Carlee's Christmas Wish List

I can't believe it's already Christmas Eve! Christmas is my favourite time of the year, especially because I love getting the opportunity to spoil my friends and family with gifts. Of course, I have a Christmas wish list of my own, and I'm hoping to see these gifts under the Christmas Tree tomorrow morning!

Depending on what time I fall asleep, waking up in the morning can be a major struggle. I just don’t have the energy (or the time if I snooze my alarm) to properly get ready. That’s where The Library of Fragrance Pure Soap comes into play. The company creates fragrances inspired by life, capturing over 300 scents that surround us every day. What better way to celebrate Christmas than to celebrate the under-appreciated sense of Ivory soap! Let me tell you, this perfume will come in handy. Whether you spray it as you quickly head out the door or in the bathroom at work, the Pure Soap fragrance will provide you with a fresh-from-the-shower scent anytime and anywhere. If you’re always in a hurry like I am or just too lazy like I also am, this might just be the best way to freshen up your day. You can buy a bottle of Pure Soap here at £15.00 for 30 ml.

After a very unfortunate incident at the airport, I lost my all-time favourite moisturiser. For years, I could never pin down the perfect product. No matter what I tried, my face, within a matter of 2 hours, would produce enough oil to fill a bottle. Somehow, I managed to stumble upon Clinique’s Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief. I have worshipped this product ever since. The light cream sinks right into my skin and provides it with hydration all day long. The oil on my face was finally under control and it even helped with my acne. It’s crazy, but I feel so much happier when I use it because I know that it’s the only product that has had perfect results on my face. I cannot wait to receive this for Christmas. It will make my morning and night so much better! You can be just as happy by purchasing the moisturiser here at £34.00 for 50ml.  

I have to have lip gloss on me at all times; otherwise, I panic. As soon as my lips begin to feel dry, I have to moisturise. Even if they don't feel dry, I still have to touch-up my lips. Some might even call it an addiction. Any way, when I heard about Heathcote & Ivory’s new Secret Paradise collection, I knew I had to try something. As soon as I laid my eyes on the Secret Paradise Lip Gloss Tin, I had to put it on my Christmas list. It contains beeswax, which soothes and softens your lips. Not only is it peach flavoured (one of my favourite fruits), but it comes in the most adorable heart-shaped tin. The delicate heart features Madagascan violets and lilies and cute little hummingbirds. With this lip gloss, I will no longer be just a lip gloss freak. I’ll be a lip gloss freak with style. If you share my addiction, you can purchase the Secret Paradise Lip Gloss tin here at £4.00 for 14g.  

If I die, it will be death by chocolate. I can't live without it. If I was stranded on an island with nothing else but chocolate, that would be okay.

Since chocolate is part of my daily food intake, I had to find the perfect balance, which is why I love indulging in Doisy & Dam chocolate. Not only is it delicious, but it's healthy for you too! Each 74% chocolate bar is packed with delicious, health-giving superfoods. Each superfood ingredient brings high levels of vitamins, minerals, fibre, protein and Omega 3. The cholesterol-lowering and antioxidant properties of the dark chocolate almost make these bars guilt-free! There are currently four products in the range and I just love the Mulberries, Chia Seeds & Spirulina chocolate bar. After devouring it within minutes, I knew I would want more for the holidays.

For all of you chocoholics out there, Doisy & Dam chocolate bars are available in 40g (RRP £1.65) and 100g (RRP £3.99) and they are available from the website and selected retailers including Ocado, Whole Foods and Planet Organic.

I hope all of you lovely readers have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your gifts! 

Organic SuperBlends - Energise

Ever feel like you’re not getting enough nutrients? Sometimes here at The Amazing Blog we do too. That’s why we were excited to try Organic Super Blends when we received a sample!

This natural alkalising superfood powder is a Chia based, all in one superfood powder. It’s perfect for sprinkling over cereals and granola, or adding to juices, yogurt and smoothies. Also, all of their powders are 100% raw. There are only 6 key ingredients: chia seeds, acai, rosehip, goji, camu, and lucuma. The powder is locally made in the UK and aside from being organic, it is also vegan, gluten free, wheat free, and soy free. Super Blends comes in four varieties: Alkaline Greens, Skin Food, Energise, and Omega 3. Each of these products works in a different way to help your health, depending on what you prefer. Our favourite here at The Amazing Blog was the Energise blend, because it left us bursting with energy, making it the perfect pick me up. Organic Super Blends loves giving back, so they give 10p from every pouch sold to the Amantani Charity Peru charity. This organisation’s mission is to help the children of Peru keep their smiles,by bridging the gap between home and school.

Get your own Organic Super Blends here today. Alkaline Greens & Skin Food for £18.99, Energise for £13.99, and Omega 3 for £12.99.

Cnaan Cosmetics

Picture the scene; Sunday 8am – the morning after the night before, and a night and a half it was. I stumble, bleary–eyed to the bathroom and am confronted with a bit of a train wreck. My hair has transformed from a sleek up-do to what I can only describe as dreadlocks, my previously glowing, dewy skin is now a sorry shade of grey, with residues of last night’s make up thrown in for good measure. Oh, and my fake tan has gone patchy. My skin is in desperate need of some serious TLC – and good old fashioned soap and water just ain’t going to cut it. Lucky for me I’ve come across a fantastic brand called Cnaan Cosmetics– whose organic products are paraben and paraffin-free and should certainly help my quest for revitalized and nutured skin. First stop was my face, so I used their facial exfoliating gel – which has a natural infusion of bee propolis and organic green tea – to wash away last night’s grime. I only needed a really small amount – because all the ingredients are natural it makes them more potent, meaning a little goes a long way. Unlike a lot of exfoliants, this one is gel based; making for a very gentle scrub and it leaves my skin bright and refreshed, but not red-raw, as some of them do.

Next I try their delicious strawberry and vanilla peeling sorbet, rich in essential oils including peppermint, borage and rosemary, which certainly smelt good enough to eat. I use it all over my body, paying particular attention to elbows and knees, both of which are often the worst culprits of dodgy fake tan. After rinsing it off my skin feels super-clean, nourished and is, thankfully, streak-free. I finish off with the gorgeous vanilla, patchouli and lavender shea butter. The shea butter is rich without being greasy and has an array of benefits including skin softening, protection from the harmful effects of UV rays, reducing stretch marks and cell renewal. With its rich blend of botanicals and essential oils, this really is a super-food for your skin, and left mine feeling butter-soft. The fusion of goodness contained within each and every one of Cnaan’s fantastic range makes them a real must-have for anyone wanting to indulge their skin – and with a 30 day money back guarantee if you’re not happy – what’s not to love?!

Food For Thought

Feeling a bit run down at the moment? Us too, so to ward off our winter sniffles one of the Amazing PR team has been dosing us up with Vital Greens her ‘wonder supplement’. She credits her seemly total immunity to the flu and colds that are floating around at this time of year to Vital Greens, as well as extolling its further virtues in her increased energy levels and generally happy, clappy outlook on life. Bitter? Us? Vital Greens contains 76 all-natural, certified organic ingredients designed to optimise health, energy and vitality. This all-in-one “superfood” claims to work as a “detoxifier, cleanser, energiser, alkaliser, well-being promoter and mental acuity sharpener” – wowzer!

Vital Greens promotes alkalinity which is said to make you feel more “balanced and alive.”. Our Vital Greens fan boasts a very alkaline body state, as she discovered when she got all sciency with a litmus test. This high alkalinity helps to balance us when we don’t get our daily quota of fruit and veg and, though we can’t condone going overboard on the sherries, it is great for balancing the acidic state of a hangover.

Downsides are that it is not exactly delicious, stirred into a mixer of your choice it somewhat resembles pondwater, but we bravely hold our noses and drink it down. And the benefits? Well, we’ve been taking Vital Greens religiously every morning for a week now and have already noticed we are feeling more sprightly and bouncy, even in the afternoon lull when we usually start getting grouchy and craving a sugar hit. Oh, and though we can’t say we actually look forward to taking it, the flavour does become more bearable over time.

And it’s not only humans who can enjoy the benefits of this superfood… a certain spoilt Tibetan spaniel here at the office has also been reaping the benefits of Vital Greens which is added to his food 2-3 times a week.

This plan for healthy living should ideally be supported with lots of healthy and organic food; we’d like our food sans the nasty chemicals please, and we would prefer it didn’t have to take a transatlantic flight to appear on our plates. But like all of us you probably don’t have the time, or powers of organisation, to buy all local, organic and in season – those farmers markets’ hours are not nearly as convenient as the Sainsburys Local.

Well, no need to fret, because the lovely people at Abel and Cole have taken all of the hard work out of it for you. They will deliver the best seasonal and organic food to your door on a weekly basis. Their fruit and veg boxes are perfectly put together to tailor to the size and specifications of your household. Not a fan of beetroot, or have a bit of an orange phobia? (seriously, my boyfriend actually does)...well Able and Cole make sure the offending item never appears in your box and will replace it with something more to your liking. Though it is not just fruit and veg boxes, Able and Cole could take charge of your whole weekly shop should you wish. Offering everything from organic meat, fish and dairy through to soups and prepared meals (calling them a ready meal would be a bit of an insult we feel), kitchen cupboard essentials and even organic wines and ciders.

The thing we love most about Able and Cole, apart from their scrummy food natch, is the complete dedication to their ethos. With strawberries available all year round and ‘new season’ lamb always on our shelves, many people don’t recognise what is in season when. This is a real shame as food eaten in its proper season tastes so much better. Able and Cole do source some of their products from Europe and internationally to fill the gaps when our farmers are between harvests, but they never, ever air freight and their first choice will always be small-scale, specialist, British suppliers. They are dedicated to keeping their packaging to a minimum and experimenting with new, green ways to power their vans. Oh, AND they are passionate about animal welfare, could they get any lovlier?!

This is one health kick we might keep up...

www.vitalgreens.co.uk

www.abelandcole.co.uk

KM & EM-H