Skin Beautiful Organics: Luscious Day Souffle

For those of us at The Amazing Blog who struggle with keeping our skin hydrated in a blazing 30 degrees (yes, after a gloomy August, the UK is finally now having an Indian summer!), a good light and long-lasting natural moisturiser is essential. Which is why we are returning to one of our favourite and trusted all-natural luxury skincare brands, Skin Beautiful Organics with their popular Luscious Day Souffle.

For those unfamiliar with this company, Skin Beautiful Organics is a luxury skincare brand based in the USA. This newly launched brand was released in 2020 by founder Ethel Emmons, but her own skincare journey began in 2007. Ethel, a digital strategist and entrepreneur, constantly struggled to find skincare products that would not cause her sensitive skin to redden, swell, or itch. She found it hard to find chemical-free and natural products that would work with her skin sensitivity. Ethel started experimenting with creating homemade, natural skincare remedies to soothe and protect her skin, using ingredients like whole fruits, herbs, and essential oils. With this, she found her passion and decided to pursue formal studies at the UK International School of Natural Skincare, where she received her Certificate of Natural Skincare Formulation. After finishing her studies, Ethel created Skin Beautiful Organics to make all-natural skincare products, such as cleansers, serums, creams, scrubs, and toners. She uses only the most innovative natural science techniques and manufactures all her products in an FDA-registered and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) compliant facility powered by 100% renewable wind energy. All products are handcrafted in small batches to maintain freshness, created using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, and have met or exceeded the Whole Foods Premium Standards for Personal Care Products.

The Luscious Day Souffle is the first dedicated day cream that we have tried from Skin Beautiful Organics. This Day Souffle cream rejuvenates and protects the skin from the unavoidable environmental stress that our skin faces throughout the day. It also absorbs quickly and aims to repair and nourish dull, dry, uneven, or ageing skin without clogging the pores or feeling heavy. Like many of their other skincare products, this cream contains a whopping number of organic ingredients, in fact it’s sixty-four in total, that all serve different purposes in helping to replenish and maintain the skin. We note that top of the list of ingredients is aloe vera, with its cooling, anti-inflammatory and skin healing properties, and it couldn’t be a more appropriate ingredient for this light and luxurious Day Souffle cream. Some of the other most unique and notable of these ingredients include raspberry seed oil, macadamia nut oil, and papaya seed oil. The raspberry seed oil contains alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which helps lock in moisture, while the high amount of vitamin E found in this oil prevents oxidative damage. All together, the raspberry seed oil is a highly effective moisturiser that helps to keep the skin dewy and firm, all while protecting the skin from premature ageing. Macadamia nut oil is rich in oleic acid, which has impressive moisturising and anti-inflammatory abilities. The oleic acid found in macadamia nut oil is perfect for those with mature skin, as it deeply penetrates the skin's surface to moisturise and prevent the formation of wrinkles. The papaya seed oil has a broad range of antioxidants, vitamins A, B, C, and omega fatty acids. The papaya seed oil provides gentle skin exfoliation, which encourages skin cell turnover, leading to a fresh and bright complexion while increasing skin elasticity. This multifaceted day cream works quickly to hydrate, protect, and nourish the skin, leaving the skin looking radiant and youthful.

Skin Beautiful Organics advises after cleansing and toning, to apply a small amount of the Day Souffle cream to face, neck, and décolleté area; plus to use one of their facial serums first, to obtain the best results. We found that this Day Souffle cream was perfect for under makeup or a sunscreen, and kept skin cool and hydrated even in this late summer heat! It felt very soothing to apply, a little went a long way and with regular daily use it kept going for an astonishing 45+ days. We loved the light scent where the subtle sweet fragrance of the neroli essential oil comes through, and found that our skin felt dewy and soft after application. If you are looking for a gentle, hydrating and luxurious day cream that will bring out the best in your skin, then this highly rejuvenating Luscious Day Souffle will be for you. To purchase this day cream for £75, click here.

2022 Beauty Shortlist & Wellbeing Awards - Are Now Open for Entry!

Good to grow: 2022 Beauty Shortlist & Wellbeing Awards open for entries with new blue beauty and plantable beauty categories and fresh faces on the judging panel.

Entries have opened for the upcoming Beauty Shortlist Awards which will celebrate the highest-scoring brands and products that celebrate NATURE on Wednesday 2 March 2022.

Honouring the most-loved earth-safe and ocean-safe beauty and wellness products – all tested by experts – the ethical, natural and organic showcase returns with over 40 new categories embracing blue and green beauty, more age-specific skincare and self-care categories, eco-packaging, holistic health, eco innovation, nutrition, aromatherapy, CBD and more.

2022 BEAUTY SHORTLIST & WELLBEING AWARDS ENTRY FORM (ENTRIES CLOSE 29 OCTOBER)

ENTRY FORM

If you had to pick the most stellar month of the year for beauty and the planet, September would be up there: Organic September, a new season with lots of new launches, the Great British Beach Clean, World Car Free Day - and it’s FSC week soon, celebrating & raising awareness of responsible forestry 🌳

Never have we lived through a time when comforts and joys have been more important to our wellbeing - and it’s exactly those that are celebrated every year at the Beauty Shortlist Awards:

You are warmly invited to celebrate the top-scoring beauty, grooming and wellness of the year with the 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards on Wednesday 2 March.

These independent and 100% sponsor-free global Awards celebrate the highest-scoring ethical brands and products of the year, evaluated by beauty and wellness industry experts:

• natural + organic beauty, personal care

• nutrition, wellness, health supplements, CBD & eco cleaning

• men’s hair, skincare, self-care, body & shower products

Happy September!

Grüum: Shampoo Bars

The shampoo you use can make or break your hair (literally!), and when it comes to chosing your haircare, there are so many factors to consider. With many choices available on the market, at The Amazing Blog we tend to gravitate towards natural and eco-friendly products with simple ingredients that we can recognise. Today, we’re highlighting the natural brand Grüum and four types of their shampoo bars. 

Grüum is a Manchester-based brand founded in 2016 by four friends Andy Shaw, Bethanie Sleigh, Simon Leonard, George Lagonikas. During a trip to the supermarket, they realised how there was a lack of good natural skin and haircare products for both men and women at reasonable prices. Determined to create affordable and straightforward everyday skin, hair, and grooming essentials, the friends quit their jobs, invested their savings, and launched Grüum. Inspired by Scandinavian ideals, they launched Grüum based on the three core principles of “Simplicity, Honesty and Fairness,” to reflect each of their products. They created inclusive products, and developed a single skincare range suitable for anyone regardless of age, gender, or race. Grüum products are free from toxins and contain natural ingredients, and the brand does not use EDTA, parabens, or artificial colours. We were also happy to find that Grüum never tests on animals nor sources ingredients from suppliers who do, and almost all of their products are vegan! Grüum is also eco-friendly: they make their products in the UK, reducing transport emissions and use only space-efficient and minimal packaging with recyclable materials. They are the first UK brand to offer a shaving razor recycling system. 

We were sent four of Grüum’s Shampoo Bars, which are a solid form of shampoo. While liquid shampoos contain detergents that can often strip the hair of its natural oils, shampoo bars contain solidified oils, butters, conditioners, and cleansers that don’t lead to breakage or dry hair out over time. Grüum uses Sodium Coco-Sulfate, a palm-free alternative to the traditionally-used sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) detergent extracted from coconuts. Shampoo bars also contain less water than liquid shampoo, meaning that the shampoo is more concentrated and potent with ingredients. Because they’re solid, shampoo bars also reduce plastic waste, and are travel friendly. The first of these bars that we tried was Grüum’s Shine Boost Bar with henna and juniper extracts . While most of us associate henna with the dye used for skin and hair, this extract from the Henna flower also helps seal the hair cuticle, making it less susceptible to breakage and increasing its shine. Juniper extract has astringent qualities, meaning that it tightens pores, strengthens hair roots, and increases hair growth. Because of henna extract it makes this bar best for darker and dyed hair. The second bar that we tried was Grüum’s Revitalising Bar for dull hair. The key ingredient in this bar is cocoa butter, a butter rich in antioxidants and fatty acids extracted from cocoa beans. Because of its nutrients, cocoa butter offers many benefits for hair: It moisturises hair, strengthens the hair shaft, prevents hair loss due to breakage, replenishes oils, and repairs damaged hair strands. The cocoa butter, along with the coconut oil in the bar, left our hair feeling squeaky clean but smooth and moisturised at the same time. The third bar that Grüum sent to us was their Brightening Shampoo Bar with lemon and sweet almond oil.  The lemon juice contains citric acid, which acts as a natural bleaching agent and on the hair. As a lightener, lemon juice is the most effective for dark blond to light blond hair, so it’s best used to maintain the brilliance of hair that’s already light. Unlike other almond oils, sweet almond oil is free from toxins and contains high concentrations of vitamin A and E, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc. The oil moisturises both the scalp and the hair, preventing breakage, split ends, itchy scalp, and dry roots. The final bar that Grüum shared with us was the Nourishing Shampoo Bar with coconut oil. A natural and straightforward bar with only five ingredients, the main star of this shampoo bar is its coconut oil. The fatty acid found in coconut oil is lauric acid, giving it a long structure that is easily absorbed into the inner layer of the hair shaft and helping to reduce protein loss. This protein retention allows hair to become more moisturised, smooth and shiny. With its simple but effective ingredients, it’s no wonder that this shampoo bar is suitable for all hair types! This was our favourite, with our long and also curly hair this worked the best out of the four, as it left hair clean and not too tangly. To use any of these bars, wet your hair and swirl the shampoo bar between your hands or over your hair to create a lather. Then, massage into your hair and rinse. However, we would like to mention you DO need conditioner with these shampoo bars, they are not a 2-in-1. Grüum do a Conditioner Bar, but sadly didn’t send it to us.

If you’re interested in making the switch to Grüum’s shampoo bars, you can find all four bars mentioned above on their website in 50g bars for £8.00 for a one-time purchase or £5.00 if you sign up for one of their subscription services. Best of all, these shampoos are long-lasting and offer up to 60 washes per bar! The Shine Boost Bar with Henna and Juniper is available here, and the Revitalising Bar for Dull Hair is available here. You can purchase the Brightening Shampoo Bar with Lemon and Sweet Almond Oil here and the Nourishing Shampoo Bar with Coconut Oil here.

NovaeCBD: SuperNova 5% CBD Oil + Vitamin D3

Sadly, August and the summer sunshine seems to have passed us by, and at The Amazing Blog we’re ever hopeful for an Indian summer to come. That is why it’s the perfect time for us try this SuperNova 5% CBD Oil + Vitamin D3, by NovaeCBD; with its much needed drop of golden sunshine in a bottle!

NovaeCBD is a British CBD brand that specialises in CBD oil. It all started when two best friends, and future founders, Ryan Telford and Jas Toor, who discovered a mutual passion for all things health and wellness. Ryan stumbled on CBD after having had it recommended by a friend. They were both a little sceptical because of the stigma surrounding CBD, but after seeing the benefits to their health, they became CBD advocates with a desire to share the knowledge of its benefits. However, they were hesitant to share some of these CBD finds with their family and friends, as they didn’t have best taste or consistency, or had lack of transparency and steep prices. At this moment, they decided to create their own CBD brand that would tick all the boxes, NovaeCBD launched in October 2020 with their first two CBD oils. NovaeCBD is committed to transparency with the brand, and also want to provide an excellent customers experience. Their mission is to “provide high quality, organic and ethical CBD products at affordable prices to help people improve their lives.” All hemp used is full spectrum and hand-picked from ethical German hemp farms. The end product is cruelty-free, gluten-free, and packed with cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and omega-3s.  NovaeCBD aims to be carbon neutral, with no excess packaging as they want to eliminate, reduce and re-use. All products are CBD laboratory tested, vegan, gluten-free organic and UK compliant.

The SuperNova CBD Oil + Vitamin D3. appealed to us as it combine two of our favourite supplements full-spectrum CBD and vitamin D3. This is a medium-strength CBD oil, meaning one drop contains approximately 2mg of CBD making this product 5% CBD or 500mg per bottle PLUS the recommended daily amount of 640IU vitamin D3. We are big CBD fans that think that full-spectrumCBD oil takes wellness to the next level, by providing anxiety relief, control over sleep imbalances, muscle recovery, and immune system support - and you’ve heard us say this all before! The CBD here is extracted with the supercritical CO2 method, which efficiently crafts a potent CBD paste that is made into a full-spectrum CBD oil containing the naturally occurring cannabis plant extracts, perfect for the 'entourage effect.' This CBD oil does not skip out on any of the plant's beneficial parts and includes a few added components with the full-spectrum CBD, organic hemp seed oil, whole-plant extract, and 4mg vitamin D3. This CBD oil has no added ingredients that are not naturally found in hemp, except vitamin D3, which separates this CBD oil from others with its exclusive 2-in-1 health boost. Vitamin D3, also known as the 'sunshine vitamin,' helps kickstart the immune system, strengthens bones, lifts mood, and is good for heart health. In addition to CBD, vitamin D3 furthers relaxation that can also help with anxiety, sleeplessness, or muscle relief, and acts as a substitute for the sun, which naturally helps to produce vitamin D3 in the body. Living in the UK, vitamin D3 is a supplement we’re all recommended to take daily, as we only have an average of 4 sun hours a day! Yes it’s true - see here. And with, the cloudy weather and winter, the body needs some extra help to get this necessary vitamin. The founder, Jas Toor, and his wife both take this SuperNova CBD oil in the morning to get their daily vitamin D3 and to help them with focus throughout the day. They also take one drop at night to help with sleep. We followed their lead by administering one drop of SuperNova CBD oil at night, what surprised us the most was the delicious and mild taste of this full-spectrum CBD oil (we thought it might have a bit of that usual kick). We regularly take CBD oil at night to calm the mind and to help relax us, and this Supernova didn’t disappoint. We also like that we got our daily dose of vitamin D3 - which save us dosing up with other supplements. If you are looking for a wellness supplement that lifts your mood, helps you sleep, and ticks all the boxes, then this may be the CBD oil of your dreams! To purchase the SuperNova 5% CBD Oil + Vitamin D3 for £35.99, see here.

Elan Skincare: Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster, Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum & Whisper Skin Saviour

If you are familiar with us at  The Amazing Blog, then you’ll know that we love to introduce natural skincare, and Elan Skincare is one of our favourite featured brands (see here). Very kindly, they sent us three more of their products to try the Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster,  Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum, and the Whisper Skin Saviour.

As we mentioned previously, Elan Skincare, is a natural British skincare brand founded by Joanna Silva in 2017.She has almost a decade of experience in the medical industry — in wound care, infection prevention, and specifically skincare. Elan Skincare’s mission is to be honest and transparent, and to have a strong foundation in science, nature, and art. Joanna hopes that Elan Skincare’s products will make people feel beautiful and confident and, thus, go for their dreams. The brand values integrity, kindness, and respect — integrity in the brand’s work, kindness to others and oneself, and respect for each other, and our natural environment. Elan Skincare cares about what you put on your skin. Their products contain an exquisite blend of botanicals that are carefully selected. In their formulations the brand uses cold-pressed unrefined oils and butters, Eco-cert or Soil Association certified organic botanicals, with the purest CO2 organic plant extracts, and natural active ingredients (coenzyme Q10, vitamins C & E, hyaluronic acid). Elan Skincare is women-led, and women’s health and wellbeing are at the heart of the company. The brand’s whole range of products are expertly formulated, dermatologically tested, is vegan, and cruelty-free. Their bottles and product labels are recyclable and sustainability is important to Elan Skincare. Their products have won multiple awards — the Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster won the Beauty Shortlist Awards 2019 Editor’s Choice, the Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum also won the Beauty Shortlist Awards 2019 Editor’s Choice, and these as a Duo Pack won a Beauty Bible Awards 2020. Silva said, “Elan Skincare is a truly feminine brand, made by women for women. At the end of the day, we face the same challenges of balancing work, family, love and finding a little bit of space for our dreams and pursuits. I strongly believe that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. I wish all of us women the confidence and belief in our dreams and ourselves.”

Elan Skincare’s Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster restores moisture balance and leaves your skin softer, smoother, and more radiant. The Booster water-based serum is fragrance-free and suitable for all skin types, and they call it their “Pure Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum.” The key benefits of this serum include reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improving skin texture and rejuvenating the tired-looking complexion. It also deeply hydrates and supports the skin’s renewal at the cellular level and promotes firmer, smoother, healthier, and more elastic skin. The ingredients in this serum are few and simple. They only include water, sodium hyaluronate, benzyl alcohol, and dehydroacetic acid. The key one is the potent eco-certified 3% of hyaluronic acid. The type of hyaluronic acid is sodium hyaluronate, this has a lower molecular weight than HA and hydrolysed HA, so it’s more easily absorbed into pores. It also penetrates the deeper layers of the dermis and prevents trans-epidermal water loss. The dehydroacetic acid is derived from the solandra plant, and works together with the benzyl alcohol as a broad-spectrum organic preservative system, and conforms to requirements of COSMOS and ECOCERT. This is super-fast at being absorbed by the skin and it’s fragrance-free. We used morning and evening with only a couple of drops from the pipette, directly onto cleansed face and neck, leaving it about 2 minutes before applying moisturiser. It performed well and made a good canvas for other skincare to follow. It’s wonderful to find a serum tha trulyt hydrates the skin and plumps up fine lines and wrinkles. By the way, Elan also recommends using this with one of their oil-based serum (like below), to seal in the Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster; and there is a duo pack with their Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum.  

We also used the Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster with Elan Skincare’s Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum,They also call this ‘ Night Serum Vitamin C + E + Pomegranate’. It helps to improve skin tone and texture, stimulates skin regeneration, and give a more youthful look. We love how this oil-based serum is an amber coloured nectar with an uplifting citrus fragrance. It’s also ideal for uneven or dull skin (like ours). The key benefits of this serum include improving the overall skin tone, protecting skin from free radicals (which cause premature skin ageing), and creating ultra-smooth and glowing skin. The ingredients in this serum include: Organic pomegranate seed oil, vitamin C, organic carrot root extract, organic rosehip seed extract, abyssinian seed oil, oat kernel oil, hydrogenated farnesene, sea buckthorn oil, squalane, hazelnut oil, organic jojoba oil, vitamin E, and bisabolol. It’s not often we come across organic pomegranate seed oil as an ingredient. It has lots of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. As the brand says, it’s to ‘fight free radicals, and protect against UVB-induced sun damage’. The vitamin C boosts and regenerates skin cells and collagen stability; the organic carrot root extract reduces sun damage and helps maintain the elasticity of the skin; the organic rosehip seed extract offers cell renewal capabilities; the abyssinian seed oil is deeply nourishing, smoothing, and softening to your skin; and the oat kernel oil strengthens the skin’s barrier function. The hydrogenated farnesene creates a light texture with a silky finish; the sea buckthorn oil is anti-inflammatory, hydrating, soothing, toning, and again skin regenerating. The squalane acts as a barrier to keep moisture locked in improves tone and texture, and helps prevent water loss. The hazelnut oil tones and tightens skin and can help reduce pores' appearance; the organic jojoba oil calms, balances, and helps skin retain moisture; the vitamin E rejuvenates, restores, and helps protect skin from environmental aggression. The bisabolol derived from German chamomile and barks from the candeia tree, enhances the appearance of dehydrated or damaged skin and helps other active ingredients penetrate deeper into the skin. As mentioned earlier, we used this together with Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster first. We put two drops on your fingertips and gently massage into our skin, it didn't feel greasy and left skin glowing. We woke to radiant and hydrated skin - ready to take on the day! 

Finally, we tried Elan Skincare’s latest addition to the range, the Whisper Skin Saviour. it’s a multi-purpose balm that promises to soothe, and condition dehydrated, dry, or sensitive skin. This balm is a brilliant natural alternative to petrolatum or paraffin oil-based products. It is recommended for stretch marks, scars, redness, dry/cracked hands, scaly skin, dry skin on legs and elbows, chapped lips, and cuticles. If you, like us, have been washing your hands and applying hand sanitiser like crazy, then a thin layer of this balm will calm and protect sore skin. The main ingredients include shea butter, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, green tea extract, zinc oxide aloe leaf, vitamin E and bisabolol (discussed above). The aloe vera has anti-inflammatory properties and contains vitamins and minerals; the green tea calms irritations, soothes redness and swelling, evens out discolouration, and helps the skin retain moisture. The zinc here helps the body produce collagen, is an anti-inflammatory, treats burns, minimises scar tissue, heals the skin. The coconut oil has a calming effect, can help reduce redness and alleviate any discomfort associated with sore skin. We used this specifically on lips and cuticles, as these are two areas we suffer from dry and flakey skin. It has a rather moreish shea butter and coconut oil fragrance. As a multitasker, it works exceptionally well, and we highly recommend keeping this handy in a bag or by your desk. Although we regularly use hand cream, we’re guilty of never paying enough attention to our cuticles, and this balm helps to sort that out. Elan recommends for optimal results to apply the balm on slightly damp skin and to use a tiny amount, as a little goes a long way!

To purchase, you can find the 20ml Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster here for £36, the 20ml Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum here for £55. Or both together as the duo pack here for £80; and the 20ml Whisper Skin Saviour here for £12.75.