Nathalie Bond - Bloom Body Oil

London is starting to be a crimson and fiery orange dream, thanks to the autumn leaves. However, the crisp air can start to affect our skin’s moisture levels, especially when you have sensitive skin. As our regular readers will know, we’re more than just a tad fussy about what we use on our bodies, and are always eager to know what the ingredients are. Today The Amazing Blog is reviewing a product by the certified COSMOS Organic & Natural and cruelty-free skincare brand, Nathalie Bond. Their products are made in small batches, so we know we’re getting the quality that we deserve. We’re fans of this organic skincare brand and have recently reviewed their Bloom Lip Balm, here.

Nathalie Bond uses cold pressed and sustainably sourced oils. This family-run business has a range of products with handmade soap, lip salves, balms, body/face oils, scrubs, bath salts candles, and mists.

We gave their Bloom Body Oil a whirl. This oil is certified organic and 100% natural, 99% of the natural ingredients are organic. The Bloom Body Oil contains safflower seed oil, jojoba seed oil, rose geranium flower oil, palmarosa oil, patchouli oil, and vitamin E. Safflower oil is known to rejuvenate and moisturise damaged skin. Jojoba oil is found in most natural skincare products, due to its quick absorbing properties. We found the Bloom Body Oil wasn’t greasy, it absorbed well and did wonders to hydrate our skin. Nathalie Bond recommends this oil for all skin types and we couldn’t get enough of the beautiful rose geranium and patchouli fragrance, it left our skin gently scented. You can purchase Nathalie Bond’s  Bloom Body Oil 30ml for £10.00 or the 100ml bottle for £24.00 here. There is free shipping on orders over £40 in the UK.

Balm Micro from DELAB CARE Laboratories

It’s time to throw out the cosmetic products and welcome micropigmentation – also known as semi permanent make-up. Although it’s not for everyone, it’s a great way to save you precious time in the mornings; in my case no eyeliner, brow pencil or lipliner. I’m a big fan having had my brows, lips and eyeliner all expertly tattooed over the past 10 years years. Recently I had a top-up with the UK’s leading micropigmentation practitioner and trainer with Tarryn Vice at Finishing Touches Group. Tarryn recommended using Balm Micro to help speed up the healing. Balm Micro although a professional product, it is also great for the consumer too because these products specifically target and protect the lips, brows and skin. I initially used several of these products as an after treatment and loved their regenerative and protective properties. I’ve been recommending this brand to everyone on the team at The Amazing Blog. I am still eulogising over the Sun SPF 50+ for lips which is a lifesaver (especially for holidays) and the Cleansing Foam which is one of the best soap-free cleansers I’ve ever used!

Balm Micro’s parent company, Delab Care, has served a niche community for over 80 years, with its skincare products dedicated to healing tattooed body art. Balm Micro carries range of skincare products for the face, which are specifically aimed at healing post-micropigmentation procedures. This is why they hold a unique position in the professional beauty sector. Their goal for expansion was not to distribute more micropigmentation products but to help educate and spread knowledge. The company is committed to formulating reliable products, by building relationships with reputable professionals such as dermatologists, pharmacists and micropigmentation professionals. This ethos carries through to all their products, providing protection and care to the lips, eyebrows and skin.

As we embrace our effortlessly full and prominent brows, it’s imperative to keep them looking fresh and fierce. Reap the benefits of your micropigmentation with the Balm Micro Eyebrow. Preserve your treatment by applying a thin layer every day, or as much as needed. It has a high concentration of dexpanthenol 5% which when absorbed, converts into vitamin B5 this in turn helps to ensure skin is kept supple. This product promotes skin regeneration, and moisturises and maintains vivid colours. Please note to properly wash the area before application, then apply half an hour before sun exposure. This multi-purpose balm is suitable for everyone who has very dry and peeling skin that has been sensitised by cold weather. Purchase 10ml tube here for £16.00.

This Balm Micro Cleansing Foam is soap-free (Syndet), pH 5.5 designed for washing sensitive skin after a micropigmentation procedure or laser treatments, particularly where the use of soap is not permitted. However, we have been using this as part of a daily cleansing routine and were impressed with its healing and calming properties that include aloe vera, glycerin, calendula and panthenol. We used it around the eye area with no stinging and best of all it leaves the skin squeaky clean and hydrated. Purchase here 50ml for £7

Balm Micro Lips is perfect for the imminent frosty weather, it will help to protect against chapping. It promotes skin regeneration and moisturises flaky or chapped lips. It contains shea butter and pure extracts of aloe vera, rosehip oil. The magic behind this product is dragon’s blood – yes, dragon’s blood. The organic-derived ingredient stimulates collagen production and is a disinfectant, antioxidant and skin regenerator. Purchase the 10ml tube here for £16.00.

Whether we are in the sweltering heat of summer or bearing the blizzards of winter, your skincare regimen should incorporate SPF. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, it keeps your skin healthy and vibrant! The Balm Micro SPF Sun 50+ protects from the harmful sun’s rays and keeps skin glowing after your procedure. It contains high levels of Panthenol and Sepitonic M3 (copper/zinc/magnesium complex) these three active minerals are known for aiding epidermal recovery and this cocktail of minerals has a restorative action on the skin fighting against free radicals. The product is designed to moisturise and maintain colour by preventing them from ‘rusting’ under UVA and UVB rays. Purchase the 10 ml tube here for £18.00.

All of Balm Micro’s products have natural ingredients, they’re tested and developed under the supervision of dermatologists and specialists in micropigmentation, 100% vegan and are not tested on animals. What’s not to like?

Benecos for Men Only - Bodywash and Deo Spray

Could it be possible to squeeze the efficiency of German engineering into a tube we asked around The Amazing Blog’s water cooler this week? Some argued they had managed it with a rather infamous beer, so why not a range of skincare? Well, fellow enthusiasts, we can report they have come incredibly close with the new organically certified and vegan approved range from Benecos. It has to be said those clever Germans have created something rather wonderful. Sometimes with products which claim to offer the utopian world of skin nourishment to us, they can turn out to be a little on the watery side, or perhaps the fragrance reminds you of a wet weekend in Skegness. Fortunately, here we have something to truly buck that trend, with products free from parabens, paraffins, silicones, synthetic colours and artificial fragrances.

Benecos For Men Only: Body Wash 3-in-1 has got to be tried if only for the fragrance alone - a multitasker with the added benefit of suiting the face and hair too. It's fragrance is very fresh and with a bit of a zing, to provide the boost that some of us are in of to wake up in the shower first thing. The Deodorant Spray is a non-aerosol concept free-from aluminium salts and with an organic mix of 7 precious extract. Again giving the clean scent of freshness which comes from their cocktail of marigold, rosehip, burdock, nettle, st.johns wort, and black elderberry. We reckon it is the small-leaved lime blossom which adds the power-shot of energy.

Unlikely as it is, that we shall ever know the definitive recipe of this delicious concoction; fortunately, all we have to do is bathe and luxuriate in the stuff, before taking on the world in the morning. Benecos For Men Only don’t make any exorbitant claims with their new product, but we should point out that going for a spin under their influence, brought some admiring glances to our polished hubcaps as we purred through town, and our leather upholstery was brushed up against more than once.

All available online, you will also be pleased to hear all this magic is affordable too, at only £5.95 for Men Body Wash 3-in-1 in 200ml. Or the For Men Deo Spray at 75ml at only £6.95.

UXB - Shower Creams

After a tiring day, nothing feels more refreshing than stepping into a steamy, hot and aromatic shower. The Amazing Blog has reviewed a variety of shower products and certainly weren’t aware that hard water showers could actually strip away natural oils until UXB warned us. This company has given this matter a lot of thought and strives to combat this issue with its handmade line of nourishing Shower Creams. The steam from the shower activates the ingredients formulated in these Shower Creams, allowing the skin to become porous and absorb the rich oils and ingredients. This British brand was founded by Simon who found his inspiration on holiday in Turkey: “Cleansing is the cornerstone of skincare. Without clean skin any other actives you apply will not soak in. Also, when the skin is wet in the shower or bath it is more porous and receptive to actives...  It took a year of formulating and a lot of mistakes to come up with our first shower cream range. We’ve purposefully made a liquid cleanser for ease of use.”

Inside the creams are vitamin-rich oils, specific for each skin type that heal and trap moisture. Whether you suffer from dry, oily, mature or polluted skin, UXB has designed a shower cream targeted for you. Simon very kindly sent us all four of his shower creams to try. The first one we tried was the Frankincense & Argan Shower Cream fights dry and ashy skin. The formula uses argan, avocado and tamanu oils to soften rough areas. Combined with frankincense and black peppers, the essential oils continue to restore skin, producing a healthy glow; and also consists of glycerin that keeps moisture. This formula proved to be great hit with the boys in the office as it has quite a robust fragrance. We also like that when you breathe in the essences of frankincense, black peppers, rosemary, with a hint of the bergamot citrus, it helps to aid relaxation. All products have a pH level of 5/6, the natural acidity of the skin. Purchase a bottle here for £6.

Those of us with slightly more oily skin tried the Brown Rice Milk & Raw Honey Shower Cream. This is made from Dead Sea salt to cleanse with its antioxidant properties. The raw honey is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory that opens blocked pores. The combination of low comedogenic oils still locks in moisturise, while reducing existing sebum. It helps the skin feel less oily without drying it out or going into hyper oil production. This caramel and sage-scented product is deliciously moreish, it almost smells good enough to eat! Buy here for £6.

Next the Juniper & Açaí Berry Shower Cream, this aids polluted and sun damaged skin by strengthening it with the benefiting properties of acai, juniper and black cumin seed oil to mop up stubborn pollutants. This has some of nature’s most powerful antioxidants for this cream and it went on holiday with one of the team. It was reported back that this cream wash was so gentle that it soothed her sunburn and kept the skin flexible and moisturised allowing it to healing and recovery. This is definitely the one to pack for your sunshine holidays. What we also liked was the invigorating yet subtle zesty fragrance from tangerines and oranges. You can buy a bottle here for £6.

Finally, the fourth shower cream: Rosehip & Comfrey Shower Cream which is designed for more mature skin to hydrate, moisturise and revitalise.  Rose oil is both hydrating and soothing, while hints of vegetable glycerine locks in moisture and helps to plump the skin. The warmed dried comfrey (rich in Allantoin which protects and softens) and gotu kola leaves soaked in pure sunflower oil (which has been used Indian skincare for centuries for its toning properties) give this shower cream it’s richness. The rosehip oil regenerates the skin and primrose oil builds a barrier that creates plumper skin. The combination of rose, ylang ylang and lavender essential oils give the shower cream a floral fragrance and more of an aromatherapy twist than the others. This particular bottle was a great hit with girls in the office. To purchase see here for £6

All shower creams should be applied when skin is damp. Just lather a generous amount all over your body, leave for a few seconds and then wash off. They all left us feeling squeaky clean but none of these UXB Shower Creams dried out our skin, which in turn meant we economised, no need for body lotions or oils!

Rosenserien Wash and Shave Gel for Men

While a product that contains essential rose oil may sound like it is designed specifically for women, Rosenserien, an award winning brand, has totally changed my mind. Based in Sweden, Rosenserien is a natural skincare brand that has products for the entire family. Their natural products nearly all contain rosa damascena flower oil which offers a wide array of benefits for the skin. Having heard so much about this brand from the rest of the team and enviously seen the girls sporting a health tan using their natural Self Tan see here. We boys at The Amazing Blog were thrilled to have tried out a product of our very own from this range, with their Wash and Shave Gel for Men and were delighted with the results.

First of all, this Wash and Shave Gel has a refreshing, sporty scent that is perfect for any man. While combining a face wash and a shave gel into one, this two-in-one product cleanses and softens the beard hair before shaving. It is 100% natural, 100% vegan and contains more than 75% certified organic ingredients. The key ingredients include aloe barbadensis leaf juice, mentha piperita leaf water (peppermint), argania spinosa kernel oil (argan), hamamelis virginiana leaf extract (witch hazel), and rosa damascena flower oil. To use this product you simply wet your face and neck and massage the gel into your skin, until you get to have a nice lather. Then you can shave and rinse with warm water. Afterwards, you’ll notice that this gel leaves the skin feeling refreshed, clean and smooth. Even if you are not shaving, the product still makes for a great face wash and is suitable for all skin types. You can purchase a 100ml tube of Rosenserien’s Wash and Shave Gel for Men here for £24.