Vedic Botanicals – Alk-Align Toning Mists

During these colder months, skin hydration is more important than ever. Going between the extremes of the chilly outside world and central heating plays havoc with our skin. This is where for us at The Amazing Blog we’ve been regularly ‘spritzing’ our faces with these Alk-Align Toning Mists from Vedic Botanicals, best of all, we’ve found that they’re stopped our skin from feeling tight and dehydrated. 

The Vedic Botanical’s founder Rachel Warnock has always had a desire to do what’s right by the environment and the people around her. After gaining a master’s in Vedic Science and Ayurvedic Medicine, the global 2008 economic crisis happened… Unsure of what to do, or where to go, she started working mediocre jobs to get by. However, dissatisfied with what she was doing, she decided to follow her passion by making her own products and thus started the brand with the motto of: “From soil to skin, only goodness goes in!”. Vedic Botanicals has created a variety of organic Ayurvedic body and skin care, hair serums and mists. Warnock is committed to using environmentally friendly practices where her products are certified organic and cruelty-free. Their packaging is reusable and is made from compostable plant-based plastic. They use eco-friendly practices wherever possible and compost any products past their sell-by date and have a workshop which is 100% solar powered. One of the more unique aspects of this company is their ‘empty jar guarantee’. If at the end of using one of their products you’re unhappy, you can simply return the empty to them and receive a full refund! We applaud Vedic Botanicals for their ethos and have quoted here from an interview with Warnock and Conversations with Kim: “We believe that profit made at the expense of the Mother Earth is not worth making. It only robs future generations along with the other species sharing this planet with us.  We vet the companies we source our herbs, oils, and packaging materials from choosing companies with eco-friendly practices to maintain sustainability top to bottom.” 

These are now some of our go-to winter products, the Alk-Align Toning Mists which come in two different blends has alkaline water and are one of the first toning mists to have a pH level of 9 (see the recent feature here where we talk about pH levels in the skin) There is the Ourika or the Kamogawa blend, both of these mists are created as multi-taskers they can hydrate, balance, cleanse, or tone the skin. We’ve been using these by spritzing onto our face and letting it absorb on makeup-free skin (at home in lockdown!) or as a cleanser/toner using these either end of the day.  Both mists contain oxygenated water which promotes hydration, detoxification and blood circulation. The Ourika mist, which is named after the Ourika river in Morocco, is created to help with your dry or oily skin with a spring-like floral scent. The key ingredient here is the frankincense which is known to help hydrate dry skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Whereas the Kamogawa mist, which is named after Duck River in Kyoto, it addresses uneven skin tone and has a more autumnal earthy scent. The white rose hydrosol here is a popular toner often formulated for dry skin. The helichrysum hydrosol is good for calming and correcting redness or dryness helping to balance the skin. We like how both these are pocket-sized at 30ml – making them easy to keep with you to spritz on the skin throughout the day.  Keep your skin nice and hydrated throughout these cold weeks and purchase your Alk-Align Toning Mists for the Vedic Botanicals here for $18.47 each.

L'Atelier Green Paris - SOS Damaged Nails

We don’t know about you, but at The Amazing Blog we find that this cold weather isn’t very kind to our hands, not only with cracked skin but split nails too. Helping to keep our nails healthy we found this SOS Damaged Nails nourishing base coat and treatment from L’Atelier Green which works as a wonderful nail hardener, helping to make brittle nails healthy and strong again.

Sisters Hamida and Yasmine Smatti founded L’Atelier Green when they identified a gap in the market where they were unable to find any natural or nourishing nail products that also had a range of coloured nail lacquers. Their first beauty business venture was in 2017, with Rouge Fast Beauty Bar; it was the first London mobile beauty service to offer natural hair and makeup products for clients. During this period, they soon learned how many of their clients’ natural nails had sustained damage from acrylics or gels; soon they found that they were helping with more and more repairs to fragile and damaged nails. Three years on, they launched L’Atelier Green formulated in France, with a range of all-natural coloured nail varnishes and treatments. These products are low in chemical formulas, breathable, water permeable, vegan (and cruelty-free), with bio-sourced organic oils, superfood enriched and certified halal. They are also all free-from the 13 common and harmful ingredients found in commercial nail lacquers such as: DBP, toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, xylene, camphor, nickel, ethyl tosylamide, triphenyl phosphate, parabens, benzophenone 1&2, styrene and animal derivatives.

The SOS Damaged Nails is a clear base coat that offers protection for the natural nail and works with natural ingredients and oils as a nail treatment. These include organic actives such as avocado and sweet almond oils, acerola, ginseng, zinc and silicium extracts. Plus, this formula is infused with cocoa butter, bamboo, biotin (vitamin B), which work together to moisturise, give nutrition and strengthen any frangible nails. The silicium, in particular, improves collagen production which in turn promotes nail growth. The SOS Damaged Nails is ideal to use as a base coat, and being air and water permeable (wudu-friendly), it ensures that nails are kept in tiptop condition while repairing. As recommended, we used this alone as an intense treatment with two coats twice a week, with good results. However, we also applied one coat under our regular nail lacquer, and are delighted to report back that when we did our weekly home mani-pedi, our nails were a good healthy pink underneath, without any colour stain. We think this is a keeper! And is yet again another one of our #amazingfinds. If your nails need a rest from having gels or acrylics or are just in need of some good old fashioned TLC, this is the product use. To purchase The SOS Damaged Nails at £19.99 see here.

Marc Inbane - Perle de Soleil

It’s November, the leaves are turning glorious hues of bronze, red and orange. However, our skin at The Amazing Blog has that grey ‘city pallor’ and is much in need of some help to get back its healthy summer glow. We were thrilled to receive some ‘sun beads’ from one of our favourite award-winning tanning brands Marc Inbane, where these ‘Perle de Soleil’ are easy to incorporate into our everyday skincare regime adding a golden shimmer to the complexion.

Marc Inbane was founded in 2012 in the Netherlands by a trio whose names  INgo, BArt and NEle form a portmanteau to cleverly become the brand name ‘INBANE’.  Marc Inbane is a tanning brand that we first introduced with their traveling set here and is a brand that we have kept a steady eye on as they grow. They have created a safe premium tanning brand that has innovative formulas that allows the consumer to achieve a healthy and natural-looking glow all-year-round. Their products are suitable for all skin types and tones; they’re vegan, cruelty-free and don’t contain any parabens, silicones or sulphates. And most importantly, dermatologically tested and EU compliant. Their products are award-winning and now retailed in over 40 countries, they’re also used by leading make-up artists and recommended by dermatologists.

Perle de Soleil was launched in 2018 and has been developed based on a four-fold tanning technology that uses an airless drop dosage system.  This particular award-winning unisex product is probably the easiest self-tanning product that we have tried in ages, as it integrates seamlessly into daily skincare. All you need to do to achieve that lost summer glow is mix a few drops of Perle de Soleil with your day cream. The convenient ‘one drop’ applicator allows you to create that custom sun-kissed look with the intensity that you want. The brand suggests using 2 to 3 drops to subtly enhance skin colour, or 4-5 drops to create a medium tan and 5+ drops if you are going for a full-on sun-drenched look. You can also progressively increase the number of drops if you want to give the illusion this winter of returning from the sunny ski slopes. The product is quick and takes about 3 hours to work its magic, lasting up to 3 or 4 days, giving the skin a natural look. After this, you can shower, sleep, go out in the sun, (with an SPF of course, perhaps mixed with these drops?)  Two quick reminders: (1) Don’t forget to exfoliate your skin before using a self-tanning product to prepare the skin and rid it of those pesky dead skin cells to leave the skin a silky smooth blank canvas. (2) Wash your hands after applying or you’ll end up with orange palms! The product comes in a sealed airless sleek 15ml black tube which allows for a long shelf life without preservatives. We recommend including this in your next beauty shopping list, where you can purchase it here for € 34.95. it’s another one of our #amazingfinds as it’s cost-effective and lasts up to an astonishing four months, which in our view is excellent value.

A.T. Antao - Aqua Fresh Cleanser

We’ve featured this international skincare brand A.T Antao a few times before here on The Amazing Blog. They very kindly sent us more of their products, two of which were nominated at the CEW Beauty Awards 2019, the first of which we’re reviewing today with their Aqua Fresh Cleanser.

A.T. Antao was founded in 2014 by successful entrepreneur and skincare expert Teniya Tao who has made it her mission, to share the power of her Chinese ancestral ingredients, with women across the globe. Teniya also wants to empower women, “to realise their own potential. Self-belief, confidence, competence, and independence are achievable and realistic goals for all, under the dynamic leadership of Teniya and in partnership with her brand A.T.“ She actively encourages women to be in charge of their own destiny, which in Chinese, translates rather charmingly as: "Be your own Queen’.

The Aqua Fresh Cleanser is a light and non-greasy cleanser (good for combination or oily skins) it acts as a 2-in-1, as it not only cleanses but also hydrates. It feels smooth and balm-like when applied to the face. However, when it makes contact with water, the balm transforms into creamy lotion, melting away any stubborn makeup residue. Thanks to its numerous oils, like olive, rose, grape seed and sea buckthorn; it leaves the pores free from impurities and daily grime, with skin velvet-soft to the touch fragranced with rose. As a formula, they have created this to work in tandem with the pH balance of the skin. It efficiently cleanses without drying, making it ideal for winter. It comes in a stylish pearlised pink tub with the palest pink translucent balm, that when you open the jar, you’re greeted with a delicate aroma that is unmistakably rose.  Much as we loved the texture, fragrance and performance of this cleanser, there were a few things on the ingredients list that we must point out. It was disappointing to see a few of our no-nos here with their use of the preservative methylparaben. Sadly, as we read further down the list, we realised that this is not a natural formula, as it also contains microcrystalline wax, ethylhexyl palmitate, polyethylene, cocopoly-7, cocoyl and aminopropyl betaine. Our hope is that the brand might one day think about reformulating this with more natural ingredients for the future? To use, apply to the face with the provided spatula, add water, and massage in gently. Finally, rinse off and gently dry your skin.  You can purchase this rose-scented Aqua Fresh cleanser for £18.90 here.

KLEAF - Hair Care

When we say ‘hair care’ one immediately assumes that we’re talking about just a shampoo or conditioner. What we forget here the most essential step, which is taking care of the scalp. Scalp exfoliation is not a subject that is often talked about in the glamorous world of beauty, but we think that this is where the journey to having beautiful hair starts. A few weeks ago, at The Amazing Blog, we were kindly sent a set of KLEAF which are an extraordinary Scalp Optimizing Trio that we want to share with you.

KLEAF is a Malaysian hair care that is part of Luxurcraft PLT who are a GDPMD certified and approved company that distributes and exports premium sulphate-free scalp care products. KLEAF focuses on offering safe, cruelty-free and natural hair care. Their primary mission is to free scalps from parabens, harsh sulphates, and the ever-so-famous silicones that are still very present in the haircare industry today. Are silicones that bad? Even though they have not been proven to cause any harm to our skin, in the long run, their use becomes counterproductive as they leave a water-resistant film on the hair strands and scalp that doesn’t wash away easily. But I hear you ask; doesn’t this film benefit the skin as it protects it from pollution and retains hydration? At first yes, so short-term, your skin and your hair will look shiny and healthy. Except that as it does not rinse off with ease, it ends up retaining dirt, pollution, and dead cells; thus causing more build-up, therefore interfering with cell-renewal and eventually making your hair look dull and feel heavy. You might have noticed that when knowingly using make-up with silicones, it’s more difficult to remove. The residue is still there the second time around and sometimes even the third! This is because of the silicone coating. But that’s not all. This protective film also blocks the skin from all nourishing ingredients that are supposed to penetrate the skin or the scalp. Plus, research has shown that silicones are not the best thing for the planet, taking up to 500 years for them to biodegrade. KLEAF formulas, which were originally conceived in France, have succeeded in producing an all-natural trio of hair care alternatives to free hair from unwanted chemical residue. What impresses us is KLEAF's transparency here, as a responsible committed and sustainable business, that also prioritises their ingredients to be environmentally friendly.

This is where the KLEAF Scalp Purifying Exfoliator comes into play. Everyone who is beauty-aware knows the importance of exfoliating their skin regularly to get the best results. The scalp being nothing more than the skin on top of our head (and under our hair) which needs the same! When switching to an all-natural hair care routine, the exfoliation will help remove all residue from silicones that have been sitting on your scalp. In this formula, with its micronized walnut shells unclog the hair follicles by freeing them from build-up and product residue, while the small Himalayan salt crystals detoxify the scalp, and the sweet almond and basil oils gently purify whilst nourishing the skin. Like your usual skin scrub, you can use this exfoliator once or twice a week (maximum), before your shampoo, or instead of your shampoo. On the scalp, the solution feels cool and tingles slightly. Massage for about 3 minutes, then rinse away. After use, our hair felt incredibly clean and light, and we noticed a little more volume than usual and a scalp that was less itchy.

Next, we have the KLEAF Scalp Optimizing Shampoo, which is a plant-based stimulating shampoo. In this product, piroctone olamine’s anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties are used to reduce hair loss and inflammation. At the same time, the caffeine stimulates the follicles and strengthens the hair, extending its life cycle. These allow the hair to be efficiently cleansed while the basil, argan, and sweet almond oils nourish the hair to keep it healthy and supple. Again, on the scalp, this lotion-like shampoo feels cool and refreshing, and the basil smell (almost licoricey) is to die for. Our hair looked healthier and lighter and with more volume. To use, massage on wet scalp and leave on for 2 to 3 minutes.

The third product of the set is the KLEAF Hair Strengthening Conditioner, which helps the hair stay silky smooth, healthy, and resistant to breakage without the use of any silicones. In this thicker formula, the glycerine and jojoba & basil oils ensure that your locks are deeply nourished, without leaving any excess. We think that it has a delicious fresh basil fragrance and used it as a regular conditioner after shampoo. They recommend avoiding the scalp, leaving it on for about 2 minutes and then rinsing thoroughly. Afterwards, our hair smelt almost garden-fresh and felt clean, light and shiny with our curls that looked more naturally defined.  This is definitely one of our top hair care #amazingfinds for 2020. In the office, we had to toss a coin to decide who got to keep this set – that’s how much we loved it!

For optimal results, KLEAF advises combining these three products. You can purchase the set for 255 AED (approximately £48) on their European distributor’s website at Advik Beauty’s here who very kind to send us these products.