Herbal Dynamics Beauty - Acai & Mango Sugar Lip Scrub with Volumizing & Smoothing Rapid Lip Mask

Wishing all our readers a very Happy New Year! Let’s kick 2020 off with looking at lip products as we know that the key to any fabulous full-on red lips or just a healthy-looking pout is a quality lip scrub and mask. So imagine finding products that smell good enough to eat! Enter Herbal Dynamics Beauty ’s. Their Acai & Mango Sugar Lip Scrub contains only natural oils and extracts. Yummy as this might sound, we at The Amazing Blog do not advocate eating it! Instead, it’s best to use for exfoliating dead skin, paired with their Volumizing & Smoothing Rapid Lip Mask to help achieve plumper and healthier looking lips.

Herbal Dynamics Beauty is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was founded just a few years ago with the core belief that ‘what you put on your body is of the utmost importance’. Natural ingredients, like acai extract and pistachio oil, are combined with botanicals, such as xylitol and vitamin E, to create the Acai Lip Scrub and Volumizing Lip Mask Duo. Cocoa butter and pistachio oil add an extra layer of hydration and reduce inflammation with the scrub while peptides in the mask increase hyaluronic acid for plumper lips. This 'science-meets-nature' approach results in useful products that are gentle for sensitive skin and as we mentioned, smell amazing. Both products also are free from sulphates, parabens, phthalates, and are also cruelty-free.

The duo is perfect to use when you have time at night or when you want to pamper yourself. The sugary texture of the lip scrub allows it to work with just the slightest pressure from your fingers and creates a base for the lip mask to be most effective. A small coat of the lip mask should stay on your lips for about 3-5 minutes before removing and revealing more full lips ready for the next day or some lipstick. The company prides itself on making products for ‘consumers seeking affordable options’. It’s £24 for the Sugar Lip Scrub here and £21 for the Rapid Lip Mask here. This price point may appear high, but a little goes a long way and they’re something you will only use 2-3 times a week.

Lychee Sorbet Collection by Heathcote & Ivory for Accessorize

After a harsh, cold bout of weather, our hands and lips are still feeling a bit worse for wear as spring arrives. Here at The Amazing Blog, we know it’s important to protect them, so we’re excited to treat them to Lychee Sorbet – Travel Hand Creams and Lip Balm by Heathcote & Ivory for Accessorize.

Formulated with Shea Butter, Beeswax, Vitamin E, Cocoa Butter and Coconut Oil, the Lychee Sorbet Travel Hand Cream has a pleasant, rich, and smooth texture that doesn’t leave a greasy film on the skin. Our hands feel moisturised and deeply nourished with a sensation of freshness and suppleness to our skin all day long. We especially love the fruity fragrance of Blossom, Lily, Amber and Sweet Orange, which reminds us that after winter comes springtime. Another bonus is the lovely packaging accessorised with a clip to personalise bags, belts, wallets or pencil cases; the handy size is just so convenient! The Lip Balm is also great for protecting our lips. Rich in protective Beeswax, hydrating Coconut oil, and cooling Menthol, it leaves a shiny gloss finish and an impressive sensation of freshness a long time after its application. The rich texture also gives us fuller lips.

Grab the Lychee Sorbet Travel Hand Creams here for £8 and the Lychee Sorbet Lip Balm here for £5.

Alva lipsticks

I’ve never been a fan of nude lipsticks. If, two weeks ago, someone asked me my opinion on them I would’ve said something like: “I find them rather pointless… I’d rather wear lip balm”. Nude lipsticks are difficult to wear – some can make you look like you’re dead, and others can make your lips look chapped… However, when a nude lipstick is the correct colour for your skin and lip pigmentation, the effect is absolutely stunning. Two weeks ago I came across with Alva and their certified organic make up range, and their lipsticks impressed me very much.

These lipsticks are enriched with Castor Oil (guarantees a silky feel to the lips), Apricot Oil, natural Vitamin E, Indian Pongamia Glabra seed oil and Cocoa Butter to nourish and deliver moisture. The texture of the lipsticks is creamy and moisturising, perfect for the colder months. My favourite shade of the whole range is Pearl Pink, a sheer light pink perfect for everyday wear – it’s long-lasting and fades beautifully leaving a balmy feeling on your lips. Whenever it wears off and I don’t feel like applying more colour to my lips, I tend to pat lipbalm on my lips and I’m good to go.

 Alva lipsticks’ colour range is limited but one can find beautiful Autumn/Winter colours such as Dark Red and Hot Red. At The Amazing Blog we’re very pleased with Alva’s lipsticks, they’re certified organic and vegan… and we’ve found the perfect everyday nude colour! (such an achievement for me…)

The lovely folks at Alva are offering an amazing promotion to our fellow readers – when purchasing any products from their website, type in promo code AMAZING20 on the checkout page to receive a 20% discount!

The Bakewell Soap Co. Natural Lip Balm

With the chilly and windy days round the corner, it's time to put our summery clothes aside and stop denying that the cold and dark days are close. With the cold months coming on, it's important that we start taking special care of our skin, without forgetting our lips - finding the perfect lip balm is essential in order to avoid chapped lips, specially in winter. At The Amazing Blog we're addicted to lip balms and The Bakewell Soap Co.'s Natural Lip Balm is one that is always sitting on our desks. Regular petrolatum-based lip balms tend to dry the lips, as petrolatum jelly sits on top the skin not letting it breathe, instead of being absorbed. That's why no matter how many times you re-apply the jelly, your lips will appear to be even more chapped. At The Amazing Blog we love The Bakewell Soap Co.'s Natural Lip Balm as it is petrolatum-free, and made from beeswax and Cocoa Butter. This cutely packaged lip balms contain Sweet Almond Oil and natural Vitamin E for extra protection and suppleness. At The Amazing Blog we've tried the Moroccan Rose one and we love it. The smell is rosy and leaves the lips conditioned for hours without having to re-apply it. The Natural Lip Balm is available in two other scents: Juicy Oranges and in Peppermint & Lavender.

The owners of The Bakewell Soap Co., Dharma and Ant, make their soap on the site of an old Victorian mill, just outside Bakewell, Derbyshire; in the heart of the Peak National Park. Their products are made in an environmentally responsible way, re-aligning their production processes to gain accreditation for the Environmenal Quality Mark and have reduced wastage in their soap production by about 30% to help achieve this.

The Bakewell Soap Co.'s Natural Lip Balms can be purchased from their website and selected UK stockists. They retail at £3.95.

Shangri La Organics Guardian Angel Rescue Balm

With the great British Summer as indecisive as ever - baking hot one day, thunderstorms the next and so on and so forth, it's little wonder that our skin bears much of the brunt of the changing winds. And while most of last week's sun fell during office hours (what else did we expect?!) it's fair to say that most of us had the opportunity to spend at least a few hours in the sun, with the result being a few rosy faces and burnt shoulders here at The Amazing Blog. Thankfully, we recently came across Guardian Angel Rescue Balm by Shangri La Organics which is 100% plant based and contains only the finest certified organic ingredients. With no parabens, chemicals or any other hidden nasties that are frequently found in so-called 'rescue' products, it's certainly a great investment to make, especially given the unpredictable weather here in the UK and the consequential effect on our skin. The lavender-scented balm melts effortlessly into dry, fatigued skin and really helps to boost moisture levels. Blended organic oils of Apricot kernel and Rosehip with divinely rich natural, Organic Shea and Cocoa Butter help to soothe and restore even the most stressed out skin.

It's the perfect handbag product as it's a fabulous multi-tasker that can be used for a whole host of skin complaints including dry, chapped lips, stretch marks, scars, cracked feet and heels and insect bites to name but a few! And it's also a great addition to any yummy mummys bag; due to its completely natural composition it can be used to soothe nappy rash, cradel cap and dry patches.

And so, if you're after the next big thing in beauty; our best are on this beautifully packaged multi-tasking balm. Check it out here.