Pure Lochside - Capsule Collection

Here at The Amazing Blog we know how it feels to be faced with a particular beauty dilemma especially when pushed for space on packing for that weekend away. We've all experienced that heart-racing anxiety that sets in at the prospect of having to abandon our trusty skincare staples all due to lack of space. Well, we're very happy to report that premium Scottish brand, Pure Lochside  has come up with a summer solution with their very handy Lochside Capsule Collection.

The Lochside Capsule Collection, contains 5 therapeutic, 100% plant oil infused products, that are perfect for that weekend away or a two day music festival. Not only does it contain some of Lochside’s best products but also a muslin cloth to help you to administer your regime efficiently and swiftly. Designed to be used on the go, but without a loss of quality, this regenerating, organic-rich collection will boost your skin and leave it nourished, luminous and glowing, regardless of where you’re holidaying. The kit contains the Organic Orange Cleansing Oil 15ml which is rich in vitamin E and removes all mascara and eye makeup, the Pure Face Serum 15ml, a regenerating serum designed to keep skin luminous and glowing. As well as the Orange and Echinacea Toner 3ml as a refreshing final step to hydrate the skin and impart an uplifting aroma (it can also be used as an aftershave for male travel companions).

Our favourite was the Organic Skin Refiner 3ml which exfoliates and doubles as a hydrating mask with Organic Scottish Oats for a natural, gentle scrub. For the extra sensitive skins, the Soothe Daily Face Oil 3ml is gentle yet rejuvenating, and uses Rose, and Neroli essential oils. It has Calendula, Chamomile and High Altitude Lavender, to soothe and nourish irritated skin, such the type that arises from heat exposure.

A the winner of many beauty awards, the Lochside Capsule Collection is perfect for travellers and revellers alike. Best of all you won’t have to worry about roughing it (at least when it comes to your skin) on trips away. The Capsule Collection can be purchased here for £48.50

St Kitts Herbery - Rosemary & Bergamot

Here at The Amazing Blog we love beauty, especially when it’s home grown. So when niche beauty brand St Kitts Herbery sent us a Rosemary and Bergamot gift set to test out, we were all very curious to try them out.

Together with St Kitts Herbery's wonderful Rosemary & Bergamot range, also came their rather special Clay Face Mask.There’s something very charming about products which include a selection of local scented flowers and plants from their area and we also love the way that their Rosemary & Bergamot is home grown too. When they arrived, the scent of the products radiated through the packaging, which made us even more excited to dive in. The shower gel and shampoo used together made showering a flowery delight, and by using the body lotion in tandem too meant that we found that the fragrance lasted even longer... As for the clay face mask, most people are aware of the positive effect of clay on skin but may only ever get the chance to use it in situ if on a holiday excursion in the Red Sea. Now with St Kitts' help, the natural clay facial experience can be recreated in your very own bathroom. The mask has a lovely thick texture, which soaks into the skin and when left on for the recommended time of 10 minutes, leaves it feeling silky soft and refreshed. To think that St Kitts Herbery began life in 2001, with just £2000 and as old truck-stop style cafe in Cornwall, but has since evolved into a gorgeous beauty brand offering perfectly natural yet luxurious products is a very inspirational story indeed.  Certainly their hard work is now reflected in these products and if you’re after something 100% British, natural  and with a luxurious feel then St Kitts Herbery is a must!

The Rosemary & Bergamont Luxury Gift Set and Clay Face Mask can be purchased here for £11.95 each, along with various other delights.

Baylis & Harding - Great Body Range

Here at The Amazing Blog we love new and exciting skincare products, so when Baylis & Harding sent us their new Great Body range, we couldn't wait to try it out!

Baylis & Harding’s new 5 step Great Body products encompass all the steps of the shower routine, to leave you smooth, silky and smelling amazing! A different look for Baylis & Harding, the 5 step products show they really do mean business, and don't just smell gorgeous. The first step is the Great Body in-shower Body Polish with coconut oil, geranium and vitamin B. Simply scrub all over to remove any dead cells and other impurities whilst brightening and scenting the skin. Secondly, the Body Wash with glycerin acts as an ultra moisturiser for the skin, locking in moisture and keeping skin smooth. The elderflower and meadowsweet extracts give the product a sweet, summery smell which I found lingered for hours. The third step is the Body Lotion, which has the exciting new Tego Smooth 48 hr moisturiser, which contains active ingredients which when coupled with the amino acids, ensures maximum moisture retention, leaving skin unbelievably soft. The penultimate step in the process is the Firming Cream which uses a blend of herbal actives from India to firm and sculpt the skin. Now we're nearly there! Finally, the Body Mist adds the finishing touch to the process. It contains elderflower to soothe and meadowsweet just like the second step which ties all the steps together whilst cooling the skin, leaving you feeling cleansed, soft and delicious!

All together, it may seem like a long process, but once a week, on a Sunday night for example, it will leave you feeling silky smooth and refreshed for the coming week! I received many compliments on the smell that the products left, priced at only £6 each, it’s a small price to pay, so treat yourself. All the Baylis & Hardings products featured above  are available through the Amazon website here.

HayMax – Allergy Balms

It’s that time of the year again, and the allergies are in full force! We at the Amazing Blog were struggling with our allergies this season until HayMax sent us their awesome allergy balms! HayMax is a natural organic balm that is applied to the rim of the nostrils. It has been proven to reduce dust and pet allergens, and more than a third of pollen from entering the body. You can choose from four varieties of HayMax: Pure, Aloe Vera, Lavender and Frankincense. It is made from a blend of beeswax and seed oils, to which they add essential oils or aloe vera leaf juice extracts to create three additional varieties from original version.

HayMax is 100% natural, organic and drug free, so it’s safe for children and pregnant and breastfeeding women to use. It supports 3 different charities related to allergies including Allergy UK, Anaphylaxis Campaign, and Action Against Allergy (AAA). Also, HayMax’s website, which can be accessed here (http://haymax.biz/), has a great Allergy Guide which gives more information about different kinds of allergies and how to manage them.

Get your own HayMax here and keep those allergies away! Each balm is £6.99 for a 5 ml tub.

Friday Favourites - Sun Products with SPF

With yet another unpredictable English summer upon us, here at The Amazing Blog we were anxious to find something to protect our skin from the sun, should it choose to come out! So, we decided to give some of the newest and most exciting products with SPF on the market a test run.

First off was the Green People Sun Lotion. A Beauty Bible award winner for ultimate natural product, Green People never use no harsh chemicals (82% of ingredients are organic) and 10 per cent of profit is donated to the Marine Conservation Society charity, making them an ethical role model.  Although it only has a 25 SPF factor and a medium coverage rating, it is designed to be kind to sensitive skin, so could be perfect for olive skin individuals who still suffer from sensitivity from time to time, like myself. This product is an environmental triumph, as well as being good to skin. At only £18.95 from the Green People website, it’s a reasonable price compared to some alternatives and does a whole lot of good at the same time.

Another unique product we tried was The Sun Mousse. A unique brand, they have products for both adults and children. We sampled the 30 SPF, 6 hour protection, water resistant product and were amazed. I was originally apprehensive about how much to use but the mousse comes out moderately slowly so don’t panic about explosions of fast foaming mousse! It rubs in quickly and feels so light on the skin; the oily thick feel that most creams have is a thing of the past.  So the fact that The Sun Mousse, goes on quickly, easily and without fuss or frills, helps to remove all moaning from small people  desperate to get into the pool or sea. The six hour protection also means children (and adults) can run, jump and play in the sun without worry. If maximum protection is your biggest worry then this mousse is perfect. Easy application, maximum protection. It’s available here, from the Sun Mousse website for £19.99.

For some variation, we also tried the Resultime CC Cream from Collin Paris. CC creams or colour corrector creams are a relatively new concept to the make-up world. They are designed to even out skin pigmentation and leave a flawless finish. Unlike the other products we tried, this CC cream also has anti-aging elements. The vitamin E also helps to improve skin moisture and the SPF 30 rating ensures you’re protected from the sun all day long. The product is light and goes onto the skin beautifully. It comes in two skin shades, natural and golden they blend so well that they are suitable for almost any skin tone. If you’re searching for something lighter than foundation for the summer months this CC cream could be the perfect product. The Resultime CC creams are available here £35.50 each.

We also tried one of the hero products from Murad, Essential C Sun Balm is a stick application sun cream with an SPF of 35. Although this isn’t the maximum protection it still offers adequate cover, as well as hydrating the skin. The roll-on stick nature of the product is definitely its unique selling point. The quality and versatility is demonstrated by its 2013 Shape Sun Award. It makes it super easy to apply, especially to the face, with no worries of using too much or staining clothes like some liquid creams. With extracts of broccoli for UV protection and tangerine butter for moisture as well as being anti-animal testing, Murad’s Essential C Sun Balm ticks all the boxes for the perfect face and neck sun cream. The cream is available here for £19.50.

The final product in our sun feature is the Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 45. This unique product comes in the form of a brush on sun protector for immediate, any time UVA/UVB sun-protection. This product is so versatile, acting as a bronzer/powder concealer as it creates the illusion of smooth radiant skin, whilst also offering a level of sun cream protection. So, if you still keep up your make-up routine on holiday, this touch up powder is perfect. It also helps prevent sunburn, skin damage, freckling and uneven discoloration, leaving you flawless but protected. The Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 45 is available through Salon Skincare here in the UK for £17.60