London Pr

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.

Nonsuch Shrubs

Drinking vinegars are now a top trending topic at The Amazing Blog, I hear you say ‘drinking vinegar, seriously?’ It was not until we received Nonsuch Shrubs that we understood how delicious they could be. Nonsuch Shrubs was founded by Henry Chevallier Guild, the cider entrepreneur (Aspall Cyder), all with the aim to challenge the alcoholic beverage industry. It all started when he noticed that there were very few alcohol-free alternatives on a dry night out.

Nonsuch Shrubs have take their inspiration from ancient Babylonian techniques, creating their sweet and sharp cordial drinks with cyder vinegar and sparkling water. Much as drinking cider vinegar is a hot topic now, adding water to vinegar actually started in ancient times in order to make water to safer to drink. The founder Henry was quoted in an interview “I wanted something that behaved like alcohol, without getting me drunk.” Interestingly, the word ‘shrubs’ is derived from the Arabic work ‘Sharbah’ which means ‘a drink’. Nonsuch shrubs, a.k.a. Nonsuch drinks, are a drinking alternative that behave like alcoholic drinks due to the precise balance of the ingredients. Mainly composed by raw fruits, herbs and apple cider vinegar. Thus out of an ancient formula, a modern elixir was born.

We tasted two out of their four different varieties. They both paired extremely well with food, and we were very impressed with the zesty flavours with their infusions of fruit, herbs and apple cider vinegar. Their Peach & Basil Shrub is an ideal drink to partner with fresh snacks like hummus, almonds, and summery salads such as tomato and mozzarella; pear, walnut and gorgonzola; and more. With a golden straw colour, the vinegar boosts the flavour of the basil and the peach. The Sour Cherry & Garden Mint has a dark red cherry colour and the combination of flavours will transport you to the Middle East. Its blend of cherry, mint and apple, give you a tang of acidity and sourness that is enhanced with the hint of vinegar and contrasted with the minty aroma. We think it works perfectly with lamb or vegetable tagine as well as cucumber salads, fish and artichokes.

Nonsuch shrubs are not only good to the taste buds with their unique harmony of savoury, sweet and sour experience. Quickly added, the beautiful designed packaging make it even more appealing too. Try one of these sparkling, rich in vitamin C, with no added sugars getting your 250ml bottle here for £3.29 and let your mouth experience a burst of flavours. These are a MUST-try!

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.

Repêchage – Triple Action Peptide Serum

The Amazing Blog brings you once again, another pearl from the sea, with the brand Repêchage. We’ve written about quite a few of their products from Repêchage serums to moisturisers. However, today we want to talk about their new launch, the Triple Action Peptide Serum which promises to help give us a brighter, firmer and more hydrated complexion.

Repêchage was founded in 1980 by Lydia Sarfat, a renowned aesthetician, who created this salon brand out of her passion for skincare. All Repêchage products are made with sustainably harvested seaweed from Maine, USA. This is then processed through an extraction that retains at least 12 vitamins, 18 amino acids, 42 trace elements/minerals, and phlorotannins; all perfect ingredients for deep surface hydration and balance.

Their new Triple Action Peptide Serum is made with powerful peptides and marine seaweed extracts. The palmitoyl tripeptide 1, 5 and 7, in this serum, will help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines by firming and smoothing it.  That’s not only it, but other ingredients found in this serum are acetyl hexapeptide-8 which has a water-binding function that aids the reduction of wrinkles. It also has Laminaria digitate (seaweed), aloe vera, sweet almond, chrysin and mirabilis Jalapa extract. These ingredients are rich in vitamin B12, C, E, K, beta carotene, amino acids, minerals and enzymes which smooth out our skin by providing elasticity, removing imperfections like dark circles, dry skin and again, by hydrating your skin, it will feel firmer, brighter and more youthful. Suitable for the face, neck and décolleté just massage eight or so drops twice a day into these areas. Let it settle for about ten minutes and then you can keep applying your creams or make up etc. We found that this serum layered easily with our other skincare, it didn’t feel greasy and absorbed well. So, if you’re looking for a serum that has advanced skincare science with natural ingredients, then this potent seaweed and peptide-based serum is for you. Make this Triple Action Peptide Serum from Repêchage part of your daily skin routine by getting it here for £75.00.

PÉRGATIS – Brows Revitalising Solution

It’s no secret that eyebrows seem to be a current beauty obsession. At The Amazing Blog, we’re big fans of all eyebrow products, particularly those that will help them grow! Looking at the brow icon Cara Delevingne, it makes us all want to have those thick, perfect and shapely brows. Many brow trends come and go and unfortunately for some of us this has led to over-plucking, which has now caused gaps and thinning. We heard lots of good things about the Pérgatis products, so when received the Pérgatis Brows Revitalising Solution to strengthen and thicken the brows, our reaction was something like what Ariana Grande would say: ‘I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it’.

Over 15 years ago, Dr Amir Jafri who is a medical doctor by training, began to experience hair loss and was introduced to a natural haircare product based in Malaysia. After seeing the unbelievable results, he decided to invest in this brand. Initially launching in the Asian market, the satisfaction rate was high and thus the demand grew so fast, that’s when he decided to take the brand global, hence creating Pérgatis, the personal care group. As a pioneer in the field of hair growth and also with his experience and background in business management, Pérgatis was assured an outstanding start. The name Pérgatis derives from the work Pergamon, an ancient city in Turkey (now known as Bergama). This city was recognised worldwide due to Galen, the man that revolutionised the knowledge of human health, and therefore, the brand wanted to pay homage.

Pérgatis Brows is a 100% natural product that’s rooted in Ayurvedic methodology. The main ingredients are nigella sativa seed oil, black mustard extract, olive oil, sesame seed oil and hydrogenated egg oil; all of which enhances the growth of the brows making them stronger and thicker. Easy to apply by gently massaging 1 or 2 drops of Pérgatis into your brows, then leave the product on until fully absorbed, which is about 4 hours (or it can even be left on overnight). NB when applied at night the liquid is dark amber in colour, so they suggest covering your pillow to avoid staining the bed linen. Pérgatis Brows will help to create voluminsed brows filling in imperfections . Results are normally visible in approximately 6 weeks – we did notice a slight density at 4 weeks but we still need to persevere a little longer to see more of a difference.

You can buy your 10ml dropper bottle of Pérgatis Brows here for £39.00 and make it part of your daily routine, to help achieve those defined and full eyebrows you have always longed for.