Friday Favourites - Organic Skincare

Here at The Amazing Blog we are all about natural beauty and we strive to find the best products to keep our skin youthful and healthy all year round.  It’s important to find the right beauty product for your skin whilst avoiding those packed full of nasty chemicals. So, we’ve done the legwork and collated a list of some of our favourite organic beauty products.

You may recognise London Ethnic as a London-based fashion label.  However, we were excited to discover that they recently launched their debut beauty range.  The products are made using nourishing organic ingredients and pure botanical actives, and the best thing about them is that they’re free from parabens and artificial preservatives.  We particularly love their Warming Bath Oil.  It has a delicate, relaxing scent and leaves our skin feeling soft, refreshed and revitalised. If you like the sound of this you can pick up your own online here for £32, as well as checking out the rest of their range.

Another fabulous brand, Unica, pride themselves on being 100% organic and natural.  Sonia, the brand’s founder, is passionate about the healing power of herbs and oils after suffering with skin issues herself.  Through making her own products, she gradually began to heal and wanted to share her fantastic products with the world. Our stand-out product was the Kiss It Better Moisturiser which is suitable for even the most sensitive skin.  The formula includes Nilotica Shea Butter to keep skin moisturised, Rosehip Oil and Calendula, all of which reduce itching, promote healing and relieve the symptoms of eczema, psoriasis, and inflamed skin.  Get it here for £12.95.

Terre Verdi proudly produce ethically-sourced products made from natural ingredients and endeavor to use as many organic ingredients as they can.  Honouring founder, Alessandra de Gregorio’s Sicilian roots, the brand have a stunning range of products for both face and body. Our favourites are the Aloe Toner and Moisturiser.  The toner is great at removing any residual make-up and dirt left after cleansing, and has a powerful combination of Aloe Vera and gentle Rose Water to help heal, protect and fight signs of ageing.  Their Face Moisturiser also combines the properties of soothing Aloe Vera with those of pro-youth Apricot Kernel Oil, perfect for hydrating the skin. And it’s not just for women - it’s fantastic as an after-shave too!  Treat yourself to the Terre Verdi Toner and Moisturiser here for £14 and £15 respectively.

Not far from Sicily, Mille Ulivi is the love child of a team of Italian biologists and cosmetologists. The 100% natural and innovative formulas combine the antioxidant power of Extra Virgin Olive Oil with active ingredients derived from the olive tree, to prevent skin aging. We fell in love with their Nourishing Day Cream. The beautiful recycled wooden packaging immediately sets this apart from other products in its category, but the real beauty is inside.  It’s rich in natural antioxidants and highly concentrated SWISS Gardenia Stem Cells, which are your best ally against the signs of ageing. What’s more, the light, non-greasy formula, makes it an ideal base for make-up too. You can buy it for £46.05 from their online site here.

Another of our favourite natural brands is Nadeballa. The brand makes products based on the philosophy that your skin needs the right ingredients to keep it looking its best. This is a sentiment that we can wholly get on board with, so when they sent over their Night Replenishing Cream, we were over the moon.  With a plethora of nourishing ingredients, including Almond Oil and Apricot Kernel Oil, it’s packed with the essential vitamins your skin needs. It’s great for delivering an extra boost of hydration whilst your body rests and your skin regenerates. We woke up looking younger, with a plumper, smoother looking complexion. It certainly is a great aid for our beloved beauty sleep. You can buy it on Nadeballa’s website for £39.

Clarena - Pumpkin Cream

Although we know hot summer days are few and far between in the Capital, we at The Amazing Blog know how important it is to keep our skin's hydration levels topped up during the warmer seasons. Unfortunately, we also know all too well how uncomfortable it can be to wear those heavy, clogging moisturisers in balmy weather. Luckily, we've found the perfect balance in Clarena’s Pumpkin Cream.

Although pumpkin is something that we associate more readily with Autumn months, Pumpkin Pulp Extract is packed with enriching vitamins and minerals such as E, C and β-carotene, ideal for nourishing your skin all year round. We found the light, fresh formula perfect for summer moisture, as it absorbs almost immediately, and helps to maintain a proper level of skin hydration. The lotion gives all the benefits of a rich, thick facial moisturiser, without clogging up our pores. We’re excited to finally find a cream that gives the best of both worlds.  Its lightweight formula is perfect for oily skin, keeping it balanced, fresh and moisturised. An added bonus: it smells wonderful too.

Clarena shows that pumpkins aren't just for Halloween after all - avoid any scary skin issues this summer with this fabulous cream. Buy it here for £14.50.

Gazelli - Revitalising Mineral Mask with Volcanic Mud

As you know, here at The Amazing Blog, we take our beauty regimen very seriously and we are always looking for new ways to achieve a healthy glow. Gazelli is a luxury brand which has a fantastic selection of skincare that we’ve long been a fan of.  Their Volcanic Mud Revitalising Mineral Mask is our latest love as it gives our skin a new vitality and luminosity. 

This wonderful mud mask gives you a gorgeous fresh complexion without the need to scrub and without the irritating tightness an exfoliator leaves. The mask is so light that it goes on smooth as silk and smells absolutely amazing. After spreading a thin, even layer across our visage and leaving it for 15 minutes, we certainly noticed a new and wonderful luminosity to our complexion. The powerful Volcanic Mud formula stimulates collagen and elastin and also draws out toxins and enriches the skin with its minerals and nutrients. This deep cleansing mask has a gentle and refreshing cooling sensation  which certainly revives our tired skin. Use this mask a couple of times a week and your skin will be positively radiant.

If you’re looking for that extra summer glow and also a little skin detox, you can buy Gazelli’s Volcanic Mask online here for £40.

Stvdio 5 - Natural Soaps

Here at The Amazing Blog, there’s is nothing we love more than relaxing in a nice hot bath with some soothing music, a glass of wine and some deliciously scented soap.  The clever people at Stvdio 5 have created some of the most gorgeous soaps we’ve ever seen, so that our baths no longer just smell delicious, they look it too. 

Each of the beautifully designed soaps is handmade with serious attention to detail to look like some of our favourite baked goods. Unlike those carb-filled treats, however, these soaps are packed full of goodness. Following the cold process method, they combine Olive, Coconut, Almond and Castor Oils instead of using any nasty chemicals. We certainly felt the benefit of this natural goodness; that horrible drying feeling given by most standard soaps was noticeably absent after this tasty looking cleanse. The formula is enriched with Kaolin and Tea Tree Oil, which are packed with antibacterial properties, as well as Aloe Vera Extract, a powerful source of Vitamin A, B1, B2, B6 and B12, Vitamin C and E. What makes these soaps extra special? They’re vegan, cruelty free, natural and, best of all, British.

They smell so good, you’ll want to eat them (but don’t!). These stunning soaps start from £3.00 and you can find them on Stvdio 5’s website.

Feel Free Foods - Breaded Hake and Gluten Free Foods

Here at The Amazing Blog, we love our food, but we know it’s sometimes tricky to rustle up something easy, tasty and healthy, especially if you suffer from allergies or intolerances. Thanks to Feel Free Foods, it's about to get a lot easier. The gluten free company have added some great new breaded fish dishes to their frozen products, so that you can make a nutritious meal with ease at the end of a long day. 

Diagnosed a coeliac, Sally Allister started the company back in 2004 after recognising a need for healthy, high quality, gluten free products which are tasty enough to be enjoyed by the whole family. Her latest breaded fish range is made from 100% fish fillet and covered in a crunchy maize coating. The mouthwatering Breaded Cod and Hake Fillets are each available in packs of two, ready to be baked for a quick and healthy dinner. We were lucky enough to try the delicious Breaded Hake Fillets and it's safe to say we’re hooked (excuse the pun).  The fillet was firm, tender and had a delectably crunchy coating.  What’s more, the hake is sustainable, so that guilt free feeling goes a little bit further!  If you have little mouths to feed, the brand also make Breaded Fish Nuggets, as well as a huge range of pastas, sweet treats, and quick, easy meals. 

You can buy your own tasty hake here. They retail for the very reasonable price of £3.99 and are worth every penny! If fish isn't your dish, then fear not, as the company offer a wide range of other gluten free products, and have a selection of recipes for you to experiment with.