Rosenserien - Sweden Eco for Men

Whilst the Swedish Eco Range recently launched, it has only just made the very welcome leap into the UK market place, ensuring these goodies are available to an even wider audience. This superb range of natural and organic skincare is there for us all to enjoy, with an exceptional line up for the boys. As many of you know we’re BIG fans of Rosenserien and have reviewed many of their products here. We first discovered his brand when they won an award with our client The Beauty Shortlist a while ago.

Sweden Eco is produced by RS Biokosmetik, who’ve spent over 35 years making natural and organic skincare products. With this particular range, they forged a collaboration with the well-known dancer and choreographer Tony Irving. Irving who was already a fan of their organic skincare and contacted RS Biokosmetik’s CEO Carina Swartz to ask if they’d like his input. All of this has culminated in Irving participating in the creation of the Swedish Eco Range with everything from function, fragrance, appearance and packaging; which as now resulted in these five fabulous grooming products. Like the Rosenserien range this brand is 100% natural and also includes certified organic ingredients.

Swedish Eco’s key ingredients are aloe vera and green tea which are known for being gentle, long-lasting and effective; whereas the fragrance is a predominantly light and fresh scent of sandalwood and cloves. They kindly sent us the full range of Shampoo for Hair & Body, Shaving Soap, Moisturiser, Deodorant and the most refreshing Skin Toner. They have cleverly covered our male grooming requirements comprehensively. Plus if you care about the environment as much as you do about your grooming regime, then this one is a must for you to try - you certainly won’t be disappointed. To top it all they are ecologically and vegan-friendly, as well as non-allergenic. These products are highly concentrated with the water content kept very low so the skin gets as much nutrition and moisturisation as possible. With this deliciously freshly clean fragrance, the moisturiser and the toner especially absorb effortlessly into the skin. Indeed each of the products have clearly been produced with skin compatibility at the forefront of requirements, and they most certainly deliver. The Shampoo for Hair & Body is priced at £19 for 200ml, the Moisturiser comes in at £27 for 50ml, the Deodorant £23 for 50ml, and the Aftershave Tonic £18 for 100ml; all products are available from here.   

The Other Art Fair 2020

The Other Art Fair is making its return to London later this month, with the first of three fairs here in the capital. This is a date always marked in the diary for  The Amazing Blog as we’re always thrilled to check out the new and emerging artists coming out of London’s art scene. The fair is presented by Saatchi Art and will be held at The Old Truman Brewery in Shoreditch from 19-22 March 2020.

The art fair features 129 independent artists whose works were handpicked by a selection committee of art world experts. Mediums such as paintings, photography, drawings and sculptures were judged on ability, potential, and accessibility by the committee, ensuring buyers receive value and quality in their investment pieces.

“Meadow Chaos” - Lee Herring, 2019

One of the artists featured in this year’s fair is Lee Herring. Herring uses a mixture of oils, spray paints, varnishes and acrylics to produce memory-based landscapes captured from travelling by rail up and down the country. Each piece is painted solely from memory to create pieces that are abstract and expressional.  His contemporary landscapes are colourful, textured and full of life. He captures snippets of colour and details as the scene is fleeting while on the rail. He describes his technique as an ‘evolution of a free-flowing, spontaneous process.’

“Single-use planet” Photography by Lexi Lane

Another featured artist is Lexi Laine. Laine is a freediving photographer who likes to create melancholic underwater images. The series of images on display at the fair are from a whimsical project she has been working on for the last year. She has created a visual narrative for the woman in the photos. In some scenes, she is swimming towards the light, suggesting she is travelling from one world to the next. In other images, she’s consumed in darkness as a representation ‘of vulnerability and a reminder of the incredible force of the water,’ said Laine. Laine does not use scuba equipment while photographing her subjects. She says she feels the most alive and in touch with herself as an artist when she is freediving.

The fair also features a various number of art-related programmes. One of those programmes being ‘The Calm Collective,’ an art-making session that brings artists and art lovers together to explore life issues, well-being and mental health through different mediums. Other programmes include a Kids Create art space, a tattoo booth by Sticks Not Stones and DJs from Soho Space playing music in the fair. Tickets for The Other Art Fair can be purchased ahead of time here for Friday-Sunday for £11.00. Tickets will also be sold at the door for £14.00. There are two Other Art Fairs in July and October so keep an eye open here for further details of dates and venues.

HuGG - CBD Skincare Products

No weekend is complete without some pampering and indulgence. Here at The Amazing Blog we’ve been lucky enough to discover a new range of CBD skincare products that will enhance your ‘you time’ as well as make your body and skin as smooth as butter. We’d like to introduce to you HuGG.

The HuGG CBD products are a range of cannabis-based products from the research firm CiiTECH; a registered UK cannabis biotech company and collaborative partner with Israel’s Hebrew University of Jerusalem – the epicentre of cannabis research and development. Using their knowledge and expertise of their CiiTECH researchers, the aim of The HuGG CBD is to discover, develop, and commercialise CBD products. Their collaborative efforts with leading Israeli cannabis research institutions – as well as local hemp suppliers here in the UK and EU – has allowed them to deliver market products based on a high level of quality and expertise. As you can discover from our recent feature on CBD (see here ) when it comes to your health, you need to choose CBD oil you can trust — in terms of quality, safety, and purity.  In a period where the fast-emerging CBD industry has been difficult to comprehend, not to mention overwhelmed with low-quality ‘snake oils’, it’s important to feel comfortable and confident with the CBD products you choose. The product development team at The HuGG collaborates and consults with leading researcher’s scientists to identify unique CBD formulas, plus innovative delivery systems, and advanced extraction techniques designed to create premium and leading products for every part of your mind and body. Plus HuGG recently swept the board with wins in the CBD categories for the 2020 Beauty Shortlist Awards.

We tried and tested a number of products. Let’s begin with the HuGG Coffee Body Scrub. It is antioxidant exfoliating facial scrub with 50mg CBD and when used, results in a youthful glow. Infused with essential oils and enriched with 50mg CBD, this ‘wake me up’ caffeine Inspired Scrub exfoliates, tightens pores as well as moisturises all in one. It smells so delicious, almost good enough to eat!  The CBD in this Scrub will aid your skin making it feel more radiant. Priced at £24.99 here we think that his CBD infused coffee scrub is an essential.

Next, we tried the HuGG CBD Massaging Oil.  We were sent a small 25ml bottle to try which sadly all went in one sitting so can’t confirm about the benefits here. Made with essential oils such as lavender, lemon and frankincense, in a base of sunflower seed oil, grapeseed oil and apricot kernel oil as well as 50mg CBD amongst various others, they claim that this body oil will leave you feeling blissful and calm. Not only can it be used as a massage oil but also as a skin indulging moisturiser. This oil smells amazing and absorbs easily into the skin without leaving a greasy residue. Priced at an affordable £17.99 here.

Let’s move onto the HuGG CBD Cuticle Oil ideal for feeding the nail beds. Made with lavender, rosemary, and clary sage essential oils and Infused with 20mg CBD, this cuticle oil creates a skin-soothing remedy for nails, hands and feet. This mani-pedi style of nail care is all-natural to give you the best plant-based care all around. Furthermore, it also leaves no greasy residue, priced at £14.99 here .  

Further adding to their Cuticle Oil, we also tried the Hugg CBD Foot Soak Salts with 30mg CBD. Made with hemp extract, coconut oil, dead sea salts, Himalayan salts and other essential oils. These salts help your feet unwind after a long day or simply indulge in a nourishing pedicure foot soak with the essential oils and salts. The Foot Soak is also infused with eucalyptus for antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Priced at £6.99 here.

Last but not least, we have the HuGG CBD Roll Away with mint, lavender and 50mg CBD. This is our favourite and is a handbag essential that is cooling and relaxing giving you everything you need, just when you need it. It helps you take a small break from your busy lives and just breathe. The lavender and mint essential oils create an invigorating yet calming refresher to support tension throughout the day. Apply In circular motions, roll the gel onto your temples, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Repeat 3 times and continue on. The rollerball can also be used on other pressure points. Priced at £17.99 here this product will help to steal away all your stress and tensions in moments...ah Luxury!

The Love Light Life - Wellbeing Candle

We’re all mindful that Mother’s Day will soon be upon us on 22 March, and it’s time to put on our thinking caps and find the ideal gift to express our love and gratitude. Here at The Amazing Blog, we’ve certainly got one good idea for that perfect gift, meet The Love Light Life Wellbeing Candle. This candle has a delicious combination of lavender, ylang-ylang and geranium scents which your Mother is sure to love.

Founded in November 2018 by Nathalie Vanpoperinghe, Love Light Life Candles offer luxury natural candles for your wellness journey. Vanpoperinghe’s background as a business consultant in spas and wellness put her in the prime position to spot a gap in the market. She noticed that most candles in the spas she visited were badly made and inconsistent with how they fragranced the rooms. Hence her mission began…

The Wellbeing Candle is the first candle to launch. It is designed and made in France with ingredients of essential oils, cotton wicks, soy and coconut wax. Unlike other candles, it does not contain paraffin wax and is free from synthetic fragrances and dyes. Something to note is that when synthetic candles are burned, they can release carcinogenic chemicals which can cause headaches and allergies. We were pleased to hear that The Love Light Life’s Wellbeing Candle that was recently shortlisted for the 2020 Gift of the Year Awards in the Home Fragrance category.  

The essential oils in this candle have unique properties that can combat everyday stress, anxiety, and fatigue. Lavender relieves stress, curbs headaches, and can improve short term memory. The ylang-ylang promotes relaxation, kills bacteria in the air and has been linked to alleviating depression, making this scent perfect for an afternoon pick me up. And the geranium improves circulation and concentration as blood flows faster to the brain. Love Light Life told us that they are also in the process of creating three new scented candles and we can’t wait to try them. The Wellbeing Candle offers 50 hours of burn time and can be purchased for £32.00 here. So why not get your Mother a gift she’ll truly love, and be sure to check out Love Light Life candles.

PHOERA - Liquid Matte Foundation

At The Amazing Blog, we know that a ‘no-makeup’ look will never look its best unless you begin with the perfect base. Let’s talk foundation, it has to not only perfectly match your skin tone but also give good coverage, be smooth, hydrating and not cakey. The team here has had lots of fun try out Phoera’s, Liquid Matte Foundation. We found that it served as the perfect base for all skin types, it’s light in texture and offered full coverage. We think that it’s particularly suitable for those looking to cover up scars and blemishes, as it’s long-lasting and waterproof.

Committed to making high-performance makeup and accessories available at affordable prices, PHOERA is a new discovery brand for us, they create versatile and diverse products with a focus on trending shades as well as timeless classics. They deliver both practical solutions as well as playful products to enable you to create your own unique look. We think that when it comes to makeup, you shouldn’t have to compromise or have to make a decision between quality and creativity. What we like is that this brand combines both, allowing you to experiment with the latest trends and balance your look with tried and tested classics and high-quality formulas, all at an affordable price point. From matte foundations and creamy concealers to velvet matte lipsticks, glitter liners and gel polishes, each and every product in their range is long-lasting. PHOERA is a cruelty-free and vegan brand with advanced formulas that ensures that their products stay put from day to night. If you’d like to read more about the brand, please refer to our previous feature on the PHOERA Body Luminizer here.

As mentioned, to create a flawless base, a hard-working liquid foundation is a must. We had Liquid Matte Foundation in three different shades to trial #105 Sand, #104 Buff Beige and #103 Warm Peach. We found that the foundation provided natural coverage and shine control for up to 16 hours. This Liquid Foundation by PHOERA stepped up to the mark, providing striking coverage and an even skin tone all day long. These liquid foundations feature advanced formulas that are designed to control shine and are also waterproof. With a beautifully soft finish, their foundation comes in a diverse range of ten shades, they are easy to apply and provide buildable coverage. Due to their full coverage, the foundation could also be used on your body to cover us bruises, veins and other imperfections. To purchase your Liquid Matte Foundation 30ml for £6.95, then hop onto the UK distributors website here.