Friday Favourites - Candles

Candles are often associated with winter months, adding a sense of warmth and comfort to any room. Here at The Amazing Blog, however, we don’t adhere to seasonal stereotypes, and believe that fresh, scented candles are the perfect accessory, whatever the weather. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite candles for the summer months.

We love the scent of fresh flowers in our home, but sadly the effort and cost of keeping the office stocked with bright bouquets mean that it’s more hassle than it’s worth. For this reason, we love the Flower Market range of candles from US company, Paddywax. With a range of wonderfully scented, hand-poured candles to choose from, they’ll have your house smelling as divine as a country garden in the time it takes you to strike a match. Our favourite is Peony & Clover; its deliciously sweet floral scent is perfect for summer mornings. Coming in a range of sizes and styles, there’s something to suit everyone. Pick up this Paddywax products here from only £15.

If you’re looking for a scent a little more unorthodox and true to life, Corpo Sancto have an interesting range of scented candles for any taste. The Biker Jacket fragrance caught our eye. Its leather scent would be perfectly at home in a library or study, with its sleek black packaging making a subtle addition to your home. Made with rapeseed wax, the candles promise a burn time of around 48 hours. Most exciting of all, the brand offer a bespoke service, so if Log Fire or Coffee & Bread aren’t to your taste, you can ask them to make a fragrance that is! Treat yourself to the Biker Jacket candle here for £28.

For the ultimate in clean, chic candles, look to Industria. Combining inspiration from Italian science and alchemy, Industria have come up with a blend of unique, clean scents that are ideal for summer. Our favourite is Cardinalis. Inspired by the Florentine Renaissance, the soft sweet smell reminded us of summer getaways. The simple packaging adorned with alchemic symbols will add a touch of class to any room, and they certainly brightened up our office. Treat yourself to an Industria candle here for £40. Be sure to explore the corresponding perfumes too!

For a quirky addition to your décor, Vineyard Candles have thought up an inventive way to recycle old wine bottles. The artisan brand have craftily filed the bottom of the bottles, filling them with beautifully scented natural wax, inspired by our favourite summer tipple. There’s nothing like lighting a Gin & Tonic scented candle at the end of a long work day. Go teetotal and grab yourself a Vineyard candle here for £19.50.

Perfumerie Fragonard - Le Jardin De Fragonard collection

Here at The Amazing Blog we love a good scent, especially one that comes from a great heritage. Founded in 1926 by entrepreneur Eugène Fuchs, Perfumerie Fragonard was established to sell perfumery products directly to tourists who were discovering the French Rivera’s charms. Fuchs chose the name after the famous Grasse-born painter, Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), as a tribute to the town of Grasse, the refinement of 18th-century arts, as well as representing his desire to run his business in accordance with traditions. This spirit has been loyally perpetuated by the three succeeding generations who have run and are still running the company.

We love how Perfumerie Fragonard combines tradition with a modern attitude, and we were delighted to receive their Jasmin Perle de Thé eau de parfum (£30 for 50ml) and Jasmin de Fragonard collection (ranging between £10-£18) to try out.

Jasmin-Perle de Thé translates to Jasmine-Pearl Tea. This beautiful and elegantly feminine scent is reminiscent of flowering jasmine, and with additional notes of lemon, bergamot, honeysuckle, green tea, white cedar, guaiac wood and white amber, which makes for a wonderful summer perfume.

We also loved the Jasmin de Fragonard collection, an exclusive range that pays homage to the town of Grasse. Topped by head notes of bergamot and orange blossom, “Jasmin” eau de toilette develops heart notes combining three jasmine varieties (Grasse, Egypt and India) on an amber base. The collection comprises of soaps, candles, toiletry bags, gift sets and decorative objects. Both the Jasmin Perle de Thé eau de parfum and Jasmin de Fragonard can be purchased from the Fragonard website, or from Marks & Spencers.

Kadria - Balancing Face Oil with Chia and Blackseed

Here at The Amazing Blog we love to discover new natural and vegan products, especially those that are suitable to sensitive skin. We couldn’t have been more happy to receive Kadria Balancing Face Oil, which is a natural safe therapy which helps to nourish, protect and restore your skin. Made from 100% vegetable derived ingredients, it’s the perfect way to treat sensitive skin.

One of the main ingredients in the Balancing Face Oil is Blackseed. This plant, that in Arabia is called ‘seeds of blessing’ or ‘habba sawda’, helps to keep the skin youthful and radiant with its rejuvenating properties. Another key ingredient for keeping your skin supple and youthful is Frankincense. An oil that comes from the gum or resin of the trees, it helps to improve the texture and elasticity of the skin. Finally the Rose Geranium, with its wonderful fresh scent, helps to relax and calm your mind.

All Kadria products are developed by an aromatherapy and massage practitioner who has combined her Anglo-Arabic roots with her knowledge of the scents of the orient to create a line of oils ideal for health and wellbeing. Moreover, all Kadria products are natural and kind to our bodies because they have been specifically designed for pregnancy and labour. If they’re safe enough for using during those special 9 months, then who are we to argue!

If you want to ‘pamper yourself with peace of mind’, you can buy the Kadria Oil here for £36.

Fashion Fair - Perfect Illuminating Powder

Here at The Amazing Blog , it feels like it’s finally time to embrace summer! Aside from ice cream, sandals and summertime strolls, nothing screams summer more than bronzed skin. We’ve found the perfect way to cheat that bronzed glow with the Perfect Finish Illuminating Powder from Fashion Fair.

Formulated primarily for women of colour, Fashion Fair has a wonderful range of cosmetics that are perfect for a number of skin tones. The Illuminating Powder would be ideal for adding a flush of colour or a highlight to darker skin. That being said, I find that the versatile shade adds a wonderful glow to my fair skin. Being on the paler side myself (although I often dose up with my favourite fake tan), I loved the Metal shade for adding a bit of warmth to my summer complexion. A little on the shimmery side, this is more of an evening product for me, but I was so surprised by how good of a match it was for my fair visage. It will certainly be going in my suitcase this summer to help me master a sun-kissed look on warm exotic evenings.

Pick up your own Fashion Fair Perfect Finish Illuminating Powder here  for £29.

Man Organic

Here at The Amazing Blog, the girls are constantly browsing for new beauty products online. With loads of websites to choose from, catering to their specific needs, I often feel left out. I don’t really need to tell you that men have very little choice in comparison when shopping online. With this in mind, I thought I would take a different approach to my usual product based posts, and introduce you to my new favourite male grooming site, Man Organic. 

Often having to actively hunt out organic products when it comes to skincare, shopping for male grooming products was becoming quite the hassle. So you can imagine my delight when this exclusively organic site crossed my path. With a plethora of organic brands to choose from, from Yes To to Green People, I was truly in skincare heaven when browsing through their collection. To be totally honest, it really opened my eyes to just how many organic products there are on the market specifically for men. It’s great to finally have somewhere to visit where I can easily find what I’m looking for, instead of raking the aisles and reading the small print in order to treat my skin.

Now that it’s so much simpler to go green, treat your skin to some wonderful new products at Man Organic.