La Sultane de Saba – Hammam Rituals Kit

Here at The Amazing Blog, we try to make time for relaxation - this is one of your top priorities; and recently we've been taking this routine to the next level, thanks to the luxurious spa brand La Sultane de Saba. This natural artisan French spa brand has established itself as spa and wellness experts, bringing unique globally inspired treatments to their 4 Parisian flagship spas and also to over 2,500 international spas. They pride themselves on developing products from the proven beauty traditions of past generations. Their products and treatments work on a holistic level and they understand how important it is for us all to find time for relaxation and downtime in our busy modern schedules. This amazing Moroccan inspired Hammam Rituals Kit is a home spa treatment and it's certainly helped us to let our stresses and strains fade away...

The Hammam Ritual Kit comes in an elegantly designed rich brown zippered pouch, it contains natural Rassoul Lava Clay, Black Soap, Shea Butter, a Kessa Glove and a spatula. The three products provide your hair, body and face with a variety of benefits that we'll go into more detail about below. You can use the included Kessa Glove with any of these three products to give skin a deep scrub that gets rid of dead skin cells. The included spatula allows you to use every last bit of these products.

First, we have the Rassoul Lava Clay which can be used on hair, body and face.  When applied to the hair this formula works to add volume and reduce oil. When used on the skin this spread is highly cleansing and works wonders for those with back acne. The star ingredients in this treatment are lava clay, rose and salicylic acid. The lava clay comes from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and works to purify. The rose works to calm, sooth and tone. The Salicylic Acid helps to improve cellular growth, create a more even skin texture, and is highly cleansing.

Next, we have the Black Soap which is a face and body cleanser for all skin types. The soap cleanser contains organic black and green olives, eucalyptus and olive fruit oil.  The organic black and green olives work together to hydrate skin, leaving a refreshed feeling. The eucalyptus provides an anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and decongesting effect.  And lastly, the olive fruit oil helps to regenerate and replenish skin. This Black Soap has made a great addition to our shower routine.  

Last but certainly not least, we have the Shea Butter. This body butter contains Shea which is nourishing, balancing, and healing. Shea naturally contains vitamins A, E & F providing skin with a variety of health benefits. The added orange blossom provides skin with a calm, soothing effect. In addition to being a body butter (which is our favourite use for the product), this product can be used to prevent/reduce stretch marks, fix chapped lips, as a moisturiser, massage balm or even as a hair mask.  You can purchase the Hammam Rituals Kit here for £52.95. We would also like to mention that The Spa at Dolphin Square in London uses La Sultane de Saba products, so if you are looking for an authentic full-on Hammam experience, we recommend booking in here.

Madame La La Tan

The tanning industry is an incredibly popular one, especially at the moment because none of us are going to get a tan in this frosty weather. At The Amazing Blog we would rather our bronzed glow come from tanning creams and sprays than exposing our skin to UV rays on a sun bed. In the run up to the Christmas party season we have been trying out self tanning products to make sure we are fearless when it comes to revealing a little flesh in our Christmas dresses. One product we all agree on is the Madame La La Tan, in fact, we love this tan so much, that our Executive Editor will be taking it away on holiday with her!

Madame La La Tan is a self-tanning DD mousse (Dynamic Do-all); it is lightweight and gently tinted to leave you with a natural looking glow without the risk of looking orange. It is perfect for any fake tan first timers out there as the mousse leaves a guide colour on the skin during application so you know exactly what you have covered which means you have even and streak free coverage. This guide colour also means that you are instantly tanned, which is perfect if you are in a rush. The tan will then take approximately 4 hours to develop into a sun kissed golden glow which lasts for up to 10 days, and it even fades naturally just like a real sun tan.

To use the Madame La La Tan, we recommend exfoliating your entire body before moisturising drier areas such as knees, elbows and ankles. Then pump the mousse directly onto a tanning mitt and smooth over the skin, taking care to ensure you have covered everything, then leave to dry for 5 minutes before dressing.

There is a delicious tropical coconut fragrance upon application so you are not left with a horrid biscuity smell that might giveaway your tan as fake. Unlike other tanning products we’ve used, it is not at all drying on the skin. The mousse contains Coco Water which is hydrating and smoothes the skin while preventing streaks. It also boasts anti-aging Aloe Vera and green tea leaf extracts which are also hydrating and repairing. 

The Madame La La Tan is now available in the UK and you can get your from their website where a 200ml bottle is £36.

Inlight Organic Skincare Line Softener

There is a widespread belief that outer beauty is the result of good health, proper eating and taking care of the body’s delicate organ systems. Here at The Amazing Blog, we know that having good genes plays a part, but we believe the rest is very true. Currently, there are endless amounts of beauty products available for the skin, everything from anti-acne to anti-aging creams from every brand imaginable. As you will know, we are passionate about organic products and sometimes it is hard to find something organic that really does work…

But then we heard about Inlight Organic Skincare, developed by Dr. Mariano Spiezia and his wife, taking  30 years of research and development. They have come up with a range of face and body products that are all 100% organic, and we were lucky enough to get the chance to sample their Line Softener.

We were particularly impressed with their Line Softener. It is a ‘luxury balm formulated to reduce the appearance of lines and scar tissue’. The texture of the balm is lovely -  smooth, but not greasy. It absorbs into the skin quickly and evenly. The primrose in the formula gives the Line Softener a lovely flower scent, however it is not overwhelming. Shea butter, macadamia and carrot oil are also in the formula, so it is very soothing and revitalising. The Line Softener also contains horsetail, nettle, and olive oil, which will work together to soften the skin. Because the Inlight range is all organic, the products are therefore free of alcohol and parabens, as well as containing no Genetically Modified ingredients. Another wonderful thing about the Inlight products is that their packaging is specially designed to be used without any glue, so they are truly an eco-friendly brand that we think everyone should try out.

If you are interested in getting your hands on some 100% natural and certified organic products from Inlight, like their Line Softener, visit their website for more details. The Line Softener retails at £64 for 30ml.

L'Anza's KB2 Hydrate Shampoo and Detangler

Here at The Amazing Blog, hair care is a very important part of our daily routine, and we are always trying out new tips and products to keep our hair looking glossy and healthy. So when we find a product that can actually help to repair our hair from environmental damage and self-inflicted damage such as hair colouring, we get very excited about it. We have recently being trying out some products from L’Anza, a hair care brand who specialise in creating products that will keep your hair strong, smooth and healthy. So naturally we couldn’t wait to try out their KB2 Hydrate Shampoo and Detangler.

The Keratin Bond 2 Complex replenishes vital keratin proteins in the hair. It has an essential blend of vitamins and botanicals that leave the hair feeling soft and looking radiant. The shampoo has a lovely herbal scent that reminded us of Aveda products that you may be familiar with. It feels lovely in the hair because it lathers well, so it feels very cleansing. One of the truly wonderful things about this shampoo is that it has double UV protection. Many of us do not even realise that our scalp is just as sensitive to the sun as the skin on our bodies, and therefore having a shampoo with UV protection helps to protect your scalp against the harmful rays from the sun.

We also were able to sample the Hydrate Detangler from L’Anza, a lotion that helps to rid hair of tangles and knots that can damage the hair. I found this absolutely wonderful, I have very thick hair which knots easily and if I’m not careful, brushing these knots out will break and pull out my hair. Unlike the usual brush out method, this lotion works to gently remove the horrible knots, so damage to the hair is significantly reduced. Both of these products in the KB2 Hydrate range also replenish moisture if you hair is dry and damaged, which is essential to get your hair looking healthier. L’Anza has also created a wonderful oil treatment, which we tried in addition to the shampoo and detangler. You can apply this to damp or dry hair and style as normal and we found it is a perfect periodic treatment for tired locks.

If you are interested in creating a new hair care regime, look no further than L’Anza. They have specially formulated products to suit any hair type, from dry hair to flat hair that needs volume. To find out more about the KB2 range and any other L’Anza products, visit their website. You can purchase the KB2 Hydrate range from Look Fantastic where you the Hydrate Shampoo retails for £14.75 and the Hydrate Detangler is £15.75.

Made in Heaven – The Rover: Aching Bones Muscle Soak

So I got back last night from spending the weekend away with my flatmates - we all agreed on going hiking the whole weekend. It was fantastic, and the weather couldn't have been better! Before spending the weekend with my mates, the ever-so caring girls at The Amazing Blog made me carry SPF for the weekend - I'm a pale face, I'm afraid. When I got home, I sat on the sofa for a bit, and when I stood up my legs were killing me. I've never been a super sporty person, but I definitely thought I was in better shape and condition. Luckily enough, the SPF the girls gave me kept my skin safe, and The Rover's Aching Bones Muscle Soak that The Amazing Blog got sent a while ago gave my poor legs a rest.

I once again, decided to follow the girls' advice and give one of those potions that we get sent a try. I left the hot water running and poured a generous amount of The Rover's Aching Bones Muscle Soak into the bath. I got in and stayed in the water for 40 minutes - I was really exhausted. The Muscle Soak foamed very luxuriously and the smell was quite pleasant and clean. The combination of the warm water and the product really relieved my aching legs, leaving them warm and very relaxed. After that I put my pyjamas on, and literally fell fast asleep. Waking up this morning was a bit of a pain (as always), but my legs felt very well indeed.

Overall, The Rover as a brand get a definite thumbs-up from the only guy at The Amazing Blog. The products work and don't smell girly. The Rover Aching Bones Muscle Soak retails at £8.99. You can purchase them from their website.