New Collagen Supplement Drink by Calla-Coll

At The Amazing Blog we believe in the saying: “When you put good in, you get good out," so when we received the new collagen supplement drink Calla-Coll that contains peptides and hyaluronic acid too, we were interested to put it to the test. Skincare professional, Lynne Baker from Calla Salon, has worked hard for the past five years to create this high-potency drink with the help of a specialist lab in Sweden using bovine collagen. 

As we age, our body naturally slows down its production of collagen. Soon enough we begin to see fine lines on our skin and start to feel achy in our joints and that’s when we know we need to take action. Calla-Coll is expertly formulated using the best ingredients to ensure our nails, skin, hair, joints and our overall body is functioning as it should be. The formula is also enriched with essential vitamins C, B5, B6, B7 and B12 and the key ingredient: Type I and Type II bovine collagen, which is sourced from organic, free-range, grass fed and non-GMO cattle in Brazil. Together, these ingredients rejuvenate your body from the inside; giving you the energy you need to work through your busy day. The liquid formula makes it simple to take before you head out the door in comparison to most powder formulas that are difficult to fully mix.

The sweet berry flavour makes it enjoyable to take a shot on its own, but it can always be added to your favourite fruit smoothie. We added it to our banana and vanilla protein drink in the morning. We think that you need to take this supplement for three months before seeing visible results, we only had twenty days supply, although our executive editor did notice a little more mobility in her joints. This supplement comes in a neat 500ml plastic bottle with a separate small measuring cap. All you need is 25ml a day to help keep your body looking and feeling younger. Calla-Coll is available for purchase here for £45.

Hawkins & Brimble Limited Edition Gift Set

Grooming is just as important for men, as it is for women and here at The Amazing Blog, we are always thrilled to share our brilliant new finds, as more and more male grooming products pop up. That’s why we wanted to share the Hawkins & Brimble Limited Edition Gift Set with all of you. Every man has their regular grooming routine with shaving or just to keep their facial hair in check.  Hawkins & Brimble makes it so easy with this go-to Gift Set, whether you're just getting into serious grooming or are a seasoned professional - it has something for everyone. This UK based brand was founded in 2016 and specialises in breathing new life into long-lost traditional grooming routines. It's all about inspiring men to embrace their 'grooming game' so that they can look and feel more confident and sophisticated; all with a delicious touch of edgy playfulness. They rather aptly say: 'After all, an investment in your appearance will always pay off'. 

The first essential in the kit is the Pre-Shave Scrub, which buffs away dead skin cells and soothes the skin in preparation for a close shave. As the brand takes a natural approach to grooming, this product thankfully uses walnut shells instead of microbeads (which are now banned in the UK). Combined with sweet almond oil the Pre-Shave Scrub isn't too harsh on the skin and helps to maintain your skin's moisture.

The Gift Set also comes with Hawkins & Brimble's Shaving Cream, which is crucial to getting the smoothest and closest shave possible. We enjoyed the delicate fragrance of Elemi and Ginseng because it rejuvenated our senses and left us feeling refreshed. We felt quite professional applying it with the Shaving Brush that is also included. We found that damping the Shaving Brush with warm water and then lathering on the Shaving Cream with it worked wonders. This way, every facial hair got coated and our skin was perfectly prepared for a close shave.

The Post-Shave Balm is up next with a blend of olive and almond oil and cocoa that ensures the skin is well nourished without any irritation or redness. We've been using it as our daily moisturiser, even if we didn't shave, as it is gentle on the skin and also helps to hydrate it throughout the day.

The Beard Oil is perfect for men sporting the full beard who need to maintain soft and strong facial hair. Formulated with argan oil, olive oil and shea butter it benefits the skin as well as facial hair. The oils work to keep your beloved beard soft, thick and strong while shea butter pampers the skin underneath.

Every product is free from parabens, mineral oils, colourants, and is cruelty-free, so there is no compromise on looking your best! The Hawkins & Brimble Limited Edtion Gift Set is available to purchase here for £49.95.

Eleni and Chris Bio-Cellulose Age Renewal Face and Eye Mask

As regular readers of The Amazing Blog will know, we're big advocates of Scandinavian skincare. Today we're featuring the latest #amazingfind from one of our favourite the beauty brand Eleni and Chris. They were kind enough to send us their brand new revolutionary Bio-Cellulose Age Renewal Face and Eye Masks to try. Which of course, contain the purest Scandinavian ingredients to help give our skin the extra love and care it deserves. In the past, we've enjoyed using their other masks: Glow, Hydrate and Detox Sincell Face Masks. So it's safe to say we had high expectations for these new Age Renewal Masks. 

The first key skin-loving ingredient found in both the Face and Eye Mask is the Cloudberry extract. This powerhouse ingredient increases cell production by 22% within 24 hours, which in turn encourages the skin to be noticeably smoother, plumping up any wrinkles or fine lines. The Scandinavian Glacier Water used in these masks is carefully sourced from remote mountainous regions for its purity. This ingredient helps to maintain osmotic balance for more refreshed and invigorated skin. The Caviar extract here is essential to improving the elasticity of skin, which significantly helps to reduce the signs of ageing. These luxurious masks are perfect for every skin type; what we particularly like is that they don’t use any perfumes, preservatives or mineral oils which typically irritate the skin. We used these masks 1-2 times a week before bed for around 15-20 minutes, making sure to massage all the pampering liquid ingredients into our skin afterwards. The effect resulted in a firmer (NB: Not tighter!) more moisturised complexion, we really liked the way it made our skin look and feel.

The Bio-Cellulose Age Renewal Face Masks are available here for €19 each, or you can purchase a 6-pack here for €95. The Eye Masks are available here for €8 each or you can purchase a 6-pack here for €44.

Strictly Come Dancing Dazzle Shimmering Mist by Norvell

While summer is not quite here yet, all winter we've been diligently keeping up with our self-tanning routine. Here at The Amazing Blog, being 'pale and interesting' is not our thing! When the sun shines, we like to have a bit of a tan as it makes all the difference to how we feel. So we were happy to discover a product that helps to boost our skin tone and give us even more of a summer glow: Norvell’s Strictly Come Dancing Dazzle Shimmering Mist. This product is just perfect for adding that little bit extra glitz to our skin. If you are new to Norvell, they are a professional tanning brand from the US that has also created a selection of high-quality retail tanning products.

For those of you who don't know, Strictly Come Dancing is a television dance competition on BBC Worldwide and Norvell is appointed as their official tanning brand. Norvell provides professional tanning for all the dancers and celebrities on the show. In June 2017, Norvell released their Strictly Come Dancing Sunless Collection licensed by BBC Worldwide. This retail range helps to create the same bronzed look as the dancers on the show, all in the comfort of your own home. This award-winning tanning line includes four products, all of which are appropriately named; Show Stopper, Perfect 10, Dazzle and Perfection. These help you to look dance floor ready with glowing tanned skin and the additon of an incredibly fine sparkle. 

After testing out the Dazzle Shimmering Mist we really liked how it gave us a great glistening finish that when the light caught our limbs, they looked luminous and absolutely flawless! This Shimmering Mist has a light consistency and comes in a handy 59ml spray bottle which delivers a fast drying and even cover.  It has a wonderful coconut and pina colada fragrance and is infused with water and aloe vera leave juice. Like us you can apply the mist to your body to upgrade your tan or just spray it on to give a bit of extra every day glamour. We also suggest lightly spraying Dazzle Shimmering Mist on your hair to help create more sheen and brilliance giving a really head turning look.  We applaud Dazzle Shimmering Mist for also being paraben, sulphate, gluten free and 100% vegan. You can purchase the Strictly Come Dancing Dazzle Shimmering Mist by Norvell here for £9.99.

The Caribbean Collection by All That Jazz

Here at The Amazing Blog, our current 'go-to' brand for all things nail care is All That Jazz. We're also happy to report that the only independent and international beauty awards, The Beauty Shortlist certainly seems to agree with us too. In March this year,  they awarded All That Jazz the much sought after title of ‘Best Nail Brand 2018’. Recently we have written about some of our favourite products from the brand like their Cuticle Oil, Cuticle Balm & Bee Bar Lotion here; as well as their Hand and Foot Scrub, Effervescent Soak and Hand and Foot Cream here. However, we were thrilled to be able to try out their latest Spring/Summer range, a set of four coloured professional nail lacquers from the Caribbean Collection. We're happy to say that they absolutely lived up to the other high quality products, that we already know and love from All That Jazz.

With our much anticipated summer just around the corner (ahem, well the clocks did go forward!) We wanted to give our nails a pop of colour to remind us that summer warmth is coming soon. The colours in the Caribbean Collection allow you to take your nails on their own mini tropical break with these four vibrantly coloured lacquers. The ‘Don’t be a Jerky’ shade is a blazing orange that gives nails a fiery passion. The ‘Caribbean Queen’ shade is a rich magenta that will make you feel like royalty. The ‘Patty Cake' shade is a lovely turquoise that reminds us of the ocean. And finally, the ‘Jamaican Me Crazy’ shade is a sparkling pink/orange colour that is sure to turn heads.

These lacquers offer full coverage with only two coats. When applied to the nail, they are quick drying and leave a smooth glossy finish. What sets this brand apart is that as these nail lacquers are specifically formulated for nail technicians and professionals, with top quality formulas which last. We  were so happy to find that it stayed on for over 7 days without chipping! We just can't wait to use these hard-wearing lacquers to flaunt our colourful toes and walk barefoot on a sandy beach. However, before application, we highly recommend using their Base Line (base coat) to aid and protect the natural nail from peeling and discolouration. And to finish by using the fast drying Top Note (top coat) which will give the final touches to your super shiny and long-lasting mani-pedi.  

Whether you are actually heading to the tropics on holiday or like us can only day dream… You can purchase the Caribbean Collection here for £29.98.