Korres – Bergamot & Jasmine Body Milk and Shower Gel

The Amazing Blog is always on the hunt for great-smelling body products that encourage healthy skin. One of our favourite brands is Korres, and as regular readers will know, we have covered many of their products over the years, the most recent being their Yogurt Range. As a natural Greek skincare brand, they have their roots set firmly in Athens; in fact, they started as one of the first ever homoeopathic pharmacy in Greece. Korres’ goal is to mix both nature and science, taking advantage of their extensive scientific resources, for the advancement of clinically safe and effective products.

The latest products from the Korres range that we tried are their Bergamot & Jasmine Body Milk and Shower Gel. The exotic Bergamot & Jasmine are a scent combination to fall in love with! This fragrance isn’t overpowering, in fact, it has a delicate balance of spicy citrus from the bergamot oil, and calming floral bouquet from the Jasmine. Thus making these two products extremely mood enhancing and uplifting to use.

The Body Milk, made from 92% of natural content, is enriched with shea butter, almond oil, active aloe, and pro-vitamin B5, ideal for improving the suppleness of the skin. We mustn't forget to mention that almond oil is a fantastic anti-inflammatory and that aloe vera stimulates cell rejuvenation. The foaming Shower Gel is made from 87% of natural content and is enhanced with moisturising wheat proteins and althea extract, to help maintain natural moisture levels. It also contains active aloe to help reduce signs of ageing. What’s not to love? Purchase Korres’ Bergamot Jasmine Body Milk 200ml for £10.00 here and the Bergamot Jasmine Shower Gel 250ml for £8.00 here.

Africology - The Rose Body Balm

Culture is an integral part of the journey for the beauty industry and its products. It is where both ancient and new ideas come together, transforming knowledge into something special. The Amazing Blog always gravitates toward beauty products that have adopted innovative ideas, especially ones that use culture as the foundation of practice. Africology is one such company, who celebrate Africa’s heritage and plant life, subsequently capturing the flora and fauna of Africa in their skincare products. I first came across Africology when I had a friend from South Africa to stay. Buried deep in her hand luggage was their serum, a product she eulogised for hours about. It was a piece of 'home' that she prized more than anything else that had travelled 8k miles to get here! Then Africology popped up again, as winners at 2018 The BeautyShortlist and that's when I knew that I had to try it. 

The Rose Body Balm was the first product we requested to try.  Infused with shea butter, marula oil, rosehip seed oil and unrefined beeswax. Its texture is light and soft and glides across the skin during application. While massaging the product into the skin’s surface, the balm becomes a medium for increasing lymph flow and circulation. As it becomes a source of nourishment, the balm also alleviates muscle pain. The purpose of the balm extends far beyond hydrating dry areas and cracked heals. Rose, a foundational component of the product, is a mild anti-depressant and balances emotions and hormones. The floral aroma is subtle and calming. For use, warm a tiny amount in your hands and apply to the affected areas. The product can be used during a bath or shower, as part of a message, or melted in an aromatherapy burner. However, Africology recommends applying it to damp skin after a warm bath.

Interested in learning more about the key ingredients’ perks? Keep on reading...Shea butter: The fatty acids contained in shea oil are a source of vitamins A, E and F. Shea oil is an anti-inflammatory, and helps to retain moisture, relieve itchiness and soothe sunburnt skin. Marula seed oil: The oil extracted from the kernel of the marula fruit, the seed oil is rich in antioxidants and stimulates collagen and elastin production. Due to its light consistency, the oil doesn’t clog pores and treats acne with its antimicrobial and non-comedogenic properties. Beeswax: Beeswax is thick in nature, and acts as a protective barrier for the skin. As the foundation of the balm, it also prevents the separation of oil and liquid components. Rosehip seed oil: This oil contains vitamin A and C, which exfoliates and moisturises the skin while boosting skin regeneration and elasticity. Green rooibos (leaf powder): With its natural compounds, leaf powder is an excellent aid for eczema, nappy rash and acne. The alpha-hydroxy acid found in leaf powder also maintains healthy skin. African potato (root powder):  Root powder contains sterols and sterolins that are helpful in acne, eczema and psoriasis treatment.  It also boosts the immune system.

This product did the rounds at The Amazing Blog, we dabbed it onto our pulse points (gorgeous rose aroma) and also put a 1/2 teaspoon of the balm into our aromatherapy burner, which melted to give the office a sense of calm. A little does go a long way (hence the 125ml jar), you can purchase yours for £21 here.

AN79 – Tattoo Aftercare

Those of you with tattoos will be aware of the inevitable fading and blurring of inks. Tattoos are bound to shift with our ever-changing dermis (skin layers). They can always be touched up, but that is a hassle and additional expense. So why not give your tattoo the best care from the get-go? There are so many different products and methods of preserving tattoos, that it can be tough to decide which one is right for you. For all the tattoo-lovers out there, The Amazing Blog is excited to share a 100% natural and vegan product, with no artificial preservatives.

An79 is a product created by Alice Nicholls, who is an established and trailblazing British tattooist. She saw the need for a natural Tattoo Aftercare Balm and thus went about creating her own. An79 is made from an abundance of natural ingredients, to keep tattooed skin looking hydrated. One of its key ingredients is apricot kernels, which help to keep the inks both hydrated and sharp. Another is sunflower seeds, which are used to provide moisture, yet also possess anti-ageing qualities and even act as a slight pain reliever. Additionally, raspberry seeds prevent premature fading, and the use of lavender oil provides the balm with its fragrance, together with anti-inflammatory/anti-bacterial properties.

We recommend this product to keep your tattoo(s) looking sharp, fresh and protected from fading. Purchase the An79 Tattoo Aftercare Balm here for £20.00.

Love Cocoa - Chocolate Bars

We're all chocolate lovers at The Amazing Blog, and for those of you who join us in the pursuit for delicious new treats, Love Cocoa will be a fitting choice. The problem with most chocolate brands is that they contain irritating allergens and poorly-sourced ingredients. This is where Love Cocoa differs, they are gluten and soy-free and are founded on the basis of creating ethical products.

Love Cocoa is a British brand launched in 2016 by its creator James Cadbury, who has an unsurpassed chocolate heritage. His great-great-great grandfather John Cadbury, the Quaker philanthropist, started the iconic Cadbury's chocolate brand in 1831. As such, Love Cocoa strives to not only recreate luscious chocolate classics but also aims to remain an ethically driven company. Working with British producers, Love Cocoa's products are free from refined sugars, gluten, soy, and palm oil. Producing both dark and milk chocolate, there is something for everyone. Their dark chocolate is single-origin, organic, fairly-traded from Ecuador.  Their milk chocolate is single-origin, organic, and fairly-traded from the Dominican Republic with a swirling of milk. Delicious!

We tried Love Cocoa’s Sea Salt 70% Organic Dark Chocolate bar for £3.85 and loved the burst of flavour the sea salt flakes brought into the mix from Maldon Sea Salt. Love Cocoa recommends that you pair this bar with a medium-bodied red wine to bring out its notes of fruit. Next, we broke off a piece of the Gin & Tonic 70% Organic Dark Chocolate bar at £3.85. We didn’t know what to expect from this flavour and were very pleasantly surprised by the subtle hint of juniper berries, lemon and lime. Love Cocoa have taken their inspiration of flavours from one of favourite drinks and transformed it into a delicious treat... All we needed was a crisp G&T in hand.

Moving on from the dark chocolates, we nibbled on two milk chocolate bars, the first being the Crushed Coffee 37% Milk Chocolate bar for £3.85. Why not combine your mid-morning coffee with your after dinner treat? The result is a crunchy square of heaven. Love Cocoa recommends that it is paired with a smooth stout, sweet rosé, or an energising espresso. Finally, we made room for the Honeycomb & Honey 37% Milk chocolate bar at £3.85, and it was so worth it. This sticky, sweet treat is studded with glorious crunchy pieces of honeycomb all source from Barnes & Webb, a team of beekeepers who install and maintain urban beehives around London.

So put on the kettle and let these chocolates melt in your mouth! All Love Cocoa chocolates can be purchased separately or in sets here. Prices vary, there is free shipping on orders over £20.

Friday Favourites - Natural Deodorants

Summer for us at The Amazing Blog, is enjoying the sunshine, drinks on the terrace, buying new swimsuits, and lots of SPF protection. Wonderful though it is to be in Summer, currently here in the UK it's 30+ degrees, humid and very hot! Which has concentrated our thoughts on coping with the sweaty commute and being forced to get far too up-close-and-personal on the crowded tube. Why is it that some people don't use a deodorant?! This led us on to a search for effective, fragrant and natural deodorants that don't contain harmful chemicals like aluminium and parabens. We hope these three new and natural #amazingfinds will inspire you to throw out your old deodorant and try something new. 

First up is the recently launched vegan and certified organic company, Ben & Anna. Ben and Anna are a German conscientious vegan couple, who wanted to formulate their products with as many sustainable and organic sources as possible. They saw a gap in the market and decided to create their own range of unisex deodorants, all based exclusively on natural ingredients.

Ben & Anna have created seven different fragrance combinations for their deodorants, all packaged in their eco-friendly plastic-free Natural Soda Deodorant Stick Paper Tubes. Each of the deodorants contains the key ingredients of shea butter and soda. These are solid deodorants, free from aluminium compounds, vegan and cruelty-free.

We tried the Pink Grapefruit scented stick which glides effortlessly over the skin with absolutely no sticky residue. When applied to the skin, it activates the sweet citrus scent of pink grapefruit, proving to be light and fruity summer choice.  The packaging is young and stylish featuring each of the fragrance themes on each tube, all of which are coated with a natural wax. Purchase a Ben & Anna Natural Soda Deodorant Stick Paper Tube 60g here for £9.95

We now move on from the stick deodorant to a deodorant balm 'Déodorant Crème Botanique' by o.Moi Skincare. O.Moi is a Danish company founded by Kristele Sun, who sought to develop a gentle, skin-friendly range to help soothe her eczema. Every o.Moi product utilises aromatherapy and is inspired by Kristele’s experiences. For instance, some products contain neroli oil (orange blossom) because the scent reminds her of her childhood on the island of Mauritius. 

Finding the right cream deodorant can be very tricky. We've found that many of the cream deodorants were too pasty and left our underarms feeling sticky and damp. O.Moi offers a wonderful alternative. Their award-winning Beauty Shortlist  2018 Editors’ Choice  Déodorant Crème Botanique (Botanical Cream Deodorant) is made from pure, moisture-absorbing kaolin clay, to preserve dryness, and deter odour-causing bacteria. When we tried this certified organic deodorant, we found that it had a revolutionary cream-to-powder consistency. When smoothing it onto the surface of the skin, we also noticed it absorbed quickly as it released a subtle mix of essential oils.

The Botanical Cream Deodorant is composed of shea butter, grapeseed and glycerine which hydrates to protect the skin. It also encompasses tea tree, lavender, bergamot, and sweet orange oils for scent. We found that this combination leaves the skin with a clean, sweet fragrance. It is also aluminium-free and an ideal natural solution to body odour. Purchase o.Moi Skincare’s Botanical Cream Deodorant 50ml here for £23.00.

We’ve looked at German and Danish skincare companies, next up is Sweden with the beauty brand Rosenserien. Established in 1980's they are an award-winning and leading Swedish organic skincare brand, who is one of the top trailblazers in the natural and sustainable beauty sector. Rosenserien has a long-standing international fan base of environmental-friendly consumers. With a range of over thirty-five different skin and haircare products, they are all free from synthetic and animal ingredients, are vegan-friendly, and use only 100% naturally sourced ingredients.

We tried their rose-scented Deodorant Spray and were not disappointed. This was on the recommendation from our client The Beauty Shortlist, where they recently won 2018 Finalist with their Roll-on Deodorant. As you can imagine we were eager to try one of their organic deodorants. We found that the Deodorant Spray was long-lasting and had us feeling fresh throughout the day. As big fans of rose based products, we were excited by the fresh floral scent and also loved the easy action spray pump. Their organic ingredient index must be applauded too: Essential rose oil, certified and fair trade aloe vera gel, Chinese green tea, and vegetable oils. Making this product perfect for sensitive skin, it's free from parabens, aluminium, and alcohol. This Deodorant Spray will certainly be keeping us dry and smelling garden-fresh this summer. Purchase Rosenserien Deodorant Spray 100ml here for £14.00.