CBD of London – Collagen & Retinol Anti-Ageing Cream

CBD of London is one of the UK’s first beauty and wellness brands to base their luxurious products on Cannabidiol (CBD) ingredients. For the uninitiated, Cannabidiol is found in the Cannabis and Hemp plant families and is non-psychoactive, and rich in nutrients. Follow this link to read more about CBD studies. You can imagine how excited we were at The Amazing Blog to discover these products.

CBD of London was formed by cousins who worked in the pharmaceutical industry and had the misfortune of witnessing a loved one be diagnosed with cancer. This devastating experience resulted in their research on the natural health benefits of CBD, despite the lack of accessibility in the UK. As explained by Samir Juneja, the company’s strategy director: “For too long, people have been focusing on the negative side of cannabis; but we're here to champion a natural product that not only has a health provenance dating back thousands of years but in today's labs, has proven benefits for the skin.” Samir reminds us just how historic the use of cannabis is, namely in Ancient Greece where the use of the leaves was commonplace to dress horses’ wounds.

We tried their Collagen & Retinol Anti-Ageing Cream and liked the easy, smooth and light application. We found it to be fragrance-free and neutral, the cream is also chock-a-block full of antioxidants, vitamin C, E, A, and omega 3 fatty acids, thanks to the CBD ingredient. These are the key to younger-looking skin, as they help to defend against harsh UV rays, smoke, and environmental pollutants - let the battle commence!

The Collagen & Retinol Anti-Ageing Cream’s star is vitamin A, which encourages the skin to repair itself and grow new cells. It also plays a significant role in inhibiting oil production and promoting skin cell differentiation. Their anti-ageing cream smoothes wrinkles and plumps the skin, and we certainly like that. CBD of London’s Collagen & Retinol Anti-Ageing Cream 30ml can be purchased here for £69.99.

April Aromatics – Rose L'Orange

It’s always exciting to search for that special fragrance, that you can claim as your very own. Here at The Amazing Blog one of us has found their ideal feminine summer fragrance, Rose L’Orange, the perfect combination for our balmy summer and from one of our favourite fragrance houses. We are excited to be reviewing once again, April Aromatics. April Aromatics is a fabulous organic perfume brand, which we discovered for a past Friday Favourites, see here. The creator, Tanja Bochnig’s mission is as follows: “To create perfumes that not only smell good but make you feel good, from the inside out.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

April Aromatics takes a holistic approach to their fragrances and instil the scents with essences, together with semiprecious stones, which help to give the wearer both harmony and vibrancy. This mind body and soul approach is what makes their scents particularly special and unique. We also like that wherever possible, the ingredients are pure and natural, no animal ingredients are used (except beeswax), and the Eau de Parfums contain essences based on a blend of grape spirit.

Out of the fifteen Eau de Parfums, we asked to try the soft sweet and flowery scent, Rose L’Orange. Once applied, the fragrance mixes with the warmth of the skin and exudes a delicious fresh floral and fruity sophistication. Beautifully blended, both the rose and citrus are in tandem, gently lingering in perfect harmony, not overpowering each other. The undernote of vanilla tames the sweet mixture of rose otto, centifolia, neroli, and mandarin, making it easy to wear from day to night. It is equally suited to wear during our crazily humid 30-degree British summer, as it is soothing, refreshing and grounding. Rose L’Orange contains 100% natural and source-able extracts, together with organic alcohol. The bottle is in a simple cylinder shape, dressed up by the silver lettering on the label. With a turn of the container, the semiprecious stones of clear crystal and Herkimer quartz (a powerful five hundred-million-year-old amplifier of spiritual energy) gently rattle against the glass, evoking not just the sense of smell, but the hearing as well. There is definitely something very moreish about this fragrance.You can purchase April Aromatics’ Rose L’Orange 30ml here for €169.00.

Bare Faced Skin – Face Revival Cream

We know from experience how sensitive skin can be, especially on the face. This is why we were happy to discover Bare Faced Skin, a high-performance, luxury skincare brand, with a range made from organic botanical ingredients. Bare Faced Skin was created by Helen Taylor, who has sensitive skin and has suffered from eczema herself. Helen's brand statement is: "The range was designed to create skin you'll be confident in; skin you want to be seen.” At The Amazing Blog we're all about finding and inspiring self-confidence. Having a clear complexion is a magnificent start and a boost for anyone. What we love is that Bare Faced Skin do not test on animals, and that the products have no hidden ingredients. It seems we're not the only ones impressed by the brand, as Bare Faced Skin were nominated in both the Face Care (Take Off) and Bodycare (Leave On) categories at the 2018 Free From Skincare Awards. To see a full breakdown of their ingredients, click here.

We’ve found that their Balance Shea & Thistle Face Revival Cream is excellent for normal to combination skin due to the hyaluronic acid and lupine peptides it contains. Together, they help to protect, while leaving you with a bright complexion. This winner of a 2018 Beauty Shortlist Award for Editor’s Choice contains shea butter, thistle seed oil, lavender oil, blood orange peel oil, rosehip oil, sweet almond oil, pomegranate seed oil, black seed oil, and sea buckthorn. This combination results in a sweet floral fragrance, highlighted by the lavender and blood orange oils. Palmarosa essential oil is also added to balance the T-Zone. The Face Revival Cream is light on the skin and absorbs quickly to work its hydrating magic. You can purchase Bare Faced Skin’s Balance Shea & Thistle Face Revival Cream 50ml for £48.00 here.

We also had the opportunity to try Bare Faced Skin’s 15ml travel sized creams. This is a premium brand, so it’s nice to be able to try their face and body lotions in their affordable travel sizes. The big plus is that they can fit into any plastic carry-on bag. The Hydrate Sea & Macadamia Face Revival Cream is lightweight and lovely for skin that is lacking moisture and nourishment. The list of ingredients is as follows: shea butter, white poppy oil, rosehip fruit oil, black seed oil, blood orange peel oil, mandarin oil, and sea buckthorn oil.

Fantastic for refining and mattifying the complexion, the Mattify Sea & White Poppy Face Revival Cream moisturises and nourishes the skin. This face cream contains thistle, shea butter, white poppy seed oil, grapefruit peel oil, cardamom seed oil, sweet almond oil, and sea buckthorn fruit extract. The Lift Pumpkin & Borage Body Lotion contains borage oil to protect the skin from external elements, while the pumpkin seed oil soothes. It's excellent for tired-looking skin. This body lotion also contains sweet almond oil, shea butter, sea buckthorn fruit extract, thistle seed oil, and pomegranate seed oil. Enticed by the lovely ingredients? Each of these lovely travel sized creams can be purchased for £14.50 here.

O.Moi – All-In-One Multi-Purpose Balm (Fragrance Free)

Why use several products when you could use one? O.Moi is back with their All-In-One Multi-Purpose Balm Fragrance Free. The Amazing Blog are big fans of o.Moi Skincare; in fact, we like the brand so much, that we’ve recently written about o.Moi Skincare’s Botanical Cream Deodorant here and have a few more products to come...

The All-In-One Multi-Purpose Balm Fragrance Free was launched in 2017, as a derived version of the original All-In-One Multi-Purpose Balm. It was formulated without any essential oils, and has a higher content of vitamin E, in comparison with the original balm. It is thus fragrance-free and allergy certified. As winners for two years running in the international 2017 & 2018 Beauty Shortlist Awards, this balm is perfect to heal dry, itchy and irritated skin on the face and body. What sets this natural balm apart from the others on the market, is its ability to heal psoriasis, burns and wounds and we think that this balm's qualities are second to none. It can also be used on the hair to repair, nourish, reduce, and prevent split ends. The balm doesn’t leave the hair greasy, but hydrated and soft. When o.Moi says 'multi-purpose' they truly mean it!

The All-In-One Multi-Purpose Balm Fragrance Free contains only four simple ingredients: Certified organic shea butter, coconut oil, peach kernel oil and vitamin E. NB: In the heat of the summer, we recommend keeping this balm in the fridge so that it doesn't liquefy. For us, this is our number one SOS go-to balm, and we cannot recommend it highly enough. You too can purchase O.Moi’s All-In-One Multi-Purpose Balm - Fragrance-Free 50ml for £48.00 here.

AN79 – Tattoo Aftercare

Those of you with tattoos will be aware of the inevitable fading and blurring of inks. Tattoos are bound to shift with our ever-changing dermis (skin layers). They can always be touched up, but that is a hassle and additional expense. So why not give your tattoo the best care from the get-go? There are so many different products and methods of preserving tattoos, that it can be tough to decide which one is right for you. For all the tattoo-lovers out there, The Amazing Blog is excited to share a 100% natural and vegan product, with no artificial preservatives.

An79 is a product created by Alice Nicholls, who is an established and trailblazing British tattooist. She saw the need for a natural Tattoo Aftercare Balm and thus went about creating her own. An79 is made from an abundance of natural ingredients, to keep tattooed skin looking hydrated. One of its key ingredients is apricot kernels, which help to keep the inks both hydrated and sharp. Another is sunflower seeds, which are used to provide moisture, yet also possess anti-ageing qualities and even act as a slight pain reliever. Additionally, raspberry seeds prevent premature fading, and the use of lavender oil provides the balm with its fragrance, together with anti-inflammatory/anti-bacterial properties.

We recommend this product to keep your tattoo(s) looking sharp, fresh and protected from fading. Purchase the An79 Tattoo Aftercare Balm here for £20.00.