Deardot Cosmetics: Yuja Cleansing Seal

We keep hearing so much about K beauty and reviewed a few brands in the past, so today at The Amazing Blog we thought we’d take a look at more Korean skincare brands, starting with the awards winning Deardot Cosmetics and their Yuja Cleansing Seal.

Deardot has a strong threefold philosophy which is to keep its ingredients minimal, vegan and eco-friendly. Launching in March 2020, it’s founded by Woorikidsplus, a Korean beauty tech start-up whose aim is to educate the next generation with their Deardot philosophies. The Deardot’s fundamental goal is to provide natural skincare using only minimal ingredients. The brand also focuses very design-led packaging with the rather unusual concept of writing letters to your loved one (or in this case, your precious skin!) That said, Deardot is best known for their commitment to preserving the dangyuja fruit and its seeds (part of the citrus family and a genealogically a variety of pomelo fruit) which is only grown on Jeju Island, a province of South Korea. It is a plant mainly used for tea and was historically used to treat the common cold. What makes Deardot unique is that it exclusively uses an extract from the dangyuja in its products (see above photo). This fruit contains three times more vitamin C than lemon and helps to revitalise and brightening dull skin. All ingredients in their products are natural and are recognised and certified by EWG Green and FDA. They have 11-products in the range from cleansers, lotions and creams, to serums, toners and masks; which are suitable for all skin types.  

The Deardot Yuja Cleansing Seal contains 30 ‘seals’ moulded into small, flat, water-soluble pressed powder rectangles. The reusable cardboard packaging includes many surprises: letters and stickers, along with the paper sachets containing the cleansing seals themselves.  We discovered these recently when they won the gold in the 2020 Global Green Beauty Awards  for Best Ethical Beauty Product & Most Innovative Green Product. They are paraben-free, and has a very slight yuja citrus fruit fragrance. The cleansing seal is used in three easy steps: To activate the pressed powder ‘seal’ in your hand, add a little warm water (no running water) mixing until it forms a white paste. Next, rub the paste gently on the face to remove makeup or daily residue, and finally, rinse the face with clean water.  We used this Yuja Cleansing Seal as part of our night-time routine, which left our skin feeling cleansed and hydrated. The two key ingredients here are shea butter and yuja extract. Shea butter has anti-inflammatory and healing properties where it conditions, tones and soothes the skin. Yuja extract, has many health benefits such as boosting the body’s immune system, reducing inflammation and moisturising the skin. We think the Yuja Cleansing Seals are ideal for on the go or for slipping into your hand luggage, as they take up absolutely no space!  Although they say these seals are suitable for all skin types, we think these will appeal more to the teen generation with their added novelty stickers and design paraphernalia. You can purchase the Yuja Cleansing Seal here which come in either a pack of 14 for $10 or 30 for $18.

SKINEGO - The Prime

When you look good, you feel good! That's why we at The Amazing Blog, always put extra emphasis on having thoroughly cleansed skin. If like us, you live in a polluted city it becomes your number one priority. Today we’re featuring a new launch skincare device by SKINEGO, and when we spoke to the founders and learnt more about their Prime, we couldn’t wait to put it to the test. We've reviewed many different cleansing products, but this is a dual action facial cleansing device that goes above and beyond, not only does it cleanse but has a thermal eye massage mode too. Meet the Prime by SKINEGO, another one of our #amazingfinds.

The SKINEGO brand is co-founded by best friends Shazia and Fay, who have created a luxurious and carefully crafted high-tech skincare device. It brings a spa-like experience into the comfort of your own home, where the Prime can deliver similar results as some professional beauty treatments. Shazia and Fay grew up together, sharing their great passion for skincare. They were always trying out many different skincare products and as busy Mums were continually searching for new and effective beauty and self-care solutions. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the resulting anxieties and uncertainties caused them both to feel that they didn’t have time for self-care; it felt more of a luxury rather than a necessity. This made them take a step back and re-evaluate their skincare routines. They soon realised what they were missing was a high-performance, portable, easy to use cleansing and self-care device; hence the Prime was born. Shazia commented: "We created SKINEGO to remind ourselves that no matter what path you cross in life or whatever stage you may be at, it's not selfish to love yourself, to take care of yourself. It's time to make happiness a priority." And we couldn’t agree more!

The Prime is a revolutionary device with a dual-action facial cleansing brush with a thermal eye massage. It uses a combination of sonic and thermal technology, is battery-operated and portable - making it ideal for those on-the-go. It is 100% waterproof with skin-friendly silicone bristles and anti-microbial properties that provide a gentle and deep cleanse. It breaks down an astonishing 99.5% of dirt and skin impurities. The eye massager head heats up to 42 degrees and targets fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles around the eye contour area. 

Let’s start with the facial cleanser mode; moisten the face, wet the brush head and apply your regular cleanser.  Press once and feel it glide smoothly over the skin, move the Prime evenly around the face in circular motions. And don't worry about leaving it on, the device will automatically turn off after 2 minutes. When finished, rinse your face and the device. We want to mention how soft it feels on the skin (compared to other well-known cleansing devices), it’s gentle, in the way that it removes daily grim and even the most stubborn mascara, but without tugging on the delicate eye area. SKINEGO recommends using the Prime in the bath or shower, although not to submerge the device or use it for longer than 30 minutes. It’s a unisex and cross-generational device, and one that’s suitable for even the most sensitive of skin types. Impressive!

Now to activate the thermal eye massage mode. Press twice to get it to pulse and then give the device 10 seconds to warm up. Place the massaging ridges in a stationary position on the eye or move it slowly around the contour of your eye and r-e-l-a-x. This eye massage mode helps to soothe tired eyes and can be used either alone or with eye cream/gel. I like how the heated head speeds up the absorption of eye creams or gels compared to my regular manual eye contour tapping technique. Best of all, with daily use, I’ve noticed that a stubborn crease under my left eye now seems less visible and more plumped out!

The Prime is delivered in a stylish linen card presentation box, with a luxurious taupe travel pouch, 2 x AAA batteries and a 1-year warranty. It has indeed won us over with both its performance and versatility, and we’ll be continuing to use it on a regular basis. To purchase The Prime for £95.00 see here. 

Folli Oil - Emergency Fix

Have you ever turned down an invitation to great beach party, all because of some unsightly inflamed ingrown hairs, bumps or itchy re-growth? I’m sorry to say we at The Amazing Blog are guilty! After much discussion here, we scoured the internet and came across Folli Oil. This brand has created a very clever range of products specifically designed to tackle those nasty rashes and bumps. Today we review their rather aptly named Emergency Fix. 

Folli Oil was created by Liz Allen who previously lived in the Caribbean, where in this sunny environment showing perfect, hair-free skin, is the social norm . After years of pressure, stress and embarrassment with her sometimes sore and inflamed ingrown hairs; and frustrated at being unable to find a product that worked – she set about researching a solution to soothe and heal these breakouts. This was when Follio was born, offering a life-changing skincare solution for those who experience niggling irritation and discomfort after shaving or waxing. All products are 100% natural and free from artificial colour/fragrance, synthetic preservatives, parabens, petrochemicals and are also gluten-free and vegan. There are four products in the range a Body Scrub, Exfoliating Tonic Daily Treatment Oil and Emergency Fix (which we are reviewing below).

The Emergency Fix  not only heals but prevents inflamed bumps and itchy regrowth. It’s a two-part set in 10ml rollerball bottles, namely ‘Intensive Care’ and ‘Exfoliating Tonic’. Formulated with willow bark extract, aloe vera, tamanu, comfrey and borage seed oils. It’s a blend of essential oils that both replenishes and exfoliates the skin. These unclog, purify, nourish and heal the follicles preventing any ingrown hairs and spots. Both products are completely natural, sustainable, cruelty-free, handmade in the UK and suitable for all skin types. However, because they contain peppermint oil, they recommended not using this product during pregnancy. 

The set is small enough to pack in hand luggage and the rollerball makes it super-easy for precision application on small areas. First, apply the Exfoliating Tonic directly onto clean, dry skin to gently exfoliate and kill bacteria preventing infection. Once the skin is dry, soothe the area by applying the Intensive Care. This healing treatment will reduce inflammation and nourish the skin helping it stay smooth. Massage in Intensive Care until it’s completely absorbed and then leave. This Emergency Fix can be applied up to 3 times a day, and they say that you should feel an improvement within 30 minutes of application! I used this on my underarms – where skin was inflamed with a hair that was trying to push through. It was red, sore and extremely uncomfortable – so it offered the ideal opportunity to test this out. I was impressed with how soothing it felt, the area became less inflamed and with a few more applications, it eventually broke through the skin, where I then braved the tweezers! We think that this Emergency Fix is a bit of a game-changer and certainly deserves the title as one of our #Amazingfinds. To purchase your Emergency Fix it’s available here for £25.00 - and it’s worth every penny!

CBD Leafline - Skin Rejuvenating Night Cream & Marine Collagen Eye Gel

Today we are back with another British CBD brand that we’ve recently uncovered and are super excited to tell you all about it. At The Amazing PR, when it comes to CBD infused skincare, we’re always on the looking out for the next best thing; and with the brand CBD Leafline what sets them apart is that they are both a formulator and manufacturer, and kindly sent us some of their range to try.

The brand is founded by CBD enthusiasts Paul and Sonia Shrive; where Paul, who had a lifesaving encounter with CBD in Africa during his youth, wanted to create quality CBD-derived products for others to share the same benefits of well-being. Thanks to his experience in manufacturing, distribution, and wholesale; and Sonia’s expertise in marketing and customer service, they finally launched CBD Leafline in 2018. After much research and development, their first CBD-infused skincare the Skin Therapy range launched at the end of September last year. Over the past few years, studies have demonstrated that topical use of CBD helped regulate the sebaceous glands (responsible for making you look shiny), reduce inflammation and is also a powerful antioxidant. All products in the range combine high-quality whole-plant hemp oil containing CBD (THC-free) with cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, omega 3/6 and amino acid. These interact with other anti-ageing natural and vegan-friendly ingredients, which are derived from plant and fruit extracts, marine collagen (seaweed not fish) retinol, hyaluronic acid and pro-vitamin B5. All CBD Leafline products are independently tested (see here), and the brand is a CannaPro certified business.

The first product that we tried was the Skin Rejuvenating Night Cream and think that this will soon become your hydration hero, if like us, you have dry and dehydrated skin. The 100mg whole-plant hemp extract is paired with other powerful antioxidants like oat silk, plum kernel and argan oils, and green tea extract. This formula is also packed with hydrating properties; starting with our old friend hyaluronic acid together with evening primrose, shea butter, and a complex of natural oils (apricot kernel, avocado, arnica, and passionfruit); where these fatty acids that maintain the skin’s hydration are here to keep it nourished.  The cream’s scent is a subtle and delicious mix of green tea and plum. To use, simply apply a small amount to cleansed skin in the evening, avoiding the eye contour and massage upwards gently working the cream into face and neck. What we liked abut this Night Cream was that in the morning, our skin felt soft, looked dewy and was slightly more plumped-up. The 30ml Skin Rejuvenating Night Cream is available for purchase at £44.99 here.

The second product we tried was the Marine Collagen Eye Gel and in this 30ml bottle the CBD dosage is 50mg; this works alongside the seaweed-extracted marine collagen to help the skin regain its elasticity. This Eye Gel is also rich in hyaluronic acid and avocado oil both of which improve skin’s moisture levels. While alongside the hemp terpenes, the arnica and aloe vera here tone and fights puffiness and dark circles . Use morning and night by dabbing a small amount of gel onto the eye area and let it absorb. We found that it glided onto the skin effortlessly and left the area feeling cool and refreshed; it also worked brilliantly for reviving tired eyes - especially with our constant screen fatigue! You can purchase the 30ml Marine Collagen Eye Gel for £34.99 here. All products have super-potent formulas and to get the maximum benefit from their natural actives do remember to store them in a cool spot (below 25°C) and away from direct sunlight. All of their skincare products are available on their own or as sets and bundles.

Shea Sassy - Holistic Rose Soap

With all these nasty Covid viruses hovering, we’ve been told endlessly to wash our hands. Which is why the simple soap has now become our new best friend at The Amazing Blog. it’s always been our preferred way to cleanse as we like natural soaps that are kind to both hands and face. So, the newly launched artisan soap brand Shea Sassy piqued our interest.

Based in the picturesque Esk Valley, Shea Sassy was founded by Emily Hodgson – who wanted to create natural soap products that would be both good for skin and the environment. The company provides a wide range of handmade artisan soaps with natural fragrances. Every soap bar is lovingly made in her studio using only the finest natural ingredients.  Shea Sassy focuses on producing cruelty-free, eco-friendly products in plastic-free sustainable packaging. They are also cold-pressed, handmade, vegan and HSCG (Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild) certified. All soaps contain the key ingredient of unrefined shea butter, which is known for its healing and restorative properties. 

They kindly send us this Holistic Rose Soap, a handmade soap that comes in a simple white cardboard sleeve, it's creamy in colour and embellished with small dried rosebuds. It has a soothing and subtle rose scent, and is made with a combination of parma rosa, rose geranium and ylang ylang essential oils. The soap is made using a cold-pressing method, which takes up to 6 weeks for full saponification. Shea Sassy uses sodium cocoate, naturally derived from coconut oil and known primarily for its cleansing abilities. There is also sodium palmate, extracted from palm oil and working as an emulsifying agent which works wonders eliminating germs and dirt. There are also extracts from olive oil, shea butter, avocado and castor oil that are all blended together to help leave the skin clean, soft and deeply hydrated. The rose element here includes rosa damascene flowers and rose geranium oil which help to fight bacteria and reduce anxiety and stress.  We used this soap not only as a gentle face wash for the morning, but also for hand-washing during the day. It has the perfect balance to cleanses and hydrates the skin (and we couldn’t get enough of it). To get your individual Holistic Rose Soap bar here for only £7.00, and you can also purchase it as part of a set (which includes an Egyptian cotton flannel and mahogany soap dish) here for £20.00.