Benecos - Konjac Sponges

We’re halfway through the week, and back with another Benecos product. Regular readers of The Amazing Blog will remember that we featured their Natural Lip Gloss back in a March, and we were therefore thrilled to try their Konjac Sponges. Created by Silke and Stephan Becker, Benecos was established to provide makeup, skincare and haircare for both men and women, all with the ambition to encourage more environmentally conscious choices.

Their Konjac Sponges are no exception, made with 100% konnyaku root, aiming to encourage people to use natural exfoliants, as opposed to those containing harmful micro beads. These sponges are a gentle exfoliant, and can be used with a mild cleanser or on their own. We tested all three Konjac Sponges, the first being the Bamboo Black Charcoal. After soaking this sponge in water for a couple of minutes (as you must do with all three), we found that this sponge rid our faces of the day’s dirt. Black charcoal is ideal if you’re looking to rid the skin of common impurities, such as excess oil and bacteria. If you have sensitive skin, then the Red Clay Sponge is the best choice for you. While it exfoliates, this sponge is very gentle and calming. Lastly, the Green Tea Sponge is great for combination and dry skin. While balancing your complexion, the Green Tea Sponge also detoxifies, hydrates, and soothes irritation to the skin.

Thanks to these Konjac Sponges, our skin is so much softer - goodbye dry and flaky skin. An added bonus? These sponges last for two months, and are subsequently compostable and biodegradable. Guilt free skincare! To try a sponge for yourself, then click here, where each one can be purchased for £6.95.

Tiare Botanicals

The question that we keep asking ourselves, is why do people use skincare products loaded with chemicals, when they have the opportunity to price-match with natural and organic ones? Out of habit we at The Amazing Blog always read the ingredient labels to decipher what we’re about to put on (and in) our bodies. That’s why we were thrilled to discovered a new UK based natural skincare brand Tiare Botanicals. Their products are affordable and made up of only fresh, paraben free and natural ingredients; thus making them an easy alternative to the mainstream and chemically enhanced products that you find in the high street.

We had the opportunity to test four of their products. The first was their Honey Body Milk which has a citrus floral blend and is handmade only in small batches, this is what helps with superiority and quality control of products. It’s made with manuka honey, orange, bergamot, and lavender essential oils, glycerine, water, and emulsifying wax. These natural ingredients provide the body milk with plenty of benefits. For example, Manuka honey helps to soften and soothe, also protecting the skin from dehydration; and the avocado oil is full of antioxidants, essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. The moisturising properties also come from the use of jojoba and coconut oils. The Honey Body Milk 100ml can be purchased for £11 here.

If you’re in the mood for a relaxing face mask, they we recommend their Clay Face Mask. We tried the aloe and rose scent, which is made from white kaolin clay, rosa damascena flower, and aloe leaf powder. Don’t panic if you have oily skin because this mask is good for all skin types. Also as one of the mildest clays, white kaolin clay doesn’t remove too much oil to risk sensitivity. Rose powder moisturises the skin, and aloe powder is wonderful for irritated, red skin. You can purchase the Clay Face Mask 60ml, which comes with a wooden spoon for easy application, for £9 here.

We don’t know about you, but lip balm is an essential item always to keep in our bags. Tiare Botanicals has a lovely Natural Cocoa Lip Balm. It contains beeswax, cacao seed butter, shea butter, and infused lavender and apricot oil. The lavender-cocoa scent is an unusual pairing; however, we found it to be calming and soothing. Purchase the Natural Cocoa Lip Balm 5.5ml £2.99 here.

Finally, their Floral Aroma Body Scrub is a gentle exfoliant comprised of coconut palm sugar, brown sugar, chamomile flower, hibiscus flower, rose flower, and vanilla pod. It also contains coconut and jojoba oils, which are rich in vitamin E. Our favourite part of this scrub was the sweet floral scent. Everyone can use this scrub, even those with sensitive skin because it’s made from all natural ingredients. If you’d like to give Tiare Botanicals’ Floral Aroma Body Scrub 200ml a go, you can purchase it for £13 here.

NB: This is a niche and small skincare brand, so don’t be surprised when you click on these links, as they take you to their Etsy shop.

Friday Favourites - Anti-Ageing Skincare

The skincare market is so saturated with up-and-coming luxurious products, that it never hurts to have a little help to navigate the choices. We at The Amazing Blog have narrowed down three high-end products that are guaranteed to help your face feel fresh and radiant.

Ageing and its effects on the body is something we should never be ashamed of. However, we believe it’s possible to age with grace while maintaining healthy, fresh, and glowing skin. There are countless anti-ageing products on the market, so it can be overwhelming when faced with the decision of which one to buy. We’ve found that Elizabeth Grant carries a light face cream worth your attention.

Elizabeth Grant International Inc., a sixty-year-old Canadian company, focuses on advancing their luxurious skincare products, highlighting their powerful patented anti-ageing ingredient. Elizabeth Grant started her beauty empire in the UK in the 1950’s, at a time when women owning businesses was extremely unusual (go Elizabeth!) Now, the company is run by Elizabeth, her daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. This company is truly meant for women, by women.

The Torricelumn Age Interception Face Cream, when applied, is light to the touch, non-greasy, and has a lovely cooling effect. Another point we can check off on our list is how quickly it absorbs. The wait time is minimal, plus it has a faint floral scent. This fantastic face cream uses Elizabeth Grant Skin Care’s exclusive BioLumaEssence Technology, meaning that it assists the skin in its repair and helps it to recover from harmful effects caused by day-to-day aggressors.

Our skin goes through a lot. Gently massage the Torricelumn Age Interception Face Cream into your face, to fight its tired, and sometimes lacklustre appearance. This cream benefits all skin types and addresses signs of ageing (lines, wrinkles), dryness, uneven skin tone, dullness, and sagging skin.

Elizabeth Grant Torricelumn Age Interception Face Cream 50ml is available here for £39.99.

Everyone’s goal is to have clear skin. We will admit that our secret weapon to a glowing complexion, is that of a trusty exfoliant. Even after we’ve removed our make-up, there are often traces of foundation, dirt, and gunk that get stuck in our pores. Most of the time, make-up wipes and the average face wash don’t suffice. This is why we include an exfoliant, like the Krisana Vigus Gentle Exfoliant, into our routine; it also ensures our skin is soft, clean and ready for the day.

Founder Krisana Vigus has built a name for herself in the fashion world with D&K Fashion LLC, which she launched in 2014. However, she didn’t want to stop there; she began her own skincare line with the philosophy of “…emphasising our honest natural belief policy.”

The Gentle Exfoliant mildly foams to cleanse the skin. The exfoliation power comes from the use of jojoba beads, which are natural exfoliants that unlike other exfoliants, do not leave microscopic tears in the skin. They are gentle, yet effective and natural. Three words we always like to hear. This helps to decongest the skin and minimise those pesky pores.

Of course, the list of skin-loving ingredients doesn’t stop there. This bottle is chock-full of naturally beneficial ingredients like Mukurossi: a natural cleanser that has anti-microbial properties to help reduce inflammation and provides oil control. It is also important to replace moisture in the skin to maintain a healthy balance. The use of Natural Betain does the trick. This raw material is derived from sugar beet molasses, and conditions the skin wonderfully.

The blend of aromatherapy oils makes it perfect for morning or night use. The lovely infusion of lavender, tea tree, lemongrass, and sweet orange are incredibly calming and are known to reduce stress, both mentally and on the skin.

The Kirsana Vigus Gentle Exfoliant 150ml is available for purchase here for $42.

We are back to discuss another product by Babor, a brand we have previously written about. Babor is an outstanding German skincare brand that has been established since 1956. We at The Amazing Blog are huge fans of natural products, so Babor is the perfect skincare brand for us. They’ve also been cruelty-free since the company was founded – yet another reason to love them!

Babor does their scientific research in their headquarters in Germany, where renowned scientists work to find new, innovative and active ingredients to incorporate into skincare products. Babor’s Dual Face Lift Serum is part of their Lifting Cellular range, which comprises of highly concentrated products, working against the signs of ageing. These products reduce signs of wrinkles and provide the skin with elasticity and strength.

The Dual Face Lift Serum is split into two tubes, each containing a serum to tackle specific areas of the face. Apply the V-Shape Serum to your neck, chin and jawline to help firm your skin, and lift your facial contours. The Re-Fill Serum was designed to be used on the forehead and high cheek areas to improve skin density. Babor’s Dual Face Lift Serum is the perfect product if you are looking to keep a youthful V-shape to your face.

So if you want to enjoy your own mini-facelift without any injections, buy the Dual Face Lift Serum here for £139.