Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair This Weekend

Still trying to figure out when you’ll have the time to go Christmas shopping? Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair is here to help. The last fair of the year takes place just in time for everyone at The Amazing Blog offices and all of you to check off some names on your Christmas shopping list.

The vision behind Clerkenwell was a vintage ‘experience’ with traders from all over the globe. They also offer on-the-spot alterations, a vintage salon, personal shoppers, vintage style experts, resident artists, a florist and live music.

You’ll find a huge variety of products with over 50 stall holders containing designers dresses, pearl earrings, men’s silk ties, suits and pocket squares to vintage sewing patterns, haberdashery and more.

All of the traders are handpicked for selling top quality, authentic vintage, which will increase in value as time goes on; and when we say authentic vintage, we are talking about garments and accessories dating back to the 1800s. The newest accessories you will find are from the 1980s so trust us when we say that shopping at a vintage wonderland fair is the perfect way to find something that's one-of-a-kind. 

Plus, if you get tired of carrying around all of those shopping bags, you can sit down, relax and enjoy delicious food and refreshments in the English tea room.

It's about time you getting that Christmas shopping taken care of so make sure you attend Clerkenwell Vintage Fashion Fair's last fair of the year on Sunday 23rd November between 11am – 5pm. It's £4 entry or £2 with an NUS card.

The Draycott Nursing & Care Carol Service In Aid Of Canine Partners

The festive season is fast approaching, and with it comes the planning of one’s Christmas calendar. If you’re looking to do your good deed this Christmas, then join Draycott Nursing & Care Charity Carol Service to raise monies for Canine Partners.

This year’s celebrity readers joining the event are ITV’s Brideshead Revisited star Anthony Andrews, BBC’s eminent journalist Esther Rantzen and applauded opera singer Constance Novis.

The Carol Service this year will be held in the heart of Chelsea, at the Holy Trinity Church in Sloane Square, SW1X, London on Monday 15th December at 6.30pm.

The beautiful place of worship is an excellent example of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The former Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman called Holy Trinity church the ‘Cathedral of the Arts and Crafts movement’ and that indeed is what it is, containing treasures by William Morris, Edward Burne Jones, Christopher Whall, Henry Hugh Armstead, Frederick William Pomeroy among many other skilled artists of the Arts and Crafts movement.

All the funds raised during the evening will go directly to help train the assistant dogs for Canine Partners. These highly skilled dogs help a disabled person with everyday tasks and maintain their independence. These amazing dogs bring greater independence and a better quality of life by performing tasks that are difficult, painful or even impossible for their partners, such as opening and shutting doors, unloading the washing machine, picking up dropped items, pressing buttons and emergency response.

Of course, the adorable dogs will be attending the event, handing out programmes and helping people to their seats. Take a look at our video, and see if you can resist the cuddly canine companions.

It’s sure to be a wonderful Christmas celebration with everyone’s favourite carols and readings, whilst raising money for an incredibly worthy cause.

Tickets are £20 (adults), £10 (children – 12 years and under) and include festive refreshments and canapés after the service. You can buy your tickets now through the Canine Partners website. Alternatively, if you need more information, want to book tickets or make a donation, please contact at Paula Dagger on carolservice@draycottnursing.co.uk at Draycott Nursing & Care or call 0207 351 7171.

Halloween Feature

Now that Halloween is right around the corner, we at The Amazing Blog are feeling particularly festive and ready to celebrate. What better way to celebrate one of our favourite holidays than with a carefully constructed goodie bag full of spooky treats? Once we came across companies such as LUSH, Choc on Choc, SockShop and Chamilia, we now believe we’ve found the perfect products to make your holiday that much better.

First and foremost, you will need a splendid outfit for the big night. Whether you already have a costume or you are seeking the perfect accessory to top off your spooky get-up, the fashion brand SockShop has launched a new collection of Halloween inspired tights, perfect for any creepy crawly occasion. This collection consists of tights that are far from your average pair, for they are both extra smooth and pleasantly comfortable. Created out of 90% polyamide, 10% spandex and a comfy waistband—these special stockings will give you the ability to boogie down all night! The collection includes tights with a variety of creepy creatures on them, ranging as far as Black Cats to pumpkin patterns. Take a look at the Sock Shop website for the Halloween tights and other fun undergarments.

If you are looking to add a little glam to your accessory assortment, take a different approach and spice up your costume with some jewellery. In attempt to find the perfect jewels for our glamorous get-ups, we stumbled upon the Chamilia 2014 Halloween collection. Thanks to this company, our accessory anxiety has finally come to an end. The greatest thing about the Chamilia charm bracelets is that you are not obligated to wear the same jewellery everyday. If you are feeling spontaneous, you can purchase a variety of charms and switch up your look as much as you'd like. Feeling fierce? Try the Halloween Cat Eyes charm. Eager for a spookier addition to your arm party? Take the Skull Beads up for a spin. Or, if you are having trouble deciding which beads to choose, you can wear them all. The Chamilia Halloween collection includes Halloween inspired jewels of all kinds, are all available for purchase here.

Now that you have gotten all of your accessories straightened out, who doesn’t love a good treat every once and a while? Choc on Choc Halloween bars are passionate about providing a chocolate that is intricately designed, pleasing to the eye and simply delicious. This sweet snack is made from only the finest Belgian chocolate and prepared by layering chocolate on top of chocolate, making it truly unique and guaranteed to please even the pickiest trick-or-treaters. Take a look at the variety of spooky sweets this brand has to offer here. 

Finally, after a big night of trick-or-treating and getting all dressed up for this splendid holiday, it is only assumed that a long soak will be much needed by the end of the weekend. Thanks to the new LUSH Halloween collection, you can indulge in a relaxing past time while staying in the holiday spirit. Who would have thought that was even possible?

The collection contains an exciting list of bath bombs, which come in a variety of shapes, colours and sizes. Looking to add sparkle, fizz and a little extra colour to the water of your bath? Try either the Northern Light, Sparkler, or Lord of Misrule bath bombs. Each of these bombs results in a unique fizzing effect or change in bath water colour that will simply leave you in awe. If you prefer the presentation of the bomb over the effect, LUSH has you covered with a collection of bubble bars which are shaped like some of your favourite Halloween characters. This collection includes Pumpkin, Wizard and Fairy Ring bubble bars that not only add character to your bath but are simply delightful to look at. Having trouble deciding which to include for your Halloween gift exchanges? Not to worry, LUSH offers a clever Wizard Hat Gift, containing the Wizard Bubble Bar, Star Light Star Bright Bath Melt and Sparkler bath bomb. Take a look at the Halloween bath bombs along with other LUSH bath products for a variety of prices here.

Friday Favourites - Hand Lotion Feature

Winter is fast approaching and we all know what that means…dry skin! And let me tell you, nothing is worse than dry hands. Here at The Amazing Blog we make sure to keep our hands moisturised every day because hands are one of the first areas of the body to show signs of ageing. Thanks to hand lotions from Heathcote & Ivory, The Somerset Toiletry Company, Burt’s Bees,  Oskia and Boozi Body Care, we can be sure our hands will stay smooth this winter.

Originally inspired by Heathcote & Ivory, Morris & Co. created a collection of hand care treatment that works wonders on your hands. Enriched with Vitamin E, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Lemon, Aloe Extracts, Jojoba Oil and Macadamia Oil, the Shea Butter Hand Cream is easily absorbed and gives your hands a velvety feel. The Refining Hand Scrub contains Glycerin, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Luffa Fruit Power that exfoliates and softens hands. Made with Glycerin, Sunflower Seed Oil, Almond Oil, Aloe Extract, Panthenol and Vitamine E, the Cuticle and Nail Cream works to protect hands and nails. Besides the ingredients, the intricate design of these products will catch your eye and the scent is absolutely wonderful. Even when I'm not using the lotion, I'm always smelling it! You can purchase the gift set here for £15.00.

Utilising the finest ingredients and striving to deliver beautifully packaged products at an affordable price for everyone is the motto of The Somerset Toiletry Company. Its Naturally European Sage Hand Cream does just that. It is paraben and SLS free, making it perfect for sensitive skin. It also moisturises hands, nails and cuticles with its many ingredients, including shea butter and avocado oil while soothing and healing the skin. It's beautiful packaging and fresh fragrances will immediately draw you to the product. Take a visit here and make sure to choose the sage fragrance!

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I've always loved the company Burt’s Bees’ so I was excited to try the Beeswax & Banana Hand Crème, which is super rich and made with all-natural products, such as aloe vera and vitamin E. These ingredients help to moisturise dry skin and the beeswax helps to seal and shield the hands from harsh elements in the environment. Although the lotion can seem a bit heavy and greasy at first, it soon soaks into your hands and lasts all day. You can even use this on your elbows, knees and feet! Plus, who doesn’t like the smell of banana? Browse around the website, and make sure to pick up the Beeswax & Banana Hand Crème. 

Oskia Renaissance Hand Cream made the 2014 Beauty Shortlist for Best Hand Cream, which isn't a surprise. It is deliciously perfumed with the scents of chamomile and rose. A blend of Macademia Seed, Rose Canina Oils, Swiss Garden Cress, Butterbur and Shea Butter improves hydration and elasticity of the skin and evens skin tone while also reducing inflammation. Organic AHAs improve the suppleness of the skin while also removing dry and dead skin cells. Take a look at the website or purchase the Renaissance Hand Cream for £21.00.

And for those of you not ready to accept the fact that the cold weather is here to stay, Boozi Body Care has the answer. With its set of hand lotions, Boozi Body Care has combined the fruit blends of cocktails with moisturising ingredients, allowing customers to enjoy something fresh and fun. You can now sit in front of the fire with the smell of your favourite cocktail surrounding you and pretend you're back on the beach. Check out the website and buy some lotions with a twist for you, your family or friends!

Each product has its own unique set of ingredients, fragrances, and packaging, so be sure to browse the websites and decide which set of hand lotion would work best for you. We guarantee you will fall in love with at least one of them!

Friday Favourites - Home Fragrance Feature

Here at The Amazing Blog we know how much of an impact the smell of a room can have on the overall atmosphere it provides. Whether it be a candle, a spray or a diffuser, we feel that the way a space smells directly affects the attitudes of the people in it. That being said, to assist you in creating the perfect atmosphere for your space, we have complied a list of some of our top three home fragrances. After hours spent drifting away into a fragrance induced trance, we’ve decided True Grace Room Sprays, Gli Oli and Illumens are the prefect brands that will keep your home and office smelling just delightful.

First, we tried out two sprays from True Grace. The Seashore – No.26 spray is a very light and fresh fragrance. Seashore, as the name suggests, is designed to provoke happy memories of the seaside. With Moss and Amber base notes, the earthy scent is easily detected but is then balanced with geranium and neroli top notes. In complete contrast, the company also provides the scent of Black Lilly – No. 31. This product will give off more of a dark, heady fragrance, rich in ingredients such as Vanilla, Amber, White Pepper and Jasmine. Although this may seem like an unusual mix, it makes the scent diverse and perfect for cosy nights during the colder months.

Made in the UK, True Grace room sprays are unusual and diverse, and here at The Amazing Blog we can’t get enough.

Both Black Lily – No. 31 and Seashore – No. 26 are available for purchase here. 

Next on our list is a company that has truly perfected the art of scent. Gli Oli sent us their Patchouli diffuser, providing our office with a gorgeous blend of Patchouli, Frankinscense, Ylang – Ylang, Cypress and Sweet Orange. Traditionally used in Asia, this heady fragrance has a sweet yet musky aroma which is ultimately cosy, giving the scent warmth and making it ideal for the winter as well. Though the key note within the diffuser is patchouli (as the name suggests), the ylang-ylang acts as a bridge between the spicy and strong mixed fragrances that the diffuser contains, creating a refreshing, fruity, and spicy scent. What an excellent combination!

You can purchase the Patchouli diffuser here for £45. Other Gli Oli products are offered in a large selection of various scents here as well.

Not as familiar with the spray or diffuser fragrance techniques? Not to worry, because we received a candle from the Illumens Winter Collection, and needless to say…it was indeed like Christmas in October!

We burned the Juniper & Spruce candle in our office for about six hours, and the smell never faded. Each time we re-entered the room, we were reminded of how blissful the experience of burning a Illumens candle can truly be.

Though we received the Juniper & Spruce candle, Illumens also offers the Votive Candle Set, complete with Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Fig and Ginger. No matter what kind of scent you are looking for, this package will provide endless fragrance opportunities for your space.

Visit the Illumens website here and browse their delightful collection!