London Farmer's Markets - Friday Favourites

This weekend we can think of nothing better to do than hit a Farmer’s Market and peruse locally sourced products, taste some delicious foods and hopefully enjoy a little bit of sunshine. As such, everyone at The Amazing Blog has pooled their collective knowledge and selected a few of our favourite Farmer’s Markets in London.

First on our list is the Farmer's Market in South Kensington. Nestled between three fabulous museums (the V&A, Natural History Museum and Science Museum) this is a fantastic way to enjoy a Saturday. Located 5 minutes away from South Ken tube station, on a little street, this market is bursting with delicious local produce. Pick up some vegetables from Ted's Veg, organic eggs from Rookery Farm, free range meat from Beatbush Farm and purchase some utterly delicious bread, cakes and pastries from Oliver’s Bakery. You can easily buy your week’s grocery shop from here. However, if you don’t fancy that, then why not spend a few hours soaking up some culture or history in one of the fine museums before heading to the farmer’s market for a delicious lunch. We highly recommend The Parson's Nose and their sausage sandwiches.

Open every Saturday from 9.00-14.00; you can see more information about what to expect and how to find this gem of a place here.

If you want to combine your Farmer’s Market experience with a bit of shopping, then head to Pimlico Road near Sloane Square, which sits in leafy Orange Square under the watchful eye of Mozart’s statue. It is asparagus and strawberry season at the moment, and this is definitely the place to pick some up while they’re at their freshest and sweetest. We love this market and think it’s the perfect place to stroll around after a long shopping session; it can be hard work finding that perfect summer dress. With plenty of room to sit and soak up the atmosphere, you’ll be hard done by not to find something delicious to take home with you. We highly recommend this market if you’re looking for some fabulous and fancy artisanal bread and cheeses or seasonal fruits and vegetables. While you are there, you simply must stop by Favourite Stall winner of 2017, Moreton Mushrooms. Their selection is to die for, and they will greet you like old friends. 

Open every Saturday from 9.00-13.00; this market holds a special place in our hearts. For more information have a read here and thank us later.

If what you look for in a Farmer’s Market is diversity and a vast array of options, then look no further than the weekly market held at Alexandra Palace. Large enough to serve the 3000 people who visit every Sunday, this market has anything and everything you could dream of. From Smoked meats and fishes to jams and relishes to handmade pies, this market is an amazing way to spend a happy Sunday sipping freshly pressed juices while tasting homemade cakes, Mediterranean dishes and smelling exotic spices. What’s more is that, alongside the delicious food stalls, the market hosts an array of artists and craftsmen selling ceramics, books, prints and jewellery.   

This is the perfect example of what makes London such a magnificent city. After all, there aren’t many places that showcase such diversity, beauty and community.  So take the kids or head over with a group of friends, soak up the sun and enjoy the best of what London has to offer. If you get bored, which seems impossible, you can also soak up the beauty of Alexandra Palace and the surrounding grounds. For further details, such as the best entrances and particular stalls click here. 

So what are you waiting for? Text your favourite person and spend a day enjoying one of these great market’s and discover or remember the amazing things London has to offer – we hope to see you there.
 

Almond Massage Oil and Bust Gel - GMT Beauty

When we at The Amazing Blog find an effective and inspired product, we look for any excuse to feature them again, so when the opportunity arose to sample GMT Beauty’s Body Concept range we leapt at the chance! Having tried GMT's Natura Concept range previously and having loved it, we decided to try the Almond Massage Oil and the Bust Gel.

The Almond Massage Oil is a high-quality, natural organic oil full of Vitamin E to help nourish skin. Almond oil contains polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as Omega 9 and 6, which are instrumental to the body’s metabolic processes. The added vitamin E in this product acts as a powerful antioxidant which helps to preserve skin’s youthfulness and vitality. You can use this oil to combat cellulite through massage or to simply relax after a stressful day. Due to the neutral aroma and pure ingredients this oil is ideal for any skin type, including sensitive skin. What's more, the product is completely free from parabens, perfume, mineral oil and silicones - all of which are ingredients that could irritate delicate and sensitive skin. 

An important step, but one that seems to be most forgotten, is to incorporate your neck, décolletage and bust into your daily skincare regime, especially if you want to maintain youthful skin. Why keep your face looking youthful and firm but neglect a tell tale area just a little further south? The Bust Gel improves the structure and tone while also helping to tighten and firm the skin. The ingredients consist of a high-quality mixture of natural and organic oils. It contains rutin and escin which helps strengthen capillary walls while nourishing and moisturising skin, contributing to the development of a youthful radiance. The gel is rich in antioxidants, which are 100 times more effective than vitamin C in fighting free radicals. The gel accelerates collagen synthesis, rejuvenating and firming the skin and slowing down the ageing process. The Bust Gel is limited edition so you might want to purchase it before sells out!

Although the company is based in Latvia and prices are given in Euros, you can purchase GMT products in Pounds through PayPal from their website.  The Almond Massage Oil costs roughly £11.00; however it is currently sold out on the website, but it is available from GMT's UK Stockist Vian for £3.95, click here for more informtion. The Bust Gel costs roughly £30.00 from the GMT website, and is once again £3.95 from Vian. 

PureLash Lash Extender & Conditioner - Jane Iredale

Full and long lashes are our favourite accessory here at The Amazing Blog, whether you're foregoing makeup or glamming up. We especially love when our lashes are lengthened and strengthened and making  our much more mascara long-lasting. That’s why we were delighted when Jane Iredale sent us their Purelash Lash Extender & Conditioner.

This multi-purpose product is the perfect way to achieve thick, long and strong lashes. It can be used as a mascara primer, adding measurable thickness and length to the lashes when used under your favourite mascara and helping the mascara to last-longer. Not only are you left with fluttery and flirty lashes, but it also allows you to use less of your mascara, therefore helping your purchase last longer. The second purpose is perhaps our favourite; apply the product to clean lashes before bed for an overnight lash treatment. The Aloe Extract and Vitamin B Complex Factor moisturises the lashes, helping them to grow stronger and healthier. Hydrolysed Wheat Protein aids in thicker growth and with the added bonus of curlier lashes. You can even use this product to condition your eyebrows if you're coveting some bushier brows.

The majority of mascaras slow the growth of the hair follices along your eyelid. This results in scarce lashes that struggle to grow, and is why the Purelash Lash Extender & Conditioner is such a beneficial product. What's more, the product is cruelty-free so as your lashes grow, your guilt won't!  If you're still somehow not convinced, think about it this way, you wouldn't skip the conditioner in your hair-wash routine, so why skip it on your eyelashes?

Purchase the Pure Lash Extender and Conditioner here for £16.00. 

Sweet Pea & Honeysuckle Eau de Toilette and Fragranced Drawer Liner Sachets - Heathcote & Ivory

The beautiful floral aromas that fill up every space is one the best and most delightful aspects about the Summer. Here at The Amazing Blog, we love the light, delicate and sweet floral scents that drift past us and help firmly secure our experiences in hazy summer memories. Heathcote and Ivory have released a classic Sweet Pea and Honeysuckle range that we think captures the scent of the season. They have a variety of products within this range, but we thought we would try the Eau de Toilette and the Fragranced Drawer Liner Sachets.

Unlike other floral perfumes, which can be sickly or oppressing, the Sweet Pea and Honeysuckle Eau de Toilette offers a light, refreshing and lasting fragrance. With a leafy and aquatic top note of magnolia, the aroma is complemented by its musk, cedar wood and amber base notes. Romantic white jasmine and gardenia flowers entwine with the gentle and clean scent of crushed green leaves, to make you feel like you're surrounded by a blooming and fresh garden.

The Fragranced Drawer Liner Sachets are a lovely way to maintain your clothing’s freshness, and imbue their delightful scent into your clothing, mischievously clinging to the bottom of your favourite summer skirt. The lasting smell is more delicate than the perfume but still very present, and has a more grounded scent which balances beautifully with the lightness of the Eau de Toilette.

You can purchase these refreshing summer scents from Heathcote and Ivory’s website, the Eau de Toilette from here for £10.00 and the Fragrance Sachet Draw Liner Sachet’s from here for £6.50

London Festivals - Friday Favourites

It’s that time of year again, festival season. If you are anything like us at The Amazing Blog, you put off purchasing tickets to the biggest festivals of the year because you had “plenty of time to get them!” But yet once again, the festivals are rolling in and you haven’t a chance in hell of getting to Glasto. Well, never fear, because that’s why we are here! We’ve put together a great list of festivals taking place in London over the next few weeks. Whether you couldn’t get the time off work or needed to save money, we have the perfect solution to you festival yearnings.

The first on our list is Love Box. Taking place on the 14th and 15th of July, which is a Friday and a Saturday, the weekend festival is held in East London’s very own Victoria Park. This festival is open to everyone and allows you options - so If you can’t go on the Friday because of a pesky job, then you can purchase a Saturday day ticket. This means that missing work isn't an excuse to avoid having fun at this music-filled extravaganza of a weekend! With musical stars such as Frank Ocean, Jess Glynne, Solange, Chase and Status and more to be announced the festival offers a couple of days of pure music bliss.

A joint day ticket will cost you £126.25 from here and a day pass will cost £72.25 here - We can't wait for what will undoubtedly be one of the best music filled weekends in London this summer!

If you don't want the weekend to end and want to keep the festival vbes flowing, then we present Citadel. This festival is taking pace on the 16th of July AND in the same Victoria Park as Love Box!

Foals, Laura Marling, Sylvan Esso, Bombino, Twin Peaks, Jake Isaac and many more of your favourite bands and artists will be playing at the remarkable event, letting you get close to some of the biggest names in the music industry.

However, if the long list of names isn't enough to sway you then let us tell you what we love about this festival; Citadel combines our passion for music with a host of fun and unique activities that help the day stand out, as such giving you a chance to create some lasting and uniquely special memories. With the city's tastiest food and drink, as well as talks and debates, workshops, fashion boutiques and so much more, there is something for everyone to enjoy and we don't know about you but we love that level of inclusivity!

You can get your tickets here from £55.25.

If the idea of massive crowds is what puts you off festivals, then Bushstock will probably appeal to you as it combines the great music that festivals pull in with the intimacy that gigs offer. Throughout the Shepherds Bush area, this annual festival is becoming a firm favourite for locals and remains a relative secret amongst those in the know. Compared to your typical festival where you are looking at crowds in the tens of thousands, Bushstock will have around 1500 people. Don't think its small size will have an effect on quality, though! The festival has a reputation for being the place to see the 'next big thing' with previous years showcasing Bastille, George Ezra, Hozier, Daughter, Michael Kiwanuka, Nick Mulvey and many many more incredible artists.

One of the best things about this festival, besides it being a Shangri-la for new music in London, is that it takes place in multiple locations in the Shepherds Bush area, which means that your experience of this event will be wholly unique to the experience of everyone else. It also means that you can chop and change what you see. If you're at one venue and the music isn't your cup of tea you can move to another location and then come back later! A single wristband will grant you entry into all of the venues.

This is an exciting and unique London event that demonstrates the beauty of Shepherds Bush, as well as presents electrifying and inspiring new music. We can't think of a better way to spend the day with our friends. Purchase a ticket here for £30.00 and thank us later!

So, if you were anything like us and you too put off buying those big festival tickets until it was too late, you now have a second chance to redeem yourself and have a music filled summer! We can't wait to go to these events, we just need to find a few festival chic outfits.... life's hard isn't it?