L’Araboutique® Skincare

Today at the Amazing Blog we’d like to share with you some natural treasures from Arab world. The Middle Eastern cultures have some of the best kept beauty secrets, and we’re going to introduce you to one of them. Meet the natural and organic skincare brand L’Araboutique who have an array of exotic ingredients including: Extra virgin olive oil from Palestine and Syria, mineral-rich Zamzam water from Saudi Arabia, the finest royal green hojari frankincense from Oman, fragrant pink roses from Madina and rich organic sidr honey from Yemen.  And these are just a few of the wonderful pure ingredients found in their products.

L’Araboutique® was created by Dr. Samira Zaidan and Dr. Mona Alyedreessy (a mother and daughter team) and they claim to be the only skincare and haircare brand to make natural products with Zamzam water. These products are handmade in the UK, are organic, chemical-free, cruelty-free, halal, eco-friendly and vegan (apart from those containing camel milk, beeswax and sidr honey) they are also UK and EU tested approved and certified.

They very kindly send us a selection of products to try, and the first products we used were their soaps. The Oat, Sidr Honey & Madina Rose Soap can be used on the skin or hair to soften and hydrate. The combination of oat, sidr honey & Madina roses calm and moisturise the skin. The Arabic Gum & Bay Leaf Soap has a strong anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties while simultaneously stimulating the skin’s collagen production. One of our team even noticed that their skin appeared brighter after using this bar. Next we tried the soap Arabic Coffee, Ginger & Cinnamon. Did you know that coffee is the number one natural product to combat cellulite? No neither did we, but we loved how energising this scrub left us feeling.

Then there is The Madina Rose & Saffron Face Cream which dates all the way back to ancient Egypt when Cleopatra discovered the beauty benefits of rose water. This luxurious face cream has three key ingredients: Iranian saffron flowers blossom, mineral-rich Zamzam water infused with fresh Madina rose water and oil. All of which help to reduce hyperpigmentation. This was our Editor Edwina’s favourite. Staying on a rose theme, we also tried their Madina Rose Deodorant  which is a 24-hour deodorant cream made from organic cold-pressed coconut oil that helps to  fights bacteria. It also has turmeric to lighten dark patches and pigmentation on the underarm area and smells divine.

Finally, we come to The Sutanah Face Lift Mask a recipe apparently only shared between Arabian royalty. Made with pomegranates, Moroccan rhassoul clay and aloe vera juice, this mask instantly tightens and lifts the face – this powder you simply mix with water. Best of all, we like how the brand contribute 50p from every sale to a charity that helps to build wells around the world. The Water Project charity provides essential clean water to families and communities where it’s needed the most. 

L’Araboutique® can be purchased here with skincare prices starting from £15. We think they are a wonderful new discovery, where the ancient and modern worlds meet and we can’t wait to try more for this brand.

ALL TIGERS - Liquid Lipstick & Nail Lacquer

Did you know that the average woman can eat up to 2kg of lipstick in her lifetime? At the Amazing Blog we love our lipstick and probably consume even more than the average woman! However, it’s scary to think what we are consuming if we use lipsticks that are made from chemicals or other unnatural ingredients. That’s where ALL TIGERS steps in.

The founder Alexis Robillard was inspired by this and a simple question was born: What if he could create the perfect lipstick that’s both eco-friendly and stylish? Unique in their approach, ALL TIGERS is a young and fun brand, they even took to their Instagram account to poll with future customers and get approval on each important decision. They support the preservation of the wild tiger and its eco-system in Asia, within the framework of the 1% FOR THE PLANET . ALL TIGERS is a fitting name because of the powerful nature of the brand, made for the queens of the modern jungle!

ALL TIGERS is the culmination of trendy and eco-friendly – the perfect merger. We tried the Natural & Vegan Liquid Lipstick in the shade 888 Pure Red ‘Call me Queen’ . We loved the timeless red shade of this lipstick, which is suitable for women of all skin tones. This shade screams ‘tigress’ as women have long worn red lipstick as a symbol of their power and femininity. The lipstick has an ‘easy-matte’ finish with a blend of botanical oils and waxes. We love that with just one swipe of ‘Call Me Queen’ across your lips and you’ll have a high-coverage red pout that lasts for hours.

Now every girl needs the perfect red nail lacquer to match her signature red lips. The ALL TIGERS Nail Lacquer in Red 298 ‘Hit It Big’ applies a pigmented colour to your claws. We love how it has bamboo, acerola, gotu kola and glycerin to improve nail strength. The generous brush applicator is the perfect size for applying the polish in one swipe. Its long-wear non chip vegan formula was made for queens of the concrete jungle. Free your claws from chemical-based nail lacquers with this vegan polish.

We love this stylish brand and their mission to empower women to be fierce and powerful while also being eco-friendly. If you want to join us in the prowl, you can purchase ALL TIGERS Liquid Lipstick here for £20.50. The Nail Lacquer can be purchased here for £11.50.

Bee Approved - Vegan Honey

Veganista is a new company that we at The Amazing Blog  have discovered on our continual quest to search out healthy and nutritious options. And they have an absolute belter to tempt us with … especially if we have opted for the vegan route to our nutrition, in the form of  Bee Approved  their alternative to honey.

Being an animal product, honey of course is not suitable for the vegan diet, and therefore Veganista have come up with Bee Approved Honey as the go-to alternative for those people who wish to avoid animal products where possible. Now our first question - probably like yours - is: how? Step forward the often overlooked brown rice to take a bow, for it is this humble larder staple which when cooked and with its starch broken down, gives us brown rice syrup with easily digestible sugars. Not only is this particular nectar mushy, sticky and thoroughly delicious, but when you consider the vast range of uses that honey gives us, then the field opens up completely for Bee Approved Vegan Honey’s versatility, since it can be used in as many and varied ways itself. It can be used raw, cooked, as a garnish or indeed as the main ingredient in a plethora of dishes from desserts to cocktails, and much in between.

With the Certified Vegan Trademark  behind it, each pot of goodness is authenticated by an acutely experienced team of professionals ensuring the high standards as set down in 1944 by The Vegan Society are continually met adhering to the strict code of total exclusion of any animal products, either in manufacture or final product. All BeeApproved foods are also Certified Organic and Gluten Free.

The primary supplier of Bee Approved Honey is Veganista’s own online shop here, for 150g, we won’t be breaking the bank at the competitive price of £3.49. Larger jars are also available in 250g and 500g sizes as well as the incredibly travel friendly 10g tube for just 50p! So, these jars of golden goodness tick all the boxes - not least of all giving all those hardworking bees a thoroughly well-earned day off the perpetual round of honey production!

Friday Favourites - Vegtoberfest

We notice at The Amazing Blog that the best thing about being a vegan in 2019 is not having to give up any of your old favourite foods. Almost every comfort food has a vegan counterpart and you don’t have to feel left behind while eating plant-based. Vegtoberfest, the UK’s first vegan Oktoberfest celebration proves that you don’t have to sacrifice your lifestyle choices to have a good time.

Started in 2018, Vegtoberfest aims to bring the Oktoberfest celebration (with all the beer and bratwursts as you can imagine) to the vegan market. Picture the classic Oktoberfest celebrations but with a modern, vegan twist! Oktoberfest is a celebration of beer – first and foremost, and Vegtoberfest did not forget that. With vegan-friendly Bavarian beers and local craft ales, the choices are endless. There will also be a selection of wines, cocktails and vegan Bailey’s for those non-beer drinkers in the bunch.

Now, we know you’re wondering “What kind of food will Vegtoberfest have?” Good question. It wouldn’t be an Oktoberfest celebration without Bratwurst. Rudy’s Dirty Vegan Dinner, Camden’s leading vegan street food specialist, will be serving Bratwursts with all the trimmings, German Potato Pancakes and their famous Dirty Burgers. Also served at Vegtoberfest will be pizzas, pretzels, loaded fries and ice cream. Did someone say yum?

There will also be live music and entertainment both weekends. With performances from the Old Dirty Brasstards, Brasstermind and many other live acoustic acts, we’re sure you’ll be entertained the whole time! Dee Riley, London’s leading cabaret stage magician will be hosting the entertainment both weekends.

Vegtoberfest will take place two weekends in a row – on October 12th and 19th at Fest Camden. The main room will be transformed into a festival themed beer hall. We definitely wouldn’t blame you if you wore your Dirndl dresses. Early Bird tickets are on sale now for £13.50 (including taxes and service charges) and you can buy them here. Once Early Bird sells out the tickets will be £16.50, so buy your tickets as soon as possible!

Lark & Berry Fragrances

Finding only one fragrance that encompasses your style, personality and suits each season can be very tricky. At The Amazing Blog we believe a spritz of perfume adds that essential final touch to not only to how you feel but how you project your look. Today, we want to introduce you to one of our #amazingfinds from Lark & Berry, who have expanded their empire from being an exciting and disruptive force in the world of fine jewellery, to now turning their attention to making a change in the world of fragrances.

Launched in 2018 by Laura Chavez, Lark & Berry was born out of a desire to make a difference, and changing the jewellery industry. Laura noticed that she either found high-quality jewellery with skyrocketing prices or affordable jewellery that was very poor quality. She saw the opportunity to create her unique jewellery using only cultured diamonds and stones (all laboratory grown) which provide transparency, honesty, affordability and a much lower environmental impact. With Lark, meaning ‘playful’ and which was Laura’s favourite bird and Berry, being a pendant her grandmother gave her, she founded Lark & Berry.

Today we want to talk about Lark & Berry and their three fragrances in this new range of Eau de Parfum: Midnight Garden, White Dawn and Alchemy Number 3. This trio is all-natural, made with organic flower compositions and not tested on animals. We tried the Alchemy Number 3, all beautifully packaged in a subtle marbled box with a sweet hidden message (see pic above).  This deluxe bottle has a delightful touch with its gold chain and diamond charm around the neck of the bottle (perhaps it could double up as a ring?) Alchemy Number 3 boosted our senses with its heady key notes combining sandalwood and tuberose. It is deliciously long-lasting and retains top notes of the jasmine and ylang-ylang with the base notes of patchouli, leather and amber musk. As a warm and sensual fragrance, we think it complements this autumn season as the daylight draws in and the nights get longer. Each of the three Eau de Parfums retail at £75.00 for a 100ml here or at their new shop in London here. We also love is the fact that with every item sold at Larry &Berry (whether online or from their London store) five trees will be planted in areas worldwide where they’re environmentally needed the most, by their partnership with One Tree Planted (a US-based tree-planting non-profit).