Clockface Beauty – Beard Oil Ho Leaf & Bergamot

They say ‘time is measured in days, weeks and beards’ and with this yo-yo-ing lockdown, it feels like I’ve been cultivating one for months! Yet again, this presents another perfect opportunity to put those girls at The Amazing Blog through their paces, to search out a natural, super-gentle and great smelling beard oil for me. Not an easy task as my skin is quite sensitive and when washing my face, which is now quite often, it becomes a little sore and sensitive. This time, they introduced me to one of their favourite organic skincare brands Clockface Beauty who has created a fantastic grooming range from cleanser, masks to shave balms and oils. They kindly sent us their award-winning Ho Leaf & Bergamot Beard Oil which I couldn’t wait to try. If the brand sounds familiar to you, it probably because you’ve read our feature on their Foot & Leg Scrub and Balm here.

Sarah Thomas founded Clockface Beauty with the help of her mother, Karen. During her pregnancy, Sarah found there to be a noticeable lack of transparency on beauty product labelling. So this is where the Clockface Beauty story began where she and her mother decided to create their brand of natural, organic, cruelty-free and vegan skincare. This luxurious and natural skincare also offers products without artificial chemicals or synthetic fragrances.

As with so many of their products, the Ho Leaf & Bergamot Beard Oil has ingredients that are 99% organic. I used this Beard Oil first thing on my freshly washed beard, massaging it in to help nurture not only my hair follicles but skin too. The result was that my whiskers felt softer and my skin soothed and hydrated. A few drops of this Beard Oil go a long way, it absorbed quickly leaving me with a very pleasant fresh and subtle aroma. Light in consistency, it’s versatile enough to use on all beard lengths and skin types. The key ingredients of bergamot have antibacterial benefits helping to reduce skin irritation, oiliness, acne, psoriasis and eczema. Whereas the frankincense here has anti-ageing properties that protect the skin cells while reducing the blemishes and shrinking the pores. The carrier oils are jojoba which stimulates the hair growth and apricot kernel gives a toning and slight tightening effect to the skin. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that the ho leaf here is mildly antiseptic, stimulating and known to also be an aphrodisiac! All in all, this Beard Oil feels cooling and healing, so if you too have a newly acquired beard that is giving you some grief, look no further. To purchase the 30ml Clockface Beard Oil for £22 here.

Scurl® Fine Grooming: Beard Wash, Oil & Balm

As always those resourceful girls at The Amazing Blog have been on the hunt to find me some beard grooming products (this lockdown has played havoc with my whiskers!) And lo and behold they’ve found me yet another new grooming brand to add to my repertoire. This time it’s a brand that’s a resounding success across the pond. Meet the rather sleek looking Fine Grooming range from Scurl®.

Scurl® is the newest addition to the product line from the Luster Products family. Luster was established in 1957 by the late Fred Luster, Sr a successful barber in Chicago, Illinois, and has grown from a modest shopfront into a multi-million-dollar global enterprise. It all began with Fred Lustre Sr saw a gap in the market to develop a line of hair care products specifically catering for the African American market. Today Luster is available worldwide and has an extensive stable of over fifteen hair and grooming product ranges for both salon professionals and consumer use. We love that they also have a philanthropic arm and non-profit charitable foundation My Neighbor's Keeper (MNK) which is an employee outreach programme, under the umbrella of the Luster Product Black Heritage Foundation. Which to date has contributed more than $1million to other non-profit organisations such as the American Cancer Society, Habilitative Systems, Lawndale Community School and The Rising Star. This Scurl ® range has a diversified range of men’s hair care products which includes sprays, relaxers, texturisers and beard grooming.

Although this Scurl ® range has been primarily created for men of colour, these Fine Grooming of products are suitable for all hair types. We were sent a trio of products and I’m going to start with their gentle Beard Wash, it’s a 4-in-1 instant cleanse and condition. Easy to use morning and evening but I liked using this at the end of the day, ridding myself of the hideous London grime and pollution. It lathers up nicely and leaves a lingering fragrance that is fresh and almost cologne-like, and of course, it’s always good to know that there are no nasties as it’s sulphate-free. Extra goodies here include shea butter (moisturising) aloe vera (soothing) and olive oil (nourishing). Next, we turn to conditioning; I used the Beard Balm, it’s 100% natural and left a delicious smelling cocoa butter residue on my beard. Key ingredients are olive oil, cocoa butter and shea butter; and it comes with a plethora of coconut, argan jojoba, soya bean oils – all beautifully blended into a waxy finish. I found this better to use in the morning working into my beard for styling and smoothing effect. Then last (but not least) I used the Beard Oil, which is not only good for encouraging beard growth but also ideal for hydrating the hidden skin under my whiskers! I loved the subtle scent which is a hybrid combo of coconut + shea butter. Again, this too is brimming with natural ingredients from grape seed, soya bean, jojoba, coconut, shea butter to marula. I loved how this mix of oils softened and detangled – oh, and did I mention how long my lockdown beard is getting? To purchase these any of these products, go to their website for international sellers here or for the UK here; all three products retail at £4.99 each.

London Beard Company's Eastern Spice Beard Oil

With us boys at The Amazing Blog embracing the current mood for cultivating an individualistic style through our facial fuzz, it was only a matter of time before we started to search for products that cater to these follicle matters. Enter the London Beard Company! Although a relatively young label, they have navigated an incredibly successful path to grooming outlets across the land, including that most celebrated of department stores, Fortnum & Mason, as well as winning an award from the prestigious Beauty Shortlist for The Best Beard Oil of 2017.

Clearly the London Beard Company are doing something right, with an ever-increasing band of followers keen to lavish some serious attention. And while it may not be breaking news that this is a highly lucrative and competitive market, it is perhaps interesting to note the devotion of The London Beard Company to the beard and male grooming market. The well-groomed man about town is now just as likely to spend as much time and money on perfecting their beard as they have in the past on their hair, so it’s no surprise that The London Beard Company’s products have become ever popular.

With products that not only nurturing our follicles, but also our skin too, we tried their Eastern Spice Oil. Like their other oils, this has a base of olive and argan oils - with the use of 100% natural ingredients, with well documented beneficial properties for the skin. With an evocative mix of clementine and clove, this oil has a warmth akin to this cold time of the year, yet still has a light consistency, with a sweet aroma. For a medium beard, 2-3 pipette drops are recommended, but naturally, with a fuller and more bushy crop, you may require slightly more. For 30ml, we are looking at £17.99, but a little does go a long way! Widely available through stockists across the country, you can also check out the London Beard Co. website here to purchase the Eastern Spice Beard Oil from their online shop.

Hawkins & Brimble Limited Edition Gift Set

Grooming is just as important for men, as it is for women and here at The Amazing Blog, we are always thrilled to share our brilliant new finds, as more and more male grooming products pop up. That’s why we wanted to share the Hawkins & Brimble Limited Edition Gift Set with all of you. Every man has their regular grooming routine with shaving or just to keep their facial hair in check.  Hawkins & Brimble makes it so easy with this go-to Gift Set, whether you're just getting into serious grooming or are a seasoned professional - it has something for everyone. This UK based brand was founded in 2016 and specialises in breathing new life into long-lost traditional grooming routines. It's all about inspiring men to embrace their 'grooming game' so that they can look and feel more confident and sophisticated; all with a delicious touch of edgy playfulness. They rather aptly say: 'After all, an investment in your appearance will always pay off'. 

The first essential in the kit is the Pre-Shave Scrub, which buffs away dead skin cells and soothes the skin in preparation for a close shave. As the brand takes a natural approach to grooming, this product thankfully uses walnut shells instead of microbeads (which are now banned in the UK). Combined with sweet almond oil the Pre-Shave Scrub isn't too harsh on the skin and helps to maintain your skin's moisture.

The Gift Set also comes with Hawkins & Brimble's Shaving Cream, which is crucial to getting the smoothest and closest shave possible. We enjoyed the delicate fragrance of Elemi and Ginseng because it rejuvenated our senses and left us feeling refreshed. We felt quite professional applying it with the Shaving Brush that is also included. We found that damping the Shaving Brush with warm water and then lathering on the Shaving Cream with it worked wonders. This way, every facial hair got coated and our skin was perfectly prepared for a close shave.

The Post-Shave Balm is up next with a blend of olive and almond oil and cocoa that ensures the skin is well nourished without any irritation or redness. We've been using it as our daily moisturiser, even if we didn't shave, as it is gentle on the skin and also helps to hydrate it throughout the day.

The Beard Oil is perfect for men sporting the full beard who need to maintain soft and strong facial hair. Formulated with argan oil, olive oil and shea butter it benefits the skin as well as facial hair. The oils work to keep your beloved beard soft, thick and strong while shea butter pampers the skin underneath.

Every product is free from parabens, mineral oils, colourants, and is cruelty-free, so there is no compromise on looking your best! The Hawkins & Brimble Limited Edtion Gift Set is available to purchase here for £49.95.

Beard Oil - Vines Vintage

Here at The Amazing Blog, we think it's great to see the male grooming market expand and watch our male friends enjoy beauty as much as we do. We are always excited to receive new male grooming products, especially when it’s for the purpose of maintaining great facial hair. This can now be easily obtained when using the Beard Oil from Vines Vintage.

Vines Vintage Beard Oil features natural ingredients to deliver a naturally stylish beard. With Jojoba and almond oil, the product moisturises and replenishes the skin and hair.. Vines Vintage delivers on all fronts with hair and skin care without compromising on style and quality. After trying this oil, it may soon have an integral part of your beard grooming routine. To achieve the best results, we recommend applying 1 to 2 drops onto a damp beard, and then apply over the full beard from the skin, out to the tips of the beard.

Grab this styling secret here for only £4.20.