L’abeille : Hyaluron-3 Hydration Essence

Some days, our erratic British weather feels like it’s constantly drying out our skin. So, at The Amazing Blog, we're always on the lookout for a serum that will help with skin hydration and luminosity. And today, this is another of our #amazingfinds with the award-winning Hyaluron-3 Hydration Essence by the South African beauty brand L’abeille, which collected an Editor’s Choice, and we were lucky enough to judge for the 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards.

Karen Potgieter officially founded the South African brand L'abeille in 2017. Her first foray into the world of skincare began with her first range Bee Pure in 2013. However, four years later, Karen decided that she wanted to produce a more high-performance natural skincare line to work on a cellular level and with more scientifically proven claims. After lots of research and studying, she created L'abeille. Karen told Formula Botanica, "I am very fortunate to have a well-equipped lab on the farm in South Africa, and am able to work from home. It all started after our first honey harvest. I started researching all the amazing benefits of honey & the use of beeswax in skincare." Being of French descent, Karen decided to combine her love for both Africa and France. The brand uses high-performance actives found in African oils, some botanicals harvested from the coast of Brittany, France. The honey and floral extracts in L'abeille come from her bee colonies on the farm. These colonies are vital to sustaining their flowers. This is also why they chose the name L'abeille which translates to "the bee" in French, and the brand has a clean beauty ethos. "From our raw material sourcing to the production lines, we are committed to providing luxury skincare of unparalleled excellence and revolutionary results. Our ingredients are carefully selected locally and abroad from trusted and honest suppliers." L'abeille uses quality ingredients that are sustainably sourced, environmentally friendly, and cruelty-free. The brand also promises full transparency between the company and the customer. It includes bio-based/bio-available and bio/nature-identical ingredients to optimise skincare benefits without compromising on their ethos. With a constant commitment to research and development, all products are scientifically engineered and this is where they aim to stay at the forefront of the clean beauty movement. . Their packaging is in Miron glass, the violet glass is an excellent all-natural, high-vibrational frequency container that can preserve and protect from UV damage and enhance the quality of ingredients. The brand is no stranger to winning awards, see here.

We loved using this Hyaluron-3 Hydration Essence; it’s made with three different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid and sodium PCA (hence the name). These enhance hydration and make skin appear firm and plump. The key ingredients here are pentylene glycol, polysiphonia elongata microalgae extracts, niacinamide and ectoin. These combined to help to significantly improve the skin's quality, density and dullness for smoother, brighter, and more luminous skin.

Let’s look at those key ingredients; hyaluronic acid, as well all know, has many skin benefits. It's excellent for skin hydration as it locks moisture into your skin. The sodium PCA, in essence, has humectant properties. This attracts moisture from the air and retains moisture in the skin. Sodium PCA also has anti-ageing, anti-inflammatory, and skin protectant properties. The pentylene glycol is sourced from sugarcane and corn and is a by-product. It’s also known for its hydrating properties and solvent to aid penetration of other ingredients, helps improve the formula’s texture and is a mild preservative. The polysiphonia elongata microalgae extracts claim to help with ageing signs such as fine lines or wrinkles. This red species of microalgae extract improves and brightens the complexion, aiding in hydration whilst revitalising and toning. What interested us is that these algae in vitro studies show an extraordinary collagen increase of up to 35%! It’s full of essential vitamins and antioxidants that protect skin and repair previous damage, protecting the skin against harmful free radicals. The ectoin is an active cell protector (against pollution). It’s hailed as a revolutionary nourishing ingredient with a patented cell protection booster that protects skin from environmental stressors and photo-ageing, which is done by binding molecules and forming hydration shells around skin cells. Niacinamide is (AKA vitamin B3) along with being one of the best ingredients for anti-ageing, niacinamide has lots of other skin benefits. Vitamin B3 is known for helping with fading hyperpigmentation. Because it also produces ceramides and elastin, this ingredient also helps strengthen the skin's natural protective barrier. This allows it to fight against free radicals that cause DNA damage from everyday pollutants. Lastly, niacinamide is safe for all skin types, including those who have a sensitive skin.

Other ingredients present are jojoba seed oil, vanilla planifolia, lavender and jasmine oil. Vanilla planifolia fruit, commonly referred to as vanilla bean, is a source of catechins (also known as polyphenols), which have antioxidant activity and serve as skin-soothing agents. Lavender oil moisturises and is non-comedogenic for pores, and is skin calming. It also has antibacterial properties meaning it kills harmful bacteria that might infiltrate the pores. Jasmine oil has strong moisturising properties and is full of antioxidants and actives that help to stimulate cellular regeneration.

The Hyaluron-3 Hydration Essence has a viscous texture, a cross between a liquid and gel; it’s been created to help make the complexion brighter, smoother, and more luminous. We loved using this as a first skincare step, using it on the face, neck, and décolleté. A huge bonus is that it’s safe and gentle enough to use around the eye area and really helps to plump out fine lines. L'Abeille recommends using the products before applying heavier serums and creams; we used it alone, day and night, and also with our regular moisturiser. It has the subtlest natural fragrance, so it won’t conflict if you use it in conjunction with other skincare products. It’s always of interest to us when a brand has cutting-edge formulas where science meets nature, and L’abeille certainly has this! We loved the performance of this serum, and would heartily recommend this to anyone looking for an excellent newt skin-boosting serum. To purchase the 50ml Hyaluron-3 Hydration Essence, for R1290 (which is approximately £63.68), see here. 

Skin Creamery : Basil, Baobab, Cypress,Marjoram Shower Oil

For us, at The Amazing Blog, there’s no better way to start the day than with a powerful and refreshing shower! And this is where we’re always looking for cleansing and post-shower products that are both kind to the skin and super hydrating. Edwina was delighted to test out this South African skincare brand Skin Creamery, with their Basil Baobab Cypress Marjoram Shower Oil for the recent 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards, which we’re featuring today.

Skin Creamery was founded in 2014 by Hannah Rubin in Cape Town, South Africa. Growing up in the lush green Garden Route, she developed a more natural and conscious way of life. Hannah went on to work as a practitioner in top salons and spas, where she developed a passion for natural fragrances, ingredients and sensory wellbeing. Fueled by this interest, Hannah went on to study and launch her minimalist natural and organic skincare range, Skin Creamery. She told Afrenai in a recent interview, "With all the knowledge and experience I had gathered in my line of work and my passion for all things natural and organic [having grown up on a farm] that urged me to create my own range. One that met all my needs, of being simple and easy to use, that felt good on the skin, smelt amazing and was nicely packaged," The Skin Creamery ethos is to be kind to the earth and skin by using ingredients made from 100% natural origin that are earth-friendly and certified organic. The brand is dedicated to reducing plastic use, unnecessary packaging, and decreasing its carbon footprint. They also make sure their ingredients are from fair trade outlets and try to source all raw ingredients from South Africa or within Africa. Plus, wherever possible, they are waterless, meaning no preservatives are needed. A couple of their products, including the Everyday Cream and Oil-Milk Cleanser, are available as refills, and the Deep Cleansing Powder is gentle and plastic-free. Skin Creamery strives to be sustainable, and ideal for the environment and zero-waste beauty enthusiasts. Skin Creamery products are vegan and cruelty-free. The brand has already won several awards at the 2021 Beauty Shortlist Awards, including Best Oil to Milk Cleanser for their Oil Milk Cleanser and Best Facial Toner for their Skin Tonic.

The Basil Baobab Cypress Marjoram Shower Oil is very different from your average body cleansing product, and as a shower oil, it doesn’t foam or contain any soap. While the primary purpose of a product like a shower gel is to cleanse, the main goal here for the shower oil is to moisturise. Plus, shower gel can only be used in the shower; whereas the shower oil can also be used out of the shower. Skin Creamery's  Basil Baobab Cypress Marjoram Shower Oil is super-hydrating as it locks in moisture. The base oils sunflower, jojoba, baobab and Kalahari seed oil, which all help keep the skin supple. It also has natural essential oils that soften the skin leaving a refreshing natural herbal scent with a unique combination of cypress, basil, marjoram, peppermint, lavender and bergamot.

Basil has many skin benefits the natural oils act as a natural cleanser and removes surplus oil and impurities. It also soothes and calms the skin and is packed with powerful antioxidants has antibacterial, anti-inflammation, and antiseptic properties. Made from the twigs, stems, & leaves of the cypress tree, cypress oil also has antibacterial and anti-microbial properties. It fights bacteria that often cause acne, and it helps with oily skin. Peppermint with its cooling effect leaves the skin feeling energised and promotes better circulation. Lavender has a calming effect and detoxifies to purge harmful toxins from the skin while promoting tension-release for sore muscles. Bergamot is a natural cleanser and stimulates skin cell renewal as a natural astringent. Its clarifying and oil-reducing properties make it ideal for anyone suffering from overactive sebum production. Finally, marjoram is known to restore hormonal balance, hydrate, moisturise, and purify the skin. It strengthens lipid production to nourish and repair skin, alleviate dryness, and enhance moisture.

This shower oil is exceptional and impressed us with its super hydrating properties. The fragrance is deliciously green, herbal and garden-fresh - for us, it was stimulating and reviving. Its unique scent and oily texture make it both luxurious and calming. We used this after our morning shower by putting a few drops directly onto damp skin and gently rubbing it in to let it absorb and to let the natural scent linger for longer. The brand also recommends using it directly after dry brushing the skin to get maximum benefits from the natural ingredients. Housed an elegant green-tinted glass bottle, it not only makes a glamorous addition to the bathroom but also reduces plastic waste as the brand emphasises sustainability by using little to no single-use packaging, "Skin Creamery is committed to ethical business practices and is focused on creating innovative packaging solutions that are both luxurious and sustainable. We aim to replace single-use packaging with packaging that is functional, reusable or recyclable."  Apart from being awarded an Editor’s Choice Winner in this year’s 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards, it’s also another of our #amazingfinds as an excellent shower oil/ body moisturiser. If you are looking to give your skin a natural hydration boost, then this is for you. The Skin Creamery's Basil Baobab Cypress Marjoram Shower Oil is 100 ml at R299.00 (approximately £15) from the brand’s website here.

Kora Naturals - African Pearl Luxury Body Butter & Organic Papaya Seed Oil

As summer is now here, at The Amazing Blog what we want is for our skin to glow and feel hydrated. so our search to find a new body butter soon became a matter of priority!  We looked at the list of award-winners for 2019 The Beauty Shortlist and found the African inspired brand Kora Naturals. What attracted us to this brand is that they only use organic, natural and environmentally friendly ingredients. We tried their award-winning Body Butter as well as their new Organic Papaya Seed Oil. Although these are were originally formulated for women of colour, we found these products perfect for all of our different skin types too. 

Kora Naturals was founded in 2010 by Corrine Hayford-Kwatchey who found that there was a lack of premium skincare available for (and made by) women of colour.  Corrine has created her brand based on natural, ethically sourced and wildcrafted premium African ingredients. She explained about the brand name: “Kora is taken from the Ghanaian Twi language (pronounced Kraa) for the calabash, a common natural utensil in Africa and the Caribbean. It is widely recognised as a reference to the natural or 'Ital' lifestyle of using organic, unrefined products.”  The idea of creating Kora Naturals came to her with the birth of her first daughter, when she was addressing post-pregnancy skin issues. It has since developed from being an artisan business into the luxury skincare brand that it is today. We think that so many unique African ingredients are very underused here in Europe (see where we recently wrote about the special African Baobab here). Kora Naturals utilises African native raw ingredients and oils, where they are all ethically produced using traditional methods, which is so refreshing. 

We were excited to try the African Pearl Luxury Body Butter which is very rich and smooth. You can almost feel the vitamins, antioxidants and omegas 3 and 6 working into your skin.  The ingredients include cocoa butter, organic shea butter, coconut oil, wildcrafted baobab and marula seed oil. All of these make the Body Butter effective at holding in the moisture and giving the skin a silky finish. This Body Butter certainly lives up to its reputation and is our number one choice to get our skin summer-ready. You can buy a 200ml pot here for £25.00.

Next we tried the Organic Papaya Seed Oil which is for the face, we found that it helped control sebum and remove impurities by unblocking pores.  This is also another product rich in omegas 6 and 9 and vitamins A, C and E; all of which help to reduce the appears of brown spots and scars.  Some studies have indicated that the enzymes of papain in papaya can decrease acne inflammation. It’s effective in removing the dead skin cells which clog the pores, and our skin did appear to benefit from using the oil - so another thumbs up to Kora.  This is a reasonably priced product at £7.00 for 50ml here, we found that a little goes a long way.  Both of these products can be bought directly from Kora Naturals.

Bao-Med Pure Oil Bodywash & Pure Soap

We hate having dry skin, particularly at this time of year when we’re regularly applying our fake tan. At The Amazing Blog far too often we’ve experienced our sunless tan going patchy and flaking off from the hard London water. This is why we’ve been exploring new products with baobab oil, known for its super-hydrating qualities. It’s an extraordinary seed oil that has impressed us in Body Balm and Moisturiser here and as a Hydrating Body Oil here.  Today our latest baobab #amazingfinds are Pure Soap and Pure Oil Bodywash from Bao-Med UK.

Bao-Med UK has four products: Pure Soap, Pure Oil Bodywash, Food Supplements and Pure Skin, Scalp & Hair Oil (the latter won an award with Beauty Shortlist Award in 2020). All products are natural and organic and come with international certification. Baobab seed oil production contributes to the economic revival of the poorest parts of South Africa and Venda. Bao-Med's products are made from pure baobab seed oil and a vitamin and mineral-rich white powder from the fruit which is used in their Food Supplements. This oil has softening, protective and restructuring properties and which are excellent for skin and hair, often used for stretch marks or dry and damaged hair. Bao-Med products use only a sustainable process, only collecting the fruit that has fallen from the tree onto the ground, leaving the tree intact. In this way, they ensure a sustainable harvest and the tree can produce fruit for hundreds of years to come. This brand’s products have been created to help promote healthy skin, scalp, hair and nails; as the baobab seed oil is renowned for its hydrating and healing properties.

First of all, let's start with their Pure Soap made with pure baobab oil with the addition of a natural fig fragrance. It’s smooth to handle and looks like a maple fine-grained wooden roundel. The fig fragrance is subtle, even moreish and particularly evident when lathered up in the hands. We ventured to use this both on the hands and body. It also became a regular fixture both prior and during our covid19 lockdown. Best of all, unlike other soaps when used, we didn’t need to follow it immediately with hand cream, as it magnificently cleansed and moisturised.

Then we have the Pure Oil Bodywash made from baobab and olive oil. This hit the spot addressing our dry skin problem. Hydrating? Oh yes, this most certainly was. With a pH balance of 6.0 pH (neutral and akin to milk) when applied, it had the consistency of oil not that of liquid soap. As soon as it mixes with water goes from being clear into a silky milk-like foam. The product is not greasy and as soon as you apply it, you can feel that it cleaning and moisturising, which leaves a dewy glow to the skin. It also gve a delicate fragrance and worked like a wonder oil keeping our dry and flaky skin at bay. We think this would be particularly good for those with sensitive skin who find regular soap too harsh. Out of the two, this was undoubtedly our favourite. You can purchase your Pure Oil Bodywash 50ml for £9 or a 200ml bottle for £25 here. You can also buy the 90 gm Pure Soap here for £15.

Active Dew Face Cream by Nakin

Beauty goals are a big part of our life at The Amazing Blog, and radiant skin is at the top of all of our lists. We are somewhat experts on products that claim to restore a youthful glow or promise to have you looking like a Hollywood star in no time, so trust us when we say that the Active Dew Face Cream from the natural beauty brand Nakin is the miracle you have been hoping for.

Nakin is a UK based anti-ageing skincare brand founded by Cris Beetham. Using her expertise in anti-ageing and natural products, she created a skincare brand that aims to enhance skin and improve skin appearance. Nakin has carefully selected naturally beneficial ingredients to create a highly advanced and effective face cream formulated for normal, dry and sensitive skin. Ingredients such as pomegranate extracts, hyaluronic acid, baobab oil, olive oil and argan kernel oil, work to hydrate skin and give it a radiant glow. Infused with Hyaluronic acid, the cream restores skin elasticity and structure and gives skin a youthful appearance by smoothing away signs of ageing. The ingredients extract dirt from pores, remove dead skin and brighten skin, all working toward a brighter and clearer complexion.

What is more, Nakin's miracle day cream helps to strengthen skin while defending it from external damage. Enriched with argan oil and olive oil the anti-ageing cream deeply nourishes skin leaving it soft and supple. After application skin looks instantly radiant and replenished. We are totally addicted to the wonderful fresh smell that it leaves on the skin. We must admit that we love the cream’s sophisticated packaging that adds an elegant touch to the bathroom.

All Nakin products are formulated and made in the UK. The face cream is free from parabens, SLS, artificial fragrance and colours, and is cruelty-free.

Purchase the Nakin Active Dew Face Cream here for £20.