Popcorn Shed

At The Amazing Blog we always have a small selection of snacks at our desks to feast on. We try to be good by consuming only low fat and healthy snacks. Today we want to tell you about our new discovery Popcorn Shed that left our taste buds tingling!

Popcorn Shed was founded by cousins Laura Jane and Sam Feller in 2016, and like every great brand it has a story, Jane’s and Sam’s story starts in a shed! Their popcorn is a home-grown, family-owned business where they’ve created a unique set of flavours, that not usually found in rival popcorn brands. These are gourmet popcorn range that are natural, gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians. Their popcorn is made using an artisan cooking process using a fresh caramel batch in every process, before being scattered in either melted chocolate, nuts or dried fruit all adding a new texture to the popcorn. What piqued our interest is that each of their packets of popcorn have an average of fewer than 140 calories per pack. Don’t worry the popcorn is easily chewable and you won’t have to worry about kernel or sticky caramel getting stuck in your teeth! We’re also fans of the vibrant packaging which make them unmissable.

The first of the seven flavours we tried was the Pop ‘n’ Choc. These are evenly coated with Belgian milk chocolate in a smooth cocoa-caramel base. They are not too sweet and the chocolate is in the right quantity to be enjoyed without being overpowering. Next is Salted Caramel which was our favourite. Coated with sea-salt caramel and Belgium milk chocolate, it has a fabulous crunch and a slight hint of salt, making it very moreish. We then move on to Butterly Nuts, all peanut butter with a blend of salt, caramel and nuts, this hit the spot! The peanut butter is creamy and the nuts offer an irresistible crunch. The Pecan Pie popcorns are partly coated in caramel and real golden pecan nut pieces. They have a smooth nutty, buttery and sugary taste and a sensational crunch that leaves you wanting more.

Probably the most unusual flavour of the collection is the caramel and cheese in Sweet Cheesus. These popcorns are partly coated in caramel and cheddar cheese offering the bursts of sweet and salty together,  this is one for the fans of less sugary snacks.  Then we have the Berry-licious where fruit tart meets dark chocolate – freeze-dried raspberries in the rich chocolate make it almost a dessert in itself. Lastly, Say Cheese! The Cheddar Cheese popcorn flavour is coated with cheese that leaves a tangy tingle on the tongue, melting perfectly to release a creamy milk and cheesy flavour which all cheese fans will adore.

A Popcorn Shed box of 80g is £3.50 and a 16 pack of 24g is £19.98 here. Why not grab a new popcorn flavour and awaken your taste buds.

Malavara - Ultra Luxuriant Hair Elixir

Who else feels like they’re constantly stripping their hair by colouring it, curling it, straightening it or washing it? At the Amazing Blog we’re constantly looking for that ‘Holy Grail’product to reverse all of our hair damage… and we just may have found it!

Malavara Ultra Luxuriant Hair Elixir is a modern take on a 5,000 year old Ayurvedic ritual of hair oiling. By Inspired by India but made in London, the elixir utilises potent Hairy Basil Root which acts as food for hair follicles and promotes growth. With sleek packaging, easy-to-follow directions and all-natural ingredients, Malavara gives hair oiling a modern twist.

A Gold Winner at The Pure Beauty Awards 2018, Malavara’s Ultra Luxuriant Hair Elixir is meant to be applied at least 30 minutes before washing your hair. Although it’s meant as a pre-shampooing treatment, a little goes a long way and we recommend to only use enough to massage through your scalp without friction. Made with Gooseberry, Almond and Bhringraj Oil, the Hair Elixir conditions the scalp while transforming the health of your hair. We love that the Malavara Hair Elixir doesn’t leave a layer of oil on your hair that is hard to remove with just a normal amount of shampoo. The best part? It’s vegan, naturally-derived and sustainably-sourced.

Want to experience the 5,000 year old ritual of hair oiling for yourself? A 30ml bottle of the Malavara Ultra Luxuriant Hair Elixir can be purchased here for £29.

BEYofi Men's Haircare

We return unashamedly this week to the wonderful world of BEYofi - regular readers will know that we have celebrated various products from this extensive range already on The Amazing Blog, but then when you have a whole world of haircare maintenance products to enjoy, due respect and attention should be paid. And where BEyofi is concerned, we are delighted to heap the praise on yet more brilliant products which we are enjoying. As you will see from the above although they generously sent us six great men’s haircare products, and I’ve chosen my two special favourites from this selection to talk about today. 

This is where we focus on the process of shampooing- not just for the hair, but cleverly, BEyofi bring the same diligence in the fundamentals of their production to the body too. They’ve created an effective cleanser which lathers up easily with a delicious fragrance and that is not overpowering, but which rather settles perfectly to our own pheromones. They have concentrated here on the process of stripping away other products, to give a deep clean without denying the hair and body’s natural oils to hydrate and moisturise.

The world of BEyofi have really put the legwork into research and development - each product is clearly defined and manufactured to the highest standards, from the basic ingredients right down to the on-point packaging, which is obviously why this range has a growing legion of international fans.

The two examples we are shining a well-earned spotlight on today, come in a pump bottle of 250ml - the Hair & Body Shampoo retails at £18.45 and the Clarifying Shampoo at £21.95. Both available from here, and the full range of BEYofi products can also be found on Amazon.co.uk  And you will find our further reviews on the brand here for boys and here for girls. It’s also worth checking out the extensive product range that is laid out - there will literally be something for everyone to enjoy whatever your haircare requirements.

West Hampshire School of Art – Adult Classes

We don’t like twiddling our thumbs at weekends or evenings at The Amazing Blog and look for opportunities to educate and inspire us. So when we heard about experimenting with different art forms as a therapy to disconnect, heal our minds and release tension, we couldn’t resist exploring it more with the West Hampshire School of Art classes.

The West Hampshire School of Art is based in Broughton in Hampshire was recently formed in January 2019 by Daisy Rogers. It is a non-profit organisation that is set to offer fine art classes and workshops to those who not only want to improve their artistic skills or experiment with creative practices but also to those who want to make a difference and add their grain of sand to build strong communities. The school drives its profits to community art programmes as well as to fund children’s places for low-income families. Art is a vibrant way to make a change.

This initiative has been well received with classes filling up fast. Why not hone your artistic skills this autumn joining their 6 or 10-week programmes ranging from fine art foundation courses, tutored or untutored life drawing and landscape painting to ceramics and printmaking. All classes are taught by experienced professional artists giving you a solid knowledge of art history and technique. We like to encourage others to try new things too, and taking up an art class at the West Hampshire School of Art as they also offer both part-time and full-time classes, with many options to help adapt to your busy schedule. No excuses now! Another aspect that we like is the fact that classes only allow a small number of students, meaning you can get the most out of the class, i.e. getting a lot of one-to-one tuition. Located in Broughton Down Farm, visit here to find out more about the courses. Why not sign up now and start thinking about what masterpieces you’re going to create. Prices start at £165.00 for 10 week programmes.

Mill Creek Botanicals – Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner

Haircare can be a drama; the pollution, the humidity, the dryness, the curls, the frizziness, the split ends… you know the story! At The Amazing Blog we’ve been testing out a few and we interested to hear about the US brand Mill Creek Botanicals who have just launched here in the UK.

Panch Prasad, CEO of Mill Creek Botanicals, is a trained chemist and natural products advocate. When he purchased the brand in 2001, he wanted to give it a fresh new look with a commitment to being beneficial for the planet. All Mill Creek products are sulphate, paraben, gluten free and vegan; they are certified organic by USDA or QAI following the guidelines of PETA and GMP, and all created in a carbon-neutral environment. All of this has made the brand a multiple winner of awards such as Natural Beauty 2019. With nature and people at the core of their values, Mill Creek has been committed to delivering quality products at an affordable price since 1975.

Although Mill Creek Botanicals’ natural product range is very extensive, we wanted to try the Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner as together they repair and renew the hair with their natural and organic ingredients and high concentration of plant-based keratin. The Keratin Shampoo This shampoo boosts the effects of keratin by combining it with panthenol, argan oil and herbs, all of which repair the hair strands, giving it strength and elasticity. You can now say goodbye to your split ends! The fragrance is slightly fruity and fresh, all from the combination of aloe vera, coconut oil, organic wild cherry, chamomile, hops and field horsetail. To use these, simply wet your hair, pump a little bit of shampoo into the palm of your hand and with its light consistency, massage your scalp and rinse. To achieve even better results, follow it with the Keratin Conditioner.

The Conditioner acts like ‘belt and braces’ to the Shampoo and it made even our tangly hair sleek and manageable. Also composed of the same core ingredients as the Shampoo, the hydrolysed keratin (plant-based), panthenol, argan oil in this Conditioner added to the reduction of hair breakage, also adding a natural bounce and shine. We applied it after the Shampoo, focusing on our ends and left it for a couple of minutes. However, you can leave it on your hair for up to 10 minutes if your hair is dry or has sustained damage; it then acts more like a hair mask. We just rinsed and kept going with our regular haircare routine.

Both the Keratin Shampoo and the Conditioner work beautifully in tandem. If you’re looking for an affordable natural shampoo (with organic ingredients) to improve the quality of your hair, then look no further. It’s another one of our #amazingfinds! Get your Mill Creek Botanicals Keratin 414ml Shampoo for £6.99 here and the Mill Creek Botanicals Keratin 414ml Conditioner for £6.99 here and put an end to bad hair days.