Therapi - Rose Otto Honey Gel Cleanser

As many of you already know, we at The Amazing Blog have a bit of a penchant for bees. Their vital contribution to nature’s equilibrium and their ability to produce a plethora of natural ingredients make them, in our humble opinion, the most remarkable of insects. One of their coveted creations, honey, has had a big hand in the making of one of our favourite beauty brands, Therapi. We have previously reviewed and loved the range here, but today I want to tell you about their magnificent Honey Gel Cleanser, which I was persuaded to try.

I must explain, I’m not the sort of girl who ‘washes’ her face. Perhaps it’s my loathing of the hard London water or my fear of getting that unpleasant tightening effect. I’m strictly a cream cleanser and toner kinda girl. End of. However after meeting Tanya Hawkes (the founder of Therapi), she very gently coaxed me into trying their Rose Otto Honey Gel Cleanser, promising me that it wouldn’t dry out my skin – and who was I to say no? Therapi pride themselves in their ability to produce quality, organic skincare, and their simple collection of products provides a no-nonsense approach that we at The Amazing Blog are hugely appreciative of. This Rose Otto Honey Gel Cleanser is a fantastic natural way to clear away daily grime. A golden elixir that has plenty of slip when diluted with water, you very gently massage into the skin and then wash away. And Tanya was right that, unlike other gel cleansers that I’ve tried, it truly didn’t leave my skin feeling tight and stretched at all. Its combination of natural and beneficial ingredients (yukka extract for removing impurities, honey to nourish, and rose otto to rejuvenate) left my complexion feeling clean, supple and fresh.

Housed in sophisticated white glass bottle with pump, it was a dream to use and has been part of my morning shower routine. I think it will be a long time until I’m out of the honeymoon phase with the Rose Otto Honey Gel Cleanser. It is available to buy at Being Content, here for £25.

Yin Yang Skincare - Skincare To Go

With summer just around the corner, we’re all readying ourselves for that highly anticipated holiday. So here at The Amazing Blog, we were delighted to discover Yin Yang Skincare, a natural, plant based brand who offer Skincare To Go - the perfect little trio of products for popping in your hand luggage. Consisting of three 10ml tubes that cover all your skincare needs, the set comes handily encased in a clear zip lock bag, so it’s really as easy as throwing it in your bag and heading out the door! Always on the look out for great travel skincare, we were interested to see how these dainty little products fared.

The kit includes a Skin Cleanser, Natural Moisturiser and Gold Defence moisturising lotion. Paraben free, and bursting with natural ingredients, each product has a plethora of benefits. The Skin Cleanser contains a gentle emulsion of Spring Water, Witch Hazel and Coconut Oil, which, when combined with slightly acidic Sweet Orange Oil, works nicely to cleanse and gently exfoliate the skin and left me feeling really fresh faced. The light Natural Moisturiser also contains the brand’s staple ingredients, Coconut Oil and Witch Hazel, as well as Apple Cider Vinegar, which act together to lock in moisture and balance the skin’s pH, without leaving any of that horrid greasy feeling. The standout product for me is the Gold Defence Lotion. Boasting Wheatgerm Oil, rich in Vitamin E, as its main ingredient, I found it to be intensely nourishing and soothing. When paired with a beautiful lavender and orange scent, it makes for a perfect holiday product that's sure to become a fixture in my hand luggage. Suitable for both face and body, Yin Yang Skincare claim that athletes favour this versatile lotion for protecting their skin from the elements. Here at The Amazing Blog, we don’t tend to subject ourselves to many adverse weather conditions, but I’m happy to trust their word!

With a brand ethos that reflects their name, Yin Yang’s mini products definitely do balance and help to perfect the skin. The Skincare To Go set is available to buy from their website, here, for the very reasonable price of £4.50. It’s worth stocking up for your summer holiday, or simply just grabbing a kit in order to trial their full size products.

Katherine Daniels – Nourishing Hydrating Balm

As a London based company, we here at The Amazing Blog are, naturally, big fans of all things Brit. Everything from The Queen to a nice hot cuppa: if it’s UK, it’s OK. We aren’t, however, a fan of the dreary weather. So when Katherine Daniels, an inherently British brand, sent us some of their Nourishing Hydrating Balm to try, we were more than a little intrigued. The brand boasts ‘beautifully British concepts’, and the products, as well as being mineral oil and paraben free, are designed with the English climate in mind. The brand’s founders are aware that choosing the right skincare has as much to do with environment as it does with skin type, a philosophy that we couldn’t agree with more.

The colour coded packaging offers no nonsense, easy to navigate salon skincare, helping to make the selection of products and looking after your skin quick and easy. The Nourishing Hydrating Balm, which falls into the Body Essentials category, is perfect for this time of year, when the season switches from cold to warm, robbing my skin of all its moisture. The thick body balm contains a mixture of Brown Seaweed Osmolyte, helping to tackle and prevent dehydration, nourishing and protecting Shea Butter, and a healthy dose of Vitamin E. It feels luxuriously smooth when applied, and was amazing at hydrating my parched skin. As well as offering rich hydration, the balm has a wonderfully fresh scent, leaving my skin feeling soft and smelling gorgeous all day long!

Suitable for all skin types, the Nourishing Hydrating Balm is available to buy here for £24.50, along with the rest of the Katherine Daniels range.

A&G Choclatl - Pure & Mayan Hot Chocolate

With Easter over, we here at The Amazing Blog are still craving a chocolate fix. Lucky for us, A&G Choclatl were kind enough to send over two delicious flavours of hot chocolate – Choclatl Pure and Choclatl Mayan. The name Choclatl (pronounced choc-lat-il) is a direct translation from the ancient Mayan language, using the words xocol + atl, which literally mean chocolate and water. A glance at the ingredients reveals that it really is that simple. Where most hot chocolate brands contain highly processed ingredients, unique brand, Choclatl uses only pure and basic components, making for a delicious mug of pure chocolate bliss.

I’m a big fan of short food labels which have a list of ingredients that I can actually pronounce, as it gives me peace of mind to know exactly what goes into my body. Choclatl Pure has only two ingredients: cacao and cane sugar. The taste of this hot chocolate is divine, richer than any other hot chocolate I have ever tasted. The Choclatl Mayan, which contains cacao, cane sugar, almonds, and cinnamon, was just as bold as Choclatl Pure, but the notes of almond and cinnamon added a unique and delicious twist. It’s no surprise that Choclatl Mayan is A&G Choclatl’s bestseller!

Preparing Choclatl hot chocolate is very simple. Remove the Choclatl from the Chocpot and place into a saucepan. Add water using a 3:1 ratio (one mini Chocpot is 100g so we used 300ml water) and bring to boil for 5 minutes. Then simply wait for it to cool a little, and serve! You can enjoy some delicious Choclatl at home or in the office without breaking the bank – a 100g Chocpot is only £3.50, and you can place orders online here.

Friday Favourites - Easter Holidays

With Easter weekend finally upon us, most of us excited for the celebrations ahead! However, for those who have left things a little late, or even those who just want to try something a bit different this year, there’s still time to go out and grab some more Easter treats! We here at The Amazing Blog have found some Easter-themed gifts to help you impress your friends and loved ones during this Spring holiday.Lush never fails to deliver quirky gift ideas for the holidays, and they certainly haven’t let us down this year with their creative selection of Easter cosmetics. This season, they are offering an array of ‘Egg-ceptional’ Easter themed handmade products, including bath melts and bubble bars in the shape of eggs and carrots! Made from fair trade and organic ingredients, Lush’s Easter cosmetics include a Golden Egg Bath Bomb, Bunny Bubble Bar, Carrot Soap, and Brightside Bubble Bar just to name a few. If, like us, you are struggling to choose from the wonderful selection of products on offer, Lush are also offering the Funny Bunny Rabitty Wrap – an organic cotton knot-wrap containing four of the most popular limited edition Easter cosmetics. Because the Easter Bunny is packaged by hand, the selection of goodies inside each wrap is different!  However, if a gift you are planning is one item short of complete, the holiday products are available to buy individually for very reasonable prices! Find the Egg-cellent collection here. To add some chocolate with a twist to your Easter celebration, Demijohn has created a Chocolate Orange Cream Liqueur.  This alcoholic chocolate is the adult version of a creamy dark Easter Egg, and the addition of Devonshire Cream, Apple Brandy and Orange Zest make this the perfect springtime tipple.  The thick and creamy liqueur would be a great option for those Easter family gatherings; something for adults to enjoy as the children tuck into their Easter treats.  Demijohn recommends serving the Chocolate Orange Cream Liqueur directly from the refrigerator and over ice for the best taste. Be the life of the party this Easter and present your family and friends with a 500ml bottle of Demijohn Chocolate Orange Cream Liqueur, available here for £24.60 (500ml). You may have noticed our attempt to stray from the typical Easter gift, but who are we to keep your loved ones from indulging in chocolate this Easter?  Charbonnel et Walker offer a new twist to the traditional chocolate egg with their Pink Marc de Champagne Truffle Easter Egg.  Combining their finest milk chocolate with their best selling Pink Marc de Champagne Truffles, this treat is so much more luxurious than your typical Easter Egg.  Housed in a pastel coloured window box with a pink ribbon tied around it, this delicious Easter Egg would make the perfect gift any loved one. It can be purchased here for £35, along with a selection of other delicious chocolate creations, including a Dark Chocolate and English Rose Easter Egg.

Feel like doing something different this Easter? Horniman Museum and Gardens, with their Easter Fair, could be the perfect option if you are looking for activities that are fun, yet educational. Take part in the Easter Egg Hunt, learn more about the rabbits that live in the Animal Walk and enjoy some live country music. If you fancy a bite, you can head towards the food stalls, where you will find a selection of tasty treats; whether you fancy pizza or some Austrian specialities, you will definitely find the perfect nibble to satisfy your taste buds. The Easter Fair takes place on Saturday and Sunday, from 10.30 am until 4.30 pm, and you can find the detailed program here . Finally, what would Easter be without an Easter Bunny? Demarquette offers beautifully hand painted Easter Rabbits in dark chocolate and milk chocolate to complete your traditional Easter gifts. The dark chocolate bunny is made from Demarquette’s award winning CacaoLux blend of chocolates from The Dominican Republic and Ecuador, while the milk chocolate bunny features chocolates from Venezuela and Madagascar. Each bunny is hand painted with bright spring colours, making it unique with it’s own colourful pattern. Demarquette Easter Rabbits are available here for only £5.50. Demarquette also has a lovely selection of chocolate bars and truffles if you are still craving sweets after the holiday is over!