Rosenserien's Shampoo and Body Scrub

Rosenserien is a brand that we know and love at The Amazing Blog. We have featured both their Natural Deodorant (click here) and Self Tan (click here) products as part of our Friday Favourites, and featured their Wash and Shave Gel for Men last year (click here). We were therefore thrilled when they surprised us with two new products, their Shampoo and Body Srub. Both are based on litsea cubeba, an Asian cleansing and refreshing plant, providing a detoxing effect to both your skin and hair simultaneously. They are also 100% vegan and natural, without the use of harsh chemicals or parabens.

Revealing the sweet natural scent of roses when opened, the 65% organic Shampoo immediately enticed us. With the uses of green tea and nourishing camelina oil, the ingredients work together to allow this shampoo to become an all-around package for your hair. It is suitable for all hair types and does excellent work on split ends (which is a problem we all share). Even dry and sensitive scalps will love this treatment. Fancy a little insider tip? Add some drops of jojoba oil for an extra nourishing hair mask.

Just as we uneartheated silky smooth hair, we wanted to replicate this on our bodies. That’s when the Body Scrub came into play. It smooths, softens, tightens and strengthens your skin, and with the use of organic and fair trade marked aloe vera as a base, this scrub exfoliates dead skin cells, while moisturising at the same time. The ingredients open your pores and leave your skin smooth and firm. Spreading a fresh citrus scent, this 84% organic product is your perfect companion for smooth skin, and is excellent when used before tanning, and before and after waxing.

To treat yourself to smooth hair this January, then you can purchase the Shampoo here for £17. Equally, for silky smooth skin, the Body Scrub can be purchased here for £24.

Veil Cosmetics AutoMatte Makeup

Imagine you’re having an after work drink, enjoying yourself at your local pub, with a glass of something nice. You go to the bathroom with a spring in your step, only to discover that your forehead could compete with the shining radiance of the sun. And no, we’re not talking about that “healthy glow”, but the present layer of sweat and city dirt that accumulates on your skin. Sound familiar? Luckily, for these unfortunate emergencies, we’ve discovered the company Veil Cosmetics, our newfound saviour at The Amazing Blog. Founded by internationally acclaimed makeup artist Sebastien Tardif, the brand offers illuminating, brightening and (most importantly) mattifying products that are multi-tasking and modern.

To lessen the glow (and by this we mean the daily London grime) from our cheeks, chin and forehead, we were thrilled to discover Veil Cosmetics’ AutoMatte Mattifying Base & Touch-Up Makeup. It is powerful at creating a matte finish to the skin, combatting excess oils, while brightening and clarifying at the same time. Coupled with the ultra-fine, and non-drying texture, it works wonders without the need for any other powders.  

The best thing about it: it’s suitable for all skin types and tones, making it a versatile and powerful product that we think everyone should keep in their bags. Powerful ingredients like vitamins C and E promote collagen regeneration, while brightening and clarifying at the same time. This multi-purpose mattifier is not only suitable to prevent oily skin, but it also creates an ultimate matte lipstick look, when applied on top of lip balm. Furthermore, it can also be used as a primer before applying your eyeshadow, helping it last longer and to intensify the pigments. Another bonus, it’s imperceptible on your skin, making it invisible for both humans and the camera. 

If you wish for a product that leaves a fine, oil-free finish that mattifies and flatters universally, then you can purchase this 100% vegan and paraben-free product here for $39.00. They offer free worldwide shipping, so no need to worry if you’re purchasing from outside of the US.

London Beard Company's Eastern Spice Beard Oil

With us boys at The Amazing Blog embracing the current mood for cultivating an individualistic style through our facial fuzz, it was only a matter of time before we started to search for products that cater to these follicle matters. Enter the London Beard Company! Although a relatively young label, they have navigated an incredibly successful path to grooming outlets across the land, including that most celebrated of department stores, Fortnum & Mason, as well as winning an award from the prestigious Beauty Shortlist for The Best Beard Oil of 2017.

Clearly the London Beard Company are doing something right, with an ever-increasing band of followers keen to lavish some serious attention. And while it may not be breaking news that this is a highly lucrative and competitive market, it is perhaps interesting to note the devotion of The London Beard Company to the beard and male grooming market. The well-groomed man about town is now just as likely to spend as much time and money on perfecting their beard as they have in the past on their hair, so it’s no surprise that The London Beard Company’s products have become ever popular.

With products that not only nurturing our follicles, but also our skin too, we tried their Eastern Spice Oil. Like their other oils, this has a base of olive and argan oils - with the use of 100% natural ingredients, with well documented beneficial properties for the skin. With an evocative mix of clementine and clove, this oil has a warmth akin to this cold time of the year, yet still has a light consistency, with a sweet aroma. For a medium beard, 2-3 pipette drops are recommended, but naturally, with a fuller and more bushy crop, you may require slightly more. For 30ml, we are looking at £17.99, but a little does go a long way! Widely available through stockists across the country, you can also check out the London Beard Co. website here to purchase the Eastern Spice Beard Oil from their online shop.

Friday Favourites: Eye Products

We’ve almost finished our first working week of the year, and that means only one thing: it’s time for our Friday Favourites! At The Amazing Blog, we have to admit that we’re pretty lax when it comes to eye care. While we all agree that having a sparkle in our eyes is important, the constant strains of staring at a screen, working late nights, or even applying eye makeup, can take their toll. Today we present our recent finds that have helped us to look a little more awake - and ready to take on a New Year!.

Let’s start with Mitomo, a brand that provide high-quality beauty and health care products, all of which contain ingredients sourced in Japan. Their Eye Masks serve you with natural moisture, giving a unique treatment to the under eye region. We tried both the Snail + EGF Gold Mask and the Gold + Bee Venom Mask (both of which sounded very intriguing), and we were more than pleasantly surprised with the results.

The Eye & Nasolabial Mask with Snail Extract and EGF helps to regenerate damaged cells, both under the eyes, and around the nose, with natural components that improve your overall skin condition. The use of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) helps to regenerate new cells, encouraging your under eye area to look brighter and smoother. On the other hand, the Anti-wrinkle Eye Mask with Gold and Bee Venom does exactly what it suggests, helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. By promoting the production of collagen and elastin, this mask helps to create a radiant glow, deeply moisturising the area and promoting skin elasticity. Both masks are best applied for 20-30 minutes, and to make the most of the ingredients, the excess should be gently patted into the skin. You can buy each pack seperately for £3.29, the Snail and EGF mask here or the Gold and Bee Venom here. Alternatively each mask is available in a pack of 10 for £29.61.

Our second step for perfect eye care is Elizabeth Grant’s Supreme Cell Vitality Victory Eye Serum . We’ve reviewed Elizabeth Grant’s products before, namely her Suprême Cell Vitality Neck Creme. We were therefore keen to try an eyecare product, hoping it would prove equally moisturising and luxury. We were not disappointed!

The Supreme Cell Vitality Victory Eye Cream is a lifting and energising serum for the delicate eye area, perfectly suitable for all skin types. Inducing anti-ageing effects, it contains natural actives to reduce the appearance of under-eye puffiness, creating tighter feeling skin, while making the eye-area look more youthful. Leaving your skin plumped and nourished thanks to Elizabeth Grant’s own innovation Torricelumn, vitality is produced in a bottle, and dark shadows are reduced. To apply, pat a small amount around your eye area both morning and at night. Containing CoQ10, this product also promotes collagen renewal, revitalising your under eye area. To purchase your own 30ml bottle for $70, click here.

Now our under eyes are suitably moisturised, it’s time to turn to our eyelashes. We discovered Apraise, a brand providing an exclusive collection of professional eyelash and eyebrow products. They particularly specialise in water resistant and smudge proof tints, but have equally turned their hand to lashcare. This is the area that interested us most, with the use of Optiplex growth technology. We tried their Power Serum, a product promising thicker and stronger eyelashes in just 15 days. We were keen to put this to the test!

This serum contains active ingredients that stimulate hair follicles, leading to fuller and stronger lashes and brows. All too often, similar products do nothing but moisturise your eyelashes, and although this is no bad thing, we were pleased to find that this Power Serum has real (and visible) results. By reducing the loss of eyelashes, your lashes look healthy and full, and as it is packaged like conventional mascara, it is simple to apply. Apply a thin coat over your lashes and brows twice a day (mornings and evenings) and you won’t have to wait long for baffling results! To try this product for yourself, visit the Amazon website here, where you will find the Power Serum available for £9.99.

Last but not least, nothing completes an eye look quite like a good coating of mascara. On our quest to find a new favourite, we discovered the brand Lavera, and were keen to try their Powerful Lashes product. Lavera provide certified natural cosmetics, with the use of high quality ingredients, packaging and production processes, so we were keen to see whether their mascara would live up to the high performance ethos.

The Powerful Lashes mascara is organic and vegan, leaving your lashes looking fuller and longer. Unlike many mascaras, this formula is multi-purpose, giving your eyelashes the benefit of a volumised, defined and lengthened look. Additionally, thanks to the rubber brush, our natural curl is held, catching each lash seperately, giving optimum volume without clumping. Being ophthalmologically tested, this product is also suitable for contact lense wearers, and thanks to the dermatological testing, you can be safe in the knowledge that your eyes will not react to the ingredients. There’s nothing worse than streaming panda eyes! To purchase Powerful Lashes, visit the Lavera website here where you will find it available for £14.90.

There you have it - our newfound products for a New Year eyecare routine. Give them a try, and be sure to let us know how you get on!

Fitty London's Paleo Box

Stereotypical it may be, but we're making a conscious health effort this January. After an extended period of overindulging at The Amazing Blog, we're actively trying to get ourselves back on track to a healthier lifestyle. Through these trepidations, we discovered Fitty London, a brand bringing performance-enhancing products to our doorsteps, with boxes full of nutritional and affordable goodies. This is something we can certainly get behind!

Fitty London's premise is simple, to bring proper nutrition, with specific foods, drinks and workout products. We're not always hot on this, and when we do endeavour to make a better effort, we admit that it is often difficult to find products that are truly good for us. So many promise the world, but instead do the opposite, with a variety of hidden sugars and ingredients that are best avoided. We were therefore pleased to discover that Fitty London's products are all sourced by specialised nutritionists, allowing us to be secure in the knowledge that we're not being sold another hyped and overpromised subscription box.

We tried the newly launched Paleo Box, as we were keen to learn more about the paleo diet and lifestyle. Despite being trusted by millions of people, we were admittedly unaware of the vast amount of health benefits this lifestyle can promote. Although we may not be full paleo converts, we were pleased to try Fitty London's selection of products, our first steps in a healthier direction. This box contains eight specially selected brands and is worth around £60, making it an economical way of trying a multitude of paleo products. We enjoyed the Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee as a morning pick me up, providing a fruity drink that packs a superfood punch! For a mid-morning snack, we have been reaching for the Blue Dinosaur Paleo Bar. The Banana Bread flavour has a cinnamon kick, reminiscent of the past festivities, without the calorific indulgences! For those with a more savoury tooth, the Raw World Company Biltong has proven to be popular. We were intrigued by the crackling black pepper flavour, adding a bit of kick to the 100% grass-fed and dried beef.

Aside from snacking, this Paleo Box also contains the Bare Biology Lionheart Omega 3s supplement and the Symprove probiotic. The Lionheart capsules have helped to boost the appearance of our congested complexions, and the Symprove probiotic has helped to up our gut health, after let's face it, a month of rich foods. Finally, the box also contains a few products to help with your day to day cooking, the Happy Butter Ghee has become a firm cooking oil favourite, and the Cocofina Coconut Aminos has replaced the usual salty soy sauce in our stir-frys. For our New Year salads, we've also been loving the Willy's Apple Cider Vinegar - it's great as a dressing.

So there you have it, we're feeling much healthier and happier, and although we can't completely put it down to Fitty London's Paleo Box, it certainly makes a change to swap our sweet snacks with nutritional ones! To purchase a Paleo Box for £32, visit the Fitty London website here.