Don't Bite Me! Patch

With the beautiful weather of summer comes the dreaded time of mosquitos. At The Amazing Blog, we have a pretty dim relationship with bugs. That is why we were glad to find the Don’t Bite Me! all natural patches. This summer, us girls over at The Amazing Blog will no longer be slathering ourselves with smelly bug lotions or sprays; we will just slap on this clear, waterproof patch and go on about our days.

The Don’t Bite Me! patch has only 2 ingredients: Aloe and Vitamin B1. When the Vitamin B is metabolized in the body, it reduces the odours that attract bugs. Unlike other products, this one works within our bodies to deter insects, not repel them. It needs to be applied 2 hours before going outside, and lasts for 36 hours.

Luckily we were not in buggy zones for that long, but we did notice an awesome lack of bites after our night out in the garden. The patch is safe for children, so imagine not having to further chase the little ones around to reapply bug spray every couple of hours! It is a really simple product that has good results, so don't wait until you are already covered in bites to go out and pick it up.

Check out the Don’t Bite Me! website for the list of stockists here or grab them from online here for £9.99.

Opera in the Gardens at Chiswick House

 

Here at The Amazing Blog  we love to find fun things to do with our summer nights! Despite being in the heart of London, we suffer from the typical ‘been there done that’ Londoner mentality. So when we heard about Garden Opera, a chance to try something brand new, we had to investigate.

 Focus Opera was founded in 2009 and aspires to tailor its productions to site specific locations using the physical space to create an arena in which the concept, drama, music and performers come together perfectly. Focus Opera have performed almost everywhere, from country houses to caverns, but this summer they will treat audiences to two evenings of spectacular opera in the beautiful gardens of Chiswick House. A fabulous way to make the most of the sun, the group are performing on Wednesday 2^nd July, with a performance of the French play Barber of Seville, and then on Thursday 3^rd July with the Italian opera Cosi Fan Tutte.

This is the second year the folks from Focus Opera will be serenading audiences at Chiswick House. It also happens to be the 10^th anniversary of Opera in the Gardens at the Chiswick House, making it the perfect summertime celebration. Bring your blanket, chairs, and refreshments for a wonderful, opera filled picnic or come al fresco and purchase beer and wine on location. Both performances start at 7.30pm but guests can set up their chairs and picnics from 6pm, and enjoy a magical evening celebrating summer with friends!

Tickets are priced at £30 for adults, and £15 for children aged 5-15 are available here. 

Taste of London 2014

We here at The Amazing Blog  are always keen to tantalize our taste buds with new and interesting foods and flavours. Lucky for us, Taste Of London is back. We wrote about Taste of London back in 2011  so we were super excited to feature it again. A 5 day exhibition in Regents Park, the event sees restaurants, chefs and food lovers come together to share in culinary delights and an array of other frivolities, and we’ll certainly be joining them.

From the 18^th to the 22^nd of June, Regents Park will play watering hole to everybody who’s anybody in the London food world. A ticket entitles you to a four hour food adventure, where you can sample dishes from 40 of London’s finest restaurants. If tucking into delicious dishes isn’t enough for you, the festival also hosts a range of activities, such as a Sushi Masterclass, wine and cheese pairings, and the chance to taste a variety of beers. Eric Lanyard and Michael Roux Jr are just a couple of the famous faces that will be there to share their love of food with you foodie heaven.

We all have our favourite restaurants, weather it’s the little place round the corner, or the expensive anniversary-only restaurant in the heart of London. However, we also all know how great it is to find something new, exciting and that you really love! Taste of London is a great opportunity to do just that, as well as have a fabulous day out. With tickets costing around £25.80 for standard admission, make sure you book a slot for the biggest food festival of the social season. We feel like we’ve died and gone to food heaven.

Celtic Marches - Abrahalls Thundering Molly Cider

I’m sure we’re not the only ones who are pleased to see that summer has finally arrived in London. Here at The Amazing Blog, we are taking advantage of these sunnier evenings by spending our time in the garden, relaxing with a drink in hand. The girls enjoy a cocktail or two, but I’m a cider man, myself. So when Celtic Marches sent us this Abrahalls Thundering Molly Cider, I was the first to pour myself a glass and venture out onto the patio.

 One of Thundering Molly’s unique attributes is her retro label. Adorned with a 1950s pin-up, the whole office was a fan of the aesthetically pleasing bottle. The cider itself has a lovely rich, golden hue, which was enough to make my mouth water just looking at it.  Celtic Marches describe the brew as a ‘well rounded medium cider’ and it certainly went down smoothly. The sweet sharpness of the apples, made with 100% fresh pressed juice gives a wonderfully refreshing taste. There is something about one of your five-a-day being turned into a delicious alcoholic beverage that I can wholly agree with, and the crew at Abrahalls have definitely become the apple of our eye.

In anticipation of warmer evenings, we'll be stocking our coolers with cider aplenty. We think that Thundering Molly will be your best friend for the coming summer months.  A 500ml bottle contains 5.2% ABV, and can be bought in a pack of 12 here for £29.99

Lavera - Organic Self-Tanning Face Cream

With such unpredictable weather at the moment, the girls here at The Amazing Blog have been relying on self tanning products, to get that sun-kissed healthy glow. We all have our favourite self-tanning body mousses or lotions, which we have been applying religiously, but searching for a great self-tanning product for the face can be a little trickier. You can't cover up a streaky face with a kaftan after all. Luckily we have discovered Lavera’s Organic Self -Tanning Face Cream to give our faces an even, bronzed glow.

This vegan friendly lotion is long lasting and moisturises the skin while providing a natural, light tan. With organic ingredients, like high quality macadamia oil and sunflower oil, Lavera is the ideal self-tanning facial cream. Like most self-tanning lotions, when applying it, keep it away from the hair line as well as the eyebrows to prevent colour build up. Also, washing hands immediately after application is a must to avoid staining. Though the tint takes about five hours to develop, the colour lasts for about two weeks. I have found applying Lavera two times a week yields for the most natural and even shade of colour.

Lavera is the ideal product to complete your self-tanning regime, with easy application, getting a naturally golden colour has never been easier.  Purchase Lavera's Organic Self-Tanning Face Cream for £10.90 here to achieve that sun-kissed summer glow we all long for.