Vita-Peptide Eye Gel - Environ

We at The Amazing Blog firmly believe in the adage that our eyes are windows to the soul. Our eyes reveal a lot about us and sometimes divulge a little more information than we would like. They show how well we've been sleeping, if we've had a bit too much fun at the weekend and if we're stressed. Therefore, any half decent skin routine should include an eye serum, gel or moisturiser to reverse and correct any of these unwanted and telling signs. Part of the reason our eyes are able to disclose so much, is that the skin surrounding them is so delicate and sensitive and therefore is easily affected by even the smallest of stressors, so it's imperative to protect this skin from premature ageing. We can think of few eye care products that can do more for the skin surrounding your eyes then Environ's superb Vita-Peptide Eye Gel. 

Vita-Peptide Eye Gel contains a unique formula of powerful vitamins, antioxidants and peptides. Tocopheryl Acetate, which is a form of vitamin E  and a strong antioxidant, enhances your skin's natural sun protectors helping to encourage skin to become stronger and healthier over time. The specially crafted formula contains five amino acids which have the advantage of not irritating skin, as well as rehydrating and plumping skin to give it a more youthful appearance. The plumping effect, along with the low levels of vitamin A help to reduce the visible appearance of fine lines and are effective in preventing their development. Overall, the eye-gel leaves skin looking brighter and healthier, which in turn will leave you looking healthier and brighter!

It’s recommended you apply the eye gel twice a day, morning and evening, on clean skin. Due to high levels of active ingredients, Environ cannot be purchased online without an over-the-phone. You can buy the eye gel for £32.00, by either calling 020 8438 3282 and have your consultation at the same time or alternatively, you can click here to find you nearest stockist.

Gelogics by Pretty Woman NYC

Trying to achieve a salon quality finish at home while painting your nails can be a frustrating and tiresome endeavour. We here at The Amazing Blog know all too well how disappointing it is, after spending a good half an hour painting our nails, to see them chip after only a day or so. Paying to get them done professionally isn't always financially ideal. Therefore, we are always on the lookout for new and exciting products that will prolong our manicure. So we were delighted when Pretty Women NYC  sent us a collection of their Gelogic Nail Polishes to try.

The Gelogics mimic traditional gel manicures, just minus the damage and double the speed. The self-leveling formula of their Titanium Top Coat provides an even coverage that is chip resistant and dries quickly and without the use of a UV or LED lamp. What's more, because the polishes are only mimicking the desired effects of a gel manicure, they can be easily removed with regular nail polish remover and cotton wool. To attain the salon quality finish the products promise, apply two layers of polish to the nail followed by a layer of Gelogics Titanium Top Coat to seal it. The collection contains a rich and diverse array of colours for you to choose from, and we adored the Teal Alpha Jewel Shade, which was a refreshing teal with small flecks of glitter, and is pictured above! Whatever colour you are after, Gelogics is guaranteed to have the perfect shade for any situation, whether you're looking for something a little fun or something more sophisticated Gelogics will have the shade for you. On top of all this, each Gelogic product is entirely guilt free as they are all vegan, cruelty-free and “five” free (free from toluene, camphor, formaldehyde Resin and DBP.) meaning you can look good and feel good at the same time!

This collection is no fuss and guarantees that salon finish from the comfort of your own home. You can choose from their wide range here for £6.16. Unfortunately, the prices are only available in dollars as the company is based in America, but as an international customer, you can use PayPal.

Vital C Hydrating Facial Oil - Image Skincare

For a clear and bright complexion to be achieved, it is necessary to feed your skin the nutrients and vitamins needed for it to remain healthy and nourished. So when The Amazing Blog had the chance to sample Image Skincare’s wonderful Vital C Hydrating Facial Oil we were thrilled,  as it’s the perfect product to revitalise skin and feed it those all-important necessities.

We personally think that this oil is one of the best we have tried. Containing Moringa, Sea Buckthorn and Grapeseed oil along with a trove of antioxidants, this oil instantly perks skin up, brightening and refreshing it. The ingredients work together to rejuvenate ageing skin and work as an anti-inflammatory keeping puffiness under control. What’s more, the oil is also paraben and mineral oil free, so you know that while what your putting on your skin is powerful it will do no damage. This is the perfect oil for those with dry, dehydrated and sensitive skins as the oil is rich but gentle.

Purchase the oil here for £65.00

Victor Rejuvenating Serum - Walker Johnston

Any skincare routine worth its salt will contain at least one product to protect skin against premature ageing. It’s imperative to protect skin from free radicals and UV rays if we want to remain looking youthful and not let our skin betray our years, or worse make us look older than we are. As such, all of us here at The Amazing Blog have a product that we swear by – in fact it has often led to disagreements over which moisturiser, serum or essence is superior, but we can all agree that Victor Rejuvenating Serum can do no wrong for male skin. With no harsh smells, chemicals or animal testing, Walker Johnston has created a male skincare line that matches the standards of women’s products while meeting the specific needs and concerns that male skin has. 

The serum we used is a multi-tasking proprietary complex designed for intense epidermal rejuvenation and reducing visible signs of ageing. By preventing free radical damage, the serum helped guard skin against the development of fine lines, contributed to retaining skin’s firmness and elasticity and left skin looking plumper and feeling firmer.  

Walker Johnston is a British company that makes their products in New Zealand, using the best ingredients that nature of the region offers. With 74% of the serum being made from organic ingredients, including Black Fern ‘Mamaku’ from New Zealand and Hydrolyzed Keratin, the product is full of natural goodies to help skin look and feel its best. 

As Father's day approaches, this serum makes an excellent gift and is one guaranteed to help keep you father's looking his best for as long as possible.  You can purchase the serum here for £44.95

Friday Favourites - Latest Cookbooks

We love nothing more than making a home cooked meal at The Amazing Blog. We find the process of cooking to be an incredibly therapeutic one, as well as being one of the best ways to make small and easy changes in your life. We’ve always thought that mixing things up in the kitchen is an excellent, if not the best, way to lift yourself from a slump. In fact, many of the best evenings we’ve had, have been sitting around a table with friends sharing a bottle of wine and a delicious and carefully prepared home cooked meal. As such, we are always looking for new cookbooks with exciting, delicious and new recipes for us to try! So here is a review of five of our favourites to help you add a bit of extra spice to the kitchen; from five-star restaurant cuisine to Jewish home cooking,  game day favourites and kitchen hacks! We've even included a special book for all you chocoholics out there!

First on our list is The Mountain Café Cookbook: A Kiwi in the Cairngorms, which was written by the brilliant chef at the Mountain Café in Scotland, Kirsten Gilmour. One of the main reasons we love this book is its inclusivity! In the introduction, Gilmour talks about taking a trip with a coeliac friend and realising how hard it was for her friend to eat food and stay healthy. Despite being told food was safe for her it often wasn’t, and she would suffer the horrible effects later. As such, Gilmore vowed to make food that was reliable for everyone. Her book is filled with mouth-wateringly good recipes and using a key, she takes the care and time to let you know which recipes are gluten-free, vegan, egg free, wheat free and dairy free! It can be a daunting task finding a recipe that is safe or reliable when cooking for a friend with dietary restrictions,  and in our experience has led to less than desirable meals, but with this book in your kitchen those days will be a thing of the past. Having this key takes the pressure off, and you know that everyone will be happy and leave the table feeling safe and looked after.

The book is full of exciting flavours including your favourite classic dishes with restaurant quality twists; such as beef, chorizo and mushroom stew, lamb kofta kebabs and sweet potato, spinach and caramelised onion quiche. The salads in the book were definitely among our favourite recipes, and were so much more than your everyday garden variety salad; our two favourites were the seared lamb, halloumi, orange, roasted carrot and almond salad and the sweet potato, red pepper, pine nut and feta salad. These are delicious as light summer dinners as well as healthy lunches to take with you to work.

You can purchase these wonderful recipes and much more here from £20.00

Diana Falk’s cookbook, The Hungry Fan's Game Day Cookbook: 103 Recipes for Fangating, Eating, Drinking & Watching Sports, is the perfect book for those days when everyone comes over to watch a big game or race. The food is not only fun but delicious, and each recipe is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser!

The book is a mixture of healthy and decadent ideas, that will all help with the festivity and excitement of your next sports event. From Bacon, Cheddar Spud Nachos to panko and coconut crusted prawns to lentil salad – there is a delicious recipe in here for every sports lover you know. What we think is fabulous about these recipes is that, whether your guests know everything there is to know about sports, or are completely uninterested, both will have a fun time – even if your team loses!

You can purchase this cookbook here for £18.22 and be the MVP of the day!

We cannot think of a more appropriate title for a cookbook, as in Yiddish the word Fress means “to eat copiously and without restraint.” This is exactly what you’ll want to do as you peruse the recipes in this book. Emma Spritz was a finalist on BBC1 Masterchef, and her cookbook brings together a melting pot of Middle-Eastern and Eastern European tastes to create big flavours that are happy and sociable dishes to feed to friends and family. 

We love how unfussy Emma’s style is, her food is all about extracting maximum flavour from the simplest ingredients in the easiest way.  Embracing recipes from Poland, Russia, Israel, North Africa and Algeria, there is bound to be a delicious recipe for you in here. Whether the recipe brings back a homely familiarity or an exotic new flavour you cannot go wrong with these meals and are sure to wow your friends. 

you can purchase Fress: Bold, Fresh Flavours from a Jewish Kitchen here for £17.00 to start cooking these delicious Jewish flavours at home

Next, on our list is Mastering Chocolate: Recipes, Tips and Techniques from a Master Chocolatier - we would be monsters if we didn’t give you at least one indulgent dessert-centric cookbook! If you want to wow your chocoholic friends and be revered as the master of all chocolate, then this book is for you. With twenty recipes from simple truffles to awe-inspiring tiered cakes, this book explains the essential equipment and provides complete step-by-step photos of each stage of every recipe to help you make the most perfect desserts possible.

The book was written by award-winning pastry chef and chocolatier Mark Tilling.  In case you don’t know who he is, he is the twice UK chocolate master and winner of the first series of BBC2’s Bake-off: Crème de la Crème. These recipes have been tried, and tested and are easy enough to tempt beginners while having the perfect range and creativity for professional chefs! We are still on the lookout for another excuse to make the utterly divine chocolate berry tart!

If you fancy becoming a master chocolatier, then you can purchase Tilling’s cookbook here for £20.00.

Now, while this final book is not technically a cookbook, we simply had to share it with you as Kitchen Hacks: Uncommon Solution to Common Problems is a definite must have! The book teaches you brilliant and easy ‘kitchen hacks’ such as how to professionally hull of a strawberry using only a straw, how to easily peel a hard boiled egg, and how to preserve herbs by freezing them in oil for easy and quick use the next time you need them. What we loved about this book is how it has completely revolutionised the way we move around in our kitchen and how we prepare the food we make. It’s taught us new, better and more time efficient techniques. So now when we have a dinner party, it’s an effortless occasion, and we get to spend time with our guests! We cannot imagine our lives without this handy book being within reach.

You can purchase your very own kitchen helper here for £7.99

So what are you waiting for? Anyone of these books will spice up your everyday cooking or impress at your next dinner party or family lunch. So whether you are trying to get out of a slump or looking to dazzle someone, you'll be able to do it with these in your kitchen.