Codex Beauty – Bia Skin Superfood

Here at The Amazing Blog we’re always on the search for new and innovative products, particularly ones that will hopefully live up to our high expectations! One of our recent #amazingfinds is the Irish brand Codex Beauty, which has a collection of organic skincare that combines both science and nature.

Created by Irish herbal scientist, Tracey Ryan, who has combined Irish botanicals free from harmful chemicals with her latest cutting edge scientific technology. With Ireland’s small population and low level of pollution, a little known fact is that it has the highest proportion of natural vegetation in Europe, where plants grow rich and robust ready to use in Codex’s ingredients. What impressed us is that Codex are mindful of sustainability as well as what materials they use with their COSMOS-certified formulas.  So it’s good to know that their tubes made from plant-based polyethylene  (PE) materials; paper is sourced from sustainably managed forests for their cartons, which have renewable fibre certified by the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

Knowing all this, we were excited to try their hero product Bia Skin Superfood. This organic plant-based product that has undergone pharmaceutical grade processing made with their BiaComplex™ and has already been through lots of efficiency trials too. Bia Skin Superfood is recommended for face, hands and body cream targets dry, flakey or any area which has irritation. Key ingredients are calendula and immortelle botanicals which both have incredible anti-inflammatory properties to help firm, soothe and protect the gentle layer of skin. The other ingredients are marshmallow, heart’s ease and comfrey which moisturise, offer protection and help to rejuvenate the dermis.

Unusually fragranced with the herbaceous immortelle (a subtly sweet and honey-like fragrance) what we particularly like is that this cream is gentle enough to be used on skin conditions such as rosacea, eczema psoriasis or sunburn. So, if you’re travelling and only have room for one cream – make it this one,  at 75ml it will fit snuggly into your clear plastic bag for carry-on.  It’s also vegan and cruelty-free cream comes in an elegant green tube at the retail price of £48 here.

BREW//LDN – Beer Festival

With the new year here, it’s time to put yourself out there and part takes in some new activities and perhaps even pick up a skill or two on the way. After all, New Year new you right? Here at The Amazing Blog we researched and found an event to kick start your year in a fun, active and entertaining way! We’d like to introduce to you Brew//LDN.

Brew//LDN is an exciting beer festival on from the 27th – 29th February, 2020 at The Old Truman Brewery, London, showcasing the world’s best brewers, quality street food and a fantastic music programme. It is going to bring together three distinct aspects i.e. Brew//BEER, Brew//MUSIC and Brew//KITCHEN to give you the perfect start to your weekend.

At Brew// BEER is represented by the people who make craft beers, so you can meet and hear their story. With over 150 brewers, cider and spirit producers exhibiting you are sure to see old favourites and discover new ones and enjoy your day as you dance away all your worries while deeply relishing the perfect pint. It supports independents, ethical direction, promBeerotion of diversity in brewing, and we think will be a leading event in the UK beer calendar for years to come.

However, the fun won’t be complete with the sound of your favourite tunes.  Brew//MUSIC is all about the party, and they pride themselves on working with some great talent to create the right backdrop for their festival and giving you melodies to shake your hips and bob your head to.

Lastly, as a part of Brew//KITCHEN, they aim to bring together 8 gourmet street food vendors and 6 carefully selected premium drinks partners to your tummies nice and full as you load up on pint after pint. Brew//KITCHEN collaborates the very best of food and drink for your enjoyment. Missing out on this fun-filled and exciting event will haunt you until the end of time thus, go over to their official website to purchase your tickets online before they all sell out! The prices range from £11.28 to £28. See here.

Dermasynergy Professional Skincare - Synergy Balm

With the seasonal changes, our skin can be dry or even flaky, that’s why we at The Amazing Blog like to keep an emergency multi-balm always to hand, especially for these chilly months! So we were very happy to discover Derma Synergy Professional Skincare who has their Synergy Balm a professional healing balm that has a multitude of uses.

Ideal for dry and sensitive skin, it’s 100% natural, this Balm targets tired prematurely ageing skin in need of repair, restoration and rehydration.  One of its key ingredients is blackcurrant seed extract, a powerful natural antioxidant tool that regenerates damaged skin cells. A little-known fact for you, in the Second World War, parents would make their children drink blackcurrant juice due to its high concentration in vitamin C and its ability to prevent scurvy. The other ingredients also serve useful purpose including vitamin E contributing to neutralising free radicals (which lead to premature skin ageing) and marula extract which works on increasing skin hydration and elasticity.  The frankincense oil stimulates the growth of new cells and can reduce inflammation and acne scarring. We also like that this Balm has mango butter which is a natural vitamin A source and is effective in treating trickier skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.

It’s a waxy consistency that warms up in the fingertips making application easy, leaving no excess; we’ve been using it on lips and hands (nails in particular). It comes in two sizes and we were lucky enough to receive both. The 15ml tin is £9.99 here which fits neatly in a pocket or handbag, making it great for hydration on the go. The 100ml tin is £35 here which we’ve also been using it intermittently a night balm, as well as a skin neutraliser to let our skin ‘rest’ from using other products as it’s brilliant for skin repair.

Seamore – I sea pasta and I sea wraps

When we typically think of seaweed we either think of it as algae that washes up on the beach, or something that is deep fried on a Chinese menu. Perhaps, you might have even tried it as a dried snack, if we’re craving something salty and crunchy? But have you ever thought of seaweed as a tortilla wrap or even pasta? It might not sound super-tasty, but that is precisely the notion Seamore is looking to challenge. As regular readers of The Amazing Blog will know, we love finding new beauty products and superfoods, so you can imagine how intrigued we were to try two items from this startup.

William Sodderland started Seamore in 2015 after he went on a holiday in Ibiza and mistakenly thought his seaweed dish was pasta. This moment propelled him into looking into it as an alternative to foods we already love and ‘to turn seaweed into an everyday food’. Sodderland found that seaweed is a healthy food option as it is high in nutrients and antioxidants. He also discovered it is quite sustainable because seaweed doesn’t need land, extra water, fertiliser or pesticides to grow. However, all of Seamore’s seaweed is sustainably sourced off the coast of Ireland in small batches over two months.

The first product we tried was I sea pasta made of 100 percent natural and hand-picked himanthalia seaweed. While the seaweed is a black colour when you first remove it from the packaging, once it’s cooked it tastes and has the same texture as pasta. It’s not too salty and doesn’t have an overwhelming sea smell either. Unlike regular pasta, I sea pasta is low in carbs and full of minerals, vitamins, iron, and fibre. One serving also has 50 percent of the vegetables you need per day. We liked it paired with sweet Bolognese sauce and a glass of wine. The second item we tried was I sea wraps. They are the first seaweed wraps in the world and have 50 per cent himanthalia and wakame seaweed. I sea wraps contain more fibre and protein as well as fewer calories and saturated fat than ordinary wraps. They’re full of omega-3, iron, iodine, B vitamins, and fucoxanthin, which has been proven to fight fat. You can’t taste the seaweed in the wrap except for seaweed’s natural umami flavour, which compliments any filling. You can eat it hot or cold, but we preferred it as a way to give ourselves more vegetables with a cheese tortilla.

If you’re still not convinced, Seamore has many recipes to try here and you can find it here The starting price of the pasta is £6.50 for 100g (approx. 5 servings).  

EcoStardust - Unicorn Edition Biodegradable Trio Glitter, Balm & Brush

What is the best way to stand out at a Christmas party this year? We think it’s rocking a bit of glitter! We know what you’re going to say ”…but most commercial cosmetic glitters are dangerous to the environment!” Fear not, here at The Amazing Blog we’ve discovered an environmentally-friendly and biodegradable premium grade cosmetic glitter, that can add some serious sparkle to your day – step forward EcoStardust.

Launched in 2017, a Blue Patch New Business Award-winning EcoStardust is an eco-conscious company that makes its glitter from plant cellulose, derived predominantly from non-GMO sustainably farmed Eucalyptus Trees. It aims to promote ‘joy and happiness through vibrant and high-quality products whilst raising awareness of environmental issues’. All their products are vegan and cruelty-free; 10% of net profits go to charities and environmental bodies, and every piece of packaging is made out of recyclable materials.

They very kindly sent us their EcoStardust Unicorn Edition Biodegradable Trio Glitter Balm & Brush Set which includes: 3 x 6g biodegradable glitters, one bamboo glitter brush and one bio-glitter 10g beauty balm. The three various shades of glitter (silver and a hint of purple, pink and blue, and extra shimmer pink and blue) can be used individually or mixed to create your unique shade, enhancing a look or matching an outfit. We think the more the better! So, our favorite recipe is mixing all three shades and highlighting our best features. Apply a small amount of a plant-based shimmery balm either with the bamboo glitter brush or your fingers. This can be anywhere on your body, face, hair or nails. Then sprinkle some glitter on it and you’re good to go. NB: We would stress caution when applying on the face, you need to avoid using the product around your eye area due to the fine particles which could fall into the eye. It easy to remove and washes with warm water and soap, or by using regular makeup remover. If you have any allergies, the checklist for this glitter does not contain any common food allergens, such as eggs, sesame seeds, sulphur dioxide or nuts.

Add some extra festive sparkle this Christmas, with this fun set of glitter. You can purchase it for just £22 here