Bread Angels - Baking Courses

If like us, you cannot get enough of good fresh handmade bread and often thought about making your own, then please read on. In the past few years, we've seen the rise of micro bakeries that sell delicious, artisan bread. We at The Amazing Blog wanted to explore this a little bit further to discover more. There is a network of micro bakers in the UK called the Bread Angels. These are a group of like-minded people who work from their home kitchens (or in one case, a sea container in the garden) in order to produce excellent quality bread that benefits their local communities.

Many of these bakers run Bread Baking Classes too, we think that this is the perfect fun activity for your weekend or a day off.  Classes are small, anywhere from 2-6 people maximum which makes them friendly and informative. The great thing is that you'll leave the course with a new found confidence as a baker along with several warm loaves to take home.

The range of classes that Bread Angels offer is really quite impressive.  There are basic, Italian, flat, sourdough and speciality rye bread making. Not forgetting the buns and sweet bread courses too.  Another interesting course on offer is their micro-bakery course.  This teaches the basic skills required to set up and run a small baking business, including how to bake a huge range of breads.

Feeling ready to hone your baking skills? Then you too can take part in any of the Bread Angel Courses nationwide. Book a spot here and experience the mastery and knowledge that the Bread Angels bring to their classes. Course fees start at £75 and include a light meal, tea and coffee and all ingredients.

Eleni and Chris Bio-Cellulose Age Renewal Face and Eye Mask

As regular readers of The Amazing Blog will know, we're big advocates of Scandinavian skincare. Today we're featuring the latest #amazingfind from one of our favourite the beauty brand Eleni and Chris. They were kind enough to send us their brand new revolutionary Bio-Cellulose Age Renewal Face and Eye Masks to try. Which of course, contain the purest Scandinavian ingredients to help give our skin the extra love and care it deserves. In the past, we've enjoyed using their other masks: Glow, Hydrate and Detox Sincell Face Masks. So it's safe to say we had high expectations for these new Age Renewal Masks. 

The first key skin-loving ingredient found in both the Face and Eye Mask is the Cloudberry extract. This powerhouse ingredient increases cell production by 22% within 24 hours, which in turn encourages the skin to be noticeably smoother, plumping up any wrinkles or fine lines. The Scandinavian Glacier Water used in these masks is carefully sourced from remote mountainous regions for its purity. This ingredient helps to maintain osmotic balance for more refreshed and invigorated skin. The Caviar extract here is essential to improving the elasticity of skin, which significantly helps to reduce the signs of ageing. These luxurious masks are perfect for every skin type; what we particularly like is that they don’t use any perfumes, preservatives or mineral oils which typically irritate the skin. We used these masks 1-2 times a week before bed for around 15-20 minutes, making sure to massage all the pampering liquid ingredients into our skin afterwards. The effect resulted in a firmer (NB: Not tighter!) more moisturised complexion, we really liked the way it made our skin look and feel.

The Bio-Cellulose Age Renewal Face Masks are available here for €19 each, or you can purchase a 6-pack here for €95. The Eye Masks are available here for €8 each or you can purchase a 6-pack here for €44.

Strictly Come Dancing Dazzle Shimmering Mist by Norvell

While summer is not quite here yet, all winter we've been diligently keeping up with our self-tanning routine. Here at The Amazing Blog, being 'pale and interesting' is not our thing! When the sun shines, we like to have a bit of a tan as it makes all the difference to how we feel. So we were happy to discover a product that helps to boost our skin tone and give us even more of a summer glow: Norvell’s Strictly Come Dancing Dazzle Shimmering Mist. This product is just perfect for adding that little bit extra glitz to our skin. If you are new to Norvell, they are a professional tanning brand from the US that has also created a selection of high-quality retail tanning products.

For those of you who don't know, Strictly Come Dancing is a television dance competition on BBC Worldwide and Norvell is appointed as their official tanning brand. Norvell provides professional tanning for all the dancers and celebrities on the show. In June 2017, Norvell released their Strictly Come Dancing Sunless Collection licensed by BBC Worldwide. This retail range helps to create the same bronzed look as the dancers on the show, all in the comfort of your own home. This award-winning tanning line includes four products, all of which are appropriately named; Show Stopper, Perfect 10, Dazzle and Perfection. These help you to look dance floor ready with glowing tanned skin and the additon of an incredibly fine sparkle. 

After testing out the Dazzle Shimmering Mist we really liked how it gave us a great glistening finish that when the light caught our limbs, they looked luminous and absolutely flawless! This Shimmering Mist has a light consistency and comes in a handy 59ml spray bottle which delivers a fast drying and even cover.  It has a wonderful coconut and pina colada fragrance and is infused with water and aloe vera leave juice. Like us you can apply the mist to your body to upgrade your tan or just spray it on to give a bit of extra every day glamour. We also suggest lightly spraying Dazzle Shimmering Mist on your hair to help create more sheen and brilliance giving a really head turning look.  We applaud Dazzle Shimmering Mist for also being paraben, sulphate, gluten free and 100% vegan. You can purchase the Strictly Come Dancing Dazzle Shimmering Mist by Norvell here for £9.99.

Kansha Alchemy - Good Hair Nutrient Complex

Here at The Amazing Blog, we are always looking for products that can really help make every day, a good hair day. So we were super excited to receive the Kansha Alchemy Good Hair Nutrient Complex. We were sent a 1 month supply of this special vitamin complex that helps to encourage the growth of thick, healthy hair. Kansha Alchemy was founded by Carol Harrison and Ann-Louise Holland. Ann-Louise noticed that her hair was thinning and Carol lost her hair due to treatment for breast cancer. These women spent a significant amount of time researching and working with trichologists and hair growth experts in order to create a product that promotes healthy hair, while also working to prevent thinning and shedding. We're inspired by their stories and are excited to see what comes next from Kansha Alchemy. 

The Good Hair Pills contain a unique blend of over 20 carefully selected essential vitamins, minerals and herbs such as selenium, silica, zinc and keratin building amino acids. These ingredients help to keep hair in the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle, meaning that there is far less hair shedding. The pills also contain DHT blockers that work to decrease your sensitivity to DHT (a key cause of balding). As we took the pills, they were easy on the stomach and didn't leave us feeling sickly like some hair supplements can.

With the 1 month supply at £32.99 we took 2 pills every day. However, we would recommend taking a 3 month supply at £88.99, so that you can really see the full benefits. Due to their popularity, the product is currently (10.04.2018) out of stock. However, Kansha Alchemy is working to bring it back in stock as soon as possible. For now, you can add your email to the wait list to get more information about when the product is back in stock. 

The Ultimate Sea Salt Spray For Real Men by the Bluebeards Revenge

Now it is probably true that here at The Amazing Blog, our days of hitting the beach to wax our boards before riding some of those riptides may be behind us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy some of the rituals of our surfer dude lifestyle of years gone by … Which is why this offering from those bristling boffins from The Bluebeards Revenge is causing all manner of interest in the bathroom cabinet. They have come up with The Ultimate Sea Salt Spray For Real Men, and they make no apology for the marketing behind their styling spray going full beam on the celebration of masculinity in all its glory … designed for REAL men, by REAL men - golly the testosterone levels in their production meetings must be off the scale!

Don’t let the skull and crossbones put you off - unless you are part of the Anti-Bum Fluff Brigade who Bluebeard’s Revenge are unashamedly and proudly taking to task … the only potential danger here is an over enthusiastic hair stroker, as they will find the temptation too great to ignore. We are talking 24 Carat Gold Coast authenticity in the beachcomber vibe promising a natural look whilst adding hold, volume, texture AND wave … all from one bottle! 

If you prefer your hairstyling on the salty matt spectrum, then this product will provide it in spades. The fragrance is again utterly masculine with a touch of the traditional  barbershop as a topnote, aligned with Sea Salt Minerals for freshness and deep-rooted nourishment. Add to this potent mix, the company’s stance against animal testing, and we must surely have the elements of a perfect man … well at least the perfect tousled look at any rate. Purchase The Ultimate Sea Salt Spray For Real Men here for £9.99.