Face Masks by 7th Heaven

7th Heaven is a brand all of us at The Amazing Blog have fond memories of. They were the brand you would buy for sleep overs as a child, then as you got older for nights in with friends and a bottle of wine. They have a wide range of masks available and all of them are fun, affordable and effective. 7th Heaven very kindly sent us a diverse selection of their products to the office and let me tell you, it has been a fun week of selfies and fabulous skin.

What we really love about 7th Heaven is the variety of products they offer. Whatever you are looking for they are bound to have it. They have sheet masks, mud sheet masks, peel off masks, thermal masks, and the classic mud masks. Each mask informs you if it is natural or safely man made (meaning minimal chemicals and all non-harsh.) 7th Heaven has been going strong for over 30 years now, and have always been dedicated to standing against animal testing. They are a founding member of the Cosmetics Industry Coalition of Animal Welfare and are incredibly proud that all their products are cruelty-free.

It was hard to pick a favourite, so instead, we narrowed it down to our top three. From the peel-off masks – which are endlessly fun – we loved the Cucumber Peel Off Mask which deeply cleansed and refreshed the skin. From the traditional mud pack collection, we particularly enjoyed the Avocado Oil Mask which exfoliated our faces as well as moisturised them. We particularly enjoyed the Hot Spring Sauna Masque, which had an unusual warming sensation we could really get behind and would definitely use again. This pack employed volcanic minerals to gently warm and exfoliate the face. Everyone in the office has loved the growth in sheet mask’s popularity, so the combination of the traditional mud pack with this new craze instantly intrigued us and left our skin feeling smoother and more nourished.

You can purchase 7th Heaven products from a variety of places, including Boots for £1 per mask! 

Butterscotch, Mixed Nut Brittle and Salted Caramel by Fudge Kitchen

All of us at The Amazing Blog are huge fans of Fudge Kitchen and their addictively sweet treats. Having never previously reviewed their products before, we leapt at the opportunity when it finally came around. Fudge Kitchen very kindly sent us three of their products, including some Salted Caramel, Butterscotch and Mixed Nut Brittle. 

Fudge Kitchen has been making hand-crafted treats for over 30 years, using traditional techniques to make new sweet treats. Each piece of confectionery is hand decorated in a small batch, and contain only natural ingredients. The Salted Caramel is utterly delectable; sweet caramel is topped with thick milk chocolate and pink Himalayan rock salt crystals. It had a rich, sweet and salty flavour that left us wanting more. The Butterscotch is a relatively new product for Fudge Kitchen. Creamy Gourmet Butterscotch is smothered in milk chocolate, combining an iconic British favourite with the velvety texture of smooth milk chocolate. The butterscotch is vegetarian-friendly and contains no gluten so everyone can enjoy this. The mixed nut brittle was the perfect snack to bring to work for when we needed a sugar boost. The thick caramel brittle is infused and filled with mixed nuts adding extra texture, flavour and snap.  This snack is also gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly.

We cannot wait to try Fudge Kitchen again and hope to do so soon. If you want to try these delicious treats then click here for the Butterscotch which will cost £6.50, the Mixed Nut Brittle is available here for £6.00 and the Salted Caramel here for £6.50
 

Friday Favourites - Club Soda 'Mindful Drinking Festival'

With the rise of the mindful drinking movement, London is hosting its first alcohol-free drinks festival; the Club Soda: Mindful Drinking Festival. The demand for alcohol alternatives has never been higher and Club Soda, a community of mindful drinkers, are here to provide some delicious options. Club Soda has partnered with Eisberg alcohol-free wine to bring you a unique event, held at Bermondsey Square Hotel on 13th August 2017. If you want to cut down on alcohol, quit completely, or simply broaden your horizons, then this event is the one for you.

If you’re partial to a cold pint of beer or a glass of wine, Heineken’s pop-up bar featuring their '0.0' beer that has gone through gentle alcohol removal whilst maintaining its famous flavour, or Eisberg’s alcohol-free wine and cocktail bar, are must-sees. Local brewer, Big Drop, is there to provide an intriguing array of alcohol-free craft beers. Enjoy the delicious taste of these much-loved beverages, but without the sluggish side-effects that alcohol sometimes punishes us with!

If you’re not a fan of the taste of alcohol, perhaps attend some master classes with the Kombucha (fermented tea said to have originated in Ancient China), Teetotal Gin & Tonic, Shatler's Virgin Cocktails, Fentiman’s botanical drinks, or Club Soda’s craft soda stalls will all take your fancy. You can enjoy a fun-filled afternoon in the summer roof garden, relish in tutored tastings, flavour pairings, mixology masterclasses and learn from beer experts and wine sommeliers, all without the dreaded hangover the next day. The fun doesn’t stop there. Grab some grub from local street food stalls while musicians provide the entertainment. Entry is free, which to us is an absolute steal!

Register for the festival here, which takes place between 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM.

Beauty Kitchen:Seahorse Plankton 5 Minute Miracle Mask & The Beauty Boosting BB Cream

Organic, natural and cruelty-free are the three things we value above all else at The Amazing Blog, not forgetting to add the word 'effective' then they’re our top four. We think that there is nothing as important as treating your skin with carefully chosen and natural products, in particular for those of you with sensitive skin. Beauty Kitchen is a brand who are dedicated to this quad of beliefs. We came across this new brand at the CEW product showcase for their 2017 awards earlier this year. They only make 100% effective, natural and affordable products that are tested on people never animals. We were lucky enough to be sent two products from their Seahorse Plankton Skincare Treasures collection, where a percentage of their profits go to The Sea Horse Trust. The two products were The Beauty Boosting BB Cream and the 5 Minute Miracle Mask.

The Beauty Kitchen Seahorse Plankton 5 Minute Miracle Mask is 100% natural. It contains biologically proven seahorse plankton microalgae for an instant skin detox which will cleanse, stimulate, firm and plump the face, neck and décolletage. This product was a finalist at the CEW Awards 2017 and we know why. The mask left our face looking refreshed and glowing and was the perfect way to aid a chill-out on a rainy Sunday afternoon. To use, just apply a thin layer to the face, neck and décolletage before sitting back and relaxing for 5-15 minutes. Remove with warm water and for further skin stimulation uses a linen face cloth or a Konjac sponge. Applying the Beauty Boosting BB Cream before makeup, led to perfectly even coverage and tone for our foundation. By using it alone it added a slight tint to the face and it effortlessly balanced our complexion. Providing excellent coverage, the BB Cream also compliments all skin tones and types, acting as a base from which to add.

To purchase your next new sustainable beauty products click here. Both the BB Cream and Mask are available for £14.99.

Red Hedy and So Mod Pink by Rodin Olio Lusso

No makeup bag is complete without a perfect red and pink shade (or four!), but it can be a complicated and long process finding the perfect colour to suit your skin tone or even the season. Suddenly, the shades you’ve been using for months and months are too deep and wintery; they clash with your new summer wardrobe and sit heavily on your recently tanned face. All of us at The Amazing Blog have discussed how annoying this realisation can be.  So when Rodin Olio Lusso was brought to our attention, we were immediately entranced by their classic colours. All of their shades have that all important summer pop and brightness without washing you out or turning you into a caricature. 

What we truly love about this brand is the simplicity of it all, they have chosen quality over quantity, and sometimes this very simple truth is too often forgotten in the beauty industry. The desire to create a brand defined by simple beauty stems from their founder Linda Rodin, who was a successful model in the sixties and now in her sixties is the model of spare elegance. Her entire ethos is the simpler, the better, which is entirely evident in her lipstick collection. Only five fabulous shades are available, but all of them are perfect. We tried the Red Hedy and the So Mod Pink in hopes of finding the perfect summer shades. Those hopes were happily met. The Red Hedy, combines old Hollywood glamour with a pop of modernity, to make the perfect blend of nostalgic and contemporary beauty. The lipstick was named after the compelling and painfully beautiful 1930’s and 1940s actress Hedy Lamarr. More than a pretty face, Hedy invented technology that helped defeat the Axis power’s jamming of Allied Radio Communications during WWII. A gorgeous lipstick also named after an amazing woman with brains and beauty is enough to give us a much-needed confidence boost. The So Mod Pink combines the vibrancy of the sixties with the muted statement pieces of the Mod trend. The shade is a muted almost nude rosy pink, that is the perfect shade for those light summer days, where you want your lips to assist with a look rather than be the focus. 

You can purchase Red Hedy here for £28.00 and So Mod Pink here for £28.00. While you’re there, definitely have a look at the other colours and let us know what you think!