Friday Favourites - Candles for Chinese New Year

Tomorrow we’ll be celebrating The Year of The Rat (Chinese New Year). An animal that symbolises wealth and the beginning of a new day. The Amazing Blog will be catching up with friends, wearing bright colours, dancing in the streets and watching the fireworks. But most of all, we’ll be being peaceful at home, lighting candles and giving thanks for all the good things that we’ve been lucky enough to receive. We love creating harmonious surroundings with some beautiful and fragrantly rich candles. Candles have long been one of the most preferred ways of setting a mood, and we’re here to carry that legacy forward introducing you to four of our #amazingfinds.

We received a candle from a+ FFIRMATION CULTURE. The brand creates beautiful hand-poured coconut wax candles for the purpose of self-care. They believe happy minds are key to a happy, fulfilled and healthy life. Affirmation Culture hopes to send love and good vibes daily to all who live on Mother Earth through candles and affirmations since 2019. With over 8 different ‘mindfully made’ candles in the range, the company aims to create safe, clean-burning candles that reduce the toxic load in your home to improve health and mental clarity.

The Empowered Mind candle here is made with amber, cinnamon and frankincense. Hand-poured in London it is a coconut wax candle made for the purpose of self-care. Their candles are clean burning and are made with the healing properties of essential oils and include positive affirmations for daily use.  The affirmations stimulate positive thinking and perspectives, allowing you to overcome limiting beliefs so you can live your best life. Its beautiful fragrance is the perfect companion to your morning coffee as you begin your busy day. This candle is primarily for clarity and focus and exactly what you need to put your mind at ease and clear your thoughts. The Empowered Mind candle is available here 190g at £36 with approximately 40 hours burning time.

Up next we have the Fig and Sandalwood scented candle by Morris & Co. Heathcote and Ivory have successfully taken William Morris’s designs, associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement and used them to place these stunning candles in the vegan leather outer cases which are embossed with the Morris & Co designer cases. There are four scents in the range which also include: Sea Salt & Waterlily, Suede & Amber and Tuberose & Honeysuckle. We’ve written about a few of their products before, you can read more about them here.

The Morris & Co Candle has a beautiful and invigorating fragrance that will leave you feeling warm and cosy as you unwind in the evenings. The fresh, green, earthy celebration of the classic fruit and the sun-warmed blackcurrant leaves, all on a grounding base of sandalwood and tonka is just perfect for this time of year! Presented in an elegant rich purple vegan leather embossed outer case with the heritage Acanthus design, the candle will sit beautifully in your humble abode. This Morris & Co Candle is available here  £26 for 200g with approx. 40 mins burning time.

B Loved’s Naturally Scented Candles are also absolutely magnificent. Made with soy wax and pure essential oils, it is a natural and vegan-friendly product. They are a bespoke aromatherapy candle & product making company based in the UK who take great pride in hand pouring every candle and have a wide range of beautiful, natural scents to choose from. B Loved Candles has been awarded ‘Best Bespoke Chandlery 2019 - Home Counties’ within the Health, Beauty & Wellness Awards hosted by LUX-Life.

We tried The Balancer which is made with geranium, patchouli and bergamot. The geranium is for harmonising and balancing moods and also helps relieve anxiety and stress. The patchouli has uplifting and grounding properties and the bergamot is great for relieving daily tensions. This is the perfect candle for when you need to unwind after a long day and require some peace, quiet and ‘me time’. The brand offers seven natural scent combinations for you to choose from. Their fragrances are uplifting and have the ability to enrich your well-being. What’s even better is that their candle boxes are reusable; you can use them to store jewellery or even make up brushes! The Balancer is available here 200g for £20.

Finally, last but not the least; we have a candle by Ancienne Ambiance London. Ancienne Ambiance is a London-based luxury goods brand inspired by antiquity, specialising in producing high-end scented candles. Conceived from a passion for fragrance and five generations of family heritage in antiquities Adriana Carlucci founded Ancienne Ambiance in 2004. Family run, Ancienne Ambiance has since expanded and is dedicated to providing the most bespoke services in luxury shopping. Regular readers may remember that we reviewed some of their other home and body care products here. Today it’s all about their Tuberosa Tuberose candle.  It is both heady and warm, with rich creamy white floral notes. It is a fantastical fragrance fit for the ultimate seductress and queen of fragrance herself, Cleopatra. The candles are hand-poured with slow-burning beeswax and lead-free wick. We absolutely adore the stunning pink glass container the candle, it comes in at £40 for a 200g candle with an astonishing 60-65 hours of burning time here.

By adding a few candles dotted around a room can instantly lift your spirit and adds an intimacy. Each of these candles will indeed create the perfect ambient light and thus perfect the mood for the year ahead! Wishing you all 恭喜发财 / 恭喜發財 (Gōngxǐ fācái) “Happiness and prosperity!” 

PARA’KITO®

There’s really nothing quite like a run around the pond in Hyde Park or an evening stroll after work around the boating lake in Battersea Park, refreshing, energising and invigorating. However, at The Amazing Blog, we’re all only too aware of the dreaded mosquito bites that come with the territory of being near still water. We may get a great workout but then return home covered in itchy bites. This is when we discovered PARA’KITO® to help solve the problem.

According to PARA’KITO®, the world is a wonderful place full of exciting adventures. They want you to embrace this world, go travel and explore - all free from the nuisance of mosquitoes! Hence, the brand has created a new generation of topical repellents to combat mosquitoes and ticks. Cleverly they have achieved the feat of combining a mosquito repellent with extremely effective natural formulations for optimal protection that you can trust.

After several years of research and development with a team of determined biochemists, the brand has created some unique formulations. While traditional mosquito repellents tend to resort to alcohol and chemical surfactants as binders, PARA’KITO®, has incorporated patented technologies with only natural formulations in water-based or dry oil formulas.

The brand has released two key ranges of products.  The first being a repellent for tropical areas and the second is a repellent for regions in Europe. These come as a roll-on and spray product, these include cellulose and clay (ClayCell technology) allowing PARA’KITO® to avoid the toxic impacts of active ingredients through the skin and potentially into the bloodstream. It uses a mineral (clay) and vegetal extract (cellulose) as binders, with no alcohol or synthetic surfactants. These are able to reduce the repellent actives’ penetration into the epidermis, enhancing product efficacy. Furthermore, PARA’KITO® also uses Citrepel which contains PMD in its products, thus setting the company apart from traditional repellent brands. Citrepel is a natural derivative of citronella Java essential oil. It has the highest and most stable concentration of PMD (p-menthane-diol), a repellent very effective on a wide variety of insects, especially mosquitoes and ticks. PMD is the only natural repellent that provides the most protection against mosquitoes. It acts on the sensory receptors of mosquitoes with a level of efficacy similar to the 3 other active ingredients which are synthetic chemicals (DEET, IR3535 and Icaridin). That’s all the technical stuff!

PARA’KITO® have quite a few different types of repellents, one is a Pellet filled with natural essential oils which is worn as a wrist or ankle band. Made of comfy neoprene and comes with two refills that diffuse as a unique cocktail of natural essential oils that effectively mask our olfactory signals. These pellets last up to 15 days and include ingredients of citronella, rosemary geranium mint, clove and peppermint essential oils.

The products we tried were five from the range (see above photo). Let’s start with the Family Spray and Roll On in the green range, which is for Europe. They provide complete protection for the whole family for 8 hours against tiger mosquitoes and 5 hours against ticks.  Whereas The Tropical Spray and Roll On is a stronger formula for up to 10 hours protection against tiger mosquitoes and up to 6 hours against the Anopheles (malaria vector) as well as 7 hours against ticks.  Both ranges come with a wristband too – best for full protection - see here both the Roll-Ons and Sprays start from £14.95 ea. They feel gentle on the skin and smell deliciously of citronella without a trace of anything chemical (i.e. DEET!) Each helps safeguard you against mosquitoes depending on the geographical region that you’re in. What sets these products apart is that they don’t use any artificial chemicals and serve as a brilliant alternative to chemical repellents.

They also have a mosquito and tick repellent in the form of a water-resistant Dry Oil. It has a 6 hour proven efficacy and can be used as a skin moisturiser or after-sun care. This product uses coconut oil extracts, vitamin E and organic vegetal oils, as these moisturising lipophilic compounds have an affinity with the epidermis. The unique HydraActive™ technology boosts the active’s repellence by achieving, at a lower concentration, with optimal and prolonged efficacy. The Dry Oil product is renowned for its moisturising and nourishing properties as well as with highly concentrated of  Citrepel® and extracts of shea butter and liquorice to smooth and repair the skin, priced at £14.95 for a 75ml bottle.  Our favourite from this range? The Dry Oil wins hands down! Head over to their official website here to buy the full range, and protect yourself against these horrible blood-sucking beasties!

Depixym - Cosmetic Emulsions Colours

Fancy playing around with some colours? But don’t have enough time to pick up a paintbrush and create a magical masterpiece? The Amazing Blog is here to introduce a new make-up concept that will allow you to explore your artistic side while creating looks that will leave you looking your brightest, best and gleeful self. Meet Depixym with their ‘Cosmetic Emulsion’ which is probably going to become the most versatile make-up product that you’ve ever used! The brand is here to give you the creative freedom to put some fun back into your make up look.

Depixym is the new generation of makeup that’s ready to rattle the cages of the cosmetic establishment. Mix and match away with their 19 different colours  (plus the addition of a gloss); think vibrant colours, bright yellow, an energising orange or a subtle pink with a woody brown. We know what you’re going to ask; how exactly do you use these colours? Well, that’s the point, it’s however you’d like! The brand breaks away from the restrictions of traditional make-up where an eyebrow pencil cannot be used as lipstick and eyeliner can’t possibly be used as a blush. Depixym’s products can be mixed together and used anywhere on the face or body; it’s so easy and just as you would mix your acrylics or oil paints to achieve the right hue when painting. All these 19 emulsions can be used as eyeshadow, lipstick, blush, eyebrow fillers etc. There are absolutely no limitations on where and how the product can be used, as long as you don’t eat it or stick it in your beautiful eyes.

The founders of this new and exciting brand believe that each individual is different; as to how can one product and one shade suit each and every one of us? They want us to break away from this world of labels. We love how they allow us to experiment and create their own looks and colours based on their personal desires and tastes. They want people to mix it all up and bring out their funky inner sides in a world that’s constantly telling you what’s acceptable. Depixym is based on breaking free from the shackles of society and embracing your true self in whatever shape, form or colour!

The product comes with a small metal palette (be careful it’s a little sharp on the edges) and a mixing wand, all for you to mix your colours in. We tried out the #1059 and #1183 to create our own shades. Each of us ended up with a completely different look; we mainly experimented with it as a lipstick taking us from vivid peach to a nude peachy brown. Best of all is its staying power, but don’t get it on your clothes – one of us did and couldn’t wash it out of their jeans! Hop over to their website to discover your hidden artist.  All their Cosmetic Emulsions colours are priced at £18.

Allira Organics - Nourish Anti-Ageing Cream & Brightening Foaming Cleanser

Have you like us, had the endless night creams and serums that promise a reduction in fine lines? But then only offer exhaustion of your time and money. Well, fortunately for you, The Amazing Blog is here to help restore your faith in the skincare miracles and anti-ageing products all over again.

Allira Organics is an Australian hand-crafted, vegan and cruelty-free brand that creates products their labs with esteemed and knowledgeable naturopaths and nutritionists who have over two decades of experience in natural skincare formulations. They offer an array of products created with the highest quality and certified organic raw ingredients in order to deliver a range of products that embed your skin with the nutrients and help to showcase your true radiance. Every dedicated formulation takes birth from current research and approaches skincare from traditional and effective plant methodology and thus is designed to be, in its truest sense, anti-ageing. Allira Organics aims to take you on a luxurious journey that will leave your senses deeply intoxicated and your mind at ease. Their products carry an aromatic smell of organic botanicals that will transform your bathroom into a spa sanctuary where all your worries can miraculously float away.

The Allira Nourish Anti-Ageing Cream is an award-winning formula made with natural ingredients such as gumbi, calendula and rosehip. Made and manufactured in Australia, it is a nourishing cream (as the name suggests) and extremely rich in antioxidants, pure essential oils and calming organic herbs that do their magic as powerful anti-ageing agents. The formula will leave your complexion feeling nourished, radiant and of course, with consistent use rejuvenated! We recommend you use it twice a day, both before you put on your facial armour to take on the world as well as after you retire and succumb to the comforts of your bed.  

This award-winning cream is complimented best with the Allira Brightening Foaming Cleanser that packs together a unique blend of earthy minerals, herbs and essential oils deeply cleansing the skin while simultaneously soothing and brightening your complexion. Made with refreshing aloe vera, lactic acid, gumbi, rose water, red and white clay as well as green tea and grapefruit extract, the Cleanser works as a timeless product for all skin types but especially well on oily/acne-prone skin. Additionally, the 40ml bottle will go a long way since you don’t need more than a drop or two to work through your canvas and get rid of all the impurities. We also recommend using the cleaner twice a day, prior to applying their magnificent Anti-Ageing Cream.

The two products are available on the official Allira Organics website here and are priced at an affordable £30.76 and £20.69 respectively. Re-enforcing an indulgent beauty ritual, Allira Organics proves to be a one of a kind brand that doesn’t only make promises but also delivers on their every word.

Sxollie - Cripps Pink Cider

Hustling is not something we would normally advocate here at The Amazing Blog, however when an advertising campaign comes in which is structured around the very essence of a jolly good hustle, we sit up, keyboards poised and channel the inner opportunist. Sxollie is the brand, and their delicious cider is the product which takes no prisoners and proudly promotes a good down to earth hustle.

Now ‘sxollie’ is derived from the english word scallywag, the afrikaans word skorrie-morrie, the dutch word schoelje meaning rascal, and the yiddish word meaning jackal. Quite a heady mix to get our teeth into, but also a highly effective marketing tool to ensure we are sitting up and taking notice, especially since it forms the basis for the philosophy behind Sxollie Cider. ‘In a nutshell’, as they decree, the term Sxollie means ‘hustler’, and its composition is a barrelful of single varietal cider, backed up by the company’s rousing chorus that this is the best cider to come out of Africa.

The interesting part of this approach is that actually the taste of Sxollie is rather refined - elegant almost, which must derive from the Champagne yeasts which are used to ferment their carefully chosen apples from the Elgin orchards of Cape Town. Perhaps the harder edge synopsis of this drink comes from the urban jungle itself which forms an integral ingredient to the finished product? However, that final product is certainly one to take a chance on, as it celebrates with all it’s might it’s African heritage, right down to the pottery design mosaic ‘X’ sprawled across the bottle. We discovered the brand as they were the winners of the International Cider Challenge 2019. There is a trio in the range to try, although we were ONLY sent one bottle Cripps Pink (Pink Lady) - ahem, Sxollie we would have like to have tried more!

Sxollie is available from our high street supermarkets, Waitrose and Sainsburys across the country have them on their shelves, as well as many good independent outlets. Waitrose currently have a 330ml bottle on at £1.85, but if you get your skates on, Sainsbury's have an offer running with bottles priced at £1.60. As the ‘Sxollie philosophy’ tells us - “Pursue that glint in your eye … a little hustle goes a long way”!