Be+Radiance : Duo Palettes - Set+Glow+Highlighter & Color+Glow Duo Blush+Highlighter

Whether we want to get dolled up or go for a natural look this party season, blusher, powder and highlighter are our three must-haves here at The Amazing Blog. Happily, one of our favourite French natural cosmetic brands, Be+Radiance, sent us both their Set+Glow Duo Powder+Highlighter and the Color+Glow Duo Blush+Highlighter, perfect for adding a touch of festive glamour that will see us well into the wee hours! And if you missed our previous review of their Primer and Matifying Foundation, click here.

The Be+Radiance story starts with beauty expert Aïmara Coupet whose dedication to offering clean products for all skin tones is second to none. After years of working with major brands like L’Oréal, Sephora, and blackUp, Aïmara decided to shift her focus to providing people with inclusive skincare and cosmetics that would actually be good for the skin. With over 20 years of beauty experience and an innate passion for makeup, this Be+Radiance founder, has developed her cosmetics expertise, especially when it comes to the complexion. During the time, Aïmara was working as a consultant to explore the science of the microbiome, the natural bacterial ecosystem of the skin, and was able to work with a laboratory to create a silicone-free foundation. This creation is what prompted the launch of her brand Be+Radiance. As a mixed-race woman, she has pushed for the cosmetics industry to recognise plural beauty, and is determined to create diverse collections with makeup that is “healthy and sophisticated, luminous and universal.” In an industry that struggles to develop products with the right textures and colours for darker skin, she has committed her brand to formulate for all skin tones, and only using clean beauty practices. They make sure to have “equity in the choice of shades and in the adaptation of textures to different skin types.” The brand uses clean formulas, rich ingredients, and probiotics to create makeup that respects the skin. These products all contain probiotics to help strengthen the skin’s natural barrier and protect its microbiome. Their products avoid the use of silicones, parabens, and perfume to maintain the natural balance of the skin. As a clean beauty brand, their products are made in France, are vegan and cruelty-free with an R & D team that integrates raw materials with 85% - 100% natural ingredients to help keep skin healthy and beautiful.  

We loved using the Set+Glow Duo Powder+Highlighter and Color+Glow Duo Blush+Highlighter palettes. They’ve both been created using 95% natural ingredients and are also enriched with probiotics that positively colonise the microbiome to repair the skin barrier, resulting in stronger skin microbiota. These microorganisms also help retain moisture more effectively to keep skin hydrated, healthy, and smooth. The microbiota then offers rebalance and protection when these probiotics and prebiotics come together. The duos include a blend of organic oils rich in antioxidant properties, with moringa, sunflower and jojoba; plus organic shea butter, rich in linoleic acid, which when combined these both nourish and smooth the skin. These duo palettes are free from talc, mineral oil, silicone and fragrance making them suitable for all skin types. They harness the skin benefiting properties of probiotics, and as the brand says these are made to “respect the skin balance, let the skin breath and take care of the most sensitive skin.”

The Set+Glow Duo Powder+Highlighter is half matte powder and highlighter and comes in a selection of 17 shades. It is ultra-smooth in texture and helps set makeup or add a shimmering glow. We received this duo in the No 13 where the shades perfectly complemented each other. The fine powder is used to set the foundation and give a matte finish, whereas the highlighter catches the light and provide the skin with a radiant and glistening look. The way we applied the powder was to take a large powder brush and sweep it along the central panel of the face to help mattify any shine. Then with another brush, we applied the highlighter in an upward movement just above the cheekbones and with our forefinger blended a little on the brow bone to accentuate it. The brand also recommends mixing the powder and highlighter together for a dewy look.  

The second product, the Color+Glow Duo Blush+Highlighter, again, is half blush and highlighter and is available in a variety of 4 shades. The blush in the duo palette is highly pigmented and has been carefully curated to blend and modify and work with a wide range of skin tones. Whether it is a warm pink or a coral with gold undertones, we found the choice of colours blends well. The highlighter works with the blush to create a balanced shimmering effect. We used the duo palette in the shade 02 and found that the blush was perfectly pigmented to bring out a warm rosy look in our cheeks, and the highlighter topped off the look with its illuminating finish. We applied the blush along our cheekbones and a little into the centre of our cheeks, adding the highlighter just above, and a dab also along the brow bone. 

Both these products are another of our festive #amazingfinds. Whether you're looking to buy for yourself or as a gift, they’re available from the Be+Radiance French website here. Or you can also purchase the Set+Glow Duo Powder+Highlighter for £26.40 here and the Color+Glow Duo Blush+Highlighter for £26.40 here.  

Be + Radiance : Velvet Touch Primer Natural and Breathable & Cucumber Water Matifying Foundation

We all know how difficult finding THE perfect foundation can be. With so many different foundations available and seasonal colour changes with our skin, it’s always a challenge. Luckily for us at The Amazing Blog, we were able to try out this duo of primer and foundation with the Velvet Touch Primer and Cucumber Water Matifying Foundation from the natural skincare and cosmetics brand Be+Radiance.

Aïmara Coupet is the visionary behind this French brand Be + Radiance. Aïmara has been working in the cosmetics industry for over 20 years as a makeup expert. Through her experiences working for L’Oreal, Sephora, and blackUp Cosmetics, she’s gained the expansive cosmetic knowledge that she now puts into Be + Radiance. After working in a laboratory during her consulting days, Aïmara was able to create a silicone-free foundation which pushed her into creating Be + Radiance. With her plural heritage, she has personally felt challenged to find the right products for her skin. She wanted to design a “collection of shades to represent the diversity of women” and to provide a product that anyone could use, and has a passion to “create a new art of makeup: healthy and sophisticated, luminous and universal.” Beyond creating the inclusive shades for anyone, Be + Radiance utilises natural ingredients to treat your skin well. Each product uses clean formulas, natural ingredients, probiotics, and other rich active ingredients to help the skin. In particular, they wish to make the skin healthier and more beautiful without clogging the pores or masking it with heavy pigments. The researchers and formulators at Be + Radiance understand that the skin has a delicate balance to keep it healthy. The formulas all contain probiotics to help strengthen the skin’s natural barrier and protect its microbiome, the natural bacterial ecosystem of the skin. The protection of this barrier helps to keep our skin healthy.  The brand's cosmetics are made in France and are vegan and cruelty-free.

Let’s start with Velvet Touch Primer Natural and Breathable, this is designed to prepare the skin before applying makeup. This natural and breathable primer helps to reduce the appearance of pores while prolonging the wear of makeup. It helps to smooth the skin for that ‘blur’ effect. This primer is silicone, paraben and fragrance-free, and made up of 97% natural ingredients. The formula uses pomegranate extract for its antioxidant properties, which helps restore the skin for optimal hydration. The blackcurrant extract soothes, softens and strengthens the skin, while the shea butter promotes skin regeneration, hydrates, and nourishes the skin. The use of sunflower oil also nourishes and softens the skin. What we like about this primer is that it’s natural as well as lightweight and velvety smooth to apply. It also marries well with a serum or foundation (like their Matifying Foundation) and worked well on the eye area too.

We followed the primer with the Cucumber Water Matifying Foundation, a natural, water-based foundation that’s lightweight while also providing good coverage to even out the complexion. This foundation uses organic cucumber water to make this a fresh and natural product. They use 85% natural ingredients, like organic cucumber water, because of its soothing, hydrating and antioxidant properties. There are no parabens or phenoxyethanol, and it doesn’t contain any mineral oils, phthalate (from petrochemicals) or fragrance - making it ideal for even the most sensitive of skins. For the non-natural ingredients, Be + Radiance provides full transparency by listing each ingredient with their use and origin, which can be found here. This foundation is available in seventeen different shades that match a variety of skin tones. We were sent shade 13 which was a good colour match. Again it’s a silicone-free formula and super light leaving an almost veil-like finish, perfect for those wanting natural-looking coverage. This Cucumber Water Matifying Foundation is perfect for oily skin, combination skin or sensitive skin. We have quite dry skin so the primer was definitely needed prior to application, we loved how it gave a really good matte finish with no need for a quick dusting of powder to remove any shine. Our only ask for the brand, is to put an SPF in either your primer or foundation - then these would be perfect for us! Both products are available for purchase through Be + Radiance’s website here. Or the 30ml Cucumber Water Matifying Foundation is available for £21.85 here and the 30ml Velvet Touch Primer Natural and Breathable is available here for £20.05

MamaSia: Desert Date Oil

Let’s keep it simple – at The Amazing Blog we want to take about the versatility and purity of oils. They’ve been tried and tested for centuries, and we find more and more people are returning to using only minimally-processed oils as part of their skincare routine. Today, we are trying out a Desert Date Oil from MamaSia . 

MamaSia is an established natural skincare brand, launched in 2012; it has traditional African beauty and wellbeing products, all with a modern twist. They are based in the UK and co-founded by Maame Opoku.  With her dual heritage, Maamie is of Ghanaian descent, and born in England.  She spent time in Laraganga, Ghana, where she learnt about local ingredients and production methods from women in the community. After years of experience in the beauty industry, she realised the uniqueness and value of the traditional African beauty practices she’d gleaned and decided to create her own brand MamaSia, now a business made up of more than forty Ghanian women. All products are formulated by Maame and Sam, the company’s co-founders. Where their collective objective is to help the local communities, especially women, by acting in a socially responsible way to ‘Share, Inspire and Assist’ (this acronym ‘SIA’ is found in the brand name). All of its product ingredients are sourced from its family lands in Senegal and Ghana. As Maame said, “MamaSia is an experience rather than a brand, many people have never heard of some of the natural botanicals found in our products range. So, it is an experience from that standpoint, not forgetting our customers get to experience how our ingredients are grown on our communal lands to how it is re-purposed by us. That is why we say ‘From our Lands to your Hands’, it is direct from soil to hands.”  MamaSia produces a range of hair and skincare products and superfoods such as raw purple sea moss. However, what interests us are the superfood oils in her collection, which are pure, unadulterated and good enough to eat! They are now getting the brand recognition that they deserve and recently won The Afro Hair & Beauty Association AHBA Award for Brand Excellence. 

We couldn’t wait to try the Desert Date Oil , an all-rounder that is beneficial and suitable for all skin and hair types. It can automatically adjust and balance your skin or hair’s pH level, leaving your skin and hair smoothing and glowing without being greasy and won’t clog the pores. It is derived from Desert Date’s seed kernel, a fruit that thrives in dry conditions and is high in natural non-volatile fatty acids (46%), helping rejuvenate skin cells and reduce fine lines. As an ideal food ingredient and a cosmetics component, it contains naturally occurring, highly concentrated vitamin E and omega 3 &6 fatty acids. Vitamin E provides an excellent healing and nourishing effect that strengthens and moisturises the skin. At the same time, omega 3 &6 serves to regulate the skin's oil production and calm inflammatory reactions and skin breakouts. This is the first time we’ve used 100% cold-pressed Dessert Date Oil (balanites aegyptiaca) where we tested it out night and day, and as directed by the brand to ‘dab or pat not glide’ a little goes a long way. We loved how hydrating and protective this felt on the skin (used in chilly February). This is good for the hair tips to seal split ends, and with a drop rubbed into the palm of our hands, then smoothed over the crown, it also keeps frizz at bay. This is simplicity at its best, suitable for all skin types and one oil we’d certainly buy more of. The humble date is probably one of the most sustainable botanicals around, with its fruits and leaves which can be eaten, the kernels used for oil, and the vines and twigs crushed to help build local structures! To purchase this 30ml Desert Date Oil for £10, you can buy it here. 

Vital C Hydrating Facial Oil - Image Skincare

For a clear and bright complexion to be achieved, it is necessary to feed your skin the nutrients and vitamins needed for it to remain healthy and nourished. So when The Amazing Blog had the chance to sample Image Skincare’s wonderful Vital C Hydrating Facial Oil we were thrilled,  as it’s the perfect product to revitalise skin and feed it those all-important necessities.

We personally think that this oil is one of the best we have tried. Containing Moringa, Sea Buckthorn and Grapeseed oil along with a trove of antioxidants, this oil instantly perks skin up, brightening and refreshing it. The ingredients work together to rejuvenate ageing skin and work as an anti-inflammatory keeping puffiness under control. What’s more, the oil is also paraben and mineral oil free, so you know that while what your putting on your skin is powerful it will do no damage. This is the perfect oil for those with dry, dehydrated and sensitive skins as the oil is rich but gentle.

Purchase the oil here for £65.00