Albiva - ECM Advanced Repair Brightening Serum

Everyone knows that the weather conditions here in the UK are wildly unpredictable. One minute it’s rain, the next sun, and who knows what the following day might be doing - snowing?! All these temperature changes effect our skin with varying degrees of dryness or break-outs. Which prompted our mission at The Amazing Blog to look for a natural skincare to protect and nourish it rain or shine. This is where we’d like to introduce you to Albiva (who we met at the CEW Awards showcase) a new natural skincare where science meets nature, and they kindly sent us their ECM Advanced Repair Brightening Serum to try out.

Ivana Iesini founder of Albiva, was diagnosed with a spinal tumour at the age of 28, where she was having to combine so many conventional medicines, that it started to make her feel worse. During her months of recuperation, she thought about her grandmother, Albina who was a herbalist. She remembered the natural remedies that she was introduced to from an early age, and the power of all these botanicals used to help heal and regenerate the body. Her journey into launching Albiva had begun. The name is a portmanteau combining the name of Ivana’s grandmother and her own. Ivana combined her knowledge of these natural remedies, her studies in biomedical sciences together with embracing an organic way of life, and bingo! From this, Albiva skincare gradually took shape combining her knowledge of science and natural compounds, all collated from sustainable sources. Another thing that sets this brand apart is their use of ‘gemmotherapy’ (an advanced branch of phytotherapy, which isolates the active ingredients from the embryonic tissues of plants). They also remove plain water from their formulations, where Albiva prides itself on replacing the plain water with COSMOS certified organic Raspberry water, this in itself is an active ingredient renowned for firming, lifting and smoothing properties. There are skin-identical and cell communicating ingredients, all designed to stimulate cell regeneration using the skin’s own cell biology. Let’s not forget to mention the ultra-hydrating blend of botanical extracts, powerful antioxidants, collagen supporting ingredients, peptides, ceramides, compound of oligo-elements, phyto-stimulins, nucleid acids, marine algae extracts, essential fatty acids and many more. Now you know why this brand is so very special!

The ECM Advanced Repair Brightening Serum (ECM means extra cellular matrix) combats hyperpigmentation (age spots) and equalises the skin texture providing natural minerals and vitamins that the skin might be lacking. This serum rejuvenates and restores damaged skin by combining an array of natural botanicals: Mallow, Peppermint, Cowslip, Lady’s Mantle, Speedwell, Melissa, and Yarrow together with Swiss Garden Cress extract; all to enhance the complexion protecting it from environmental damage. It is vegan, cruelty-free, dermatologically tested, contains 77% of certified organic ingredients and 92% of natural ingredients. We like that it’s light in texture, absorbs quickly (no oiliness), with the subtlest of fragrance and left our skin feeling hydrated and looking brighter. We used it under our regular moisturiser and SPF primer, and were pleased to note that it complemented these other products. This serum is suitable for all skin types, so whether you are combating age spots or the effects of the erratic UK summer weather, the ECM Advanced Repair Brightening Serum is going to be your perfect ally. This is one brand to keep an eye on, as we’ll predict they’ll being going places…. To get your very own special serum, go to Albiva’s website here 30ml for £195.00.

Ancient + Brave with their True Collagen and Cacao + Collagen

It's rare to find a brand with such a passion for inspiring healthy living. Ancient + Brave have captured our attention at The Amazing Blog, encouraging us to take control of our lifestyle choices, no matter the amount of time we have to do so. We're in no doubt that their ethos has had a similar impact on others - by combining naturopathy and cutting-edge innovation, the company's ambition of creating delicious and nutritious products certainly will inspire others to look into their lifestyle choices more deeply. We were also fascinated by the Brave Method, combining intermittent fasting and Ancient + Brave products, to create a simple lifestyle strategy that draws back to the eating patterns of our ancestors.

Conceptualising the Brave Method, founders Annelie Whitfield and Kate Prince used their combined knowledge of naturopathy and entrepreneurial techniques to redefine the fasting regime. No longer must we only drink water to avoid calorific beverages, as Ancient + Brave's products are suitable to consume during the fasting period, providing optimal fat burning, while ensuring that we ourselves, do not burn out. Annelie's story is particularly interesting, as a former stunt woman, who suffered a life-threating injury, she began her nature quest after receiving healing treatment from bone mending monks in Sri Lanka. She chose to develop her newfound knowledge, by spending five years in a back-to-nature barefoot existence, studying indigenous medicine in Costa Rica. It is here that she unearthed the medicinal benefits of coffee and cacao - hence the introductions into her product lines. Upon her return, she teamed up with Kate Prince, who used her entrepreneurial nouse to help innovate a new lifestyle brand, to fuel health and performance simultaneously.

As you can imagine, we were excited to try their products, especially those of us who were collagen novices. The True Collagen powder proved to be a simple way of easing us into the collagen world, a product packed with 100% hydrolysed grass-fed bovine collagen (a welcome addition in comparison with many other products), and high in crucial nutrients to replace proteins. Like all of the Ancient + Brave products, True Collagen is also suitable for those following a paleo diet. True Collagen is both odourless and tasteless, meaning that we can boost our level of amino acids by drinking it on its own, or within a beverage of our choice. Ancient + Brave recommend using 2-4 teaspoons for a potent amount of collagen and suggest adding it to a smoothie of your choice.

Secondly, we tried their Cacao+ Collagen product, a delicious hot chocolate alternative that is antioxidant rich thanks to the use of organic Peruvian cacao. Other ingredients include cocoa, grass-fed bovine collagen, beetroot, cinnamon, carob, Siberian ginseng and baobab (all of which are organic), and a touch of pink Himalayan salt. Together, these ingredients act as a potent delivery system of collagen, that still tastes delicious. In one serving, you can expect 2000mg of nourishing True Collagen for a fat burning and energising hot drink. We recommend mixing it with hot plant-based milk, or it can be made using hot water too. What more could we ask for on a cold Autumn morning?

If you too would like to give collagen a go, purchase Ancient + Brave’s True Collagen 200g for £27 here and the Cacao + Collagen 250g for £22 here.