Essential Care – Odylique Spot-on Serum

For those of you who read The Amazing Blog often, I’m sure you have recognised our love for Essential Care products.  Their devotion to providing the ‘purest skincare on earth’ guarantees raw and natural ingredients suitable for the most sensitive skin (which we believe is key to any skin care regime).  To kick off 2014, Essential Care introduced their Odylique Spot-on Serum to repair the worst skin blemishes.

Essential Care skincare products use the science of plants to repair skin.  Some of their most effective formulations are based on organic herbs, plant oils and other natural ingredients. The Odylique Spot-on Serum aids in the healing of blemishes, breakouts, minor skin damage, stings and bites. It works to clear skin with 100% organic ingredients like rejuvenating aloe vera and soothing calendula, whilst  natural extracts of lavender, tea tree and echinacea leave behind a fresh scent.  I personally have very fair skin, so even the most miniscule blemish is clearly visible.  After a single use of the serum, I noticed that my problem spots were far less red and barely even noticeable!  The Spot-on Serum is also the optimal size to fit in your handbag.  The largest tube is 60ml, which is still small enough for on-the-go use.  As I often discover a very noticeable blemish after I've left the house, I find the Spot-on Serum is the perfect remedy for when I'm out and about.  Pop a 60ml tube of Odylique Spot-on Serum in your handbag today to start clearing blemishes. You can get it here for only £15.

Rouge Bunny Rouge - Devotion Ink Quartz Eyeliner and Long-lasting Eyeshadow

Here at The Amazing Blog we are big fans of Rouge Bunny Rouge and are always excited to try out their latest products. Their fairytale ethos always has us mesmerised, and their high quality make up offerings never disappoint. So we are pleased to introduce the newest additions to our list of favourites: the Devotion Ink Quartz Eyeliner and When Birds Are Singing Eye Shadow.

When we tried Devotion Ink Quartz Eyeliner in Tanzanite Essence, we fell in love with the colour. The shade is a powerful, dark blue which blends out to reveal striking grey undertones. The eyeliner has a water-based formula filled with minute particles of artificial quartz that add an extra sparkle to the colours, and Tanzanite Essence has a wonderful shine that glimmers when it catches the light. One thing that we particularly liked about the Devotion Ink was the brush applicator, which allowed us to be really precise with the eyeliner. Tanzanite Essence offered a beautiful bold line on its own, but we experimented a more dramatic look by layering it on top of pencil. This offered a more intense effect, which we loved. As well as giving great colour pay off, the eyeliner dries quickly so it does not smudge easily. Devotion Ink Quartz Eyeliner is available  here for £23.15

Next we tried When Birds Are Singing Long-lasting Eye Shadow in Rufous-Tailed Weaver. In keeping with the Enchanted Garden vibe that infuses their whole collection, all of the colours in the eyeshadow line are named after birds species. Rufous-Tailed Weaver is a bold taupe with shimmery bronze highlights that flatters any eye colour. Though it's a powder eyeshadow, it applies and has the lasting power of a cream. This creamy shadow really helps give the feeling of a 'second skin' which, when partnered with ingredient orange-derived flavanoid, known to improve blood circulation, helps to enhance your new found natural glow. The eye shadow blends extremely well and we were pleasantly surprised at how long the colour lasted throughout the day without fading. When Birds Are Singing Long-Lasting Eye Shadow is available here for £19.84. These are wonderfully whimsical, yet perfectly pigmented, luxurious products. Give Rouge Bunny Rouge a try and who knows, maybe you'll find your fairytale ending.

Bonilla a la Vista - Patatas Fritas

Once again, here we are gushing about food. It’s always an exciting time for us when we receive snacks to try out, but this one in particular was much appreciated by some of us here at The Amazing Blog since they reminded us of home. Thanks to Bonilla a la Vista, we were able to get a little taste of Spain in the form of patatas fritas and could not wait to share them with our followers.

Bonilla a la Vista got its start three generations ago, in a small town in the peninsula of A Coruna, when Salvador Bonilla opened a small booth on the pier that sold patatas fritas and churros. This small booth evolved into 7 shops and a factory, so now they can manufacture and distribute internationally for all to enjoy these Spanish snacks. These crisps are different from the ones you would find at the store. Since they are fried in cold-pressed olive oil, there is a crunchier and fresher aspect to them. The cut is also distinct; they are a lot thicker and less uniform in shape than the average crisp, similar to those kettle-cooked brands. What I really loved about these crisps is that the ingredients are as simple as can be: potatoes, olive oil and sea salt, which is all that is needed for traditional patatas fritas.

To treat yourself to these authentic Spanish patatas fritas, go here where you can find the generous 500g tin for £15.The crisps lasted a few days here in the office but we liked the tin so much it is now a part of our office décor, reminding me of home.

Friday Favourites - Mother's Day

Guess who? She often deprives herself, yet makes certain you have the best of everything.  That’s right, it’s Mum! Our mum’s really are the best and deserve more than one day during the year to be celebrated and appreciated.  All of us here at The Amazing Blog want to help make your mum’s special day perfect, so we have a few original ideas up our sleeves. Ranging from candles to cocktails, there’s something for every mum!

A burning candle is a great way to set the tone for a relaxing afternoon or evening.  Wick & Tallow candles offer the luxury of a home accessory with a touch of British individuality.  Constructed from scratch by product and interior designers, as well as a biology graduate with an interest in botany, Wick & Tallow Waxsmiths intrigue candle-lovers with their contemporary twist on both the candle's packaging and scent.  The original black matte colour of Wick & Tallow packaging (with a vibrant highlight colour) coordinates flawlessly with the unique scent of the candles, which last up to 50 hours!  The Patchouli & Grapefruit Candle, for example, is a calming yellow (perfect for mum!) which flawlessly matches the notes of garden floral and tart grapefruit in the burning candle.  Find the Patchouli & Grapefruit Candle here for £35.00. And as a Mother's Day treat, Wick & Tallow are offering a 20% discount on this candle when you use the code, MUMSTHEWORD. Make mum feel young and modern while relaxing to the scent and design of Wick & Tallow candles.  A variety of candle colours and scents can be found here.

On her special day, mum deserves to sit back, relax and pamper herself with a fun cocktail in hand!  To make her job a bit easier, Pontoon Cocktails have designed pre-mixed, frozen and unpasteurized cocktails which guarantee the same freshness as the day they were made!  Offer your mum the fun and frilly Angelica mixed drink from Pontoon Cocktails!  With a mix of contemporary and traditional ingredients like Ketel One Vodka, Cocchi Americano and Regan’s No.6 orange bitters, Angelica is a hand-crafted pink plunge of citrus and flowers.  Perfectly packaged with a ribbon tied around its top, the Angelica mixed drink from Pontoon Cocktails is a perfect gift for mum!  A 500ml of Angelica is £34.99 and can be found here.

If drinks aren't your mum's style, maybe she'd prefer a chocolate treat. Like most women, mum certainly loves clothing and shoes, but gifting clothing or shoes to mum can be a challenge.  Why not combine her love for shoes with the sweet temptation of chocolate with a La Signorina Chocolate Stiletto! La Signorina specialise in fair-trade, hand-made chocolate delicacies in the shape of shoes, bouquets and chess sets.  These Italian style dark chocolates give personality to each piece with their fair-trade chocolate beans, and La Signorina kindly sent The Amazing Blog the Fortuna Chocolate Stiletto!  Fortuna was the Roman goddess of fortune, promising mum good luck in the months to follow. Not only is the shoe the size of a wearable stiletto (UK size 3), but the inside of the slipper is detailed with the La Signorina insignia and is finished with a chocolate flower on the toe.  Specializing in chocolate gifts, La Signorina lets mum have her shoes and eat them too!  Select the perfect chocolate stiletto for mum for only £40 here.

If your mum grew up during the 60s or 70s she is probably familiar with Aqua Manda, after smelling the perfume on her own mother!  This nostalgic perfume is the ultimate memory jogger, taking mum back to her flower power days. Aqua Manda uses the psychedelic colour orange to reflect the era in both colour and scent!

Made with essential oils of mandarin, ginger, lavender, patchouli, cinnamon, and other aromatic herbs, Aqua Manda consists of an abundance of fruity scents.   The refreshing and light smell is a great pick me up and works perfectly as a summer fragrance. The oriental and spicy base notes give a kick to the perfume which can help in the mornings if you get up early and need something to wake you up. Once applied, the perfume sits on your skin all day and only fades slightly. Take mum back to childhood with this happy, fruity and fun scent!  A bottle of Aqua Manda is £39.99 and can be purchased  here.

Spa Fabulous Organics - A Little Pot of Heaven

Here at The Amazing Blog, we admire companies that truly strive to use the best ingredients in their products. Neena Trehan, facialist and founder of Spa Fabulous Organics, is committed to using the highest quality, most natural and pure ingredients in her premium products, in order to help recreate the spa experience at home. One such product, A Little Pot of Heaven, combines key ingredients like Pure Rose and Rosehip Seed Oil to leave skin rejuvenated and refreshed. Pure Rose works to repair broken capillaries and reduce redness. Rosehip Seed Oil is rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin F and helps to plump and repair skin.

I have particularly dry skin, so I am always searching for products that thoroughly hydrate my skin without leaving it with that greasy feeling. A Little Pot of Heaven is light and whipped but still rich with nutrients. I was pleased with the texture as it glided over my skin, leaving a silky finish. The cream absorbs deep into the skin to lock in moisture for the entire day. Even at the end of the day my skin still felt smooth and soft. It is no surprise that A Little Pot of Heaven was selected as a 2013 finalist for Best Daytime Moisturiser by The Beauty Shortlist Awards.  A Little Pot of Heaven is available here for £55.