need to have hands and feet softer than a baby's skin. Coconut oil and shea butter, renowned for their deeply nourishing properties, work together to promote healthy and soft skin. We're not only hooked on the performance of these products, but also on their delicious fragrances. You can purchase the soak here for £9.99, buy the scrub here for £14.99, the hand and foot cream is available here for £5.99.