Anti-Ageing Perfect Teint II, Vinolift Skin Tightening Cream, Lip Lines Cream and Eye Cream by M.Asam

In the past The Amazing Blog may have said that wine was our favourite grape-based product on the market but now we have a very different answer; anti-aging cosmetics. M.Asam Cosmetics is Germany’s first producer of anti-aging products developed from the ingredients found in grapes. 10 years of intense research into the anti-aging properties of grapes lead M.Asam to develop their high quality skin care line, which aims to battle against signs of premature skin aging. We managed to get a few samples of these brilliant products, including the Perfect Teint II, Vinolift Skin Tightening Cream, Vinolift Eye Cream and Vinolift Lip Lines Cream. 

There’s a huge amount of complicated science behind the range, so we’ll try and sum up what makes it so fantastic. The Perfect Teint II acts as a temporary filler, providing a mattifying base for makeup. The product wears evenly throughout the day and is easily removed with a facial cleanser. The formula contains a retinol-peptide complex meaning that it joins up the forces of retinol and peptides. Retinol works on preventing collagen loss, treating fine lines and acting as an antioxidant, while the peptides stimulate collagen production. M.Asam combines these two agents in the Perfect Teint II, producing a makeup base that expertly blurs facial lines and enlarged pores to produce a matte complexion. It’s easy for us to see why they call it their ‘hero product.’

The Vinolift range is specifically designed for mature, dry skin and combines grape stem cells, resveratrol and OPC extracted from grape seeds. The Vinolift Skin Tightening Cream intensely hydrates the skin both morning and evening, reducing signs of aging all over the face. The Vinolift Eye Cream and Lip Lines Cream target their specific areas to reduce fine lines and wrinkles in the delicate eye contour and providing a plumping effect to the lip contours. The Eye Cream also has the benefit of being fragrance free, a bonus for those with particularly sensitive areas around the eyes.

We love these products and hope you do too. The Perfect Teint II (50ml) retails for £23, The Vinolift Skin Tightening Cream 100ml retails for £29.50 and 50ml for £24, The Vinolift Eye Cream (30ml) retails for £21 and The Vinolift Lip Lines Cream (30ml) retails for £15.50. 

Organic and Fair Trade Wholefood Snack Bars by Geobar.

The Amazing Blog are big believers in supporting fair trade farmers and we all jump at any opportunity to try a new fair trade snack whenever we can. So discovering Geobars fair trade wholefood snack bars has made our week. Their bars are filled with organic ingredients farmed from all over the world including Cocoa from Ghana, Raisins from South Africa, Cashews from India and Walnuts from Pakistan. The Amazing Blog tried the Carrot and Ginger, Apple and Kale and Cocoa and Beetroot bars.

These delicious fruit, oat and nut bars use ingredients from trusted suppliers to ensure they stay fair trade, they're also high in fibre and contain no added sugar. The Carrot and Ginger bar is made mainly from oats, raisins and dates, with the flavours of carrot and ginger to add a hint of spice. The Apple and Kale bar contains dried apple, dates and cashew nuts, with the kale balancing out the zesty apple flavour. The Cocoa and Beetroot bar is made with a similar combination of oats, raisins and dates, but includes both cocoa powder and nibs. We think these bars make for a delicious snack choice while maintaining a healthy diet and supporting fair trade. All the bars are suitable for vegan diets.

They are available to purchase from Ethicalsuperstore.com and Traidcraft for £1.40 per bar (40g) or £26 for a pack of 20.

Friday Feature - Breadren Cooking Classes

Bread. It’s perhaps one of our favourite comfort carbs not only at The Amazing Blog but for most of us, and the Breadren Cooking Class will teach you how to make it but with an artisan twist. You can learn how to make artisan bread from the comfort of your own home, which sounds fantastic to us. You will be taught by the bread-master Baker Max Tobias at the London-based artisan bakery, Breadren. Breadren, is holding cooking classes with dietary restrictions in mind. They understand the daily struggle if you’re gluten-free, vegan or even vegetarian, and they’re here to broaden your horizons. Their ethos is to promote natural, unpretentious food. You won't learn just how to bake, however, as some of their star recipes include roasted cauliflower with tahini, quinoa with roasted brussel sprouts, crispy kale & fresh pomegranate, Vietnamese-style summer rolls, charred sprouting broccoli with harissa, and matcha and coconut mochi cake.

We’ve often pined for the baking abilities of those we see on the British Bake Off, and now the abilty to shape round loaves, rolls and batards, to knead and proof dough, and manipulating temperatures for the ultimate loaf is at our fingertips. Both sweet and savoury baked goods are incorporated into the classes, and both naughty and nice recipes! You needn’t be trapped by trendy food fads and uninspired ‘free from’ diets. Their recipes naturally forego ingredients like eggs, sugar, wheat or dairy so you can keep to your diet restrictions if necessary, whilst cooking and eating some tasty food.

Vegan Cornbread

There are classes once a month throughout the year, ranging from ‘Vegan Seasonal Cooking and Baking’ to ‘Seasoning & Spice’ classes. However, if you prefer cooking around your loved ones you can book a private cooking class on everyday cooking or a themed cooking class for you and your friends and enjoy the experience. Breadren uses local and seasonal ingredients wherever possible, sourcing primarily from London and the South East, an added bonus.

You can book a cooking class here from £55, and book a private cooking tutorial here for a small group of 2-5 persons for £60 per person.

Hydro Effect Serum and Re-Energising Sleeping Cream from Lavera Naturkosmetik

Pollution is almost inescapable in 2017, and at The Amazing Blog, we know that pollution affects us not only on the inside but also causes problems for our skin. Lavera, an all natural beauty brand understands that pollution is becoming an ever increasing problem, and they want to fight against this. Their new Hydro Effect Serum and Re-Energising Sleeping Cream both contain anti-pollution technology, aiming to protect the skin from the environment as well as providing hydrating and anti-ageing benefits.

Lavera's new Hydro Effect Serum battles against daily pollution exposure using highly effective antioxidants, organic algae and white horehound extract from the mint family. These ingredients not only help with anti-pollution but also hydrate the skin to prevent signs of premature ageing. Apply a few drops of the light weight formula to the skin, let it absorb and then apply moisturiser. Natural hyaluronic acid, organic aloe vera and biosaccharides provide a hydrating, cooling and soothing effect throughout the day.

We also tried the Re-Energising Sleeping Cream which aids the natural skin repairing qualities overnight by targeting damage from pollution during the day. The cream also nourishes tired skin and helps produce a fresh feeling in the morning. The Re-Energising Sleeping Cream contains almond and olive oil to smooth and increase radiance, while organic grape and vitamin E provide anti-ageing properties. Massage gently into the skin after cleansing and toning before bed.

Both the Hydro Effect Serum and the Re-Energising Sleeping Cream and vegan friendly and cruelty free. Purchase the Hydro Effect Serum (30ml) here for £19.90 and the Re-Energising Sleeping Cream (50ml) here for £16.90.

Fenty Beauty

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few weeks, you’ll be well aware that superstar Rihanna has combined her business savvy and beauty goddess status to create an impressive and much lust over beauty line. We at The Amazing Blog have been chomping at the bit to sample some of these amazing products. After all, on her first release, Rihanna launched forty shades of foundation and has created a brand that provides beauty for all, definitely a brand belief we can get behind. It is with great excitement that today we review not one, not two but three of Fenty Beauty’s new products; The Pro Filt’r Primer, the Gloss Bomb lip gloss and the Invisimatte Blotting Paper. 

We have to begin by discussing the packaging which is stunning. The primer comes in a beautiful frosted glass bottle, the lip gloss in a pentagon tube, and the blotting paper is refillable. The Pro Filt'r Primer will quickly become a favourite to all who use it, especially to those who want to minimise shine but keep a dewy complexion. The oil-free primer helps to smooth away the look of pores, while evening out skin tone and creating an envy-inducing base for make-up. The primer is incredibly lightweight but is easily absorbed by the skin leaving it feeling baby soft. What’s more is that it smells amazing, so on those days where you feel worse for wear, the primer will both lift your mood and your appearance making you feel unstoppable. As Fenty Beauty is built around the concept of beauty for all, the primer works on all skin tones so everyone can have a photo filter complexion all day long. 

The Gloss Bomb is available in one stunning and universal shade which was handpicked by Rihanna; Rose Nude. It delivers an almost unbelievable shine and is filled with conditioning shea butter to leave lips kissable at all times. Fenty wanted to create beauty products that offer a sensory experience as such the gloss also has an almost addictively beautiful peach-vanilla scent that we adore. 

Last, but certainly by no means least, is the Invisimatte Blotting paper. This product is super portable and is roughly the size of a chunky chapstick or a lipstick case, making it perfectly pockets size. What’s amazing is that Fenty Beauty has transformed perhaps the least exciting or sexy product and made it look and feel chic. Made with natural botanical fibres, Invisimatte left our skin looking not only fresher but kept our makeup looking like it had only just been applied. What’s more, all Fenty Beauty products are cruelty-free.

We can honestly say that the products made us feel not only more beautiful, but they also made us feel more ourselves. The brand makes beauty for everyone, so each product felt personal as we felt like our needs had been carefully considered.

You can purchase the primer here for £24.00, the lip gloss here for £16.00 and the blotting paper here for £13.00.