Kalahari – Mafura Body Balm & Manipedi Hand & Body Moisturiser

The changes of seasons and central heating always makes our skin dry, flaky and dehydrated. As the skin is the largest organ of the body, it’s probably the one that is most forgotten about, hidden under layers of clothing during these cold months.  At The Amazing Blog we take winter skincare very seriously, which is why today we wanted to bring you our latest #amazingfinds with the South African based salon brand Kalahari Lifestyle We initially met Kalahari Lifestyle at a London trade show and found ourselves intrigued by their products. They very kindly gave us the Kalahari’s Mafura Body Balm and Manipedi Hand & Body Moisturiser to review.

Carina Franck, Founder and Director of Kalahari Lifestyle had always shown an interest in nature and through exploring ancient formulas and secrets for natural health from the Kalahari Desert, she built up a strong connection with the local Khoi San families. Their lifestyle and secret remedies inspired her to create a range of natural skincare and body products that would encapsulate the African itself with harvested authentic botanical ingredients. These are plant oils and extracts, from reputable Phytotrade organisations and certified sustainable resources, with stringent eco-awareness protocols ensure the safety of the vulnerable African ecosystems.

Let’s start with Kalahari’s Mafura Body Balm which is an ultra-moisturising balm with mafura seed butter, shea butter and baobab seed oil. These exclusive blends of African key ingredients help to reduce signs of premature ageing as they contain an enzyme that exfoliates, and a complex of vitamins A, D, E, F and other multiple antioxidants to deeply nourish the body. These natural ingredients will make your skin look much brighter leaving you with a delicious subtle sweet and fruity fragrance. Kalahari Lifestyle suggests applying it after using your shower gel paying extra attention to those drier areas like elbow and knees. We found that this Body Balm to be very long-lasting (all day!) effective and intensely replenishing. We’ll be buying more!

Now let’s talk about their Manipedi Hand & Body Moisturiser, this comes in a smaller tube making it ideal to carry with you and applying on the go. This moisturiser contains grapeseed oil, which is high in Omega-6 and linoleic acid that helps to unclog pores and has both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Also containing guna beans and ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, these seeds contain between 40% and 60% oil that is rich in triglycerides mainly ricinolein acid; the combination of which makes it an excellent skin hydrator. We enjoyed using the Hand & Body Moisturiser with its gentle illuminating shimmer (from the mica and titanium dioxide) on our décolleté and shoulders which gave us an even more of a radiant glow.

If you too want to give your body a little love this winter, get your Kalahari Lifestyle products in select salons. Or purchase the 200ml Mafura Body Balm for €43 here and the 50 ml Manipedi Hand & Body Moisturiser for €19.90 here .

Nouveau Lashes - Lash & Lid Foaming Cleanser

Over the past few years, having a great set of full-on lashes it has become almost obligatory for adding that final finishing touch to that big glam night out. Yes and even we at The Amazing Blog have been known to sport the odd set of falsies (lashes that is!) What we love about strip lashes is that they are easy to use and instantly transform the eye into a more uber glamorous one. However, when it comes to the end of the night, we need something that is quick and easy to remove all that messy glue and make-up residue. This is where Nouveau Lashes have come to the rescue with their Lash & Lid Foaming Cleanser designed specifically to gently cleanse the eye area in just one quick swoop.

The Lash & Lid Foaming Cleanser offers a cleaner and more efficient eyelid and lashes cleansing routine. Formulated with potent probiotics the cleanser protects the sensitive eye area from skin irritations, bacteria and redness. The product is enriched with key essential oils including castor oil, tea tree oil, aloe vera, calendula extract and sunflower oil. Together these vegan ingredients make a highly nourishing and anti-ageing cleanser that is not only effectively cleanses eyelids and lashes but leaves them hydrated and conditioned.  Something else to mention is that this cleanser is also perfect for removing all traces make-up from brushes and old adhesive from strip lashes (if you want to reuse them). Ingenious, don't you think? You can purchase the Lash & Lid Foaming Cleanser for £14.99 here.

Shiny Lips Lip balm, Shea Butter Filtered Through Volcanic Rock and a Nourishing Beauty Mask from Manna

The Amazing Blog is a huge fan of the Manna brand, not only do they have excellent values but their products are always perfect. As the weather is beginning to change, it’s time to start switching up our skincare routine and products, and it seems only natural to incorporate Manna into this change. We have decided to include three of Manna’s products to help protect our skin from the ill effects of a dropping temperature and central heating. We sampled the Shiny Lips Lip Balm, the Shea butter Filtered through Volcanic Rock with Roman Chamomile and their Mattifying and Nourishing mask with blue clay. 

If you are anything like us then chapped lips go hand in hand with cold weather. It’s unfortunate but true and cold winds have a nasty habit of ruining our lips. As such we are never far from a lip balm, and Manna’s Shiny Lips Lip Balm is the perfect way to keep lips perfectly hydrated and shiny all through the bitter months. Made with natural ingredients, the balm contains Sesame Oil, which helps with hydration and elasticity, Castor Oil which nourishes the lips and Cocoa Butter which will hydrate and protect the skin from various impacts. The product also smells amazing thanks to the orange and lemon essential oils in the product, which give it a great citrus scent.  If you lips dry out then so too will your skin, so it is imperative to apply a nourishing cream or butter to it at least once a day. We love the fragrant Shea Butter Filtered through Volcanic Rock that Manna produces. It is deeply nourishing and acts as an excellent base for makeup. This is because Shea Butter filtered through volcanic rock differs from the usual kind as it tends to be creamier and gives a more even texture and coverage. Manna filters their shea butter through the rocks (perlite) without using any chemicals in the process. 

Although winter can be drying, that doesn’t mean you can get away with not properly looking after your t-zone. So if you are someone with naturally oily skin, you are still going to have to take care of your complexion. We would recommend the Mattifying and Nourishing Mask for this as it purifies skin in a gentle, natural and efficient way. Despite what people may think, oily skin is actually the most vulnerable as it dehydrates quickly, this mask will help keep skin looking great, healthy and hydrated all day long.

You can purchase the Shiny Lips Lip Balm here for £5.30, the Shea butter Filtered through Volcanic Rock with Roman Chamomile can be bought here for £14.80 and the Mattifying Mask here for £9.20