U Glow - Anti-Ageing Tanning Water

I think you’ll agree, that one feels happier and healthier when you’ve got a little bit of a tan. As we’ve mentioned before at The Amazing Blog we’re not sun worshippers. Therefore we’re always on the look-out for new self-tanning products, particularly if they are fragrance-free and offer no mess and. This is when we came across U Glow at the showcase for the CEW awards earlier this year. This self-tanning water is a mist poised to give an even glow from just a light misting application.

U Glow has just launched this year with their clear anti-ageing tanning water. First of all say goodbye to tanning products staining your clothes, and secondly, we like that it’s anti-ageing. Formulated with hyaluronic acid, this tanning water will give you not only a natural summer glow but also a deeply moisturised and nourished skin. Thirdly, it’s tanning water, so forget about creams, foams and oils, tanning water is even easier to apply and absorbs quickly into the skin. Finally, it’s a fragrance-free self-tanning product which as they claim leaves no marks, no mess, or sticky feeling.

What we love the most, is that it is hassle-free. To apply the tanning water, simply place the spray at arms length and lightly mist the water over the desired area you want to tan. With the mitt, buff the area gently covering all areas to ensure a streak-free tan. The tan will fully develop within 6-8 hours, being dry to the touch in 60 seconds. It is specifically formulated so you can shower just three hours after applying the tanning water and will continue to develop after showering. The mitt is very durable, giving for months of wear (pop into the washing machine). We recommend waxing or shaving at least 24 hours before using the product to achieve a long-lasting effect, as well as ensuring your skin is exfoliated and free from any other products. When applying the mist to your face and hands,  they say it’s suitable for contouring (we suggest blending the mist with a makeup brush). An easy, clean, practical way to achieve a flawless natural all over body tan, which adapts to your individual skin tone.

Purchase your U Glow mitt and Tanning Water here , for the mitt £4.95 and U Glow £19.50 for the 100ml.  It’s so good that it’s also now available as a professional range for salons.  Say hello to a reduced odour, fast acting solution with clear application. U Glow, U Go!

BEYofi by Bernard D. Evans – Argan Hair Care

Are you exhausted by your constant split ends? Then read on, because we at The Amazing Blog find having a dry scalp, split ends and frizzy hair a nightmare too. Having tried endless products to solve these various hair issues, we found that they tend to either have too many chemical-based derivatives which irritate our scalps, or are too heavy for the texture of our hair. However, we received the new to the UK market BEYofi Argan Oil Signature hair care range - ready for us to try.

BEYofi is an established US brand by Bernard Evans since 1986. Bernard is best known as a celebrity hairstylist, working with an exclusive clientele such as Janet Jackson, Latoya Jackson, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Julie Brown, Teddy Pendergrass… His work has also been sought by the leader companies in the beauty industry: Christian Dior, Revlon, Estee Lauder and Lancôme. Bernard is a a pioneer in the industry launching exclusive formulas, guaranteeing high-quality ingredients in his products, all of which have helped to make him the success he is today.

Today we bring you the range of four BEYofi Argan Oil Signature hair care products to add to your must-have hair essentials, and this range certainly has helped to address our hair care concerns (as mentioned above). For those of you who don’t know about  Argan oil, it is extracted from the kernels of the Moroccan Argan tree and is also known as the ‘liquid gold’. Argan is one of the products richest in vitamin E and fatty acids which are extremely beneficial for both hair and skin containing antioxidants and boosting cells to produce healthy hair. If you have tinted hair or have been using chemical-based products, then Argan is the ingredient for you to help reverse any damage.

Let’s begin with the BEYofi Argan Enriched Shampoo. Made with Argan oil, omega 3 and omega 9 as primary ingredients, will nurture your hair and scalp by providing your pores and roots with these essential oils to help grow strong proteins, keep good maintenance of your hair to heal and revitalise it where needed. Treat it like any other shampoo, a small amount massaged onto wet hair, rinse and so on. The fragrance of the first three in the range is floral with a subtle hint of violets. This leads us onto the BEYofi Argan Oil Conditioner, where you can choose from either this classic conditioner, leaving it for up to two minutes after you shampoo and rinse, or go for the BEYofi Argan Oil Leave-in Conditioner which is just sprayed onto the hair (wet or dry), making it easy to detangle and style. Both these BEYofi Argan Oil Conditioners deeply moisturise and give intense nourishment making hair smooth easy to manage and style. Lastly, the BEYofi Argan Oil Serum is ideal for protecting the hair from day-to-day pollution. Rich in Vitamin E and fatty acids, your hair will look shinier than ever due to its moisturising capacity. Apply a few drops of the Serum and wrap your damp clean hair in a hot towel for 10 minutes to let it penetrate into the hair shafts. Or we applied to the ends of the hair combing through before drying. We found this range worked best when used all together, and is particularly suitable for those who have coloured or fine and brittle hair types.  Best of all, the BEYofi Argan Oil haircare products are vegan, free from SLS, Sulphates, SLES, Parabens and artificial fragrances, ensuring optimal results giving you a healthy, silky hair. Purchase your BEYofi Argan Signature hair care collection here starting at £21.95 to strengthen, heal, and protect your hair saying a firm goodbye to split ends.

Friday Favourites - Summer Cookbooks

Today The Amazing Blog wants to share with you some of our #amazingfinds with four new cookbooks that have encouraged us to create some fantastic international dishes for our friends. Our gastronomic journey starts with India moves onto to Morocco and then the Philippines and returns back to the UK just in time to put the BBQ on!

Let’s kicked off by something of a whirlwind of inspiration in the culinary prowess of Asma Khan, who moved to the UK in 1991 from Calcutta without any knowledge of how to cook, but a firm belief in the power of food to bring people together, and the opportunities created through this to forge new friendships, learning of different cultures and traditions along the way. Although it was British constitutional law which focused her attentions to begin with, having finished her doctorate in 2012, she turned her entrepreneurial talents towards the kitchen, and has been gaining awards and garnering attention ever since. As a descendant of the ancient Rajput Suryavanshi Bargujar clan on her paternal side, and pioneering tea planters in Darjeeling from her maternal ancestry, Asma’s heritage is undisputed, and her book ‘Asma’s Indian Kitchen’ is a delicious romp through India’s rich history, and culinary voyage. “Your food should feel like an embrace” she tells us, and such warmth emanates from the pages. Beautifully photographed and with anecdotes peppered throughout, her book really is a delight to enjoy in and out of the kitchen! Her Shahi Kofta - or lamb meatballs in a rich gravy - are a sensation, as are her stuffed bell peppers - or Bharwa Simla Mirch to use the correct terminology … useful to know, especially if you fancy trying out her award-winning restaurant Darjeeling Express in Soho. Published by Pavilion Books for £14.99  and available here .

If Morocco is more your thing, then Nargisse Benkabbou is offering up “Casablanca - My Moroccan Food” to encourage us to whip out that tagine, and start making magic with the amazing flavours of her culture, but often with a mix of Western dishes too. Again, here we don’t just have a culinary manual to enjoy, but rather more an introduction to how these foods fit within the gloriously colourful culture and traditions. Nargisse began sharing her feasting knowledge originally through a highly successful blog, ‘My Moroccan Food’, and this book is the natural result of those posts. If you are partial to a spot of marinating - and who of us aren’t - then try the Sweet Chermoula Seared Beef, which promises a ‘flavour bomb’, and we love the idea of a dish taking us to far-flung places with the aromas of Casablanca which are promised in the Amlou Rolls.So many temptations to try, and written with a warmth and friendliness utterly reminiscent of Morocco herself. Octopus Books have brought us this one, priced at £20 and available here 

Perhaps the Philippines as a gastronomic destination gets your taste buds going? The New Filipino Kitchen is another huge spectrum of different tastes and flavours from the myriad of islands with so much to explore, and brought to us digitally thanks to Jacqueline Chio-Lauri who has edited a collection of fascinating stories, giving extra meaning to each recipe from a wide ranging assortment of cuisine masters - and all for us to try from the comfort of our laptop. Describing the chapters under the heading of simply ‘seafood’, ‘meat’ or ‘desserts’ feels a little like short-changing this extensive jaunt around those 7000 or so islands which make up such a vibrant nation. However, the ‘New Filipino Kitchen’ is a serious contender for our attention if culinary escapism is your thing. Quite unique with the information it relays, this book could send us into a frenzy - imagine if you will ‘Stuffed Fish Grilled in Banana Leaves and Eggplant Salad with Toasted Pancetta’, or to translate that properly and pay due homage, ‘Inihaw Na Isda At Ensaladang Talong’ … Well Imagine it no longer, simply turn to page 36, and enter Tasting Heaven! Both digital and hard copies are available on Amazon here from £15.18

Now, it would seem churlish not to include a cookbook with origins a little closer to home, and of course there is an enormous library of titles to choose from, but one which stands out with an irresistible edge is the “Fresh Veggie BBQ” by David & Charlotte Bailey,encouraging us to embrace the outdoor option of serving up a meal from a vegetarian friendly barbecue menu. Completely eschewing any notion that vegetarian food has to be less colourful or indeed tasty, David and Charlotte give us 60 recipe options like ‘Caramelized Bananas with Vanilla Ice Cream’, ‘Rosemary Sweet Potato Chips’ or - and this one is seriously tempting ‘Wild Mushroom & Artichoke One-Pot Pie’ to dispel those myths completely. However, this time of course our kitchen is found in the great outdoors through the tradition that is ‘barbecue’ which of course is a culture within itself. With advice on the different options open to us, from using dutch ovens to the very impressive discipline of burying our ingredients in hot ash and embers - otherwise known as ‘rescoldo’, we have an encyclopaedia of vegetarian goodies to try out -and with the weather back here at home offering us it’s most favourable conditions (Ok well that was in July perhaps not August!) We can’t be the only ones twitching to get those charcoals burning! Published by Pavilion Books with an RRP of £14.99 here the ‘Fresh Veggie BBQ’ is a must.

…And with all these delicious ideas, we’re preparing to cook up a storm this Bank Holiday weekend!

Aussie Bronze - Body Bronzer

Getting a tan in the UK is almost impossible. When it’s not raining it’s overcast, and of course when the sun shines, it’s midweek and we’re all inside working at our desks! At The Amazing Blog we wistfully long for that healthy looking tan, however with the erratic weather here, it’s highly unlikely we’ll get one. So, our search for summer sunless tanning products began. We recently met and got chatting to instant tanning brand Aussie Bronze at the NOPE exhibition, and couldn’t wait to try their Body Bronzer.

Aussie Bronze as the name suggests, hails from Australia. Sacha Roberts the founder, has developed a high-quality, toxin and DHA free instant organic fake tan. She couldn’t find any good safe chemical-free instant tanning products for her daughter’s young skin. Thus, the journey began and she set about creating her own instant tan. Aussie Bronze will guarantee you a natural glow and adapts to any skin tone. All made with water, sunflower oil, avocado oil, almond oil, vitamin E, Shea butter, titanium oxide, and other organic ingredients. We particularly liked the way it applies with the ease of a tinted moisturiser and is gentle enough for both face and body. This is definitely one of the better instant tans that we’ve used and will keep using! What better way to get a quick tan and avoiding all the drama and downtime waiting for one to develop.

We love that it is an ‘instant tan’, it’s just perfect for quickly applying to legs or face just when the sun comes out - this bank holiday weekend?. The product is vegan, and also cruelty, paraben, sulphate, petrochemical and PEGs free, keeping our skin healthy from the inside out. Aussie Bronze is 100% Australian and made with only natural ingredients.  All you have to do is shake the bottle, apply the product smoothing it over your body. Best of all is that it washes off at the end of the day.  Get your Aussie Bronze here 125ml for just £34.95.

Nailzee

At The Amazing Blog we’re always on the hunt of new products that make our lives easier, particularly for hands and feet. I challenge anyone who hasn’t struggled (just a little?) with either cutting and painting their own toe nails. Twisting and turning to get the perfect angle, to any onlookers it must look like we’re doing some very strategic yoga position instead! Enter Nailzee who have brought us two clever and practical accessories to take care of both hands and feet, helping us achieving easy-to-paint and gorgeous nails.

Nailzee was initially created as a way to help those with reduced mobility to help paint their nails. However, after much research the founder realised that it was a common problem where everyone has trouble finding an easy and comfortable position to paint their own fingers and toes. It all started from witnessing her teenage daughter staining the carpet with nail polish, whilst barely getting any on her nails…ahem. Did you know that that nail varnish related accidents around the home, rank amongst one of the highest in home insurance claims? The goal of Nailzee was to design an innovative product that will serve as a base and an anti-spillage (nail polish), double-sided to flip over and use to remove nail polish or to clip and cut nails. This is the perfect accessory not only for those children and teens beginning to paint their nails, but for less dexterous adults too.  

Made with recycled materials, there are two products (one for hands and another for feet), they have a comfortable base to lay your foot or hand, and a nail polish holder. Our favourite, out of the two is the Nailzee Pedicure which has incorporated a bar to raise your foot to help avoid spilling nail polish, placing your foot at the perfect angle to facilitate the painting. Nailzee comes is three different colours pink, aqua or grey and is suitable for all ages making clipping, cutting, filing and painting your nails easy, practical and hygienic. Get your Nailzee Pedicure here for only £15.99 or Nailzee Manicure here for £10.99. Such a clever bit of kit!