Skimono - Beauty Masks

Living in the world of fast-paced London, it sometimes makes it difficult to remember to slow down and devote some ‘me’ time. Then we heard about Skimono, who have launched a range of beauty masks targeted at helping those who have big-city living. We first discovered them as Winner’s in 2018 The Beauty Shortlist Awards, and we’ve been itching to try their masks ever since. At The Amazing Blog, we think that Skimono offers the perfect solution to slow down, take stock and relax with their bumper selection of revitalising sheet masks.

Although beauty masks first originated in Asia, Skimono has developed these on with their innovative technology and modern approach. With application of a Skimono Beauty Mask, the 3D bio-cellulose matrix sheet delivers serums into your skin, restoring it in the process. Skimono describes itself as not only a brand but a lifestyle, helping to achieve: “Your time, devoted to you and to be relished…” What we particularly like about these masks is that they help to combat our dreaded city air pollution and drying effects from summer air conditioning. These masks not only target the face, but also the hands and feet too.

We all tried four masks from the Skimono range, each has their special 3D bio-cellulose matrix sheet which works on specific skin issues. Out of the three, the one that came out top for us was the Advanced Moisturisation+ . We loved the ingredients with rose flower extract and hyaluronic acid - wonderful for plumping up the skin and giving a dewy after effect. The Anti-Ageing+ mask targets wrinkles and dullness with the collagen, extracts of oat and grape seed all helping to rejuvenate tired looking complexions.

If you are suffering from dry or scaly feet, particularly if you expose feet to the summer elements. We recommend trying the Total Conditioning+ feet mask, this contains shea butter, olive oil, tea tree and chamomile. It works almost instantaneously to perfect hard skin and cracked heels. For dry hands, the Intense Nourishment+ mask delivers a serum infused with shea butter, aloe vera and hyaluronic acid restoring softness and brightening skin tone. Both these products are ideal to use as prep for a home mani pedi.

Skimono recommends that their masks be used as part of a weekly restorative treatment for face, hands and feet to battle the nasties that we face from all our environmental stress. The face masks are priced at £15 each, the hand at feet mask at £10 each. You can buy each of the Beauty Masks separately here. Or as a collection with their Induglence Masks 7x Multipack at £50, which will certainly have you covered!

Fruits Of The Forage

At The Amazing Blog, we love writing about brands that have adopted sustainable practices, especially food brands that have joined the fight against our current consumer-driven society. Fruits of the Forage, is one that has made it their mission to capture the ‘sustainable taste of the British landscape’ with their range of chutneys, jams, cordials, wines and beers which are made using less than conventional ingredients. Recently, they kindly sent us five of their amazing chutneys and chilli jams to try – and trust us, we were not disappointed!

Based in founder Freddie Throrneycroft’s hometown of Cheshire, Fruits of the Forage uses neglected fruits from abandoned British orchards and other wild British native plants in all their products. Chutneys, are widely used in South Asian cuisine, are made up mainly with a mix of vegetables, fruits and spices. Their tastes, spice-levels and textures can range as well depending on the concoctions of ingredients used. What we like about Fruit of the Forage’s products is that they have elevated jams and chutneys contain less-known ingredients such as Cheshire Damsons, heritage plums and even Hogweed seeds.

After trying their Hogweed Curry Chutney, Hot Crabby Chilli Jam, Perfect Pair Chutney, Damsloe Chutney and Hot Rhuby Chilli Jam, we can see why Fruits of the Forage has won not one BUT 10 Great Taste Awards in the last three years! Each of the jams and chutneys have a delicious and very individual taste which will suit all sorts of different taste palates. The Hot Rhuby, is made out of rhubarb, garlic and ghost peppers, is a good mixture of warm and spicy and, like Fruits of the Forage and is indeed very moreish. If you’re craving a more fresh and fruity spread, the Hot Crabby Chilli Jam, made with crab apples, adds a sweetness to cured meats, lamb or game. Or perhaps you want to add a savoury kick to your cheeses and meat? Fruits of the Forage’s trio of chutneys (Hogweed Curry, Perfect Pair and Damsloe) are a great mix of fruits, vegetables and pickling spices and add a great piquante to any food. For our vegan readers, don’t worry, all of their products are entirely animal-product free. We particularly liked spreading some of the Hogweed Curry Chutney on our veggies to give them that perfect little kick – Yum!

If you want to try Fruits of the Forage’s chutneys and jams for yourself, purchase a jar on their website here for £4.

The Victoria and Albert Museum- Mary Quant Exhibit

Mary Quant selecting fabric, 1967 © Rolls Press/Popperfoto/Getty Images

Being based off the Kings Road, we at The Amazing Blog can still see today the influence the British iconic designer Mary Quant has in not only high street fashion, but also in the lifestyle and her rebellion against conformity as part of the Chelsea Set. Mary Quant was the one who really made London swing in the early 1960s. Quant’s tiny boutique Bazaar on the King’s Road grew into a wholesale brand available in department stores across the UK. Quant’s success soon hit America, where her designs were made for chain stores and mail order companies. So, when we heard that The Victoria and Albert Museum was holding an exhibition in honor of Dame Mary Quant, we knew that it was a date for the diary. We just have to see her original mini skirts and hot pants in real life all of which were made famous by the model Twiggy.

Mary Quant and models at the Quant Afoot footwear collection launch, 1967 © PA Prints 2008

The exhibition will showcase a range of Quant’s 200 garments and accessories, including some personal, unseen pieces, spanning from the years 1955 through to 1975. A range of vibrant tights, hot pants, theatrical makeup and her renowned miniskirts will be available for display to the public for the first time in almost 50 years. It will also seek to delve into how Quant’s contributions of garments, accessories and even her retail practices completely “revolutionised the high street” yes, fashion as we know it today.

Satin mini-dress and shorts by Mary Quant, photograph by Duffy, 1966 © Duffy Archive

Since her opening of her shop Bazaar on King’s Road in 1955, Quant aimed to liberate women from constraining clothes to include more youthful and eccentric pieces especially during the ‘Swinging Sixties.’ Her mock turtlenecks, A-line shift dresses, pant suits and use of PVC shifted the way women thought about fashion. Her look was completed by a liberating short geometric haircut by Vidal Sassoon, who freed women from the punishment of spending hours with curlers and under a hair-drying bonnet. Dame Mary Quant observed: “Vidal Sassoon, the pill and the miniskirt changed everything for the better in the 1960’s”.

Mary Quant, photograph by Ronald Dumont, c.1967. © Ronald Dumont/Stringer/Getty Images

Tickets for Mary Quant’s exhibit are now available for purchase, which runs from 6 April 2019 – 8 March 2020, on the V&A website here.

You Create Beauty - DIY Beauty Recipe Box

With DIY skincare and beauty subscription boxes becoming increasingly popular, it’s not a surprise that The Amazing Blog has joined the craze and indulged in this trend by trying You-create-Beauty’s double treat - the DIY Beauty Recipe Box.

Launched in September of last year, the DIY Beauty Recipe Box is completely organic and is entirely curated for you, by you. The simple and transparent nature of the brand, is inspired by Ayurveda; which is an ancient Indian practise, that emphasises harmony and balance in all aspects of your life - including beauty - to treat your skin holistically. In true Ayurveda nature, the first step to create your own DIY Beauty Recipe Box is to take an energy test which describes your body, skin, temperament and hair type. From that, you are able to gauge which energy or “Dosha” you are, so your beauty recipes are specific to you.

Then, you select two beauty recipes from three choices of a face scrub, face mist and face oil to have in your box. Each energy- Kapha, Pitta, Vata - each is designated a My Blemish Resolution, My Calmness and My Iridescence but the ingredients used in them are selected specifically for each different energy. Ancient Indian oils, herbs and spices are used in all of You-Create-Beauty’s products such as Saffron Strands, Triphala, Organic Ground Tulsi, Vetiver and Organic Ground Bitter Melon. Other staple ingredients like Natural Vitamin E Oil, Red Rose Petals and even apricot to name a few, are incorporated into the recipes as well. If you’re not sure what some of the ingredients are, You-create-Beauty emphasises transparency by disclosing what the ingredients are and how they extracted them on their website. So, as you follow the recipes in your beauty recipe box, you can rest assured that you will know you are creating products that you can trust. To try this new holistic and creative way of skincare, subscribe to a two-month box for £20 here.

Ultra Luxe Moisturizing Sunscreen - BB Lifestyle

At The Amazing Blog, we’re always on the search to find a great sunscreen that (1) doesn’t make us look like pale and zinc-y and (2) protects as well as moisturises our skin. We’re happy to report in that BB Lifestyle’s Ultra-Luxe Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 30 is everything we want and more…

Based in California, BB Lifestyle is a luxury unisex skincare brand that aims to educate people in the way that they view skincare offering a more holistic approach. Bill Bakho the founder, makes sure that his brand is all natural, with no-filler and that it is a ‘multi-tasking, easy-to-wear sun screen that is inspired by nature.’ He also claims that in their natural skincare range they deliver dermatological-grade results. After using the Ultra-Luxe Moisturizing Sunscreen first hand, we agree that its non-greasy, weightless formula left us feeling both protected and pampered. Besides being SPF 30+, their signature, luxury sunscreen is made with seaweed, orchid and algae extracts as well as their patented HC56Complex, which is a hemp oil that provides anti-oxidant benefits to your skin. The sunscreen also has anti-ageing benefits with added UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum to help prevent skin damage. Another added plus for those of us with sensitive skin is that the full BB Lifestyle range are also vegan including the Utra-Luxe Moisturizing Sunscreen.

Application of the Ultra-Luxe Moisturizing Sunscreen is like any sun cream. A small amount applied 15 minutes before you are out in the sun and re-apply every two hours. This will leave your skin feeling protected yet glowing. We used it also as a primer under makeup, which worked a treat! To try living the #BBLifestyle you too can purchase their 100 ml tube of signature sunscreen for £49 on their website here.