Bōbé Beauty: Natural Perfume Oils

The power of fragrance to influence our mood or recall a memory…is something we all tend to underestimate. These could be key moments in our lives: people, places and situations…like the smell of a cake slowly baking in the family kitchen, or the scent that our grandmother wore. Today at The Amazing Blog  we’re featuring  Bōbé Beauty, a Canadian aromatherapy brand that has created a unique trio of 100% natural perfume oils. 

Marlese Assman is the founder of Bōbé Beauty and a practitioner in aromatherapy, reflexology and Chinese medicine based in Saskatchewan Canada. Her curiosity for flora and fauna fuelled her passion for creating her own line of botanical perfume oils. Assman trained with fragrance experts based in Barcelona, New York and France; making her dream of producing a natural fragrance line become a reality, where she has transferred her aromatherapy expertise into the world of perfumery. Assman said: “I’ve been scouring the French countryside for ancient roses, the hidden apothecaries of Greenwich Village for the perfect patchouli, and slipping into Saskatchewan’s own fragrant forests to encapsulate fresh cut wood and campfire.” Her trio of Bōbé Beauty perfume oils offer an intimate, sensual botanical journey where her goal is to provide a feeling of “youthful experience through assured independence” and ancient luxury for the modern muse. These perfume oils are all free from parabens, petroleum, alcohol, phthalate, artificial dyes or synthetic fragrances. With their all-natural ingredients tested on humans, not animals are made with love and care in small batches (photo here by special request is credited to Flint + Feather Photography).

The first out of the three perfume oils that we tried is Darya with the silver top which embodies ‘the modern mermaid’. In this subtle yet complex fragrance, the purple passion fruit and citrus balance the jasmine and coconut. While the seaweed brings this earthy, seaside smell that transports you to a tropical island with its fruity notes; you can almost visualise the beach with lapping waves. Other ingredients here are blackcurrant bud, myrrh, liquidambar, amber resin, rock rose. Darya is available here. Moving on to the second perfume oil Metsa with the gold top. This one captures ‘The woman of the forest’ (see our photo above) With its earthy scents, this perfume oil reflects the strength of nature. The musk and the wood intertwine to create a mixture of warm, spicy and sweet yet powerfully green fragrance that is perfect for inspiring sensuality. Ingredients include perus balsam, labdanum, patchouli, clary sage, rose de mai, davana, pink  peppercorns and juniper berry. Metsa is available here. The third perfume oil that we tried is Sepeideh with the rose gold top, which translates as ‘before the dawn’ in Persian. This youthful but sensual perfume oil was named after Marlese’s daughter. In this fragrance, the green leaves gently mix with the smell of sunbathed flowers, while the citrus adds a twist and the softwoods carrying you to the beginning of the forest, in the quiet early morning when you feel safe and in harmony with nature slowly awakening. This was our favourite with its more unusual ingredients of nerolina, rhododendron, vanilla and ambette seed.You can purchase Sepeideh here. 

These empowering and uplifting natural oil perfumes are in a base of organic jojoba oil, and the unique combination of essential oils and fragrances have all been strategically sourced from around the globe. We used these alone and even combine one or two of the trio to create an individual scent that resonated with our given mood. They lift the spirits and are comforting to wear - we think ideal for our current #lockdown situation! They are available for purchase on Bōbé Beauty’s website here each of 10ml rollerball bottles are $50.00 CAD (approx. £28.92).

Conscious Cosmetics - Lavender & Sage Deodorant & Underarm Care

With these long humid summer days, we struggle to keep smelling fresh. There is nothing worse than being on London public transport and getting a whiff of someone else’s stale body odour! That’s why at The Amazing Blog, we want to talk about a natural skincare and cosmetics brand Conscious Cosmetics that has impressed us with their gloriously fragranced Lavender & Sage Deodorant & Underarm Care.

Founded in 2010 by Malene Rosenberg Hansen in Canada, where she is a product developer and purveyor of natural, organic, cruelty-free and vegan beauty and skincare products.  Her Danish-Canadian company develops natural beauty products that are rooted in the Scandinavian way of life, with particular attention paid to the health and wellbeing aspect.  This holistic, ethical and artisan brand only makes in small batches with the finest and most natural ingredients sourced from all over the world. The primary mission of Marlene is to create products that are both delicious for the skin and good for the environment. Having come from an international background and lived in Europe, West and Central Africa this has helped her connect to nature, where she holds a deeply rooted appreciation for sustainability, simplicity and most importantly, functionality. Her products reflect her philosophy by mindfully selecting fresh botanicals and minerals to use in harmony with the incredible powers of colloidal silver as their natural method of preservation.

We’ve chosen to review the Lavender & Sage Deodorant not only for its natural and organic ingredients but for its heavenly scent!  It instantly soothes, conditions and nourishes the skin. There are far too many chemically made deodorants on the market which are known to not only harm your delicate underarm skin but can cause rashes or worse with ingredients like aluminum. This is a unisex deodorant, which is fresh, pure and alcohol-free and will leave you feeling confident and smelling fragrant. It truly does neutralise any unpleasant odours caused by bacteria and has their hero ingredient of Colloidal Silver Water which is considered to be a natural preservative because it is pure and clean. Let’s talk about the other key ingredients here which include the organic virgin coconut oil that will nourish and condition, leaving underarm skin smooth. It is also known to having a plethora of vitamins, antioxidant and antifungal properties. There is cold-pressed avocado oil, known for its ability to quickly and deeply penetrate the skin with the benefit from the vitamins A, D, and, E as well as potassium and fatty acids. The lecithin acts as a humectant and cold-pressed castor seed oil that has healing properties and has been used as far back as the Egyptians. This stimulates the production of collagen and elastin and is rich in vitamin E, Omega 6, and, 9. One of the other essential elements here is shea butter to protect your skin from environmental damages as it is rich in vitamins A, E and, F. This magical ingredient will also protect from sun damage and contains nutrients necessary for collagen production and is very compatible with keratin which will strengthen and give elasticity. It is also considered as a balancing agent. Furthermore, there is arrowroot powder which will eliminate toxins and help calm and get rid of shaving rashes. Organic beeswax contains vitamin A and provides long-term hydration which will soothing irritated skin, making it ideal for those with sensitive skins. Among other ingredients, there is the powerful and pampering aloe vera gel naturally rich in protein, calcium, magnesium, zinc as well as amino acids and skin rejuvenating enzymes. The two key botanicals here are the lavender and sage essential oils. The first one will add not only smells wonderful but will also calm the skin while the second will act as a toner, effectively tightening pores and firming the skin. Finally, the tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil combine their cleansing and healing powers helping to refresh and deodorise. A top tip that they gave us, is to keep it in the fridge during hot days that way it will last longer!

We’re over the moon with this natural and organic deodorant – there are other natural ones here in the UK but we’ve found them to be too waxy or they leave behind a white residue on clothing– not this one! When I finish this – I want to buy another. Please Conscious Cosmetics, come and sell directly into the UK soon! We can’t wait to try more from this brand. If you can’t wait to try this like us, you can buy it here for $28.00

Pure Anada - Delicate Compact Palette & Sweet Stillness Nail Polish

At The Amazing Blog, we think there is nothing better than having a new selection of make-up to experiment with to cheer us all up! Particularly, when it has a range of beautifully subtle daytime shades of blush and eye colours. We’re talking about Pure Anada and today we’ve bringing you another of our #amazingfinds with the Delicate Compact Palette and their softest pink Sweet Stillness Nail Polish. 

If you want to know why we’ve chosen to review Pure Anada a Canadian beauty brand, then see our other feature here. Let’s do a quick recap of their inspiring story behind this brand. Growing up in a eco-household, Candace Grenier, founder of Pure Anada, already had a vast knowledge of what proper nutrition should be and the importance of what the body needs. Passionate about making things for herself, she decided in 2003 to make her home and environmental as holistic as possible, discarding anything chemical. She went on to create a line of ‘natural, safer alternatives to mainstream cosmetics’ homecare, skincare and make-up which is where this success story began. These products are ethical, i.e. no discrimination or child labour is ever involved in the processing of making her raw materials. With clean formulations free from common allergens and ingredients that are naturally sourced, and everything is made in their certified organic labs in Manitoba. Their products are also cruelty-free, mainly vegan and certified with the Leaping Bunny programme. We found these at their UK retailer Live in The Light, so it’s a big thank you to them for sending us these products for review. We’re big fans of this online retailer and recommend a visit to their website as they also share our ethos in promoting holistic and environmentally friendly brands.  

Today we want to talk about Pure Anada’s Delicate Compact Palette and Sweet Stillness Nail Polish.  First things first, the Delicate Compact Palette’s colours are discreet, natural and gave us an effortless no make-up look. The pale rosy pink blush named Sweet Pea pairs perfectly with four eye-shadow colours: The satin luxurious taupe/grey that shifts to a shimmering pink called Haunt, a velvet taupe/mauve titled Macchiato, an iridescent champagne blush named Darling, and finally a matte ballet slipper pink Water Lily. If these moreish colours don’t swipe you off of your feet, then perhaps their win with the Sweet Pea blush at The 2020 Beauty Bible Awards here will. The packaging is recyclable with a pretty floral designed outer box and metallic foil etched cardboard inner palette, that also comes with a mirror inside. It only contains all-natural formulas comprised of pressed mineral pigments and jojoba oil for softness. The jojoba oil keeps the texture silky and smooth and most importantly, non-greasy.  Apart from the colours and natural formulas what we particularly like about this make-up is its cost-effectiveness. Unlike most palettes, this one is refillable! When finished, you can buy the individual colours and pop them right back into each of the magnetic slots in palette. Best of all,  the coverage is sheer but buildable and the blusher promises a demi-matte fresh healthy glow to the face and that’s exactly what it delivered. This is for us a smart investment with its natural everyday colours and is available for £29.95, you can find it here.  

Moving on to the Sweet Stillness Nail Polish which is from a range of twenty long-lasting colours. This Sweet Stillness is a pale rose pink non-toxic nail polish. More importantly, it is free of the five most toxic ingredients which are usually found in regular nail polish. The three most toxic ingredients being dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde, and toluene. They are followed by another two which are formaldehyde resin and camphor.  If you wish to know how toxic they are, here’s a quick explanation:  The dibutyl phthalate, or otherwise called the plasticizer, is used to provide sheen. It has a carcinogen effect and can cause thyroid problems and is often linked to hormone changes. Formaldehyde used to harden the nails, is also carcinogen when inhaled and while it’s evaporating can sometimes cause allergic reactions if it comes in contact with your skin. The toluene used to give a smooth finish and keep a uniform colour can cause eyes, lung, and throat irritation when inhaled and can also affect the central nervous system. The formaldehyde resin used to strengthen the nails is a skin allergen and remains active for up to three days after your nail polish dries, and can cause dermatitis. Finally, camphor, which used to be a treatment for cold or flu, is now chemically manufactured and can have a serious side effect when ingested. When exposed in large doses, primarily through inhalation, it’s known to cause irritation, nausea, dizziness, and headaches, it is therefore highly toxic! Quickly added the formulas in the Sweet Stillness Nail Polish are solvent-based and not water-based, but this is long-lasting and a more durable option than water-based.  We’d also advise applying it with their Super Base Coat and the Free Topcoat. You can find Pure Anada’s Sweet Stillness Nail Polish here for £8.95.