Friday Favorites – Natural Deodorants

Late summer is probably the best season of the year here in the UK, still light evenings and gently balmy nights… However, not always is so nice in rush hour on the tube when packed with hot sweaty bodies and it’s 25+ degrees. You leave home smelling fresh but when you reach the office, you look and feel like you’ve run a marathon. Today at The Amazing Blog we thought it an opportune moment to share with you our four favourite natural deodorants that will help to keep you smelling sweet all day long.

First up is Scence’s natural deodorant balm. With three different scents, Scence has you covered. The Cornish-based artisan skincare brand cares about what you put on your skin in the same way as cares about the planet. If it harms the planet, it harms us. Formulated with natural and organic ingredients, get ready to enjoy fully nourished skin. Scence was founded by Krista Taylor who clarified the brand’s message: “I have always been interested in natural oils and the efficacy of herbs and felt frustrated that so much of the natural skincare on offer was packaged in single use plastic containers and applicators. I was making balms for family and friends that needed help with eczema and sensitive skin as well as developing a really effective deodorant that didn’t use questionable ingredients like aluminium.” 

Their Cool Rose, Juniper Berry and Cedar Fresh deodorant balms are made for everyday use and are designed to last up to 3 months. Mainly composed with organic coconut oil, mango butter, essential oils, baking soda and arrowroot; they absorb moisture and are made into a stick for easy application. Because it is a natural product with fresh ingredients, it is recommended to use within 12 months of purchase to maintain the optimal qualities of each of the elements.

Our favourite was the Cool Rose stick which melts as soon as it touches your skin, making it very easy to glide and releasing the scent of rose geranium. Each stick is packaged in a fully recyclable tube and all deodorants are paraben and cruelty-free. Get your Scent Deodorant Balm here for £12.00.

Next is Elsa’s Organic Skin Foods’s Deodorant. Founded by Henrietta, The brand’s name Elsa is inspired by her mum, who is an environmentalist and advocate that has been producing artisan skincare for decades. Henrietta has a teen daughter who like all of us when she comes back from school, she is a little less fragrant than when she left… Henrietta refused to use any roll-on or sprayed deodorants that are chemical based and found it quite hard to find natural deodorants. This is why she decided to specialise in deodorant creams with ingredients that you would only find in a kitchen. Thus, Elsa’s Organic Skin Food’s was born.

With a range of four signature deodorant stick fragrances: Dew, Ocean, Sensitive and Love. All key ingredients are coconut oil, arrowroot powder, shea butter, magnesium oxide, candelilla wax, vitamin E, bergamot oil, geranium oil, patchouli oil, and a few other essential oils. They each certified organic and some are even winners of The Beauty Shortlist Awards and Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards.

Elsa’s deodorants are very simple to use. Apply it onto clean and dry areas for a few seconds, swiping up and down 1 or 2 times. Your body heat will soften the stick allowing it to slide smoothly on your skin. Because its composition is very rich in minerals, vitamins, and fatty acids, it automatically becomes a 4-in-1 deodorant. It is disinfectant and antimicrobial, blocks odour, absorbs wetness, and soothes your skin, keeping it nourished.  We gave Love a go and of course it smells amazing. It releases scents from roses and patchouli and keeps your skin odour-free all day. All products are It is vegan and suitable for all skin types. Purchasing your 45 ml deodorant stick here for £12.00 each.

Onto Logona, an established German beauty brand which has been trading for over 40 years, with huge expertise in the natural products sector all products come with the NaTrue or BDIH seal.  From makeup, nail polish to natural shampoos, and many more products, Logona has been a pioneer brand winner of several awards including having received distinctions from Öko-Test particularly for their Daily Care Organic Aloe & Verbena Deo Spray.

This Daily Care Organic Aloe and Verbena Deo Spray, is a deodorant that ensures long-lasting freshness to combat body odour successfully. With verbena and aloe as main active ingredients, this deodorant has a lemony verbena fragrance and soothes irritated skin by nourishing it and moisturising it.  We quickly want to mention that although it’s a very gentle deodorant, it also fights against bacteria with all the antioxidants it contains.

We love this alternative spray deodorant because it gives ultimate freshness, protects the planet and our skin. Get your Logona award-winning deodorant here £8.95.

Last but not least, is We Love The Planet. This Dutch brand has developed a series of deodorants that consist of 100% natural ingredients. They are NC and EcoControl certified, meaning they only make products with natural ingredients. Their key organic ingredient is coconut oil and We Love The Planet stick deodorants have no synthetic fabrics or aluminium added, meaning it is harmless to you and the planet. Sometimes, when using a high street brand of roll-on deodorant, we find that it takes time to absorb and clogs under-arm pores, but this does not happen with We Love The Planet. Like our other natural deodorants, it acts as a moisturiser and soothes your skin in a matter of seconds. Also, like some of the other natural deodorants mentioned in this feature, one single stick can last up to 3 months. Amazing.

We Love The Planet have created six different scents for their deodorants; Forever Fresh, lovely citrusy and pure spice odour; Lovely Lavender, wonderful smell of wild and tame lavender; Mighty Mint, a blend of mint and rosemary scents; So Sensitive, ideal for extra-sensitive skins since it is hypoallergenic and had a delicate and mild smell; Original Orange, another citrusy hinted deodorant with a touch of mandarin; and Sweet Serenity, a subtle scent of rose, honey and spices. No matter which one you chose they will be equally effective. Each stick is made out of 100% recyclable materials and the deodorant is made with coconut oil, baking powder, corn starch powder, caprylic acid, and beeswax. These ingredients deodorise, moisturise, calms irritated skin, reduce the excess of oils and perspiration and help skin restoration. Beeswax used to keep the consistency of the stick and allows it to slightly melt when it touches your skin.  Our favourite fragrances from this range were the Forever Fresh and Lovely Lavender sticks, they are so easy to carry around in a handbag to apply and top-up during the day. Just push the bottom a little bit for the stick to go up and swipe it on each armpit a couple of times. Purchase your stick now for € 11,50 here.

We hope we have given you a perfect solution to help ‘keep fragrant’. We are so thrilled to discover so many great natural deodorant brands and hope that we have persuaded you to try something new too. Which was our favourite? That’s a hard one, we’d have to say that we loved them all!

Cally King London- Fragrances

For some young girls trying to navigate their way around the world of fragrance, can be really quite daunting. We at The Amazing Blog have heard this from various younger sisters, nieces and friends. So, where do they begin?  Step forward Cally King a welcome newcomer to the beauty world, who has created an original concept with a range of fragrances mainly aimed at the teen market.

Cally King London was created by Kate Wright, whose inspiration came from wanting to give her teenage daughters a bearing in the over-populated and confusing world of perfume. Kate herself, recalls falling in love with different fragrances as a young girl. For her, it all started when seated in her grandmother’s bedroom watching her daily ritual of spritzing her favourite scent. She said “bottle after tantalising bottle was unstoppered for me to try, Guerlain, Chanel, Dior and I was quickly hooked. But confused!” Years later, curious to see how her own daughter would navigate her way in this world, Kate took her to a perfumery. They started trying all the different fragrances until they both became dizzy with choice and couldn’t tell one from the other. Kate added, “I realised we needed to get back to basics – to try some scents out at home, to find out what we really like. Which is how Cally King was born.”

Cally King is not only perfect for teenage girls, but for anyone who wants to experiment with fragrance. They have a handy selection on four scents which can used by mixing and matching at home. A perfect way to discover what kind of scents suit you, by smelling them individually or layering in any combination you choose. It also gives young perfume aficionado the chance to experiment on their own, without feeling pressurised by pushy sales assistants. The choice of these four eau de toilette fragrances helps to demystify perfume by offering four distinct aspects of the fragrance wheel - fresh, floral, exotic and woody. Their Gift Set presentation box containing all four is stylish, girly and elegantly designed and comes with an explanatory notebook and sample strips.

The first scent in the Gift Set that we tried was Aspen, which is a woody scent reminiscent of a forest after a heavy down pour. It smells of a combination of sandalwood/cedarwood and has a delicious chocolate and earthy finish to complete it. The second is Honor (named after Kate’s daughter), which has a fresh smell identifying to us as mainly citrus. Awakening the senses, it also has a hint of mint and fresh green leaves which adds another dimension to this zesty scent. On the other hand, Maya is a stronger more exotic and sophisticated fragrance with a moreish fruitiness of ripe apricots and spice. The final quartet in the Gift Set is Grace which is floral, feminine and light. Grace reminds us of English flower garden in full bloom, it’s the perfect fragrance to brighten up even the dullest days. Our favourite? Layering Aspen and Grace, to strengthen the floral top notes and tone down the woody base notes, it’s a great combination do try it.

To purchase Aspen, Honor, Maya and Grace see here. All fragrances are eau de toilette, 10ml and individually priced at £9.95. These scents are also available in roller balls at the same price. Cally King also offers a Gift Set here with the full quartet of scents at £30.

Friday Favourites: Sculpture School Workshops

Summer is almost over, meaning more than half of the year has flown by; we wonder how you’re doing with your New Year’s resolutions? At The Amazing Blog we are trying to keep on track with a few, one of which included having fun whilst learning a new skills. Before the end of the year, we hope you’ll join us at The Sculpture School for a workshop to tick off that ‘do something new and creative’ resolution from all our lists.

Located in Devon, The Sculpture School, is one of the few establishments in the UK dedicated to teaching contemporary realist sculpture. It’s opened its doors to a new studio and workshops - perfect to help get your creative juices flowing. Tutored by Andrew Sinclair MRBS, the world-class sculptor behind the infamous David Bowie bronze sculpture in Aylesbury. You’ll have the chance to learn professional techniques and methods in order to create your own masterpieces.

Andrew Sinclair’s portfolio has an impressive range of works of art from commission at the Royal Box at Ascot, Epsom Racecourse and Crosby Hall, to his most recent work a monument for the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment; unveiled in May in Halifax (home of the Regiment for over 300 years). His techniques have taken him around the globe, with Andrew is his colleague and co-founder Diane Coates, whose renowned for her dynamic forms, anatomical detail and sensuous lines; so who better than these two to inspire and teach you how to sculpt? Diane had always focused on painting and pastel arts; however, in 2006, she ventured into the field of sculpting. In particular, she’s recognised for her naked bronze sculptures, and has taken her work internationally with collections across Europe and the Middle East. Together they founded The Sculpture School, with the aim of changing education in sculpture and craftsmanship.

Whether you are a beginner, experienced, or a professional sculptor they’ll be a workshop tailored for you, plus you’ll even leave the course with a sculpture of your own. These are some of the upcoming dates available:

•       10-13 September: Level 2 Figurative Sculpture

•        18 September: Taste of Sculpture

•        1-4 October: Tutored Sculptor’s Retreat

•        25-27 October: Moulding and Casting

•    5-8 November: Level 2 Portrait Sculpture

•        3-6 December: Level 1 Figurative Sculpture

Price wise, the workshops range from £65 to £645 per person and have a length of one to three days long. The price rates vary according to the duration of the program and the type of workshop. To see the full price list, sign up and learn more, visit The Sculpture School website here and see some of the great testimonials here.

Be Glow - TIA and PURA Sonic Cleansers

At The Amazing Blog, we are always on the hunt for products that will help us cleanse our skin and help make it look more vibrant 24/7. We’ve been looking for an uncomplicated, portable, easy to clean and maintain sonic cleanser. Some of us here, have tried those electric cleansing brushes, but found that they tended to be quite harsh, ‘peeling’ the skin to cleanse which then generate more blemishes. Tired of spending money on useless beauty gadgets products? Then read on, we recently came across a new brand BeGlow with their TIA and PURA Sonic Cleansers at the CEW Awards showcase .

BeGlow advanced facial treatment methodologies are what everyone needs! Like us, they were aware that most brush-based sonic cleansers had an antagonistic effect on some people’s skin due to the nylon brushes. The brushes can end up harvesting bacteria because they never seem to get fully dry in a bathroom, due to humidity. They started working on different formulas to create a sonic cleanser that would avoid all those issues. After hours of brainstorming, they discovered that silicone brushes are the ideal material since it is non-porous, making it easy to dry, clean and therefore more hygienic. This is where BeGlow shines; they also have designed soft, replaceable silicone brushes which they recommend changing annually, to keep guaranteeing optimal results.

BeGlow designed two different cleansers; TIA and PURA, both are waterproof so can be used in the bath or shower, and each serving different functions. TIA is an all-in-one sonic skincare system designed for cleaning, lifting and toning. TIA is dual-ended making it possible to cleanse and tone both simultaneously and at once. On the one end, it has a replaceable silicone brush head to provide you with the ultimate hygiene. Its skinsense technology allows the machine to adapt its intensity according to your needs, automatically. On the other end, it has an anti-ageing titanium applicator with high frequency pulses, that improve your blood circulation and cell vitality, by helping the oxygen absorption. Lastly, it has a dual pulse visage mode which acts like a full-on workout for your face, toning its muscles to enhance definition and strength in the area of the cheekbones and jawline. This device is available in stylish colours of red, pink, white and black.

PURA, on the other hand, is simpler to use and is ideal for travelling due to its smaller size. PURA is designed to remove impurities and makeup (and other products) from your skin, to help avoid future blemishes, it’s available in pink and white. Like TIA, it is composed of a replaceable silicone brush head and skinsense technology. No matter which one you go for, they are both are straightforward to use. Start by applying your favourite product and press the control button to start the cleansing, press the control button 1 to enter the standard cleansing mode. Once you are finished, rinse and dry your face and you’re ready to apply your skincare. Both TIA and PURA and waterproof and once fully charged, this charge can last up to 6 months!

Skin health should always be your top priority and with BeGlow, it couldn’t be easier. We’re fans and think that our complexions are looking better than ever. Get your TIA and PURA Sonic Cleansers at here for £199 for TIA and £109 for PURA. You can also get them at other online retailers like Look Fantastic and QVC.

Albiva - ECM Advanced Repair Brightening Serum

Everyone knows that the weather conditions here in the UK are wildly unpredictable. One minute it’s rain, the next sun, and who knows what the following day might be doing - snowing?! All these temperature changes effect our skin with varying degrees of dryness or break-outs. Which prompted our mission at The Amazing Blog to look for a natural skincare to protect and nourish it rain or shine. This is where we’d like to introduce you to Albiva (who we met at the CEW Awards showcase) a new natural skincare where science meets nature, and they kindly sent us their ECM Advanced Repair Brightening Serum to try out.

Ivana Iesini founder of Albiva, was diagnosed with a spinal tumour at the age of 28, where she was having to combine so many conventional medicines, that it started to make her feel worse. During her months of recuperation, she thought about her grandmother, Albina who was a herbalist. She remembered the natural remedies that she was introduced to from an early age, and the power of all these botanicals used to help heal and regenerate the body. Her journey into launching Albiva had begun. The name is a portmanteau combining the name of Ivana’s grandmother and her own. Ivana combined her knowledge of these natural remedies, her studies in biomedical sciences together with embracing an organic way of life, and bingo! From this, Albiva skincare gradually took shape combining her knowledge of science and natural compounds, all collated from sustainable sources. Another thing that sets this brand apart is their use of ‘gemmotherapy’ (an advanced branch of phytotherapy, which isolates the active ingredients from the embryonic tissues of plants). They also remove plain water from their formulations, where Albiva prides itself on replacing the plain water with COSMOS certified organic Raspberry water, this in itself is an active ingredient renowned for firming, lifting and smoothing properties. There are skin-identical and cell communicating ingredients, all designed to stimulate cell regeneration using the skin’s own cell biology. Let’s not forget to mention the ultra-hydrating blend of botanical extracts, powerful antioxidants, collagen supporting ingredients, peptides, ceramides, compound of oligo-elements, phyto-stimulins, nucleid acids, marine algae extracts, essential fatty acids and many more. Now you know why this brand is so very special!

The ECM Advanced Repair Brightening Serum (ECM means extra cellular matrix) combats hyperpigmentation (age spots) and equalises the skin texture providing natural minerals and vitamins that the skin might be lacking. This serum rejuvenates and restores damaged skin by combining an array of natural botanicals: Mallow, Peppermint, Cowslip, Lady’s Mantle, Speedwell, Melissa, and Yarrow together with Swiss Garden Cress extract; all to enhance the complexion protecting it from environmental damage. It is vegan, cruelty-free, dermatologically tested, contains 77% of certified organic ingredients and 92% of natural ingredients. We like that it’s light in texture, absorbs quickly (no oiliness), with the subtlest of fragrance and left our skin feeling hydrated and looking brighter. We used it under our regular moisturiser and SPF primer, and were pleased to note that it complemented these other products. This serum is suitable for all skin types, so whether you are combating age spots or the effects of the erratic UK summer weather, the ECM Advanced Repair Brightening Serum is going to be your perfect ally. This is one brand to keep an eye on, as we’ll predict they’ll being going places…. To get your very own special serum, go to Albiva’s website here 30ml for £195.00.