Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser

When looking for a new exfoliating foaming cleanser I wanted something that was a bit on the fruitier side, so I asked one of my beauty expert friends what she would recommend. Without hesitation she recommend Suki Exfoliating Foaming Cleanser - my skincare routine may now be changed forever. As all our readers know, we here at The Amazing Blog are bona fide product junkies who love to try everything and after trying Suki it clearly stood out from traditional products.

The Suki Cleanser cannot only be used in one or two different ways, but three! I was instantly hooked. This foaming cleanser has a strong lemon scent to it and when I gently rubbed it on my face; the combination of sugars and water intensified the exfoliation of my skin. The second way that I could use this scrub, is as a direct exfoliator on the skin without the use of water. I only use this when I have had a tough and grimy day; usually after an intense run or workout to really clear my pores. Lastly you can also use this exfoliating cleanser as a mask to kill all redness in your face and inflammation. After around ten minutes, it leaves my skin glowing, smooth, and soft! What makes this skin exfoliater so unique is the deep cleansing alpha hydroxyl acid, which is all natural sugar and has a touch of citric acid – which gives off the lemon scent.

I would highly suggest the Suki Exfoliating Foaming cleanser to anyone looking for a new facial routine. This 3 in 1 foaming cleanser really does the trick for all skin types and skin care regimes. Why not start a new skincare routine with this brilliant multi-purpose  Suki Exfoliating Foaming Cleanser and for only  £22.

Gatineau - MELATOGENINE AOX PROBIOTICS™ Skincare

How to look after my complexion was taught to me from a very early age.  My Mother would despair of me, as I sneaked into her bedroom, then sit at her dressing table and open jars of her extremely expensive creams then randomly smear them all over my face.  My curiosity was (and still is) overwhelming. And as you can imagine her array of colourful bottles and jars on the dressing table were the height of temptation, where I just had to open and try each and every one of them! Exasperated, my Mother decided there and then that I was ready, at the tender age of 6, to have my very first ‘beauty lesson’. What I particularly remember was the great variety of textures and fragrances which really heightened my senses. So when I smelt the selection of Gatineau  products that were very kindly sent to us at The Amazing Blog; it instantly took me on a trip down memory lane. As you see, Gatineau was my Mother’s favourite brand and the very first pot of face cream that I ever tried… For those of you who don’t know the Gatineau brand, it has a very established heritage and was founded by Jeanne Gatineau in 1930’s. It has many cosmetic breakthroughs to its name and it is particularly renowned for setting a precedent and for being the ‘first’ to: (1) Launch slimming creams with iodides, (2) to do skin type profiling, (3) creating a revolutionary breast firming treatment packaged in ampules and (4) to use collagen as an anti-ageing ingredient. This is quite some record.

I’m currently trialling their award-wining anti-ageing MELATOGENINE™ range which has a unique triple defence system. Containing the ever powerful anti-oxidants and probiotics which are there to intensively moisturise, protect and balance the skin and help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.  It is ideally for 30+ age group – ‘to preserve youthful appearance’ I am using the face cream MELATOGENINE™ Aox Probiotics Advanced Rejuvenating cream which I love. It one of the more powerful skincare products from this range and probably better suited to the 40+ as it more about ‘repair’ than ‘preserve’. It has a wonderful consistency, very luxurious and rich. It has really helped to plump-up my skin which in the current weather conditions has recently taken a real beating and been quite dry and fragile. Ingredients include Biotechnological Micro-Seaweed extract for firming and toning, Pro-firmness Peptide for restructuring and refining the skin, Mother-of-Pearl Pigments + AHA derivative for restoring radiance.  I have certainly noticed  that when if I’m looking tired, by applying this cream, it definitely gives me an instant radiance and ‘uplift’. I’m also loving the gentle fragrance too - so I’m hooked. I’ve also been using MELATOGENINE™ Aox Probiotics Advanced Rejuvenating Eye Concentrate which offers fantastic protection and reduction of puffiness around the eye area. It’s also fabulously cooling and soothing – great for either end of the day. It also contains the Biotechnological Micro-Seaweed extract, Pro-firmness Peptides too but also has the addition of Hyaluronic acid (which as we all know helps to moisturise and reduce the appearance of wrinkles) and the Saccharomyces extract to help diminish the appearance of dark circles. I’ve then been alternating this with their Eye Concentrate with the MELATOGENINE™ Aox Probiotics Essential Eye Corrector for days that I’ve been burning the candle at both ends. It’s enriched with Marine Collagen and Prickly Pear extract which particularly helps to fill in wrinkles. Whereas the other key ingredient of Horse Chestnut extract aids the eradication of dark circles. So with this Eye Corrector all you need is just a pin head around the orbital bone/eye socket. It is great for regeneration and for helping to return my tired skin around the eye area back to how it should be…

With all these products from Gatineau I’m very happy to report that they’re not tested on animals (recent EU ruling), contain no parabens (a very big one for me!) And silicone-free.  Although they are quite pricey I see them as a worthwhile investment. In fact you only have to have a quick peak at the QVC website to see all the glowing reviews  to know this brand is worth every penny.

Therapie - Himalayan Detox Bath Salts

I owe a big thank you to my dear friend Fiona at The Beauty Shortlist who yet again, first introduced me to another new brand Therapie  (in fact the Himalayan Detox Bath Salts won The Beauty Shortlist ‘Best Bath Salts 2013 Award’). So you can imagine how thrilled we were when they arrived at The Amazing Blog for us to try. We unanimously concluded that this is a very special brand indeed.  Michelle Roques O’Neil is the name behind the brand (and also hailed by Vogue as one of their top 10 aromatherapists) and what we love is that she is very passionate about all her products.

In fact, each of her products are lovingly hand-blended and designed to help us all create more ‘me time’. They are truly nurturing. Perfect for those of you, who like me, are time poor, on the go and constantly clock watching. When I first used these extraordinary Himalayan Detox  Bath Salts in my bath at the end of the day, I quite literally felt like I’d ‘washed away’ my everyday tensions and stress -  it was glorious. The pink mineral salts are instantly effective by drawing out physical toxins and helping your body find an equilibrium.  These Himalayan Detox Bath Salts contain a combination of genuine Himalayan Salts, Geranium, Rosewood, Patchouli, Lavender, Juniperberry Lemongrass, Grapefruit and powdered Amethyst. All of these ingredients are designed to work together balancing  pH levels and the positive and negative ions.  I also used these Detox Bath Salts in conjunction with the rather wonderful Cherish skin repair body serum  which Fiona from The Beauty Shortlist also recommended. It has an exotic sweet floral fragrance with Ylang Ylang paired with soft, green Rose Geranium illuminated with sweet fresh citrus notes and a dusky hint of Musk. It has revitalising, healing and skin boosting essential oils, all of which help to condition, repair and protect.  The end result is fabulously toned and lustrous skin. Totally delicious!

So, if you too have been run-ragged all week and are in need of some serious revitalisation then I cannot recommend these Therapie products highly enough. Each of Michelle Roques-O’Neil’s products are specifically developed for the body and you’re in for a big treat not only physically but also mentally. After just one bath and body treatment I promise that you’ll sleep like a baby! We are very fortunate to offer a limited time discount code for the Himalayan  Detox Salts 500gm pouch. Simply enter AMZ20 and receive 20% OFF the retail price. This discount begins today and is valid through the 30th of June. While the discount only applies to the 500gm pouch their other products are surely well worth the price. The Himalayan Detox Salts are also available in a stonking big 400ml jar for£35.00 and the Cherish Skin Repair Serum  is £42 for a generous  200ml bottle - both available here. 

Beetox Skincare

If there's something I choose (and love) to spend my money on it's skincare. Make-up is secondary for me and quite different. My colour cosmetics stash is reasonable, I wear the same look almost everyday, and to be honest I like that... even though the amount of lipsticks that I own should be banned - I tend to forget that I only have one pair of lips, not 50. However, skincare is something that I only really discovered and appreciated about a year ago since working at Amazing PR. And right now, I'd rather wear no make-up and have good skin than having average skin and wear the most amazing blue-toned red lipstick (my fave shade of lipstick). We should all take care of our skin, after all it is the largest organ of the body and we only have one face. So in my view taking care of your skin should be a priority.

Working in the Beauty PR industry has given me the chance to try many products.  Although, there are really very few that I can actually see and feel a difference on my skin. At The Amazing Blog we've been fortunate enough to work very closely with UK skincare brand Beetox. UMF20+ Manuka Honey and Bee Venom based - beautiful ingredients and definite winners.

Their range consists of a Moisturiser, a Mask and a Serum. The Moisturiser's consistency is thick and smells heavenly. It's probably one of the most luxurious moisturisers that I've ever used,  it's instantly absorbed by my perpetually dehydrated skin  plumping it up and making it feel very soft.  It moisturises my skin beautifully and leaves it feeling very comfortable and ready for applying my foundation. The Serum's consistency is somewhere between a gel and a liquid. When applied to the skin it gently tingles and I can feel my skin tighten instantly (not that I need it, I'm in my middle twenties...) don't get me wrong this feeling is a very pleasant one indeed. And the Mask... is my favourite product of all, it  really purifies and delivers moisture back into my skin making it the perfect combination with the Serum for my particular tricky (and temperamental) skin type.

I must mention with a word of caution that  Beetox does warn all their potential customers about possible adverse reaction to their products. So do bear in mind that one of the main ingredients about this range is Bee Venom (along with their powerful UMF20+ Manuka Honey); so if you're unluckily enough to have an allergy to bee stings please stay away from this skincare savour. None of us at the office are so we've all added Beetox's products to our regular skincare routines.

You can buy Beetox skincare from their website. Follow them on Twitter, and 'Like' them on Facebook.

Retail prices are: Face Mask £55, Moisturiser £39 and Serum £45. You can also buy the 'Multi Set', which includes three products for £139.

Eve of St. Agnes - Organic Bath Oil & Exfoliating Polish

One of my all time favourite poems is "Eve of St. Agnes" by British poet, John Keats. The very romance of it has always appealed to me. So naturally, when a box from a brand called “Eve of St. Agnes” came through the doors of The Amazing Blog, I instantly claimed it. We received both an Organic Bath Oil as well as a Refining Bamboo Exfoliating Polish - I couldn’t wait to try them.

I started with the Organic Bath Oil. This oil contains a luxurious mix of organic avocado, hemp and coconut oils as well as orange, green mandarin, cardamom and frankincense essential oils. Once I poured two capfuls into my running bath, I was instantly hit with the strong smell of each oil's fragrance. I must admit, it was slightly over powering at first, but once I settled in I was taken away into a warming, uplifting and decadent bath time experience. Although next time, I think I’ll stick to the recommended single capful.

After my relaxing bath, I continued my evening pamper with the Refining Bamboo Exfoliating Polish. I am always hesitant using an exfoliator because of my sensitive skin, so I approached this polish with caution.  Initially, I found the polish to be a bit rough, but after gently massaging it in I became quite fond of the texture. And after rinsing it off I was left with smooth and silky soft skin.  Not to mention the smell of orange, green mandarin and sandalwood helped me relax for the evening.

With a magnificent blend of essential oils and some inspiration from one of England’s finest poets, I think we can call this a winner.  Available on the Eve of St. Agnes Website, you can purchase the Organic Bath Oil for £16 and  Refining Bamboo Exfoliating Polish for £18 as well as a wide variety of other skincare and body products.