Friday Favourites- Lip Products

While skin care is very important, a lot of people forget to give their lips the TLC that they deserve. Although a good lip balm is a must, sometimes we need a little extra help to keep them moisturised, protected and plumped. For this week’s Friday Favourites at The Amazing Blog, we rounded up four NEW lip must-haves to use in your weekly lip care routine.

MYJ  - Knightsbridge Lip Mask

The first step to any successful lip care routine is to make sure you have even foundation before applying your favourite gloss or lipstick. MYJ’s Knightsbridge lip mask does just this! It rejuvenates and moisturises lips for a plump and naturally-pink pout. Infused with hibiscus extract and other natural minerals, the Knightsbridge Lip Mask created to help improve the natural lip colour by regenerating skin cells. 

For this exfoliation, apply a layer of the lip mask to clean lips. Wait 5-10 minutes before wiping away and you will see a difference in your lips’ texture. After a few weeks of using the mask for MYJ’s recommended twice-a-week usage, we found lips were suitably moisturised and more kissable than ever before! For only £10, you can purchase a 15ml container of the lip mask here. We think that this is a must-have for having smoother and hydrated lips.

Jane Apothecary -  Restoring  Eye and Lip Serum

We all know how important it is to incorporate a serum to your skincare routine but have you ever tried a serum that targets your lips?  This was a new on for us too!  Jane Apothecary’s Restoring Eye and Lip Serum provide that extra step to aid your lip care routine. Made in Spain, the serum is infused with only natural oils and extracts such as raspberry seed, sesame, grape seed, rose hip, chamomile and calendula that work beautifully together to tighten and minimise damage to your lip contour especially from the dreaded free radicals. The added infusion of the calming lavender, bergamot and geranium oils also adds a hint of aromatherapy healing  when you apply this serum to your lips.

For optimal results, we suggest applying a small amount of the Jane Apothecary’s Restoring Eye and Lip Serum to the lips after the removal of the lip mask (above). After patting the excess, continue the next steps in your routine. Even though the serum bottle is 10m, a little goes a long way with this deliciously rich serum. To purchase the Restoring Eye and Lip Serum for £32.67 click here.

Lavera -  SOS HELP Lip Balm

Lavera’s SOS HELP Lip Balm is the perfect lip balm to protect and moisturise chapped lips for all year round. Since 1987, Lavera has developed and produced all its products in Germany using only  100 % natural formulas. With over 300 natural ingredients and actives, each product is made to the highest specification ensuring the quality of their products. The SOS HELP Lip Balm itself is made with their production of ground liquorice root to provide a calming and anti-inflammatory relief to even the most irritated lips.

In addition to being vegan and gluten-free, the lip balm contains no mineral oils or silicone to keep the skin’s natural skin barrier intact and nourished. Other extracts infused into the balm made from plants like the Echinacea strengthen and protect lips from getting dry and chapped. After applying the Jane Apothecary Restoring Eye and Lip Serum, we recommend applying a small amount of SOS HELP Lip Balm to help retain the moisturising effects. Purchase a 100 mL tube of the balm on here for £5.36

A.T Antao  -The Luna Trio

Finally, while we’re all for a natural pout, sometimes we want a little pop of colour to enhance an outfit. The latest Chinese brand to hit the UK is AT Antao with one of their hero set of products which are their The Luna Trio. This pack of three mini lipsticks that come in three different highly-pigmented shades of red, all presented in a rather glamorous gold box. When A.T. founder Teniya Tao launched the brand in 2014, she aimed to market the brand on a global level by developing products that were highly effective yet non-toxic. The Luna Trio, like other A.T. products, are strategically developed with partnership with European laboratories to ensure these standards. Although the lipsticks when applied are matte on lips, the Vitamin E and jojoba and avocado oils which are infused into the formula, gives the lipsticks a creamy, effortless application.

A.T. also claims that their lipsticks contain lower levels of lead compared to other lipsticks in the market. So you can still have a bold lip without it having to be toxic to your body. These nourishing ingredients hydrate lips while still giving you a bold, matte look. The first lipstick in the trio, 519 Chili, is a coppery red that is great for a more subtle pop of colour. The next lipstick in the trio in the shade 520 Corail leaves lips covered with a gorgeous coral sheen. If you want a ‘true red’ colour, 521 Antao Red is a dialed-down version of the tone to great for putting together a more casual look.  After completing our suggested lip care routine, apply your favourite shade on moisturised lips for a finished lip routine. The Luna Trio is available for purchase for £33.90 on the AT Antao website here. 

Follow our suggested lipcare routine here with our #amazingfinds and it’s sure to leave your lip truly kissable!

Friday Favourites: Lip Balms

Whenever packing our handbags for the day ahead, we at The Amazing Blog always make sure to have lip balm with us. It’s essential to protect lips and as an added bonus it keeps them looking glossy throughout the day.  Today we thought we'd share with you our current favourite lip balms that will keep us pouting all summer!

We’re back and ready for more on A.T Antao products! We particularly enjoyed using the Intelligent Sleep Mask and OMG Eyeliner. The luxury brand founded by Teniya Tao, made their UK debut at the CEW Beauty Awards Product Demonstration Evening earlier this year. After unveiling their newest products, we were excited to try the Colour Awakening Lip Balm. The lip balm is in a sleek black casing and is the perfect  shade for summer. The subtle blush pink gives the lips a natural pop of colour for a simple and feminine look. However, the best part of this product is that the colour will change according to body temperature. Purchase the lip balm here for £8.80 and tell us about your colour-changing story!

Something that we all should be conscious of are the chemicals put into certain beauty products, and thankfully, Nathalie Bonds is one step ahead of us. Bonds began her company during her pregnancy with her son. During this time, she learned not only of the harmful chemicals we consume but of the chemicals in skincare products that have adverse effects on reproduction and developmental issues. She believes that less is more, and in doing so, she has created a natural skincare line that is high-quality and effective. We started using the Revive Lip Balm in spearmint and Bloom Lip Balm in rose geranium. The organic cocoa butter formula moisturises, protects, and improves skin flexibility. Each balm also contains olive oil to help chapped lips and calendula oil to soothe and reduce excess oil. You can purchase the Revive Lip Balm here for £7.00 and the Bloom Lip Balm here for £6.00.

Lastly, with the full-on 30-degree summer here in the UK, we started using Eco Cosmetics’ Lip Care Stick that contains an essential SPF25 to protect our lips from burning. We were eager to try this out after previously using their hair mousse. The stick uses Titanium Dioxide and Karanja Oil to protect from harmful UV rays, and it hydrates the lips with sunflower and pomegranate oils. The balm is light, soft and keeps dryness at bay. Purchase it here for £6.20. Mwah! And enjoy.

Friday Favourites: Eye Feature

The full-on lash craze is still with us, from mascara to falsies or even eyelash extensions; and we here at The Amazing Blog don’t see it slowing down any time soon. Today, we thought we would share some of our favourite and effective lash products with all of you. The eyes are our favourite feature to play up. There are a mountain of products on the market, it can be both time consuming and costly to find those holy grail items, so here we thought we’d do the work for you. From mascara and eyeliner to removing it all after a long day, we have got your eyes covered!

This dynamic duo from CODE Beautiful is first on our list. The combination of their CODE FFL Forget Fake Lashes with the CODE VLM Volumising Lengthening Mascara is simply a gift from heaven. CODE FFL is a pre-mascara lash plumper that will take your lashes to the next level, giving you that false lash look without the hassle. It’s a fibre based, light brown mascara that latches onto every individual lash for ultimate volume and length with conditioning agents so you can avoid flaky mascara throughout the day. Once you’ve got your first coat on, next up is the CODE VLM. This intensely black mascara adds serious shine to your lashes, but is also buildable so that you can go from day to night—natural to full glam without clumping or flaking. Added bonus? It’s tear-proof for any rough patches in the day.

Both of these mascaras from CODE are fortified with vitamins and waxes to nourish your lashes with each wear and are paraben free and never tested on animals. It’s everything we love all rolled into a tube.

Purchase the CODE FFL here for and the CODE VLM here for £19.95.

The next mascara on our list is a little something for the bold and adventurous souls who love to add an unexpected pop of colour to their look. From the incredible Rouge Bunny Rouge, we have the WITCHERY Modelling Mascara in Red Nightfall. This deep wine shade (yes, really it's a red!)  is sure to catch eyes in the best way possible. We loved using it for a night out to switch up our looks, but we have to say that it's just about subtle enough to wear throughout the day. If red still isn’t quite your colour, the WITCHERY line offers the mascara in both black and brown. The rubber brush perfectly separates the lashes, leaving clumps behind and long, defined lashes centre stage. And our favourite part is that you can skip the eyelash curler because this mascara perfectly curls and holds your lashes all day long.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can purchase the WITCHERY Modelling Mascara in Red Nightfall here for £29.00.

Once you've found the perfect mascara for luscious lashes, the best way to tie it all together is with a sleek sweep of highly pigmented eyeliner. Keep reading, as today we’ve found two eyeliners to offer you different looks. The first is the luxurious Oh My Glide Eyeliner from A.T Antao. The golden design of the pen really does just 'glide' it looks and feels lavish, the intensely pigmented black colour will not smudge or fade for over 12 hours of wear and is waterproof to keep you prepared for whatever comes your way. The second is the OMG Precise Eyeliner which is perfect for achieving that fine sharp wing, it has an easy reach from the root of lashes and corner of eyes as the incredibly soft and thin tip is made of PBT hair (in fact, both eyeliners have this), which is a synthetic animal hair substitute.  The PBT absorbs little liquid allowing both the applicators to hold its stiffness for even application every single time. For beginners, we recommend the OMG Smooth Eyeliner because the soft and thicker tip allows for easy application to create sweeping lines in an instant.

Purchase both the Oh My Glide Eyeliners for £9.90 each here for a perfect line every time.

Our last stop on the list is for eye makeup removers. After a long day, the last thing we want to do is take off our makeup, but the number one rule in our books is to never sleep in our makeup!  The Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover from Nouveau Lashes makes it so quick, easy and leaves our eye area so hydrated, that we actually look forward to it now before heading off to bed. This “gentle, vitamin and anti-oxidant enriched” formula is perfect for those sporting lash extensions, as it doesn’t strip the adhesive bond, ensuring you get the longest wear out of them. The blend of watercress, pomegranate and mango really work to nourish the lashes and skin, with the calming properties of chamomile to soothe as your makeup melts away. We apply the formula onto a cotton pad and then gently wipe away all of our make up; no rinsing required. Added bonus? It’s vegan-friendly.Purchase the Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover here for £14.99.

We hope we’ve helped you narrow down your search or introduced you to some hidden gems. Here’s to flirty, full lashes and keeping our eyes centre stage.