Good Gym

Do good, get fit. This is the mantra of GoodGym, an organisation with the goal of combining fitness and community activities, with encouraging runners to spend time helping others. As we sometimes struggle with the motivation to exercise at The Amazing Blog, we think this is an excellent solution.

In a nutshell, GoodGym’s concept is to make the most out of the time spent running. This is in the form of running to and from activities, whether that be to help an elderly person who need’s a lightbulb changing, or running to a group gardening activity at a community centre. The motto of Good Gym? Why waste your energy at the gym when you could use it to improve other people’s lives?

Winning first prize in 2008 at the Social Innovation Camp, GoodGym was formed as a non-profit organisation in 2009. The company itself is commissioned by local authorities and the NHS, testamant to the benefits of getting involved. Over 1 million people aged 65 and over admit to always, or often feeling lonely, and recruiting volunteers has become increasingly difficult as a result of busy work and private lives. This is where GoodGym noticed a niche, focusing on creating an easy method of committing to a long-term project.

GoodGym provides three different types of runs. On Mission Runs, you run to help older people with every-day tasks, such as gardening, or changing a lightbulb. It gives you the chance to run different routes each week, while having a significant effect on someone’s life. On Coach Runs, you see an isolated person on a regular basis. This only claims about 20 minutes of your week, and besides giving someone something to look forward to, having a commitment can also increase your likelihood of completing exercise. On Group Runs, you get the chance to run with other people from your community, completing tasks such as planting trees for your local park, running back together to stretch with a qualified trainer. All this is completed within 90 minutes, fitting easily into your daily routine.

In terms of commitment, there is no specific pressure, GoodGym aims to achieve your fitness goals, while helping the community. How often, and where you do this is, is up to you, but if you sign up to visit an older person, then it is understandable that this commits you to at least one run per week. Mission and group runs are more flexible, and can be attended whenever you like. There really is a solution for everyone here, with support available from qualified trainers at all times. Signing up is easily achieved online, and although membership is free, there is a voluntary donation of £9.95 per month if you so wish. Visit the GoodGym website for frequently asked questions, here.

Currently operating in 47 areas, with a futher 73 in proposal, you’ll be sure to find a local group (especially in London). Check out the availability in your area on the GoodGym website here.

PariQu - Rose & Cacay Hydrating Serum Cream and 24K Gold & Rosehip Rejuvenating Cream

We don’t know if it’s just us at The Amazing Blog, but we love the smell of roses in our skin care products. Roses smell so fresh and clean yet remind us of subtle elegance and rejuvenation. So, we were very excited to try two new PariQu products that are meant to revitalise skin and smell like a fresh garden.

PariQu  was founded in October 2018 by Henry Tianus, who suffered from sensitive skin and acne throughout his teenage years and early twenties. Tianus set out on a goal to create clean, effective, vegan, and cruelty-free products that ‘help people feel better about their skin regardless of their age’. All of the company’s products also contain 99 to 100 per cent natural ingredients and are all hand made in London.

The first product we tried was the Rose & Cacay Hydrating Serum Cream. It’s a 2-in-1 serum and moisturiser that hydrates skin and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. Bulgarian rose extract gives the cream a nice sweet smell while calming and protecting skin from premature ageing and environmental elements – ideal for London’s bus-filled roads. The formula also contains cacay oil (has the fatty acid linoleic acid which contributes to skin renewal) and saccharide isomerate (smooths wrinkles and rejuvenates skin as a vegan hyaluronic acid alternative). What we thought set this product apart and made it worthy of an Editor’s Beauty Choice at the 2019 Beauty Shortlist Awards . We found it fast-acting, you can feel the beneficial effects in the skin in a matter of minutes while the non-greasy formula absorbs nicely.

The second product we tested was the 24K Gold & Rosehip Rejuvenating Cream. This cream also diffuses into skin easily like the serum and contains antioxidant-rich ingredients that nourish and firm. The cream’s 24K colloidal gold is particularly well-suited for sensitive skin while shea butter and rosehip oil protect skin from UV damage and reduce signs of ageing. This product is perfect for everyday use to boost the appearance of your skin and a remedy for dry, mature, and sensitive skin. For severely dry skin, it is recommended to mix in 2-4 drops of their serum or face oil.  

You can purchase the Hydrating Serum Cream (50ml) here for £36 and the Rejuvenating Cream (60ml) here for £48. All orders have free global delivery.

The Kind Planet Company – Power Balm

To keep up with our minimalism goals this spring at The Amazing Blog, that also means using less products that currently clutter in our dressing tables. Besides doing a bit of tidying up around your flat, fewer beauty products mean fewer minutes spent getting ready and more time enjoying the gorgeous warm weather. We have found the perfect product that to do just that. The Power Balm is an all-in-one organic product that will clear your counters of masks, moisturisers, and lip balms.

One of the nine ‘power ingredients’ in the Power Balm is red palm oil, which is used for skin care and eaten as a superfood in West Africa. Palm oil has gotten negative press lately because it is in almost everything we consume (foods, cosmetics, cleaning products) and it causes devastating destruction to ecosystems. We know that, as does The Kind Planet Company, so they’ve come up with a sustainable and kind solution. Working with Sierra Leonean women, Kind Planet’s red palm oil is handpicked and certified by the Rainforest Alliance to ensure animal habitats are not destroyed in the collection process. The company’s shea butter ingredient follows a similar process in Ghana. At the core of Kind Planet and its Power Balm is giving power to its customers and female workers as well as kindness to the environment.

The Power Balm has a mix of red palm oil, other natural plant oils, shea butter, and vegan wax to nourish your body while providing protection and long-lasting moisture to your skin. Key ingredients in the formula in addition to red palm oil, which is rich in antioxidants and hydrates your skin, are jojoba oil (removes excess dirt and oil), mandarin essential oil (brightens and diminishes scars), and rosehip oil (reduces redness). These oils combine to create a fresh and aromatic scent. The balm is useful on all skin types as a cleansing tool, face or body moisturiser, face mask, lip or beard balm, and even a highlighter. Our personal favourite is using it as a hand moisturiser at night because it is incredibly soft and hydrating, great for nails and doesn’t leave your skin feeling greasy. Due to its versatility and 100 per cent organic formula, we predict the Power Balm could be the next multipurpose staple.

Power Balm also does not have any preservatives, parabens, synthetic fragrances, petrolatum, animal by-products, or animal testing. You can purchase the Power Balm (50ml) here for £19.50 (postage and packaging included in the price). Five per cent of the sales go to Planet + People Power charities.

Ayuna – Minimum Collection

With summer approaching, the thought of slathering a million products on our faces amid the humidity already makes us at The Amazing Blog feel like our pores are already clogged! We’ve decided to take a minimalist approach to our skin care this summer as the Marie Kondo method remains popular, and Ayuna’s Minimum Collection offers three core products to make our minimalism dreams come true.

Besides the collection being called ‘Minimum,’ Ayuna’s slogan is ‘less is beauty’ – something that encapsulates everything in the brand from its chic packaging, simple aesthetic, core products, and clean ingredients. Founders Isabel Ramos and Begoña Sanjuan, who have backgrounds in science and the cosmetics industry, were inspired by simple beauty and graceful ageing, and they approached skin care with a scientific-botanical mindset. The result? Luxurious beauty products with natural ingredients that encourage you to use less.

The first product in the Minimum Collection is the Natural Rejuvenating Treatment – Light cream. A small amount of this cream goes a long way, and you can use it in the morning and night. Phyto-peptides firm while turmeric root and Centella rejuvenate skin throughout the day. Additional ingredients such as green carrot, Arabian cotton, and pomegranate add to this cream’s nourishing properties. The second product is the Volcanic Revitalizing Mask balm. The volcanic glass and active carbon reduce skin sensitivity and draw out impurities, making your skin feel refreshed after just one use. Use this balm 2-3 times per week for extra hydration from the pullulan (a natural sugar). Lastly, there is the High Protein Cream-in-Oil Peel, which contains alpha-amino acids to restore skin and grain-free formula to polish. After using this peel, your skin will feel softer and brighter than with any other exfoliator on the market. These three products can be added to your current skin care routine or used on their own for a week of detox. For each, remember: don’t neglect your neck!

After using this collection for a week, we saw brighter complexions and felt cleaner. Not to mention, these pearl-coloured containers (rounded plastic jars with the logo in simple cursive text) look gorgeous next to our luxe perfumes in our bathrooms. Join us and the minimalism trend by purchasing the collection here for €255 or separately. €175 for the cream (50ml) here, €115 for the balm (80ml) here, and €115 for the essence (80ml) here.

Skin Dewi – Ginkgo Biloba Firming Facial Cream

No matter how old you are, it’s always good to have a product that is anti-ageing – or a lot (The Amazing Blog isn’t a place to judge). In addition to products that fight off fine lines and wrinkles, it’s a bonus when they firm skin. So, we were very excited to try Skin Dewy’s line of natural and organic skin care products, especially their Gingko Biloba Firming Facial Cream.

The Indonesian-based brand was founded by Dewi Kauw, a mother who found it difficult to find organic and non-toxic products for her baby with allergies and atopic eczema. Kauw became highly educated in natural preservation and essential oils as well as chemical engineering, which has her approaching skin care scientifically and creating products that are effective at a cellular level. However, the fact that she is motivated by her children is seen in the all-natural ingredients of products like the Gingko Biloba Firming Facial Cream.

The gingko biloba and green tea extracts are what really set this anti-ageing cream apart from others on the market. These two ingredients work together to boost collagen production and prevent skin water loss, which results in more radiant and firm skin after only a few uses. The face cream is part of the Skin Dewi Brightening series and uses rosehip oil to brighten your complexion for a more youthful glow as well as protect skin cells from the sun. The formula has ingredients like botanical extracts and omega-rich oils for extra hydration, but the moisturiser itself is lightweight, sinks in quickly, and leaves your face feeling fresh rather than greasy. Did we mention it’s also recommended for sensitive and dry skin? This face cream is truly able to do it all in terms of making your skin look soft and supple whether you’re 25 or 45.

You can purchase the moisturiser (30g) here for 65.85€.