Friday Favourites for ideas for Mother’s Day

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, here at The Amazing Blog, we’ve rounded up a variety of unusual activities and gifts so that you can show your precious Mother just how much you care.

Why not play tourist for the day on Brigit Bakery’s Afternoon Tea Bus Tour This afternoon tea is a less formal and more fun than a traditional high tea. This tour will allow you both to experience central London via vintage Routemaster bus while sipping on a lovely cup of tea and snacking on an array of sandwiches, cakes and pastries. The tour lasts approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Tickets can be purchased here for £45. Tours run daily with a 12:30 and 15:00 tour picking up near Trafalgar Square. The 12:00, 14:30, and 17:00 tours pick up at Victoria Coach Station.

Another fun activity to enjoy is a stained glass making class offered by The Indytute.  This class is a full-day workshop where you can create your very own piece of stained glass. This includes everything from soldering the lead, cutting the glass and designing the pattern. The class is led by Aimee McCulloch at her studio in Brixton, where she will teach you the traditional skills involved in this extraordinary craft. Snacks and coffee will be provided; however, it’s advised to bring your own lunch. The next class will be offered on 21 March, perfect for Mother’s Day. Tickets can be purchased here for £140.

Or perhaps find something to help your hard-working Mum unwind at the end of the day? We like the Heathcote and Ivory’s Pinks and Pear Blossom Bathing Flowers. This is one of seven different scents that they offer. This Bathing Flowers scent is fresh and fruity and features (as the name suggests) pink and white blossoms with notes of pear, bergamot and cedarwood. To use, simply tear five to six petals from a flower and scatter in a warm bath to enjoy delicately scented relaxing downtime. The 85g Bathing Flowers Boxes are available for £11 on Heath Cote & Ivory here.

Finally, you could also gift a set of Natural Wellness Boxes with their bi-monthly subscription. The Natural Wellness Box was created by Catherine, a mother of two who has a passion for all things wellness. She primarily designed her subscription box for those with interest in health and well-being but also for those that want to receive a well-deserved treat. All products featured in each box are vegan, cruelty-free and help to promote wellness from the inside out. As an example, this month’s box includes Fais Botanicals ‘Cleanse It’ Oil, Kri’s Awaken Active Eye Cream, Potion London’s ‘Eat Your Greens’ supplement and Raspberry Lemonade Kombucha from Remedy Kombucha, this is just to name a few! The Natural Wellness Box can be bought here. The box is sold each month individually for £37, or you can subscribe for six months for £100 or 12 months for £200. 

We hope that we’ve offered a little inspiration ahead of time for Mother’s Day and of course we realise that no gift or activity will ever do justice in expressing love and gratitude for a very special Mother.

Fi-ne - Body Serums

At The Amazing Blog it’s no secret that we love luxurious body lotions and serums. And probably no surprise that today’s #amazingfinds is on Body Serums. Meet a new German brand called Fi-ne Cosmetics whose rather unique trio of Body Serums are luxurious organic moisturiser-oil-serums specifically created for this area. Their founder had a light bulb moment when she discovered that most people were using luxury skincare on their faces, but completely neglecting their bodies.

Fi-ne Cosmetics was created by Judith Springer in Germany when she couldn’t find a range of natural, healthy and functional deodorants. Since then the brand has evolved to offer body serums, masks, eye serums and perfume oils. Her belief is that she won’t ever bring something to market that either already exists, or doesn’t offer the right solution for the problem. Fi-ne Cosmetics products are handmade, certified organic, 100% vegan and not tested on animals. They are also GMO-free, paraben-free and free from all synthetic preservatives, colours, and fragrances.  Manufactured in a laboratory in Germany, their natural and organic products are made under strict conditions in accordance with the EU Cosmetics Regulation. They avoid plastic materials in their packaging.  Wooden spatulas that come with their cream-based products are created in a workshop for people with special needs in Berlin.

Fi-ne Body Serums are a fusion of a rich nourishing blend of effective oils and a hyaluronic moisturising serum.  These Body Serums primarily feature a distinctive blend of original Australian Bush Flowers. The flower essences contain the individual energy of the specific plants from which they are derived. The second key ingredient is the Mediterranean algae which provide a multitude of protection and healing properties.  There are three different Body Serum in the range which cater to individual needs.

We tried the set of three Body Serums all of which contain the ingredients of cooling and hydrating aloe vera and squalane. Let’s begin with Focus, this uses apricot kernel and safflower seed oils with the wood additions of douglas fir/atlas wood oils, it also has lavender and grapefruit peel oil for a more citrus/woody scent. Focus is for grounding and centring it has helped to boost concentration and clarity. These ingredients also help to restore hydration, leaving skin fresh and radiant. The second we tried was Energy serum as the name suggests it’s empowering and uplifting helping to stimulate collagen and hyaluronic acid synthesis. The key ingredients are sweet almond oil together with hazel and grape seed oils. More unusual here are the palmarosa and manuka branch/leaf oil making the scent ‘warming and comforting’. The final Body Serum in the trio that we tried was Peace serum which helps let go. Since the Peace serum is for use at night time, it features a higher quantity of plant oils,  such as camellia seed and peach kernel oil. It has a delicious and slightly fruity fragrance, where the smell of the dog rose with juniper and lavender oils comes through. This is perfect for city living as its purpose is to repair UVA/UVB and pollution-induced damage, restoring skin while you sleep!

Fi-ne Cosmetics recommends applying the Focus and Energy serums after a shower in the morning and applying the Peace serum before bed in the evenings. Each of the Body Serums scents can be purchased individually in 200 ml or 50 ml sizes. We had the set of three Body Serums in 50 ml which can be purchased here for €50.  We think these make a great gift or for yourself for a little luxurious self-care.

Eloise - The Queen Eye Shadow Palette

As they say, ‘a queen lies in all of us,’ or at least that’s what the make-up brand Eloise believes, and frankly we don’t disagree. Feeling like royalty on the inside is surely a great boost to one’s confidence, but looking the part, well that can be a little time-consuming to achieve! Luckily, we at The Amazing Blog, found The Queen Eyeshadow Palette by Eloise which has a plethora of colours and textures that will certainly aid the look, with lots of shimmers and shine to keep your eyes bold, dazzling and regal.

Eloise Beauty was founded in 2017, and regular readers of The Amazing Blog will remember that we featured more about the brand’s background and a selection of their gorgeous brushes, and Illuminating drops here. Their aim is to produce quality items and introduce a wide range of trend-led products that break away from conventional eye shadow palettes challenging the consumer to experiment with colours and textures. Their products are visually appealing, dressing table worthy and of course, deliver impeccable results. Their ultimate mission is to create state-of-the-art products that are 100% cruelty-free, exceptional in quality but all at an affordable pricepoint.

The Queen Eye Shadow Palette has an energising colour range, with undeniable strength and exquisite femininity. The palette features an extraordinary combination of 20 different highly pigmented shades ranging from pink and peach to violet and turquoise green, ensuring there’s something for everyone. It includes 8 buttery mattes, 6 dazzling shimmers, 1 pressed pearl, 4 metallics and 1 duo-chrome textured pigment all of which allows you to create a new array of looks i.e. festive and dramatic or soft and understated. Best of all this Palette suits each and every eye colour and skin tone, it has the ability to take you on a journey of its own and finally leaving you wanting more.

We had great fun creating our own special looks (with our different ages/skin tones) there were at least three or four different and favourite colours for each of us. Not only that, this palette is an absolute steal at only £35 and a must-have for every make-up aficionado. You can conveniently purchase The Queen Eye Shadow Palette on their official website here.

V 10 Plus - Water Base Sunblock SPF 40+++

At The Amazing Blog, we’re getting ready to ditch London's bleak weather for a springtime break. We’re dreaming of somewhere warm and tropical where all we need to pack is our swimsuit, coverup, sandals and sunscreen (of course!) The V 10 Plus Water Base Sunblock will soon become your new best friend going forward from spring to summer. Coming in a compact tube this SPF 40+++ is perfect for protecting your face, neck and decolletage to take on holiday or to wear as an everyday primer under makeup.

V10 Plus was started in Japan by Akiko Yokota and her sister in 2011, and has only just landed here in the UK. The skincare range is made in the Yoktalab in Japan, it’s free from parabens, chemical fragrances, artificial colours. Plus all products are water-based and dermatology tested. V 10 Plus was awarded the Top 25 Prestige Award in 2014 in Singapore, and were recently the official skincare sponsor for Miss Singapore Beauty Pageant in 2019. 

Today we want to talk about their Water Based Sun Block SPF40+++ which full of natural protectants to keep your skin shielded from the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays. Key ingredients are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide which absorb the harmful UVA/UVB ray spectrum.  Also, the ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, which is a vitamin C derivative, restricts melanogenesis and eliminates free radical. As we all know sunblock is a super important step in our skincare routine both on holiday and at home. The sun’s rays can make your skin age quicker, leading to dark spots and redness, but all of these symptoms can be prevented by using sunblock. V 10 Plus Sunblock is water-based, meaning it won’t be sticky when applied under makeup. It also has a non-powdery finish and sits lightly on the surface of the skin. The sunblock leaves skin feeling moisturised without leaving a white film on the surface, unlike some other sunblocks we could name!

You can purchase the V 10 Plus’ Water Base Sun Block SPF40+++  here for $36, or in-store at Zen Pharmacy in London. At 30 ml, we think it’s the perfect size to take on the plane for a quick weekend sunny getaway.

Baûbo - Infinite Balm

Going from winter to spring can be tough on the skin, from cracked cuticles to chapped lips and at The Amazing Blog we’ve experienced it all! However, we’ve now found the perfect balm to recommend to help our skincare woes. Meet  Baûbo’s Infinite Balm which is ideal for all skin types and can combat dryness, skin irritations, damaged lips and even fragile baby skin - making it a one-stop product for the whole family.

Based in Paris, Baûbo was created in 2015 by Bethsabée Krivoshey and Cécilia Capece. They’re both strong women and proud feminists who have created a very special eco-responsible brand committed to the well-being of women and those around them. Bethsabée is an author and journalist who specialises in sexuality, who was particularly frustrated that there was no organic or natural intimate care on the market to relieve the everyday irritation felt by women after a day in skinny jeans, sexual intercourse or a gym class. Cécilia, an MBA graduate helped Bethsabée embark on a journey of launching this ethical brand and their French entrepreneurship. The brand is named after the Greek mythical story of Baûbo, which reminds us of the positive force of female sexuality, the importance of joy and the healing power of the vulva.

Something we particularly want to applaud Baûbo for is their eco-packaging. Their products are the first 90% recycled glass cosmetic container in the world (75% post-usage and 15% post-production). Plus the production creates 36% less of Co2 emissions than traditional production. Baûbo also takes care to make their cartons with no glues or plastic film in order to make recycling easy. Not only that, they recently announced their partnership with the non-profit organisation Gynecology Without Borders (Gynécologie Sans Frontière) who have been working for dignity and promotion of women's health in the world, as their goals. For every product purchased they donate 2% to fund medics helping support these women.

Baûbo’s Infinite Balm is one of three different healing balms that they produce. The Infinite Balm’s key ingredients are macadamia, castor oil, coconut, avocado, wheat germ, shea butter and vitamin E. The Balm is super slick and hydrating and takes no time at all to absorb flawlessly into the skin, leaving the surface supple and hydrated.  The other specialist balms are The Gorgeous Balm for hydrating and toning for boobs, belly and booty; as well as The Balm for vulva care especially for intimate dryness, menopause and hormonal changes. The great thing that they all have in common, is that the ingredients are 100 percent natural and sourced from organic farms. What’s not to love about Baûbo? If you’re interested in purchasing Baûbo’s Infinite Balm, it can be purchased here for £37.00.