Dr Renaud – Acacia Honey Range

As you might remember, we have written about Dr Renaud before, featuring his Mango Hand and Nail Repair Cream and more recently reviewing his Rose Plumping Cleansing Oil. Dr Renaud has been a leader in cosmetology for more than sixty years. They bring science and skincare together, to produce effective products for various needs. Their newest Acacia Honey range was designed to target malnourished skin. There are three professional salon products in the range and also three retail products, which we were lucky to have the chance to review.

Acacia Honey Extract is one of the key ingredients that the three products contain. It is extremely rich in water, carbohydrates and fructose. This mixture allows it to be quickly absorbed by the skin, as well as maintaining moisture. Macerat, an organic honey oil, provides the skin with necessary lipids to nourish the skin.

The first of the trio is the Acacia Honey Intense Nutrition Cream. We used this as a day cream, as it is highly moisturising, but not too heavy on the skin. Cacao Butter adds regenerative properties to this cream, so it supports the skin to maintain its elasticity. For even more nutrition, Dr Renaud also added Royal jelly, propolis, and rice peptides to this moisturiser. Since we are living in London, we particularly like that these ingredients strengthen the skin against external aggressions, a.k.a. pollution.

We preferred to use the Acacia Honey Intense Nutrition Balm as a night cream because of its slightly thicker consistency. However, if you have dehydrated skin, this might work well as a moisturiser. Shea butter gives the skin heaps of hydration. This balm also includes all the ingredients mentioned above, to protect the skin from external aggressions. Dr Renaud describes the cream as "a cocoon of softness" on the skin. We can confirm that it left our skin feeling quite soft and smooth. Last in the bundle, is the Acacia Honey Intense Nutrition Mask, which we applied one to two times a week for ten minutes. Afterwards, we rinsed the remains off and patted our skin dry. We loved it for an extra hydration boost when we wanted to pamper our skin.

Overall, the Acacia Honey range is excellent for anyone looking for highly hydrating skincare with a sweet floral fragrance. You can get the Intense Nutrition Creme here for £25, the Intense Nutrition Balm here for £33 and the Intense Nutrition Mask here for £44.

Esse - Repair Oil

Scaring of any size is a mark of life, but it’s no biggie to want to minimise their appearance. The trick is to find the right product. We prefer a natural product that will be gentle on the skin. Luckily, The Amazing Blog team discovered a Certified Organic treatment by Esse Probiotic Skincare, sure to reduce scarring on all skin types.

Esse was founded by Trevor Steyn, in South Africa, in 2002, after the formulating was complete. The company’s focus is on the probiotic microbes living in and on the skin. Their products create an environment on the surface that caters to the growth of beneficial microbes. Most importantly, Esse does not believe in harming skin in the quest for short-term results. As well as being Organic, Esse is vegan and cruelty-free. They also support fair trade and are a carbon neutral company. What’s not to love?

Esse’s Repair Oil is for all skin types, night treatment, and scar tissue repair. We’ve found that it does not leave excess residue on the fingertips after it’s been applied elsewhere. The golden hue of the oil disappears after it’s been rubbed into the skin, but the faint flower scent sticks around much longer.

We don’t know about you, but natural, readable ingredients get us excited. The Repair Oil contains a nourishing balance of omega fatty acids found in flax, marula, and rosehip. RegeMarula Oil includes anti-oxidants meant to strengthen and protect, as well as heal (as does rosehip oil). Not only does it contain fabulous omega fatty acids, but vitamin E is included in high doses to stimulate cell regeneration. Other advantageous oils include kalahari melon oil, which is high in omegas, and yangu and manketti, which are also high in omegas and omega-3s and demonstrate UV protective properties. Hello, healthy, stronger skin!

You can purchase Esse Probiotic Skincare Repair Oil 15ml for £36.00 here.

Atlantis Skincare – Cleansing Milk

If like us at The Amazing Blog, you find yourself battling London's daily pollution; then you'll know the toll it can take on your skin. We not only need good moisturisers and SPFs to help protect our skin, we also require an efficient cleanser to take away the daily grime. Today we introduce you to a new British skincare brand, Atlantis Skincare who have produced an organic cleanser: Glowing Skin Cleansing milk that we have put to the test. The creation of Atlantis Skincare was inspired by the beautiful island of Santorini, believed to be a lost part of the mythical Atlantis. This recently launched skincare company have developed seven new 100% natural and handmade products.

This creamy cleanser is made from 100% natural ingredients, 87% of which are organic. Some of the superstar ingredients include aloe vera leaf juice, rose otto, hydrosol and witch hazel. These powerful ingredients get to work to cleanse, hydrate, and soften all complexions. As an added bonus it can also be used as a makeup remover.

To achieve the best results, we suggest placing a warm washcloth on your face to open your pores, prepping your skin for a deep cleanse. To use the product itself, simply dispense 2-3 pumps of the Cleansing Milk onto a cotton pad and gently apply to your face and neck, for soothed, cleansed and softened skin. You can purchase a 100 ml bottle of Cleansing Milk from Atlantis Skincare here for £39.99.

IVAR - Ho Wood Handwash

Due to how frequent we wash our hands, it is essential to use a handwash that is both gentle and moisturising. However, a good handwash must also work hard to cleanse our hands of germs. The Amazing Blog team has been lucky enough to find such a handwash:  IVAR's Ho Wood Handwash. IVAR London, "Home of Modern Man," is a furniture, home-ware, and design brand. They have launched a line of hand soaps, creams, and body wash that are sleekly designed, to provide caring skin treatment while stylising your bathroom.

IVAR is primarily a furniture, homeware, and design brand created by Patrick Dougherty. They specialise in uniquely beautiful interior design looks and furniture. When we learned about their line of soaps and creams, we had to give them a try. Each bottle of IVAR handwash comes in a long, sleek black & white bottle, and the label is comprised of strong, simple lines.

Made in the UK, IVAR's Ho Wood Handwash contains ho wood oil, citrus lemon peel oil, clary sage oil,  and citric acid. The essential oils refresh your hands and leave them with a zingy lemon scent with a dampening of sage, loved by the men and women in our team. This handwash also contains plant-derived glycerine, which naturally provides hands with moisture, wonderful for those of you with sensitive skin.

You can purchase your own Ho Wood Handwash 300ml by IVAR here for £17.00. Plus, there's free shipping within the UK.

VOYA - Softly Does It Hydrating Body Lotion

Summer is here, and The Amazing Blog team has taken all sorts of measures to ensure that our bodies have been pampered and taken care. In preparation for this season ahead, we received the Softly Does It Hydrating Body Lotion from VOYA to try. As our regular readers will know, we have a bit of a penchant for Voya, you will see here from the past review of their Bright Eyes Brightening Eye Cream. VOYA was founded in 2006 by husband and wife team, Mark & Kira Walton. They focused on the natural power of seaweed, VOYA is an Irish niche brand that has harnessed the incredible soothing skin properties of the 'seaweed baths.'

At the core of VOYA is the love for seaweed-based products. The Softly Does It Hydrating Body Lotion is richly infused with hand-harvested Fucus Serratus extract. This is a type of seaweed that filters ocean water for nutrients to survive, so it becomes dense with the anti-oxidants and minerals our skin loves. The next two key ingredients are Shea Butter and Prickly Pear Oil, helping to deeply nourish, moisturise, heal, and protect the skin—evidence that nature always has our back. Our favourite part was the uplifting scent of lime and mandarin. It left a subtle fresh aroma on our skin throughout the day. We couldn’t get enough of it.

This body lotion naturally helps to prevent signs of ageing and cellulite and improves the skin’s tone and elasticity. We have noticed instantly hydrated and smooth skin, even on those days where our skin has seen some dryness. This unique blend of 80% organic ingredients has our skin craving more. They are also Halal certified, free from mineral oils, synthetic colours, preservatives, and are cruelty-free. The Softly Does It Hydrating Body Lotion from VOYA is available for purchase here for £28.