Friday Favourites - Natural Products for the Face

Living in a city our faces are constantly exposed to all sorts of challenging environmental stresses, pollution, chemicals, chilling winds, harsh sunlight and so on. Today on The Amazing Blog we want to share with you some of our special natural face products and #amazingfinds for our Friday Favourites from Sea Magik, Face Halo, Inner Senses and Joji.

Let’s begin with Sea Magik, the world’s first line of mineral-infused spa skincare, which has its origins in Hungary. We recently wrote about their Pink Salt Shampoo and 3-Seaweed Scalp Mud here.

Another one of Sea Magik’s star products, is their 21 Mineral Mist, a refreshing water mist infused with 21 minerals from the Dead Sea. This Mist has 7 key minerals: Magnesium and bromide which have a calming and relaxing effect, potassium used to purify, sodium excellent hydrator, calcium which has anti-aging properties, iodine, ideal for detoxifying and sulphur used for soothing.  Quite a list! This is excellent for remineralising the skin and to awake the senses. You can use the mist over makeup for extra glow and hydration or simply spritz over the face and body as needed for soothing. On top of that, Sea Magik 21 Mineral Mist is 100% vegan, allergen and cruelty-free, free from dairy, gluten, GMOs, parabens, PEGS, petrochemicals, silicones, sulphates, and synthetic fragrance. Additionally, the packaging is recyclable, with plastic made from sugar cane and other sustainable materials.

We’ve loved using this mist during this summer and recommend storing it in the fridge for extra coolness! You’ll find it here for £8.95.

Moving on to the latest trend for reusable and recyclable make-up remover pads, we want to talk about Face Halo. We also like to recycle and reuse packaging wherever possible always in an attempt to save the planet, and so it’s great to see that the make-up industry are starting to do so too. One of the pioneering brands of this is Face Halo. Founded by Lizzy Pike in 2017, these reusable make-up remover pads make it quicker, easier and better to clean your face. Face Halo has redefined the way the world removes make-up by ticking all the boxes; effective, non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and cost-efficient. We think these are great travel companions for girls on the go.

The pads are fibre-filled (100 times thinner than a human hair) to reach deep into your pores to remove all traces of make-up, Using water only, these pads remove makeup in half the time of any other traditional cleansing methods in just one step. Each Face Halo remover is dual-sided, and are able to be washed up to 200 times. Face Halo is a 2-in-1 problem solver; it saves the planet and quickly removes your makeup without making a mess. Wave goodbye to your environmentally unfriendly cotton wool pads and get a single reusable pad here for £7.00.

Talking of cleansing, let me introduce you to one of my favourite organic and holistic skincare brands Inner Senses. I’ve been curious to try their rather special Greenhouse Tomato and Carrot Seed Renewing Oil Cleanser. As regular readers will know we like our products to be natural with no nasties or artificial fragrances. This Renewing Oil Cleanser is all that with the added deliciousness of an aroma of ripe vine tomato, just heavenly! When I squirted a few drops in my hands, closed my eyes, inhaled and was magically transported back to my parents’ greenhouse.

Inner Senses was founded by the accomplished teacher, aromatherapist and author Lisa Basso. Lisa offers some of the finest organic botanical ingredients in her skincare and truly takes you on a journey of apothecary and tradition. As members of the Aromatherapy Council, you can also be assured of the purity of their ingredients. This Cleanser is not only 100% natural but 93% organic and packed full of lycopene (tomatoes), beta-carotene (carrots) and papaya enzyme, it is a nourishing cleanser. All you need to do is put 4-6 pumps of the oil onto your face, rubbing it in gently. Then take a warm wet face cloth and lightly wipe away your make-up and residue of the day. I’ve been using this morning and night and it has left my skin wonderfully soft, supple and clean.  To get your Tomato and Carrot seed Renewing Oil Cleanser in 100ml for £42 here. A little goes a long way, and I’m happy to report that this bottle has lasted me well over a month.

Lastly, we move on to Joji with their Hydrate Moisturiser. Joji is a small indie brand that was founded by Jo Mortensen with sustainability as her top priority. Their motto is: “We are natural without compromise.” Jo who confessed to being beauty obsessed, wanted to initiate a force for good in this sector. Therefore, all Joji products are organic, fair trade, cruelty-free with raw materials that strive for zero waste. We have featured their Frankincense and Sandalwood Oil Cleanser previously here.

Joji Hydrate Moisturiser contains only organic ingredients with patchouli, bergamot, black pepper, and lavender essential oils. The blend of these oils together with others from almonds, cocoa and thistle plants, provides your skin with a softening and rejuvenating effect. This number one selling moisturiser is ideal for all skin types and it sinks in perfectly in the skin. Do good and feel good by getting your Joji Hydrate Moisturiser here starting from £10.00.

Hopefully, these products have inspired you to not only take care of your face, but also the planet too. We think supporting brands, that support the environment should be a priority. Protect you face and wrap up warm for the weekend!

Hawkins & Brimble Limited Edition Gift Set

Grooming is just as important for men, as it is for women and here at The Amazing Blog, we are always thrilled to share our brilliant new finds, as more and more male grooming products pop up. That’s why we wanted to share the Hawkins & Brimble Limited Edition Gift Set with all of you. Every man has their regular grooming routine with shaving or just to keep their facial hair in check.  Hawkins & Brimble makes it so easy with this go-to Gift Set, whether you're just getting into serious grooming or are a seasoned professional - it has something for everyone. This UK based brand was founded in 2016 and specialises in breathing new life into long-lost traditional grooming routines. It's all about inspiring men to embrace their 'grooming game' so that they can look and feel more confident and sophisticated; all with a delicious touch of edgy playfulness. They rather aptly say: 'After all, an investment in your appearance will always pay off'. 

The first essential in the kit is the Pre-Shave Scrub, which buffs away dead skin cells and soothes the skin in preparation for a close shave. As the brand takes a natural approach to grooming, this product thankfully uses walnut shells instead of microbeads (which are now banned in the UK). Combined with sweet almond oil the Pre-Shave Scrub isn't too harsh on the skin and helps to maintain your skin's moisture.

The Gift Set also comes with Hawkins & Brimble's Shaving Cream, which is crucial to getting the smoothest and closest shave possible. We enjoyed the delicate fragrance of Elemi and Ginseng because it rejuvenated our senses and left us feeling refreshed. We felt quite professional applying it with the Shaving Brush that is also included. We found that damping the Shaving Brush with warm water and then lathering on the Shaving Cream with it worked wonders. This way, every facial hair got coated and our skin was perfectly prepared for a close shave.

The Post-Shave Balm is up next with a blend of olive and almond oil and cocoa that ensures the skin is well nourished without any irritation or redness. We've been using it as our daily moisturiser, even if we didn't shave, as it is gentle on the skin and also helps to hydrate it throughout the day.

The Beard Oil is perfect for men sporting the full beard who need to maintain soft and strong facial hair. Formulated with argan oil, olive oil and shea butter it benefits the skin as well as facial hair. The oils work to keep your beloved beard soft, thick and strong while shea butter pampers the skin underneath.

Every product is free from parabens, mineral oils, colourants, and is cruelty-free, so there is no compromise on looking your best! The Hawkins & Brimble Limited Edtion Gift Set is available to purchase here for £49.95.

Friday Favourites - Chocolate bars

With Easter fast approaching, we've noticed that shops have been stacking their shelves with loads of tempting egg-shaped sweeties. While sadly, the days of childhood egg-hunting are over for us here at The Amazing Blog, we still appreciate a good opportunity to enjoy a sweet treat or two... This Easter, we thought we'd find some alternatives to the eggs. So we've chosen to feature three different chocolate brands with some of their latest bars, which will make a great addition to your Easter celebrations!

For those of you who enjoy a little floral twist in their chocolates, Urban Village Chocolates has a Rose & Bergamot milk chocolate bar that we think you'll love. Urban Village Chocolates are an artisan chocolate company that produces hand-crafted luxury chocolates with their unique recipes. We've previously featured some of their other chocolate discs which are imprinted with pretty, modern designs, see here. We think this award-winning chocolate brand produces some of the prettiest chocolate bar designs we've seen to date. 

This Rose and Bergamot Chocolate Bar is made with steam-distilled pure organic rose and bergamot oils. To complement this scented combination of ingredients, the brand also adds cocoa solids, cocoa butter, vanilla flavouring and milk. The well-balanced mix of all these ingredients makes for a luxurious, moreish and irresistible chocolate bar. Apart from being handmade, each bar is hand-decorated with beautiful floral patterns making it almost too pretty to eat! Also, this chocolate bar contains 110g of chocolate making it the perfect size to share with your friends and family (or perhaps just keep it all to yourself!) You can purchase this delicious chocolate bar here for £5.50.

We also suggest trying out Rhythm108's range of Deeelicious Swiss Chocolate Bars. This Swiss brand used the expertise and craftsmanship of their chocolatiers to create organic bars that not only are innovative and healthy but also are gluten-free, vegan and handmade. Their products allow us to enjoy a treat without compromising our healthy lifestyles. Their chocolate bars are available in three different flavours including Hazelnut Praline, Sweet 'n' Salty Almond and Super Coconut.

Rhythm 108's chocolate bars are made with only natural and organic ingredients. The ingredients include nuts, cacao butter, oat flour, quinoa and coconut which makes them healthier and tastier than competitor brands. The mouth-watering Hazelnut Praline bar is the perfect bar for nut lovers and for anyone else that enjoys succulent and high-quality chocolates. The clever mix of smooth praline and nutty hazelnut is heavenly. The Sweet’n Salty Almond bar is filled with oat and almond butter which gives it a sweet and salty taste that instantly brightens your snacking time. Coconut and dark chocolate - what an amazing combination. At the blog, the Super Coconut bar is one of our all-time favourites (and we measure our words here). The bar is an explosion of coconut flavours; add to that a fine dark chocolate, and you have an intense and delightful snack. If you’re still hesitating about trying these bars, then you should know that they have 46% less sugar than other chocolate bars. Amazing isn’t it? Tasty and healthy, so you can enjoy them without feeling guilty. You can purchase the Hazelnut Praline Bar here for £1.65,  the Sweet 'n' Salty Almond Bar here for £1.65, and the Super Coconut Bar here for £1.65. 

Finally, we have found a vegan chocolate that tastes even better than a non-vegan chocolate, and think that it certainly deserves its own 15 minutes of fame here on this blog. In fact, we've written about some of their other cult chocolate bars here. Moo Free was started by husband and wife team Mike and Andrea Jessop in 2004, and has grown from strength to strength as an award-winning chocolate brand with a loyal fan base. Any vegans out there know the struggle of finding delicious and fruity chocolates that taste like regular chocolate. Moo Free Chocolates offers a wide array of organic, high-quality vegan, dairy free, lactose-free and gluten-free chocolates. We tried out their latest Crunchy Organic Banana Bar and think it makes an ideal springtime treat.

The Crunchy Organic Banana Bar is packed with organic ingredients including cacao, cacao butter, rice powder, banana chips, and coconut oil. Everyone knows that chocolate and banana taste great together. So the wonderful blend of these two-star ingredients makes a balanced bar that is sweet, comforting and fruity. This Crunchy Organic Banana Bar melts in your mouth when you eat it and left us wanting more. This chocolate brand it has become an iconic chocolate here on our blog, particularly with the vegans in the office. You can purchase the Moo Free Crunchy Banana Bar here for £2.99. Or you can find their products across the UK, in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Asda, to find your nearest stockist see here.