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Shea Sassy - Holistic Rose Soap

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With all these nasty Covid viruses hovering, we’ve been told endlessly to wash our hands. Which is why the simple soap has now become our new best friend at The Amazing Blog. it’s always been our preferred way to cleanse as we like natural soaps that are kind to both hands and face. So, the newly launched artisan soap brand Shea Sassy piqued our interest.

Based in the picturesque Esk Valley, Shea Sassy was founded by Emily Hodgson – who wanted to create natural soap products that would be both good for skin and the environment. The company provides a wide range of handmade artisan soaps with natural fragrances. Every soap bar is lovingly made in her studio using only the finest natural ingredients.  Shea Sassy focuses on producing cruelty-free, eco-friendly products in plastic-free sustainable packaging. They are also cold-pressed, handmade, vegan and HSCG (Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild) certified. All soaps contain the key ingredient of unrefined shea butter, which is known for its healing and restorative properties. 

They kindly send us this Holistic Rose Soap, a handmade soap that comes in a simple white cardboard sleeve, it's creamy in colour and embellished with small dried rosebuds. It has a soothing and subtle rose scent, and is made with a combination of parma rosa, rose geranium and ylang ylang essential oils. The soap is made using a cold-pressing method, which takes up to 6 weeks for full saponification. Shea Sassy uses sodium cocoate, naturally derived from coconut oil and known primarily for its cleansing abilities. There is also sodium palmate, extracted from palm oil and working as an emulsifying agent which works wonders eliminating germs and dirt. There are also extracts from olive oil, shea butter, avocado and castor oil that are all blended together to help leave the skin clean, soft and deeply hydrated. The rose element here includes rosa damascene flowers and rose geranium oil which help to fight bacteria and reduce anxiety and stress.  We used this soap not only as a gentle face wash for the morning, but also for hand-washing during the day. It has the perfect balance to cleanses and hydrates the skin (and we couldn’t get enough of it). To get your individual Holistic Rose Soap bar here for only £7.00, and you can also purchase it as part of a set (which includes an Egyptian cotton flannel and mahogany soap dish) here for £20.00.

Bōbé Beauty: Natural Perfume Oils

The power of fragrance to influence our mood or recall a memory…is something we all tend to underestimate. These could be key moments in our lives: people, places and situations…like the smell of a cake slowly baking in the family kitchen, or the scent that our grandmother wore. Today at The Amazing Blog  we’re featuring  Bōbé Beauty, a Canadian aromatherapy brand that has created a unique trio of 100% natural perfume oils. 

Marlese Assman is the founder of Bōbé Beauty and a practitioner in aromatherapy, reflexology and Chinese medicine based in Saskatchewan CanadaHer curiosity for flora and fauna fuelled her passion for creating her own line of botanical perfume oils. Assman trained with fragrance experts based in Barcelona, New York and France; making her dream of producing a natural fragrance line become a reality, where she has transferred her aromatherapy expertise into the world of perfumery. Assman said: “I’ve been scouring the French countryside for ancient roses, the hidden apothecaries of Greenwich Village for the perfect patchouli, and slipping into Saskatchewan’s own fragrant forests to encapsulate fresh cut wood and campfire.” Her trio of Bōbé Beauty perfume oils offer an intimate, sensual botanical journey where her goal is to provide a feeling of “youthful experience through assured independence” and ancient luxury for the modern muse. These perfume oils are all free from parabens, petroleum, alcohol, phthalate, artificial dyes or synthetic fragrances. With their all-natural ingredients tested on humans, not animals are made with love and care in small batches (photo here by special request is credited to Flint + Feather Photography).

The first out of the three perfume oils that we tried is Darya with the silver top which embodies ‘the modern mermaid’. In this subtle yet complex fragrance, the purple passion fruit and citrus balance the jasmine and coconut. While the seaweed brings this earthy, seaside smell that transports you to a tropical island with its fruity notes; you can almost visualise the beach with lapping waves. Other ingredients here are blackcurrant bud, myrrh, liquidambar, amber resin, rock roseDarya is available here. Moving on to the second perfume oil Metsa with the gold top. This one captures ‘The woman of the forest’ (see our photo above) With its earthy scents, this perfume oil reflects the strength of nature. The musk and the wood intertwine to create a mixture of warm, spicy and sweet yet powerfully green fragrance that is perfect for inspiring sensuality. Ingredients include perus balsam, labdanum, patchouli, clary sage, rose de mai, davana, pink  peppercorns and juniper berry. Metsa is available here. The third perfume oil that we tried is Sepeideh with the rose gold top, which translates as ‘before the dawn’ in Persian. This youthful but sensual perfume oil was named after Marlese’s daughter. In this fragrance, the green leaves gently mix with the smell of sunbathed flowers, while the citrus adds a twist and the softwoods carrying you to the beginning of the forest, in the quiet early morning when you feel safe and in harmony with nature slowly awakening. This was our favourite with its more unusual ingredients of nerolina, rhododendron, vanilla and ambette seed.You can purchase Sepeideh here

These empowering and uplifting natural oil perfumes are in a base of organic jojoba oil, and the unique combination of essential oils and fragrances have all been strategically sourced from around the globe. We used these alone and even combine one or two of the trio to create an individual scent that resonated with our given mood. They lift the spirits and are comforting to wear - we think ideal for our current #lockdown situation! They are available for purchase on Bōbé Beauty’s website here each of 10ml rollerball bottles are $50.00 CAD (approx. £28.92).

Fiini Naturally: Balm To Cleanser - Gentle Oat, Oat & Bilberry Powder Face Mask  and Oat Sea Buckthorn Oil Serum

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How come so many of us have sensitive skins at the moment? At The Amazing Blog, we've noticed that with this type of skin, there's always something that triggers it - whether it's stress, strong sunlight, city pollution or cold weather. We recently discovered Fiini Naturally, a Finnish organic brand immersed in natural and raw ingredients, who are environment-friendly with products for beauty and home - all are aimed specifically at helping sensitive skins. Let’s tell you more about them…

Fiini Naturally was founded by two longstanding friends Heidi and Essi from northern Finland, who share the same interests and are linked by their appreciation of well-being and nature. Unable to find suitable natural everyday products in their local stores, either for themselves or their pets. This spurred Heidi on to start producing natural formulas for her pets; whereas Essi focused on developing skincare formulas for extra sensitive skins. When the first large-scale trial of their first product the Oat and Honey Cream was successful, this inspired them to explore more regional raw materials and formulas. Eventually, they came up with more product aimed at treating the diverse skin ailments for their friends and family. For the brand, honesty is as important as the ethics. This is why all formulas are kept simple, cruelty-free and with organic ingredients which are mostly INCI certified (marked with an INCI star). Being respectful of the environment, this means no chemical preservatives, additives and all formulas come in large sizes with recyclable packaging. This genuine interest in preserving the environment and responsible business practice has made them a member of the Finnish Eko Entrepreneurs Association, which certifies their environmentally-friendly working methods and processing. They kindly send us three of their products to try, all of which contain their special hero ingredient of Finnish oat oil. 

The first product to talk about is the Balm to Milk Cleanser – Gentle OatThis is a moisturising and balancing balm and the perfect cleanser for all skin types, it cleanses all impurities, pollution and make-up. In this gentle fragrance-free formula, it’s full of antioxidants, vitamin E, fatty acids, amino acids and beta-glucans. All of which are present in the oat oil to help nourish, protect and relieve the skin and boost its elasticity - while the jojoba oil here works its magic to balance the skin. To use, simply massage gently on dry face, then add water and continue massaging where you will see it transform from the balm consistency to a milky one, and then rinse off. We found it excellent for removing everyday makeup (no eye stinging!) and also for perking up skin first thing in the morning. This 156ml jar of Balm to Milk Cleanser – Gentle Oat was our favourite out of the trio we tried. It’s available here for €38.90.

The Oat & Bilberry Powder Face Mask  is the second product sent. This raw powder face mask was recently a bronze winner at the Global Green Beauty Awards 2020. Again, perfectly suitable for sensitive or atopic skins, it’s more of a treatment where it hydrates and gently cleanses, making the skin feel softer with a more even skin tone. Like the Balm to Milk Cleanser – Gentle Oat, this mask powder contains the same bundle of organic ingredients – the Finnish oat oil moisturises and boosts the circulation and collagen production. This Powder Face Mask is also enriched with ground rice which helps the skin renew its pigment, and the vitamin E here nourishes. The pink clay is here to minimise couperose, and the freeze-dried Finnish bilberries soothe and calm the skin thanks to their anti-inflammatory action. To use, we mixed 2 teaspoons of powder mask with a teaspoon organic yoghurt (or you can use water), plus a few drops of serum to give an extra smooth skin. Mix together until it becomes pasty, then we applied this on to a dry face and let it sit for 10-15 minutes, rinsing off with warm water. We used only once or twice a week, which refreshed and brightened our skin. Again, this comes in a 156ml glass jar and is available for €22.90 here.

And last but not least, the Oat-Sea Buckthorn Oil Serum the third product. In this oil serum, the oat oil once again features helping to moisturise and revitalise. It also stimulates the skin’s metabolism, increasing elasticity, and the production of collagen. This serum contains jojoba and vitamin E, as well as Finnish sea buckthorn oil to ensure maximum cellar renewal. It’s a potent antioxidant that offers a soothing action and reduces inflammation for those with sensitive skins. We enjoyed experimenting with mixing this serum with the Powder Face Mask and also with our regular day and night cream which boosted their antioxidant and vitamin content. This comes in a 30ml tinted glass bottle and is available for purchase at €34.90 here. Initially developed for skins that face harsh everyday conditions, we think Fiini Naturally  will soon become your go-to for all things eco and sensitive skin-friendly orientated. Plus see all their home care products on the website here - we can’t wait to try these next!

Cannabina: Raw Hemp + CBD Soap Bar

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If you’ve been reading The Amazing Blog  for a while, you’ll know that we like to try lots of different products that contain CBD. Today we are looking at massage soap bar infused with Raw Hemp CBD from Cannabina, who we have recently featured here with their CBD Bath Bomb Trio.

Cannabina is founded by Gemma McKay, and a brand specialises in all kinds of healing products infused with hemp-based broad-spectrum and THC-free CBD ingredients. These products have been created for everyone to enjoy the healing and soothing benefits of CBD. Cannabina offers a variety of CBD infused items from bath bombs and skincare to tinctures and edibles. McKay’s passion and interest in cannabis are the motivating factors behind the brand’s mission to improve the quality of life for their consumer, through this incredible plant's relieving and healing properties. Cannabina is an all-natural CBD brand where the products are free from harmful chemicals, pesticides, solvent residues, chlorophyll, fats and lipids. There are no preservatives, sulphates, mineral oils, parabens, artificial colouring, flavours or perfumes. The brand’s products are also cruelty-free and are tested and certified by both US and UK laboratories. The brand’s products are also cruelty-free and are tested and certified by both US and UK laboratories. Cannabina also has a strong sustainability ethos with its recycling and asks customers to return their product empties, for which they’re rewarded with a 5% discount on further purchases.

The Raw Hemp & CBD Soap Bar has 100mg of CBD and is made with super-clean formulas, intended for use with those with sensitive or irritated skins. This is a gender-free soap bar, where This is a gender-free soap bar where Mc Kay tells us that she initially created this as a massager for the breast area and lymph nodes. However, it is also proving popular for using on the face, and with those who have back acne. Alas, we don’t have to full ingredients to tell you about, as this is such a new product for Cannabina (nothing listed on packaging or website). They tell us that it is 95.8% organic. We will hazard a guess that this semi-translucent CBD Soap Bar has flecks of hemp and is made with glycerine and 75% hard oils like coconut; the 13 nodules moulded into the bar making it particularly good as a massager. We’d also add that it’s ‘fragrance-free’ with no hemp or essential oil scent evidentThe raw hemp and CBD interact with theendocannabinoid receptors to help moisturisebalance oil levels and heal the skin as well as reduce any inflammation. This Raw Hemp & CBD Soap Bar is also efficient in treating skin ailments such as eczema, psoriasis. If you are looking for an antioxidant, pore cleansing and anti-acne actions, then this is designed for you. We used it in the shower, gently massaging our body and breast lymph area - we found it uplifting. It seemed to work wonders on our mood (and body) after yet another long and tedious #lockdown day. This 100mg Raw Hemp & CBD Soap Bar is available here £6.00.

SHIR CBD+ Premium Sleeping Mask

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As CBD fans at The Amazing Blog, today we’re reviewing a new skincare range that offers a combination of the best of CBD and advanced pharmaceutical skincare united in one product.  InnoCan Pharma has created a new range of skincare, with one of their hero’s the super hydrating SHIR CBD+ Premium Sleeping Mask.

SHIR is a premium beauty brand designed to bring the best of both worlds – combining both nature and science; this is for those looking for an effective anti-ageing skincare routine.This line has been created by the Israeli pharmaceutical tech company InnoCan Pharma whose strong suit is having delivery platforms combining cannabidiol (CBD) with other pharmaceutical ingredients, together with the development and sale of CBD-integrated pharmaceuticals. There are three segments within the company combining cannabidiol and the development and sale of CBD-integrated pharmaceuticals. This is where they specialise in cutting-edge research and development with CBD in wellness, pain relief and topicals and are high-end innovators within the world of CBD formulation. Seeing the potential of CBD’s restorative function in skincare, InnoCan Pharma decided to develop two lines of CBD infused derma-cosmetics products, which are now being sold in Europe: SHIR CBD Must 100mg CBD infused products line which is aimed at a younger market in need to help with acne breakouts, oily skin and offers anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and hypoallergenic benefits. Whereas the  SHIR CBD+  has 300mg, a triple-dose of CBD isolate, for premium anti-ageing results and hydration. All CBD test reports are available on InnoCan Pharma’s website here which shows all products are GMO-free and dermatologically tested.

The SHIR CBD+ Premium Sleeping Mask is with 300mg CBD isolate (no THC, or added terpenes only pure CBD), it focuses on the fine lines and restoring the skin’s elasticity. We read on InnoCan’s blog: “CBD topicals are the easiest way to introduce the benefits of CBD into your daily skincare routine. Easy application and great results are two of the major reasons why CBD has become such a force to reckon with in the beauty and skincare industry.” Indeed, packed with natural anti-oxidant properties and its fatty acids boost the skin’s collagen production, CBD alone is one of the most effective ways to preserve the skin from ageingCBD’s other USP is that it interacts directly with our endocannabinoid receptors to help maintain the moisture levels. This ensures that the sebum production is regulated correctly, to avoid overly dry or oily skin. In this formula, the CBD isolate is mixed with a blend of ingredients which are high in efficiency for fighting off first signs of ageing and have been clinically proven. These are inca inchi, which like CBD, is extra rich in fatty acids (omega 3, 6, and 9). Another key ingredient named is matrixyl 3000 which is a two-protein anti-ageing peptideIt is almost as effective as retinol but much gentler and is known to reduce the appearance of fine lines through sub-layer collagen and elastin boost. The formula also includes bakuchiol in its key ingredients, which is another alternative to the famous retinol. It also has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial properties and helps to fight acne, inflammation and hyperpigmentation. The last two key ingredients of this super anti-ageing hybrid formula are vitamins A and E which also help keep the skin’s firmness, hydration and elasticity. They also protect it against free radicals and treat hyperpigmentation. This ultra hydrating and plumping night mask they recommend to be use 2-3 times a week and as the last step before bedtime. We followed instructions and massaged in a generous layer of the mask, then cleansed away any residue in the morning. Easy to apply it absorbed swiftly leaving no excess, only a slight floral fragrance. It felt cooling, hydrating and we think this Sleeping Mask makes an excellent addition to a nighttime skincare routine for tired, dull or stressed skin. The 50ml SHIR CBD+ Premium Sleeping Mask is available here for €98.