The Apothecary Room – Lavender Room Spray

During busy seasons here at The Amazing Blog, we crave uplifting refreshment for our bodies and spirits, and The Apothecary Room Lavender Room Spray offers just that!  In a single spritz, the Lavender Room Spray engulfs our office, filling the room with health and beauty benefits.

Specialising in hand blended products for both the home and body, The Apothecary Room specifically uses essential oils from sustainable and organic sources to revive the body, mind and spirit from the stresses of modern life.  The Lavender Room Spray is free from preservatives (like all other Apothecary Room products) and includes impressive ingredients like Lavender, Bergamot, Patchouli and Juniper Essential Oils.  This combination of natural and paraben free oils has left our office with a fresh, clean, floral yet woody scent in the air.  We really appreciate that The Apothecary Room applies their passion for nature and the environment to every aspect of their products, even the creation of the bottle.  All Apothecary Room containers are made of PET plastic which is 100% recyclable. Other home and lifestyle products by The Apothecary Room include diffusers and linen sprays.  The Apothecary Room Lavender Spray can be found here for £12.

The Apothecary Room also specialises in products directly for the body including facial oils, cleansers, toners, body oils, bath salts, hand and nail oils.  These additional products can be found here.

The Ultimate Natural Beauty Bible - Sarah Stacey & Josephine Fairley

If you’re like me, you may often find yourself lost in the array of make-up at the cosmetic counter, uncertain of what beauty products are best for you or the difference between all of the products.  Thankfully we here at The Amazing Blog  have been introduced to The Ultimate Natural Beauty Bible.  This beauty encyclopaedia by Sarah Stacey and Josephine Fairly makes ‘a shortcut through the beauty jungle’ just an easy read away!

The Ultimate Natural Beauty Bible includes highlights across the beauty spectrum and features sections devoted to makeup, skin, eyes, body, hands, feet, sun, hair, perfume, bed and bath.  Every section contains award-winning products from various beauty and lifestyle brands.  My favourite chapter focuses on makeup, but more specifically features award-winning lip glosses.  I often want to try a new brand or shade of lip gloss, but worry I may dislike the colour or texture of the gloss after blindly purchasing it.  Reading the product information presented by the authors, as well as reviewing the personal remarks on the products, has encouraged me to be more adventurous in my cosmetic selection.  I have especially felt compelled to explore the beauty jungle since The Ultimate Natural Beauty Bible suggest that ‘lip glosses are like shoes: you can never have too many’.  Another reason I find The Ultimate Natural Beauty Bible particularly innovative, versus other beauty related texts, is that the award winning products and brand suggestions are based on the opinions and experiences of real women.  Each advised product in The Ultimate Natural Beauty Bible has been tested by both beauty experts and avid beauty consumers.  This certainly reassures me I will be using a quality and gorgeous beauty product! 

Though quick tips and tricks from The Ultimate Beauty Bible can be found online here, I definitely suggest purchasing a copy of this all encompassing beauty and lifestyle guide here for only £14.95, normally £19.99.

Dr. Zak’s – High Protein Pasta

We here at The Amazing Blog  strive to eat healthy foods but as you know that is easier said than done. We find that sometimes we have to cut out a few of our favourite pasta dishes just to stay on track, but we may have found a healthier alternative thanks to Dr. Zak's and their High Protein Pasta.  Dr. Zak’s and his team have crafted products that are low-carb and high in protein without having to sacrifice flavour!

Given that Dr. Zaks himself is a doctor and body building champion and his partner Denise Chester specialises in nutrition, it is no surprise that these products  are high in nutritional value to support the athlete in you or simply a healthier lifestyle. Dr. Zak pasta has 50g of protein in every 100g serving with 50% fewer carbohydrates than other pastas. The products offered contain Pea Protein Isolate – a vegetable protein source – so the pasta is vegetarian friendly! Pea Protein Isolate is absorbed by the digestive system slower than other protein sources, which helps keep you fuller longer - this kept me from all the unnecessary snacking that tends to happen throughout the day.  It also delivers all eight essential amino acids to your body. All of Dr. Zak’s products are 100% non-genetically modified with no artificial colours, preservations or additives.

I used Dr. Zak’s pasta for dinner with green beans, tuna, pesto and pine nuts to create Amazing PR's easy and delicious (if I say so myself)  pasta that I just had to share. Preparation is simple, if I made it so can you!  The pasta was very light so I did not feel over-stuffed after eating dinner but I did feel full for the rest of the night. To get cooking, find your Dr. Zak’s High Protein Pasta online here or in-store for only £4.99

Tuna Pesto Pasta Recipe:

• Bring a pan of water to boil and add the pasta
• Simmer for 8-10 minutes, drain and set aside
• Add olive oil to pan and sautee pesto with tuna, green beans and pine nuts
• Mix in pasta and add peper to taste
• Enjoy!

Simply Beautiful Collection – Jasmine and Evening Primrose Oil

With warm weather on our minds, we can’t help but rummage through our closets for skirts, short sleeve T-shirts and even sandals!  Though I adore the change in seasons, I despise exposing the driest areas of my skin; my knees, elbows and ankles.  After discovering The Simply Beautiful Collection, we here at The Amazing Blog are prepared to fully moisturise with the new Jasmine & Evening Primrose Oil before showing off our skin.

Naturally enriched with plant extracts, all of the Simply Beautiful Collection powerfully heal and moisturise skin with Aloe, Arnica, Olive and various other extracts.  The Jasmine & Evening Primrose Oil Body Butter specifically combines the calming Jasmine flower extract, the hormonal balancer of Evening Primrose and the hydrating Mango Seed extract to create a ‘Seriously Outstanding Skincare’ which nourishes skin.  This exotic harmonization benefits all skin types, especially excessively dry skin.

This new intensive treatment, Jasmine and Evening Primrose Oil Body Butter, by the Simply Beautiful Collection both balances and clarifies skin.  The body butter is thick yet creamy, so a bit of the butter spreads far on the skin.  This assures the 450ml tub of body butter lasts awhile. Having very dry skin myself, I have tried my fair share of body butters, lotions and moisturisers.  Jasmine and Evening Primrose Oil Body Butter stands apart from most body butters I have used, as it is instantly absorbed by my skin.  This guarantees that skin is moisturised without the look or feel of greasy skin.  I personally have found the Jasmine & Evening Primrose Oil Body Butter is the solution for the super dry spots on my body.  I find my knees, ankles and elbows to be especially dry and flaky during the chilly winter and spring months, and this body butter is an easy remedy to protect and prepare skin for spring and summer!  The Simply Beautiful Collection’s Jasmine and Evening Primrose Oil Body Butter can be found here for £25.  It is currently 25% off at the special launch price of £18.75 until the end of March!

Urbanveda – Reviving Body Scrub & Lotion

awareness for the environment, we here at The Amazing Blog enjoy using products which refresh our tired skin and sync our bodies to our natural setting.  As nature-lovers themselves, Urban Veda has developed skincare lines like The Rose & Botanics Reviving range uses the therapeutic properties of plants to harmonise and balance skin with the surrounding environment.  From the moment I saw the colourful and flower-like labels on the Urban Veda products, I could tell Urban Veda has a passion for the sustainability of the environment and certainly for skincare.

Urban Veda primarily uses Rose Otto, one of the oldest essential oils in the world, in their body products.  The Rose & Botanics Reviving range also contains Vitamin C, a key in reviving all skin types, which especially tones and pampers mature skin.  This synergy of splendid ingredients and flower waters are accommodating to all skin types.  Skin types in our office range from super dry to oily, yet each of us feel refreshed after using the Reviving Body Scrub and Lotion.  I personally enjoy the fresh cut flower scent the scrub and lotion left lingering on my skin.

Overall Urban Veda has developed four lines each with a unique objective; to purify, soothe, revive and add radiance  To assist in the restoration of our skin, Urban Veda sent us their Reviving Body Scrub and Body Lotion from the Rose and Botanics Reviving range.  As the Reviving line targets tired skin, I was not surprised by the awakening I felt in my skin after using the body scrub and applying the body lotion.  The Body Scrub exfoliates and softens skin, removing such imperfections as cellulite, while the Body Lotion protects and nourishes skin.  After a few devout uses, my skin felt softer to the touch and even appeared brighter.  With such great results from the Body Scrub and Lotion alone, it is no surprise the results yielded from the entire range are incredible for the body.  The entire Rose and Botanics Reviving range includes Body Wash, Body Scrub, Body Lotion, Hydrating Toner, Exfoliating Facial Polish, Day Cream and Renewal Night Cream.  The entire set can be found here for £55.