White Lotus Beauty - Crystal Jade Facial Roller

Here at The Amazing Blog, we’re excited to share another one of our #amazingfinds a beautiful Jade Facial Roller from the leading specialists in eastern beauty rituals White Lotus Crystal Beauty. We think that there’s nothing more soothing than rolling away puffiness to leave your skin feeling fresh and ready for the day!

White Lotus Crystal Beauty was founded by husband and wife team, Anthony and Kamila Kington, who both hold degrees in acupuncture and Chinese medicine (Anthony also has a master’s degree in Herbal Pharmacology). This roller is made of the finest grade genuine crystal, which is 100% natural, chemically untreated jade and comes with brass fittings. Jade is traditionally hard to cut and is sometimes treated with chemicals to soften the stone before carving, which in turn can alter the natural balance of the stone. However, what we like is at White Lotus Crystal Beauty they ensure that all their gem rollers are never chemically treated. 

Why use a crystal roller? Because by using crystal rollers on the face, it helps to reduce puffiness and congestion created by lymphatic fluids. With regular use, the jade roller can also increase microcirculation, firm the skin and reduce the appearance of large pores. Acupressure points are also stimulated by the roller, contributing to general health and well-being. Each crystal possesses a different property which benefits the skin, White Lotus Beauty suggests studying the powers of each crystal stone before ultimately choosing the one you feel most attracted to. This nephrite jade is considered a stone of purity and longevity by the ancient Chinese. It affects the heart chakra and is detoxifying and anti-inflammatory, therefore making it ideal for oily or blemish-prone skin.Still unsure how to use it? Then why not do a Jade Roller, Gua sha & Cosmetic Cupping Course online with Anthony and Kamila here.

The Jade Facial Roller is safe to use even on the most sensitive and delicate areas, such as under-eyes or on the throat. To use the roller, apply your favourite serum onto cleansed skin and use the roller across the face in an upward and outward motion. We found that with regular use this Crystal Jade Facial Roller felt cool to the touch and was calming and healing - it also left our skin glowing, toned and feeling more youthful. This Jade Facial Roller comes in a silk-lined presentation box and is available in two sizes, small and large, and also available as double-ended roller in both sizes. The large Jade Facial Roller can be purchased here for £34.00. 

Skin in Motion – Exercise Friendly Skinwear

In the forthcoming months, we’re looking forward to returning back to the gym. However, we do like to look our best without being puce in the face or with smudgy mascara. We’re rather ashamed to admit to the damage that we’ve probably already done to our delicate skin, working out with layers of heavy makeup left on! Many of you may be unaware of the fact that exercise can break down the skin's collagen, causing premature signs of ageing. Particularly when you use products such as foundation or bronzer which clog up the pores and often lead to breakouts, this is why at The Amazing Blog we were very curious to try out the exercise-friendly beauty brand Skin in Motion who claims to address all of these issues.  

The revelation for us is that with  Skin in Motion, is that you can wear breathable and sweat-proof makeup to the gym. It’s a lightweight solution that is easy to apply and remove after any workout. The co-founders Gia Mills and Sophia Lahlou cleverly spotted this niche addressing the need for workout friendly beauty. Gia is a London based celebrity makeup artist with well-known clients including the likes of Jessica Ennis-Hill, Cara Delevigne and Julia Restoin Roitfeld. She’s also long been a yogi, marathon runner, cyclist and racer and so understands the physical and mental benefits of working out.  Sophia Lahlou, a marketing professional with 17 years of experience in beauty brands, joined forces with Gia helping to help make them an unstoppable team. The idea came about when they discovered many women don’t go and work out because they were concerned over their appearance. This spurred them on to develop a range of cosmetics to not only make women look better, but feel better too. Skin in Motion has three main goals: encourage women to exercise, boost women's confidence, and donate to female empowerment charities like This Girl Can and we love how they’re advocates for causes such as Breast Cancer too.

Their current products include the Lift It Mascara, Work It Tinted Moisturiser, Cool It Mist and Clear It Wipes. Let’s start at the beginning of a beauty regime with the Clear it Wipes which remove all the dirt and sweat from the pores. The wipes are thin but loaded with salicylic acid and pomegranate enzymes. These ingredients help clear any harsh ingredients from the skin’s surface while moisturising and balancing. The pot comes with 40 pads and is 100% vegan and cruelty-free. Apply the wipes before and after the workout to clear clogged pores. This product helps cleanse the face and dissolve sweat and also promotes balance in the skin. The Clear It Wipes can be purchased here for £16.00. Next, we have the Work It Tinted Moisturiser which comes in three different and matchable shades: light, medium and dark. With plenty of coverage, the product manages to cover the skin while still maintaining a lightweight and matte finish and best of all, it looks completely natural when applied. The Tinted Moisturiser comes in a 30ml bottle and is cruelty-free, vegan, and paraben-free. It's nourishing and sweat-proof for even the most intense workouts. The product is incredibly smooth in texture, is best applied with a beauty blender and has a subtle citrus scent. The Tinted Moisturiser is a non-comedogenic formula and contains Argan oil to help hydrate and protect the skin. With fast-drying ingredients, you can take comfort in knowing that your makeup will stay put.  Work It Tinted Moisturiser can be purchase for £25.00 here. Something we find difficult to be without is mascara, and we know we’re not alone here. The Lift It Mascara is infused with beautiful Japanese berry kernels from the Sumac tree, the waterproof and smudge-proof mascara is cruelty-free and manages to lengthen and define even the sparsest of eyelashes. For a flawless look, apply the mascara at the base of the eyelashes and wiggle side-to-side in an upwards motion. The mascara comes in an intense black and is available for retail price £20.00 here.  We all know how our skin tends to get irritated when combined with sweat. Here is where Skin in Motion has created a face spray that helps hydrate and calms the skin. The Cool It Mist has a subtle floral fragrance, the bottle is 50ml and has 95% natural ingredients that are vegan, cruelty and silicone-free. To use just shake the bottle and hold 5 inches away from the face with your eyes closed and spray. Apply a liberal amount and wait a few seconds before leaving for your workout. The mist has hydrolysed hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate, mint to help cool and glycyrrhizic acid (liquorice extract) to calm the skin. The mist is lightweight and easily absorbed. the Cool It Mist can be purchased for £20.00 here. Lastly, we want to mention the rather fetching transparent neon orange and pink Gym Friendly Pouch For Life which is perfect as an on-the-go make up bag, or for taking with you in your gym kit. The Gym Friendly Pouch for Life you can buy for £15.00 here.  Or, if you are like us you can buy their Complete Beauty Care kit for £82 here. We think that they have struck on a genius idea and can’t wait to see more products in the range.

Sanda – Rose & Cardamom Aromatherapy Eye Pillow

Sometimes with this ever-changing world in which we live, it’s hard to remember to stop, take a moment, be mindful and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. Today at The Amazing Blog we’re excited to introduce you to something new with the Sanda Aromatherapy Eye Pillow. These therapeutic and calming eye pillows focus on evoking feelings through their scent. The calming and uplifting scents produced help to relieve stress and anxiety, perfect for this #stayathome moment and their Aromatherapy Eye Pillows are also very eco-friendly. 

Jo Bennett, the founder and designer behind Sanda, started the company after working in the textile industry and becoming a certified yoga instructor. This is when she had a light-bulb moment, deciding to merge her two passions, thus creating her Aromatherapy Eye Pillow. Launched this year, Sanda Aromatherapy Eye Pillows serve as a reminder to everyone to take time out of their day to decompress. We love that they’re handmade here in the UK in 100% organic linen, dyed botanically and contain only natural plant ingredients. Let’s not forget to mention too that their eye pillow sleeve is made from 100% recycled paper with vegetable printed inks. While the Eye Pillows are her primary product, Sanda also sells tote bags to store your eye pillow in or take to yoga class. Based on your preference, the pillows can be heated or cooled. To use warm - put the pillow in the microwave and heat for 20-30 seconds, and to use cold- let it cool in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. The pillows come in seven different scents such as the uplifting Orange & Cinnamon, Pine & Sage or Eucalyptus & Peppermint; or a relaxing Rose & Chamomile, Lavender & Rose, or Lavender & Chamomile.

We were sent the calming Rose & Cardamom eye pillow, and love its delicious smell of roses, which soothes and helps relieve anxiety. The cardamom helps to calm and promote emotional balance – which is rather timely for us at the moment! Upon touch, the pillow is incredibly soft and made up of only three ingredients: Flaxseeds, rose and cardamom. The linen cover is naturally dyed with madder root to give it a beautiful pale pink. Together these perfectly contour to the face and around the eyes, thus relieving tension and aiding relaxation. The pillow also stimulates meditation and peaceful sleep. There are both cosmetic and health benefits with the cooling technique as it helps reduce headaches and puffy eyes. We recommend adding this eye pillow, to help your relaxation technique during your day. Visit the Sanda to choose from one of their seven heavenly scented eye pillows. Or you can buy the Rose & Cardamom Aromatherapy Eye Pillow here for £22.00.

SKN-RG – Waterless Intensive Repair: Cleansing Ritual Daily Detox Cleanser & Night Therapy Oil

Our regular readers will know that at The Amazing Blog we’re fans of the organic vegan performance skincare brand SKN-RG, (you can read our recent feature on their Alpha Serum here). Today we want to talk about their range of  'Waterless Intensive Repair’ which features six products that are not only made with 100% natural and organic ingredients, but the packaging is composed of eco-friendly compostable bamboo, this separates from the other glass parts, making it all ready for recycling! The two products that they kindly sent to us to try were their Cleansing Ritual Daily Detox Cleanser and the Night Therapy Oil.

Winners of Beauty Shortlist’s 2019 Mama & Baby Awards with their Cleansing Ritual Daily Detox Cleanser this balm-like formula caught our eye. They say that this range is ‘no fuss, no mixing and plastic-free’ and we couldn’t agree more. This cleanser features key organic ingredients such as eucalyptus, safflower, babassu; together with hops, copaiba and astragalus which tackle breakouts, spots, oily skin and blackheads, all without drying out the skin. It has herbal adaptogens which are enhanced and energised by SKN-RG's award-winning method of extraction the Quanta® Wave Technology which is used for all of their products. The adaptogens help the body to resist stress whether physical, chemical or biological, enabling the skin to adjust, rejuvenate and restore. To apply, work a 2 pence sized dollop of the balm into the palms to activate, then massage over the face and rinse with a warm damp washcloth. The 30ml Cleansing Ritual Daily Detox Cleanser can be purchased here.

SKN-RG's Night Therapy Face Oil is designed to calm, soothe and de-stress and also aid in a restful night's sleep. With key ingredients such as macadamia nut, ylang ylang and blue chamomile; these lead to feeling skin rejuvenated when you awake. This oil provides deep overnight moisture while lifting, firming and fighting blemishes. This weightless, quick-absorbing oil can be used day or night, we suggest applying it before bedtime after washing your face with SKN-RG's Cleansing Ritual Cleanser. We think that this Face Oil is money well spent at £49.50 for 30ml, it can be purchased here. 

We applaud SKN-RG for their innovation helping to lessen the carbon footprint with their solar and green chemistry. They also continuously strive to look for alternatives like plastic or animal-free products, particularly with their packaging, which is approved by both the Soil Association and the Vegan Society. We’ll be reviewing more soon.

Jinmee - Hydrapuff

Have you found yourself with more product on your hands than on your actual face? At The Amazing Blog we certainly have, and it’s just such a waste! Meet Jinmee who have pioneered a new way of thinking about cleansing with something sustainable, practical, and high quality. They have developed a product called Hydrapuff, the new super absorbent skincare sheets.

Founded by Karen Hong and produced in Korea, Jinmee was created when she realised the amount of product wasted on hands or cotton pads particularly as these thick pads soak up more product than it is actually applying to your skin.  She came up with these clever Hydrapuff sheets which are super thin and multi-purpose. They hydrate the skin, maximise product use, reduce waste, she came up with the Hydrapuff, as an affordable and high-quality product that works through simplicity, honesty, and self-care.

Hydrapuff are super-absorbent skincare sheets that come in a double-layered sheet. For the first step of your routine, keep your Hydrapuff intact, folded in half to give it extra thickness, it can be used with all your favourite skincare products. These sheets not only hydrate the skin but also as mentioned reduce the wastage. Once you add a skincare product to a sheet, it transforms into a gel-like tissue that adapts to your skin, which means applying the entire product onto your skin, not on the cottonwool or bin! You can apply your choice of toner, cream cleanser or oils, start by cleansing your face with the Hydrapuff sheet and your chosen product, and then gently wipe away your makeup or daily grim. Hydrapuff can also serve as a mask, by applying a serum or product onto the sheet and split the Hydrapuff in the middle. Then, place with your product on cheeks or the desired area allowing it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes (remove them before they get dry), pat your skin gently and done!

Hydrapuff is suitable for all skin types, made from a natural rayon and pulp blend with 60 sheets in a box. The sheets are vegan, cruelty-free, bio-degradable with recyclable packaging,  making them tick all the boxes and getting the thumbs up from us. We loved this multifunctional product which has saved us up to 50% less waste with our serums, cleansers and toners. Get your Hydrapuff here for only £6.50.