24/7 Balm by Face Matters

A beautiful face balm is a big weakness of ours at The Amazing Blog, and in our expert opinion Face Matters make one of the best anti-ageing and restorative balms on the market. The Face Matters 24/7 Balm is an award-winning multi-functioning balm that won an editor’s choice award at the 2017 Beauty Shortlist Awards. 

The 24/7 Balm uses the same base ingredient, pure organic silicon, as all of Face Matters other products. This ingredient helps to stimulate the natural production of collagen and elastin, which is an essential part of the formation of connective tissue and helps hair, skin and nails grow and appear youthful. Collagen is effectively the glue that holds us together and keeps us looking, healthier, younger and beautiful.

The balm itself is nourishing and luxurious when applied, acting as a super restorative treatment or an exfoliator. The solid balm melts effortlessly between your fingers into a rich and buttery feel that soaks into the skin. The quickest way to use the product is to massage it into skin before removing the excess product with a muslin cloth.  Our favourite way to use it, however, is to apply it as an overnight treatment.  Simply massage it into skin before bed and wake up to younger, more hydrated and glowing skin. The balm doesn’t sit on the face and is slowly absorbed as your skin regenerates itself overnight, so you don't have to worry about it rubbing off on to your pillow. This is an excellent way to keep skin looking healthy as we approach the colder winter months, especially if your skin dries out in the cold weather like ours does. 

This is a beautiful product that leaves you feeling pampered all day long. You can purchase the 24/7 balm here for £55.00

Super Matte Mattifying Mist by Lock Stock and Barrel

A wind-swept mane tussled by nature is more than just a gorgeous set of locks; it’s a way of life. Well maybe not a way of life, but it certainly reflects one as it gives off that desirable relaxed summer vibe. So we at The Amazing Blog thought it seemed wholly unfair that the majority of hair products that promise those wondrous beachy waves are directed only at women. Regardless of gender, everyone deserves to feel like a Californian God. Luckily though, we discovered Lock, Stock and Barrel and their unbelievably brilliant Super Matte Mattifying Spray which, we honestly believe, would give Chris Hemsworth, Thor himself, a run for his money. 

The liquid to powder formula results in The Super Matte Mattifying Spray giving an amped, beachy, matte texture that would be hard to achieve otherwise. The fast drying combination of natural sea minerals and silica gives hair an unparalleled matte finish, with a light and lifted hold. On top of all this, the spray has an almost addictive citrus and woody scent accompanying its enviable results.  To use this product, simply shake well and spray directly onto towel dried hair or into palms and comb through with fingers, before blow drying. 

Unfortunately, the brand's website is having a makeover, but you can purchase the spray here for £8.76, and have that post surf wave and texture you’ve always wanted! 

Rouge Bunny Rouge- Burgundy Spring

We at The Amazing Blog adore trying out unique makeup products, so when Rouge Bunny Rouge sent us their Burgundy Spring gift set, we were excited. The set includes a blush wand, a shimmery quartz eyeliner and, most excitingly, a deep wine-red mascara.

Rouge Bunny Rouge’s Magnitude Mascara UBIQUITOUS is the perfect mascara for anyone looking for long, curvy and voluminous lashes, with a twist. The mascara with its unique colour gives you a natural yet intense look. The colour adds a little touch of originality to your everyday makeup. The colour will suit every skin colour and really make eyes pop. The UBIQUITOUS mascara is much more than it's burgundy colour; it is made with a unique formulation including paraffin Wax, carnauba wax, beeswax and silk proteins. Together these ingredients give a very soft texture and consistency to the product and help protect lashes. The mascara is long lasting and is also alcohol and fragrance-free, making it ideal for sensitive eyes.

The Blush Wand is our favourite blush that transcends the seasons. The creamy blush gives you a natural and glowy look on a hot summer day, but also gives the cheeks a gorgeous autumnal plummy colour when applied more liberally. The blush is easily blendable and buildable; it glides smoothly onto the cheeks leaving a colourful natural stain. Not only is this product an amazing blush that instantly brightens your face in just a swipe, but it is also infused with high-quality ingredients including jojoba oil and spherical powders. What we love about this product is that it is multi-use; it can also be applied on the lips and eyes. It is the perfect product to put in your daily makeup bag for busy mornings.

The liner is ideal for those of you who like to sport a bolder look. The Quartz Eyeliner is made from particles of artificial quartz giving it an enchanting deep blue colour. The formula is amazing, in that the water based formula makes it easy to apply and it dries quickly for day-long staying power, without smudging. It is also very pigmented and instantly transforms your look into a powerful and mysterious one.

The Burgundy Spring gift set is limited edition, but luckily it is still available here for €60 (approximately £55). Unfortunately, all of Rouge Bunny Rouge's prices are in Euro's, but you can still purchase them if you live in the UK.

Friday Favourites for Effortlessly Perfect Eyes

Eye make-up was, for many of us, the first exploration into the world of beauty. Looking at advertisements and movie stars with the perfect smokey eye, or lashes that fluttered coyly, we realized that we wanted to look like that. Before all the other little tricks such as contouring, highlighters and lip-liners entered our world, it was eye makeup that made a statement and had the power to transform your identity for the day. While our tastes may have grown more subtle, definitely an improvement from the over lined lids of our youth, we still find a well done eye can lift an entire look. Therefore, The Amazing Blog has pooled it's collective knowledge to create a step by step guide for the perfect day to day look with minimal effort. After all, just because you are in a rush doesn't mean you can't look your best!

The first step for perfect eyes is to create a smooth and dark circle free surface to begin working with. To achieve this, we would recommend using Orphica's Pure Advanced Eye Renewal Serum which moderates wrinkle formation, banishes dark circles and puffiness, and nourishes the delicate under-eye area. The skin under your eyes is especially sensitive, which is why it needs special protection from external stressors, such as oxidative stress. Key ingredients such as Abyssinian oil, Vitamins A and E and snail secretion leave skin soft, smooth and soothed.

We are big fans of Orphica, which is why they feature again in the final step of this look. The reason we like this brand so much is that they draw inspiration from nature, incorporating the wonderful properties of plant extracts and the natural processes of the human body to create remarkable and effective products. 

Just apply the serum once daily before applying makeup. Purchase it here for £62.

The second step is a quick way to create long term effects. if you are like us then you have probably longed for longer lashes most of your life. Well, the people at Eye Care Cosmetics have granted us our wish with their Infini-Cils Mascara & Liner. It is an innovative lash growth activator which consists of a unique blend of nutritional ingredients to nourish the hairs. The active ingredient TDC (Tetrasodium Disuccinoyl Cystine) stimulates keratin which is the key composit for stronger, longer lashes. Biotinyl nourishes the lashes, promoting faster growth. Last, but not least, is organic Silicum and Panthenol, which are moisturising and strengthening ingredients. Importantly, the serum is hypo-allergenic and so those of you with sensitive skin and eyes are still able to use this wonder-product. It seems we're not the only ones who think this, as it was 'highly commended' at the 2016 Pure Beauty Awards.

This is an easy way to improve your lashes, you simply apply to makeup free eyes using the dual applicator. A fine liner applies product along the root of lashes and a mascara brush coats the length of the lashes.

Purchase the Infini-Cils Mascara & Liner from this UK stockist here, for £18.

Now you have prepared the skin we are ready to move on to cosmetics. We firmly believe that eye Shadow is the best way to make eyes stand out, look bigger and help enhance your natural eye colour. We would recommend one of Lin & Lo's Mineral Eyeshadow Sets. They come as perfectly matched trios in an array of natural or vibrant colours. We were able to try the Natural trio and the Plum trio, the latter being ideal for green and hazel eyes. We recommend the Sahara trio, with the amber and rust hues to help blue eyes shine. Play up brown eyes with bronze tones to bring out their depth and dimension using the Mordore trio. 

The formula of the shadows are made of pure pigments with a silky touch that are easy to blend and only need only a single layer for maximum impact. Lin & Lo is a brand focused on using natural ingredients in their makeup line. They offer professional-quality makeup that acts as a skin care treatment at the same time, containing vitamins (C and E), antioxidants and natural ingredients such as Jojoba Oil, Roman Chamomile and Shea Butter. This eye shadow will leave your delicate skin left healthy and beautiful. The line consists of anything from foundations to lip pencils. What's more, the products are great for sensitive skin. They are hypoallergenic and free from synthetic preservatives, chemical dyes, artificial fragrances. Lin & Lo want women to feel confident and safe which is an ethos we can get behind.

If you have time, a flick of your favourite eye liner pairs beautifully with all Lin & Lo eye shadow. You can buy the Mineral Eye Shadow Sets here for £35.50 each.

Bookending our routine is Orphica's Up Mascara which gives instantly longer lashes. The ergonomic wand effectively works to separate the lashes and coat each lash evenly, adding the much-desired volume. The mascara was designed to give you that seductive look, and so you are left with natural but fluttery lashes. The formula is top-notch; it is highly-pigmented and pitch-black, it doesn't flake, smudge, clump or weigh down the lashes. the mascara remains in place through out the day and finishes off the look. This mascara is so good, in fact, that we forego the eye lash curlers making it a time-saving and effective product. 

Purchase the mascara here for £30.00, with free delivery on all orders.

With these three products in your makeup bag you are guaranteed to finally have the eyes you dreamed of as a child. All of the products are easy to use and are the perfect accompaniment to the girl on the go. 

Face Masks by 7th Heaven

7th Heaven is a brand all of us at The Amazing Blog have fond memories of. They were the brand you would buy for sleep overs as a child, then as you got older for nights in with friends and a bottle of wine. They have a wide range of masks available and all of them are fun, affordable and effective. 7th Heaven very kindly sent us a diverse selection of their products to the office and let me tell you, it has been a fun week of selfies and fabulous skin.

What we really love about 7th Heaven is the variety of products they offer. Whatever you are looking for they are bound to have it. They have sheet masks, mud sheet masks, peel off masks, thermal masks, and the classic mud masks. Each mask informs you if it is natural or safely man made (meaning minimal chemicals and all non-harsh.) 7th Heaven has been going strong for over 30 years now, and have always been dedicated to standing against animal testing. They are a founding member of the Cosmetics Industry Coalition of Animal Welfare and are incredibly proud that all their products are cruelty-free.

It was hard to pick a favourite, so instead, we narrowed it down to our top three. From the peel-off masks – which are endlessly fun – we loved the Cucumber Peel Off Mask which deeply cleansed and refreshed the skin. From the traditional mud pack collection, we particularly enjoyed the Avocado Oil Mask which exfoliated our faces as well as moisturised them. We particularly enjoyed the Hot Spring Sauna Masque, which had an unusual warming sensation we could really get behind and would definitely use again. This pack employed volcanic minerals to gently warm and exfoliate the face. Everyone in the office has loved the growth in sheet mask’s popularity, so the combination of the traditional mud pack with this new craze instantly intrigued us and left our skin feeling smoother and more nourished.

You can purchase 7th Heaven products from a variety of places, including Boots for £1 per mask!