Carina Organics - Unscented Natural Body Deodorant

We at The Amazing Blog know how important it is to stay fresh while living our busy and sometimes hectic lives. Whether we are running daily errands, going to the gym, or travelling; we all want to feel protected from unpleasant odours. We also love discovering new brands that have natural or organic products that are vegan friendly, not tested on animals and free from nasty chemicals.  That’s why we tried and tested this fragrance -free natural deodorant for sensitive skin Unscented Natural Body Deodorant by Carina Organics. 

Carina Organics is based in Vancouver and aims to provide 100% natural products, completely free of synthetics, parabens, fragrances, gluten and dyes. Founded by Helmut Gollner, who migrated from Germany to Canada and whose passion for homeopathic skin and haircare led him on this journey to launch Carina Organics. Since Carina’s inception in 1972, its main focus and philosophy is to create self-care products by replacing chemical ingredients with natural and organic ones. Gollner believes that nature provides the means to keep our skin healthy and beautiful, which is why  Carina takes great pride in their formulas and the quality of the ingredients they use. All of Carina products are manufactured by hand on the North Shore of Vancouver, where they produce a wide range of hair, face, body and baby care.

We chose to review their Unscented Natural Body Deodorant, as one of our bugbears is heavily fragranced deodorants. Although we all like to smell fragrant, it can also conflict with our chosen scent of the day; i.e. a heavily scented floral deodorant clashing with a delicate fresh cologne. What we love about Carina’s Unscented Natural Body Deodorant is that it’s produced using only natural and non-staining mineral salts. It protects the skin for up to 24 hours, leaving it fresh and odour-free, making it impossible for bacteria to develop. Made of only three simple ingredients: Filtered water, potassium alum, and pine extract, this deodorant is hypoallergenic, 100% biodegradable, cruelty-free and vegan.  Applied with 5-6 pumps of the spray under each arm or on any other desired area of the body, it dries quickly and is long-lasting. The Unscented Natural Body Deodorant was sent to us via Live in the Light, a UK online store which distributes their products. With a holistic approach, Live in The Light believes that skincare products that we use in our daily regime have an impact on our health, and supplies only high quality natural and organic products, just like this Unscented Natural Body Deodorant which you can purchase here for £13.50. 

amaiaa - atma oil secrets of the soul & morning radiance facial elixir

The skin is the largest organ in our body and our face is what gives the first impression of us. Therefore, at The Amazing Blog being number one fans of natural products, we like to know exactly what the ingredients are, that we’re about to put on our faces. As winners of 2019 Beauty Shortlist Award amaiaa, a natural skincare brand with Indian methodology, caught our eye, they have everything that we value with their ethos and quality botanical ingredients.

amaiaa brand is based in the USA but was born in the Himalayan Mountains of India. Ashu the founder of amaiaa, who took on a soul-searching journey that drove her to her native land, India. Inspired by her mother and grandmother as well as the culture and history of the country, she began developing what we know today as amaiaa. The brand is known for two products, atma and saya facial oils. Atma, Ashu’s grandmother’s name meaning ‘soul’, embodies her grandmother’s knowledge as an alchemist to provide skincare through natural products. Both products are primarily composed with jasmine, rose and sandalwood which boost rejuvenation and restore your skin. With every ingredient carefully picked and blended, amaiaa’s products make you want to travel all the way to India to explore the mysteries of Mother Nature.

We tried their atma Oil which we think will soon become your new best friend. With ingredients like Argan oil known as liquid gold, it offers amazing source of hydration. There is also apricot kernel oil which has a natural anti-ageing properties, rich in vitamin C and E which enhance collagen production and skin elasticity. The jojoba oil here is packed with vitamin E and other antioxidants that boost cell regeneration. The avocado and jasmine oils remove blemishes; and finally the sandalwood oil a natural illuminator of the skin. atma oil’s formula will undoubtedly help to encourage great results for all skin types. We mustn’t forget to also mention the vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B5, all of which treat rosacea, acne, sun-damage and ageing with its cell regeneration properties that aid redness and inflammations.

We applied it in the morning as a face oil or serum, this oil absorbs easily which means you can follow it quickly with your regular skincare routine, if you so wish. atma is cruelty, fragrance, paraben, sulphate, alcohol, toxin, additive and gluten-free. It’s vegan, hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic, making it perfectly suitable whether you have dry, oily, combined or hypersensitive skin. What we particularly admire about amaiaa is their giving-back policy, with a mission to empower women and young girls to lead a life of dignity, the association with the Animedh Charitable Trust ACT, through a series of a projects, which stays true to their core ethics of sustainability. This trust helps Indian girls get an education – so by buying amaiaa’s award-winning atma morning radiance facial oil, you’re helping, too.

Why not pamper yourself and get your Atma Oil here for $75.00 (worldwide shipping) for a 30ml bottle which will give you nurtured skin for around 3 months, a little goes a long way. Also, enjoy a 15% discount off your first order using the code WELCOME15.

By Sarah London- Bath Salts

With the weather getting warmer, taking baths shouldn’t just be reserved for the colder months. Certainly a more cooling soak in the summer months never hurt. There is nothing more we like at The Amazing Blog than to have a relaxing soak after a session in the gym or an evening run. While we all love a good bath bomb or a therapeutic essential oil, some of us with more sensitive skin prefer something a little less harsh for our skin to completely relax. UK based skincare brand BY SARAH LONDON has developed their Bath Salts with completely natural and hypoallergenic ingredients, which is a winner for us! We recently reviewed their Organic Hair Oil here which we loved.

The multi-award winning BY SARAH LONDON was launched in 2017 by two sisters Sarah and Lauren after the latter was suffering from dry, sensitive skin during her recovery from leukaemia. After searching for skincare that was both effective yet non-irritating, Sarah then sought out to start her brand that was transparent, authentic and empowering. The sisters wanted to push this transparency and authenticity by pushing for the use of ethically-sourced, plant-based ingredients  in their products.  To take this one step beyond, BY SARAH LONDON is the only UK skincare brand that lists all ingredients on the front label of all their products including their Bath Salts. While BY SARAH London products are great for people with sensitive skin and eczema, they also recommend their products to people with all skin types especially those who are conscious about what they put on their skin.

Besides having no essential oils or fragrances, BY SARAH LONDON’s Bath Salts contains only three ingredients, making sure that sensitive skin is not irritated.  The hand-blended Himalayan Pink Salts, Dead Sea Salts and French Pink Clay all combine in an eco-friendly glass jar to calm and cleanse the body. To start soaking in the minerals, add a handful of the bath salt to your warm bath and enjoy for a minimum of 15 minutes. A 280-gram jar (£20) of the Bath Salts or a 50-gram pouch (£5) of the Bath Salts are currently available to purchase on the BY SARAH LONDON website here.

Butterflies Eye Care - Eye Make-up Remover

When it comes to make up, we here at The Amazing Blog love hypoallergenic products because they offer our skin a sense of safety.  But those of us with contacts often wonder where the products for sensitive eyes are?  Recently we had the opportunity to try Butterflies Eye Care Cosmetics, eye make-up motivated by the issues contact lens wearers face when using cosmetics. The Optics and Pharmacy background of this family run company has been extremely beneficial in their creation of eye care, healthcare and beauty products. Butterflies Eye Care offers an array of cosmetics ranging from foundations, eye make-up, face creams and nail enamels.  However Butterflies Eye Care is revolutionary in solving more than the contact-lens problem.  They have also developed vitamins benefiting dry eyes, created anti-aging eye drops and prescriptions for swimming goggles and diving masks.  These ground-breaking eye care products can be found here.

Though Butterflies Eye Care offers a selection of cosmetics for contact lens wearers, we find the Eye Care eye make-up remover lotion to be innovative, as it can be applied while wearing contact lenses!  Exclusive to Butterflies Eye Care Cosmetics are different remover options, one remover with a milk base and the other with a water base. These different removers eliminate make-up without disrupting the placement of contacts.  The water based remover is thinner while the milk based remover has a thick lotion base.  Butterflies Eye Care recommends gently rubbing eye lids and lashes with a cotton pad to fully remove unwanted eye make-up.  Both the milk and water based removers include a PH identical to human tears, keeping eyes hydrated throughout the removing process.  The unique ingredients of both removers guard the skin around the eyes from potential lines and wrinkles caused by rubbing eyes during removal.  Both of these truly revolutionary eye make-up removers are 125 ml and can be purchased for £10.50 each.  The Butterflies Eye Care Eye make-up remover lotion (water base) can be found here, and the Butterflies Eye Care eye make-up remover emulsion (milk base) can be found here.

NATorigin lipsticks

When it comes to lipstick I have to admit that I never have enough. Since my first red lipstick when I was 17, my love for that make-up item has grown and grown with the years - I never have enough shades of red, I'm always in the hunt of the perfect matte non-drying formula, I love wearing vampy lips in winter, and paring an orange lipstick with full-on-nearly-spidery lashes is one of my favourite looks to rock. Lipstick makes me walk out the door with my chin up. One of the main qualities I look for in a lipstick, more than the staying power -that is important too when you're wearing a bold lipstick- is for it to keep my lips moisturised. Reapplying lip balm (especially if it's petroleum based) makes the surface of your lips too slippery for when you reapply the lip colour. When I found about NATorigin lipsticks I was glad to see that their texture and finish were similar to a coloured lipbalm - very moisturing and with the right hint of colour, perfect for everyday. These multi award winning lipsticks' ingredients are 100% naturally sourced and certified organic by Ecocert Greenlife. NATorigin lipsticks are super moisturising and hypoallergenic, formulated with orchid extract to provide an extremely soft and smooth texture that glides on the lips effortlessly. The lipsticks are very rich in organic waxes (carnuba wax, candelilla wax and beeswax), organic shea butter and organic oils (sweet almond oil, jojoba seed oil, sunflower seed oil, marula seed oil and castor seed oil) - they keep the lips protected, soft and juicy looking thanks to their sheer colour. NATorigin are gluten-free and considered beneficial for allergy sufferers based on consumer opinion and approved by Allergy UK - so they're literally suitable for everyone!

My favourite shade of the 6 they do is "Fig" - a beautiful reddy brown shade that instantly brightens my light and slightly warm complexion. This sheer and moisturising lipstick formula is perfect for those of you who'd like to wear bold lips but for some reason don't; whether because you're too shy or don't think bold lips suit you. They're pigmented without being over the top and wear off beautifully leaving a nice even stain on the lips.

At The Amazing Blog we're delighted with the NATorigin lipsticks - they're moisturing, the shade range is lovely and they're certified organic! These fabulous lipsticks retail at £15.50 and can be purchased from their website.