Poppy’s Natural Skincare: The Super Age-Defying Organic Face Oil Bakuchiol & Amla

Today, at The Amazing Blog we’re feature an award-winning British natural skincare that we've had our eye on for quite some time… Meet Poppy's Natural Skincare with their 100% pure botanical actives, that help to connect us back to nature.

Poppy's Natural Skincare is a high-performance natural skincare brand founded by Poppy Choudhury. it was born out of necessity , due to Poppy’s extremely sensitive skin, she knew that the only way ensure the quality of the skincare ingredients, was to formulate her own! And from a young age, she has been aware of the therapeutic and healing powers of botanicals and plants.  Poppy also has a scientific background and read Molecular Biology at university, worked in London with pharmaceutical clients, and studied Cosmetic Formulation and Science in Skincare. Her scientific knowledge and passion for natural beauty remedies led her to develop this skincare range that brings together the best of science and nature. Poppy was born in Bangladesh and raised in England; she can trace much of her inspiration back to her early days from observing plant remedies being incorporated into everyday medicinal and beauty routines. Poppy's Natural Skincare is a range of potent botanicals designed to help repair and protect skin's barrier function together with a whole host of other skin benefits. The brand's products include face oils, face masks, accessories, body butters, balms, and cleansers. Poppy encourages the ritual of self-care with her skincare, to help us all luxuriate in the experience and enjoy the moment. All products are uniquely formulated and handmade in Poppy's workshop, located in the English village of Kings Langley, Hertfordshire. They use the most potent ingredients that are 100% plant-based, ethically sourced, sustainable, cruelty-free (certified with Leaping Bunny), with thirteen out of the fourteen products being vegan. Plus, all products and packaging are 100% recyclable. We applaud the brand for their giving-back where they donate 10% of their profits to the Myna Mahila Foundation, which employs women from urban slums in Mumbai to manufacture and sell affordable sanitary pads in their communities, thus providing stable employment, improving menstrual hygiene, and building a trusted network. Being born in the Indian subcontinent and having family there, Poppy knows how hard it is for women to access sanitary products, so Myna Mahila is close to her heart. Poppy's Natural Skincare has a very popular following and is loved by many and won many awards from Natural Health, Global Green Beauty, FreeFrom Awards, Green Parent Natural Beauty and The Beauty Shortlist. To sum up the ethos of the brand, Poppy said, "The Poppy's Natural Skincare range was developed by me, but the knowledge comes from our amazing, shared history of the botanical world and its healing powers." 

One of Poppy's Natural Skincare's hero products is the recent winner at the 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards, the Super Age-Defying Organic Face Oil Bakuchiol & Amla. This is suitable for all skin types, and works to help prevent signs of premature ageing. It is a lightweight and fast-absorbing oil-based formula and contains a luxurious blend of age-defying phyto-retinol compounds that are supercharged with youth-boosting botanically active ingredients to help repair, rejuvenate, and bestow radiance. As Poppy Skincare tells us, this is formulated with 31 of the world's most potent botanicals, including bakuchiol, co-enzyme Q10, marine algae, amla, acmella oleracea, kahai, unsaponifiable olive oil, neroli, and olive squalene. Bakuchiol extract is from the psoralea corylifolia (babchi) plant's leaves and seeds (see photo above). It is a compound recognised as a phyto-retinol and a natural alternative to the synthetic retinol. It works in the same way and stimulates collagen production, reduces visible lines and hyperpigmentation, and helps restore the skin's elasticity. Poppy first came across this key ingredient in Bangladesh, where babchi is used to treat vitiligo, eczema, and also found in some skincare. The co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is both age-defying and a potent antioxidant. It protects the skin from the damaging effects of sun exposure and free radicals; it also helps to reduce sun damage, even skin tone, and improve skin hydration. Marine algae extract is a potent age-defying botanical that increases cell turnover and collagen production, thus reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Amla (Indian gooseberry) is a super berry and is a highly regarded medicinal Ayurveda plant too. It contains copious amounts of vitamin C, which helps to fade hyperpigmentation, and has amino acids and antioxidants which also actively encourage collagen production. Acmella oleracea, in known to relax the facial muscles lessening muscle tension, and in turn softening the appearance of fine lines. The kahai (cacay oil) has high levels of vitamin A, linoleic acid, and vitamin E. Unsaponifiable olive oil replenishes the skin's lipid layer to restore skin suppleness and elasticity. The essential oil neroli is also here, which is said to be cytophylactic, meaning it helps with the creation of new skin cells. It's also the fragrance in the Face Oil. Finally, there is the olive squalane, this helps to slow down the transepidermal water loss and boosts skin moisture.

Because we have dry and dehydrated skin, we used about two or three pumps of the oil (rather than the suggested one or two). We applied it by massaging the oil gently into the face, neck and décolletage. It absorbed well, leaving a fine veil on the skin, which for us, made a good base for applying makeup – dare we suggest, that you could even add a pump of the oil to your foundation, to help it glide more gracefully onto the skin.  We love the neroli scent with its rich, honeyed floral notes and citrusy overtones, which always has a soothing effect on our mood and makes the ritual of applying this Face Oil even more pleasing…. What a joy this is to use, and we are so pleased to have finally tried this award-winning Super Age-Defying Organic Face Oil. We believe in supporting indie skincare brands like Poppy’s Natural Skincare, this is for many reasons. We find their products are created with great passion, love and care and always formulated with far more superior ingredients, which makes this another of our #amazingfinds!  To try the 30ml Super Age-Defying Organic Face Oil Bakuchiol & Amla, you can find it here for £75.00.

Lebarde: Natural Eye Cream Gold Bee

At The Amazing Blog, we think that bees are some of the most important living beings on Earth. After all, 70% of the world's agriculture depends exclusively on bees. We appreciate what they do and, in particular, the benefits that bee's nectar can give to our skin. Today we'd like to share Lebarde, a natural raw skincare made with bee nectar from Caucasian honey bees. It piqued our interest when they won an award in the 2021 The Beauty Shortlist Awards. They very kindly sent us their recent award-winning Natural Eye Cream Gold Bee to try.

Ever since a young age Maia Gigiberia, founder of Lebarde, has always lived a natural and healthy lifestyle, and being part of a family of pharmacists, growing up in Colchis, Georgia, it’s always made her curious about science and the natural world. Interestingly enough, Maia's ancestor was the daughter of King Colchis, who invented the first natural medicines and cosmetics. So, health and beauty come naturally to Maia. After struggling with sensitive skin and being unable to find skincare products that were natural and calming for her skin, Maia started researching local botanicals, florae and bees to create an all-natural, raw skincare range. And with that, she founded Lebarde in 2019. Lebarde has now has three skincare products in the range, made with 100% natural sourced ingredients from Colchis, Georgia's Alps Mountains and nectar of the Caucasian honey bees from the local plants. The Georgian mountains have vibrant flora and fauna which thrive in the non-polluted areas, creating a natural and clean environment where Lebarde sources to make their ingredients. In addition to these botanicals, Georgia is home to the Caucasian honey bee, where they've lived for around 5,500 years. What makes these bees so unique is that they have received 3 Gold medals at international events, where the Georgian Gold Bee has the most extended proboscis -7.3 mm, which is the longest among any the honey-bees; this means that they can extract nectar from the deepest nectar tissues where no other species can. Lebarde's skincare was recently selected as the Best Special Innovation finalist at Pure Beauty London awards 2020 and the Best Eye Cream Bronze Winner in the UK Global Makeup Awards 2021. 

Lebarde's Natural Eye Cream Gold Bee is natural and free from any artificial chemicals, synthetics, and preservatives and made with only eight simple and clean ingredients: water, olive oil, pin leaf oil, pine needle oil, beeswax, Royal jelly, damascene rose oil and jojoba oil,  The key ingredients here are the bee nectar (Royal jelly) and beeswax from the bees and endemic botanicals found in the Alp mountains of ancient Georgia, Colchis, making it rich in natural retinol, vitamin E, A, and C, antioxidants and natural fatty compounds.  Royal jelly has been found to speed up skin cell renewal, boosting collagen production and helping to protect against UV damage. Beeswax, apart from forming a protective layer that won't clog the pores, it's also full of vitamin A. This vitamin A is a natural retinol that helps to boost collagen around the eyes, reducing dark circles, fine lines, and wrinkles. There is also olive oil full of vitamins A, D, E, and K, which is not only moisturising but is like beeswax and Royal jelly and has strong antibacterial qualities. The pine leaf and pine needle oils here are antimicrobial and soothe skin stopping any inflammation or dryness. The jojoba oil is rich in vitamin E and mimics the skin's sebum, making it ideal for both dry and oily skin. The damascene rose oil is a volatile oil obtained from the fresh flower petals of Damask rose, which has a mild emollient action that helps retain moisture in the skin. Rich in vitamin A and C, the citral here promotes the formation of vitamin A, which helps regenerate the skin's epidermal cells. Combine these eight ingredients, and you have a potent and yet gentle, effective eye cream; which we found to be extremely hydrating and nourishing when applied both day and night. . With no artificial ingredients or fragrance in this Natural Eye Cream, you can almost feel the magic of honey bees, with its powerful anti-inflammatory properties that immediately help to calm any redness or irritation. We think this gentle and luxurious eye cream is perfect for all-natural and raw skincare lovers, and yes, it is another of our #amazingfinds.  To purchase 15ml Lebarde Natural Eye Cream, see here for £79.00.