Friday Favourites- Skincare

Here at The Amazing Blog, we believe skincare shouldn’t revolve just around the face, it is equally important to take care of our whole body. We have selected a few of our favourite skincare products from PHB Ethical Beauty, Mimi’s, JustBe Botanicals, and Pura Vida to keep us in tip top shape.

Firstly, PHB Ethical Beauty have introduced an effective yet gentle organic face wash. The Rosehip & Chamomile Gentle Face Wash is ideal for anyone that finds their skin sensitive. This family run brand is committed to natural and organic products, we can finally have confidence that our skin will not react badly. The clear face wash has a smooth and cooling texture, after washing away with water your skin is left feeling soft and refreshed. We loved that it didn’t strip the moisture from our face, the use of natural essential oils ensured our skin was protected and hydrated. If you’re sick of suffering with sensitive skin, put a stop to it with this gentle face, available here for £9.06.

Mimi’s Organic Skincare has catered for all with ranges specified to both men and women. From the women’s range we had the opportunity to try the indulgent Night Revitaliser and Repair Serum. The Night Revitaliser Cream is a rich and creamy mixture of oils and butters that protect and nourish whilst you sleep. Only a small amount is needed but we were astounded by how clean and hydrated our skin felt. The liquid Repair Serum is extremely moisturising, best results come from taking the time to massage into the skin. We found that after just a few uses our skin felt firmer.

From the men’s range we received the Aftershave Blend and Face Balm, both of which had a clean and refreshing scent. The face balm came in a thick and creamy form to provide an intense moisture for tired/dry skin. While the Aftershave Blend felt more like a liquid serum, the mixture of essential oils and Vitamin E are designed to intensely nourish and protect the skin. Perfect for men who’s skin undergoes daily trauma whilst shaving. If you, or the men in your life, want a totally natural and organic range of skincare, get your own Night Revitaliser and Repair serum here for £20.00 and £22.00. Or get the Aftershave Blend and Face Balm here for £14.13 and £15.00.

JustBe Botanicals have launched a bright and fragrant JustBe Happy Hand & Body Set, equipped with a lotion and wash. Both are lovingly handmade using totally natural ingredients, no need to worry about harmful chemicals on your body. We love that this set works for both hands and body, with the most gorgeous citrus scent. The blend of uplifting pink grapefruit, lime and coconut oil in the wash leaves skin cleansed and bursting with happiness. The lotion has an addition of creamy shea butter and soothing aloe vera, a perfect companion as it locks in hydration. We loved it for our manicured hands, it kept our cuticles soft and our skin radiant. Keep your skin as happy as can be with the JustBe Happy Set, available here for £25.00. 

Now we have our skin well hydrated and nourished, it’s important to get rid of any unwanted dead skin. The Pura Vida Coconut Coffee scrub is the answer! The scrub is full of natural and organic Costa Rican ingredients, including rich coconut oil to prevent the scrub from drying the skin. Only needed once a week, this effective but gentle scrub gives the skin a brightening effect whilst keeping it soft and supple. The combination of ingredients work together to stimulate the body, believe it or not it has to ability to reduce the appearance of stretch marks and cellulite. This is a simple and easy addition to your shower routine and we loved how fragrant the coffee scent was in a warm shower,  our skin was left beautifully smooth. If you want to try out your own Coffee Coconut Scrub, they are available here for £12.

Friday Favourites - Healthier Sweet Treats Feature

Here at The Amazing Blog, we know how much joy a yummy sweetie can bring us on a Monday or after a long day at work. A sweet treat brings pleasure and is a fun way to balance out our healthy diets. We love experimenting with all sorts of different snacks and sweeties, and we’ve compiled a few of our favourite healthier sweet treats to share with you this Friday.

As expected from our chocolate-loving staff, we ate two bars of the speciality chocolate from Seed and Bean in only a few short minutes. There are so many delicious flavours to choose from in three different varieties: dark, milk and white chocolate. We received the Just Ginger Fine Dark Chocolate and the Rich Milk Chocolate, and both were heavenly. If you’re looking for something a bit more eccentric to satisfy your adventurous taste buds, they have a few very interesting dark chocolate flavours such as: Chilli and Lime, Lavender, Mandarin and Ginger and Pumpkin Seeds with Hemp Oil. 

Beyond their delectable taste, they’re also 100% organic, ethical and fair trade. All of their chocolate bars are produced at a small facility in Northamptonshire, England in order to save food miles and provide local employment. 

Pick up a few of the chocolate bars here to satisfy the chocolate lover in your life. The standard 85g bars are £2.49, but smaller 32g bars are only 99p. They also have exquisite gift sets if you’re rather buy in bulk or share the gift of chocolate with someone you care about.

These delicious milkshakes from Shaken Udder satisfy our sweet tooth without guilt. They are made with fresh British milk and all-natural ingredients, filled with calcium and vitamin D for healthy bones. They’re low in fat and sugar, so you don’t have to worry about racking up too many liquid calories.

The three flavours to choose from are: chocolate, vanilla and banana. Each one is loaded with great taste and flavour. The consistency of the milkshakes is the perfect balance between a glass of milk and a thick, standard milkshake. This makes them easy to drink and extremely portable, as they are packaged the same way bottles of milk would be sold, but have the milkshake satisfaction you desire.

You can purchase your own bottles of Shaken Udder milkshakes at Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s for £1.49 each.

For a unique chocolate experience, we loved trying the aromatherapy dark chocolate bars from JustBe Botanicals. These chocolate bars aren’t your stereotypical plain chocolate bars – they provide benefits that common aromatherapy oil treatments provide the body.

The two varieties we tried were JustBe Detox and JustBe Loved, contained first in clear plastic packaging and finally in an adorable polka-dot envelope, and finally with a blue or pink wrapper advertising the flavour on the front. The detox chocolate contains cleansing Jupiter, fennel and milk thistle, bringing a savoury blend to a normally sweet treat, while still satisfying your chocolate cravings. The loved chocolate is a bit more romantic, since it is infused with pure rose oils and aromatic rose petals, which you can see and smell when you open the bar. We highly recommend the two chocolate bars and we loved every bite.

Pick up a set of the two bars here for £8.50, or you can buy the detox and loved chocolate bars individually for £4.50 each.

Last but not least, we really enjoyed the sweet marshmallow treats from Mallow and Marsh. The independent brand offers a new spin on the standard marshmallow treat to bring a fresh experience to consumers. Since marshmallows are naturally low in fat, high in energy and gluten-free, they’ll satisfy you without the bloat or guilt.

The brand’s current flavours are: Raspberry, Roasted Coconut, Peppermint & Dark Chocolate and Vanilla. Other flavours set to launch in the near future are: Coffee & Walnut, Raspberry & Liquorice and Violet Cream. They love experimenting with new varieties and tastes, all made without preservatives and additive, so be on the lookout for even more flavours in the future.

The office favourite marshmallow was the raspberry flavour, made with 100% natural raspberry, since it was tart, sweet and delicious. You can pick up your own marshmallows here, starting at £3.