Smith & Sinclair - Lick Your Sent

Anyone else has a bathroom drawer full of half used perfumes? At The Amazing Blog, we all came to the conclusion that it can take years of accumulating different scents (even layering them) before you find your true signature fragrance. However, we tracked down Smith & Sinclair who have given us the most fun fragrance of the season! Regular readers may remember that we featured the Smith & Sinclair Cocktail Pastilles, It would seem that Smith & Sinclair have endless creative ideas, bringing us the craziest innovations. This time is edible fragrance. Yes, you read it right; their line of products Lick Your Scent which certainly made our heads turn in the office.

Smith & Sinclair describe themselves as, “alcohol and confectionery innovators, or the Willy Wonka for grown-ups,” and we think they couldn’t have phrased it better. It all started with Mel and Emile, the founders of Smith & Sinclair. A while back, they hosted a series of single events and they noticed that instead of falling in love with each other, people were falling in love with the alcoholic confectionery they were offering. Bingo! Out of trying to bring people together for love, they created Smith & Sinclair, to bring people together through new ways of sharing.

Featured in the Sunday Times, You Magazine, and Cosmopolitan, among other outlets, Smith & Sinclair are revolutionising the beauty and beverage industry. Their edible fragrances are crafted to up your “cocktail” game. “Cocktail” in quotation marks because the Lick Your Scent range is not only designed to liven up your fragrance but tantalise the taste buds, as they are also lickable! Different, you might say…. You can pick from a range of flavours: Pear & VanillaCherry Blossom & Mandarin, or Watermelon & Citrus.

We chose the Pear & Vanilla scent because it works perfectly for autumn. Fear not, even though it is edible, it’s not sticky, the formula is created to be suitable to spray it on your skin as well as flavouring your drinks. The main ingredients are: Vodka (30%), calvados (30%) - this means it is an adult’s fragrance, it can only be purchased if you are over the age of 18 - citric acid, glycerine and pear and vanilla natural flavouring, making it 100% vegan. The question is do you store it in the bathroom or the kitchen? With the fruity and flowery scent/taste and bright packaging, your bathroom drawer will certainly now have a new addition with a difference. Set the trend this autumn and purchase your 50ml edible fragrance here for only £10. Warning: Please lick responsibly.

Zephorium Soul Tonic - Vitamin A Holistic Crystal Skincare Collection

Isn’t there a motto that goes something like: “Happy mind, happy life”? At The Amazing Blog we believe that taking care of our minds is a priority, after all it’s our powerhouse, so if we have a healthy mind, we’ll have a healthy body. We’d like to introduce you a favourite brand Zephorium Soul Tonic with their holistic skincare. As regular readers will know, we’ve previously written about their Zephorium Aura Sprays and Body Oil these are very empowering and are matched to a specific chakra points with an uplifting affirmation.

Zephorium Soul Tonic is a natural beauty and lifestyle brand where their main ingredients help to promote energy, attraction and positivity. Every product is made with aromatherapy blends to not only to help heal your skin, but also your mind. Zephorium was established in 2012 by Sarah Cox who is well-known as a spiritual teacher. She created Zephorium because she was conscious that the stress, rush hour, and pressure of living in the city were burning her out. She decided to launch a range of products that were composed with natural ingredients, mantras and blended with aromatherapy techniques to help us cope with the hustle and bustle of the everyday life.

Zephorium has recently launched a new line of products that we absolutely love. Packaged in bright orange crystal bottles, The Vitamin A Holistic Crystal Skincare range all infused with Carnelian Crystal energy matches its packaging, ingredients and colour to its Sacral Chakra affirmation: “I unleash fun and creativity from within me now.” This range takes you through a 6-step journey for a beautiful skin. Blended with carrot and orange oil and infused with Carnelian Crystal energy, these blends are packed with vitamin A and are there to inspire a spark of joy and creativity within you. While the 6 products serve a different purpose, they are natural and suitable for all skin types.

Let’s begin with the Vitamin A Holistic Deep Cleanser. When we began to use this cleanser, we were impressed it’s gentle yet effective formula. Due to its richness in wild carrot oil (vitamin A), organic orange and palmarosa oils rich in other antioxidants, this cleanser has the power to restore and rejuvenate skin tissue.  Simply apply a little cleanser onto clean damp finger tips gently massaging into the face and then removing it with a cotton pad. We use it in the morning to kick start the day with a clean skin and at night to remove the pollutants, whilst mindfully repeating the mantra to also clear any negativity. Ideally, follow the cleanser by the Vitamin A Holistic Facial Toner by simply using a cotton pad to sweep the toner across your face. 100% organic alcohol-free and infused with key ingredients of organic orange flower water and homeopathic carnelian crystal which is said to bring joy, motivation and creativity into our lives. The toner is ideal for those with hectic schedules since it revitalises and refreshes tired skin by tightening the pores, giving it an anti-ageing effect. This was our favourite from the collection.

The third step of the skincare routine is the Vitamin A Deep Exfoliation Holistic Face Mask. We really like using this clay based mask because it has heavenly effects. This mask has two uses, either as a hard or soft mask. Either way, this mask completely removed our dead skin cells, encouraging collagen growth which helped to make our face look clearer and more radiant. If you want to use it as a hard mask, mix 1 teaspoon of powder with 1-2 teaspoons of warm water until it becomes a paste. Then just massage it onto your skin. As a person with sensitive skin, I recommend you leave it on only for 5 minutes. However, if you have normal or oily skin, they recommend leaving it for up to 20 minutes before washing off. However, if you want to use it as a soft mask, follow the same steps as above but instead of using water as a mixer, apply a body or face oil instead. In the same ratios as suggested for the water above.  Great economy too as with this 120g jar, you can enjoy up to 15 masks. For us that was about once a fortnight.

Onto the Fourth and final steps, these are with the Zephorium Vitamin A Holistic Face Serum , Intense Face Cream and Lip & Eye Cream.  The Face Serum is loaded with vitamins from the organic wild carrot, orange and Frankincense oils, this serum automatically balances and hydrates the skin to the individual needs. For optimal results, we recommend you apply it after the cleanser and the toner to ensure all the potent and nourishing properties are applied to properly cleansed skin in order penetrate the dermis. With only one or two drops you can be economical as  this will have both your face and neck covered. Gently massage it onto your skin and let it sit for about 5 minutes morning and night. Once the serum has been absorbed, we encourage you to then apply their Vitamin A Hydrate Holistic Face Cream and last but not least  their Vitamin A Intense Holistic Lip & Eye Cream both to seal in the effects of the serum. Both these two products contains organic shea and cocoa butter as well as multiple antioxidants which enhance skin rejuvenation and hydrate super delicate areas. To apply them, simply dab evenly the cream on your face (or around lip and eye area for this cream) using your fingertips and use it twice a day to achieve optimal results and witness its full effect. Best of all they are packaged in glass sacral chakra bottles with aluminium tops. No plastic, no cruelty, no waste. 100% recyclable.

Want to have a happy mind and healthy skin? Then boost and nourishing your skin, with this energising Vitamin A Holistic Crystal range here, prices starting at £18.50. However, don’t forget to keep repeating the Sacral Chakra affirmation when applying the products – we promise they’ll work wonders to help lower your stress levels and give you a peaceful mind.

Holly Golightly Cider from Celtic Marches

Today we unashamedly revisit our friends over in Herefordshire at Celtic Marches in fact The Amazing Blog previously featured their delicious Thundering Molly Cider way back in 2014! Today they have now come up with another hugely tempting bottle, only this time with one of the most iconic images of cinematic history: Holly Golightly

Any fans of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, brace yourselves for something very special indeed, today we are focusing on the heroine of that movie herself - the fabulously complicated and utterly beguiling Holly Golightly. The image is unmistakeable - perfect undo coiffed to perfection, the long black gloves, little black dress and the Audrey Hepburn pout jumps out at you from the label, making a beeline for our shopping basket. 

Standing alongside such diverse characters as Loubi Lou, and Nell Gwynne, Holly Golightly is no doubt going to make her mark in the drinks cabinet, just as she did on screen, but at just 0.5%ABV, her low alcohol content comes out as far more virtuous! Having said that, this is no wishy-washy concoction, but rather a full-flavoured medium cider, as you would expect from 100% pressed cider applessuitable for vegans and no gluten makes this a sure fire winner across the board. Available in bottles, and cans, cases of 12 can be purchased for just £22.99 here, where the complete range and all the other characters that Celtic Marches have created, are just waiting to be discovered. Now all we need is our wrought iron fire escape, ‘Cat’ to brush past us and ‘Moon River’ playing in the background, and we can have ourselves an evening of unadulterated movie nostalgia … relax and enjoy!

The Upholstery Workshop

Today at The Amazing Blog we’re giving you an opportunity to escape to the country and learn another new creative skill. The Upholstery Workshop offers you just this, all set in the rural countryside on the Herts/Worcestershire borders.

The Upholstery Workshop is set in a 15th century red brick and timber farmhouse at Huntlands Farm, a rural retreat with wonderful views of the countryside. They have rooms to rent at the farmhouse from as little as £75 a night for a double bed – so you won’t have far to travel for your workshop!  Founders are Lucy and Stephen, Lucy Brodie holds a qualification with the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishings having been trained in the use of modern and traditional materials and methods.

There are a choice of workshops either during week or at weekend workshops. We’re suggesting their two-day course where both traditional and modern upholstery techniques are taught. The course mainly entails working on small furniture project, such as a drop-in seat for a stool or a bed headboard; all incredibly useful for giving your home an uplift. On the curriculum you’ll learn anything from a simple furniture repair to handling fabrics and tools correctly, and the health and safety guidelines. It is recommended that you bring with you a piece of furniture, some tools (they will suggest what you need), an apron, your own fabrics.  You may also want to bring a camera to record the stages of your work among other things. Don’t panic if you haven’t any furniture to bring there are many local resources nearby to nip out and get some.

The course starts from £180 including home-made lunch and snacks. You'll benefit from seeing a variety of works be completed alongside your own project. They offer a reduced rate for accommodation at £60 a night and an extra £20 if your partner wishes to join you. The cost is not inclusive of the materials used and will be charged at the end of the workshop. See here to look at available dates and book your retreat and enjoy what the countryside has to offer. 

SEA MAGIK - Pink Salt Shampoo and 3-Seaweed Scalp Mud

Raise your hand up if you have an itchy scalp, product build up, dehydrated or thinning hair. For these reasons, we at The Amazing Blog have given both these two hair treatments from Sea Magik a try, and we can happily say that you’re in for a lovely surprise.

The Sea Magik is a new discovery brand for us. It’s a family enterprise and is one of four award-winning brands under their umbrella company Finders Brands It also has a very unique story to the products. As it all started when the founder Kate Bunyan’s grandmother who took her father, Robert Czik, to visit the therapeutic natural salt lakes and caves in Hungary. These trips are what inspired Robert to create a professional spa brand. Nothing came easy as salty water has a unique chemistry which he eventually tapped into and creating the world’s first line of mineral-infused spa skincare.

Let’s talk about their Pink Salt Shampoo which is blended with three organic seaweed extracts and composed of Himalayan salt granules with lime, rosemary and cypress essential oils. This treatment shampoo exfoliates the scalp and remove product build-up. It is easy to use and just requires you to massage the salt shampoo into wet hair and scalp as a weekly treatment. Take your time to lather the product as you inhale the spa essential oils. Rinse and follow with your regular conditioner. The shampoo is SLS/SLES free, and even though the shampoo is granulated in texture, it is not at all abrasive and smells refreshingly of lime and left our hair squeaky clean pre conditioner.

Next is the 3-Seaweed Scalp Mud which is made up of three organic seaweeds, dead-sea mud and pure coconut oil. The mud is creamy and with a moreish coconut scent. It can be used as a daily basis as a conditioning treatment to soothe the scalp, (especially an itchy scalp) and the coconut oil helps to hydrate the hair. Replace your regular conditioner with the scalp mud and apply after shampooing and let sit for 1-5 minutes. Rinse with fresh warm water. It really did leave our scalps feeling deeply nourished and hair silky soft. A big thumbs up on this from us.

Both products are 100% vegan, cruelty-free, and free from harsh ingredients and silicones. Best of all they are kind to all skin and hair types. There are no sulphates, synthetic fragrances, parabens, petrochemicals, PEG’s, GMO’s gluten and dairy. The plastic tubes are made from sugarcane and is recyclable. So what’s not to like? Purchase Pink Salt Shampoo here 200ml for £11.99 and 3-Seaweed Scalp Mud here 150ml for £11.95. Get on board with healthy scalp and hair with these two products and begin your journey to beautiful hair.