Gifts

Winky Lux Mini Lip Pill Kit

We here at The Amazing Blog don’t know why, but we adore something much more when it’s mini. So if you’re anything like us, you’ll absolutely love the Mini Lip Pill Kit from Winky Lux. This New York City-based brand is all about creating luxurious, on-trend makeup at an affordable price, so we can all feel like the 'Queens' that we are; their motto which we can surely get behind. 

Winky Lux has put together their best-selling Demi-Matte Lip Velours, so with 5 shades, you are bound to find your signature shade. From the essential nude shades and a classic red to the more adventurous bright and dark purple shades, this kit gives you a perfect matte colour for any and every occasion. The mini size also makes these lipsticks easy to travel with or it can make the perfect gift for any makeup lover in your life.

The shades come in Meow, Pippy, City, Royal, and Heart and are incredibly creamy and long-lasting. Of course, we love that they are cruelty, paraben, and gluten-free. Our favourite shade that we often sport has to be Meow because it suits so many skin tones and is really the perfect everyday shade. Though we do love to rock the shade City, a beautiful dark purple, on those nights out when we want a pop of something just a little bit different and totally glamorous.

The Mini Lip Pill Kit from Winky Lux is available here for £11.39, but we’re sure you’ll be going back for a full size of at least one shade soon after. Winky Lux is also available from Asos, Feelunique and Harvey Nichols.

Bnifty - Hatching Raptor Candle

Easter is one of our favourite holidays here at The Amazing Blog. We spent Easter weekend catching up with friends and family, just enjoying each other’s company. Normally, this would include a lot of chocolate eggs being eaten, but this Easter we decided to go for a zero-calorie egg option… and here it is, a Hatching Raptor Candle from the online shop bNifty. Based in London, bNifty is a shop where you can find unique and quirky gifts (like this hatching candle) for everyone on your list. So no matter the time of year, whether you are looking for a birthday gift or a Christmas present, bNifty will have you covered.

The Hatching Raptor Candle comes in a clever box designed to look like a wooden crate. The crate has ‘WARNING’ written in all capital letters across the front, warning users about the ‘dangerous’ dinosaur contents inside. When you open the box you find a highly texturized tan coloured egg that is approximately 16cm tall and 14cm wide. We couldn’t wait to see how the candle burned so we lit it right away. As the odourless candle slowly burns, a porcelain baby velociraptor hatches out of the egg candle.

The baby raptor is approximately 11 cm tall and 4cm wide and looks like it is straight out of Jurassic Park. We learned that as the candle burns the dinosaur turns slightly black due to the candle flame. But the black colouration wipes off with a damp cloth without a problem. This candle is a joy to watch burn. And how cool is it even after the candle is done burning you have a baby velociraptor to keep? This is unlike any candle we have ever burned before, so much fun. While dinosaurs haven’t been around for millions of years, you can be the proud parent of your own baby velociraptor thanks to this candle. You can purchase the Hatching Dinosaur Candle here for £29.99.

 

Goddess Argan Hand & Body Wash and Beauty Oil by Ancienne Ambiance

Beautifully scented products are one of our little weaknesses at The Amazing Blog. As much as we love discovering and trying new products we also like to return to brands that we know, when they launch new products. One of these is Ancienne Ambiance, an award-winning London-based artisan brand who produce luxury home fragrances, perfume and body care all inspired by ingredients from the ancient world. We recently spotted their Goddess Argan Hand and Body Wash and Beauty Oil, and couldn't wait to try them!

There is nothing better than a relaxing shower and the right product can transform a basic shower into a heavenly one. The Ancienne Ambiance Goddess Argan Hand & Body Wash reminds us slightly of what we think a luxurious ancient Roman bath might have been like. This rich hand and body wash is formulated with 100% natural sweet coconut oil and argan oil and is a real treat. Apart from the coconut and argan oils it is also packed full of vitamin E and antioxidants. This product not only cleanses your body but is also gentle enough to use on the face too. It's designed to awaken the senses with its delicate scent and leaves the skin fully hydrated.

To complement the Goddess Argan Hand & Body Wash the brand has also created the Goddess Argan Beauty Oil. Known as their 'miracle oil' it is enriched with a wonderful cocktail of grape seed oil, argan oil, sweet almond oil and paprika oil. This Beauty Oil is a great multitasker and will give your face, body and hair all the care and hydration they need. All the ingredients work in harmony to intensely nourish dry skin and are also gentle enough to treat and soothe skin irritations such as eczema. This is a brilliant all-in-one product that leaves face, body and hair moisturised, replenished and soft.

We think that these two products also make the ideal travel companions with their combined multipurpose use.  So if you too want to feel like a Goddess, you can purchase the Hand & Body Wash here for £16 and the Beauty Oil here for £40.

Friday Favourites: Face Masks

There is nothing better for your body and mind than the occasional pamper day. It is utterly imperative to take the time to give your face and body the attention it needs. We at The Amazing Blog follow a strict rule of giving ourselves a full-blown pamper session at least once a month because it helps us take a moment to breathe, reflect and slow down. Today we've featured a wide range of faces masks so whatever you skin type or budget we think we've got it covered!

If you are like us, then you’re in need of some interstellar relaxation, and the only brand that can meet such space-age promises is Spacemasks. We love that each mask has a stylish star-studded cover so you could literally use it anywhere; at home or on the go. Each box contains five masks guaranteed to whisk you to a world of peace. 

These masks are the perfect way to get your well-deserved beauty rest. Scented with jasmine essence, these masks are incredibly soothing. Added bonus? They heat up when opened, which left us feeling warm and cosy. It was a fantastic way to literally melt away all the stress of the day and drift off to a more beautiful world as we slept.  It is so easy to use this product, just open the pouch and unfold the mask. Then gently place it over your eyes and fit the loops over your ears.  The mask will start heating up pretty quickly as the oxygen reacts with the iron particles in the product. Leave it on for 15 minutes as you drift off to a space far away from Earthly stresses. 

For a better night’s sleep, reduce eye strain and relieve tiredness you can purchase your pack of 5 masks here for £15.00.

The second mask for your next pamper day that we would recommend is the Retexturing Radiance Mask from Lucia Magnani Skincare. One of most luxurious range of skincare that we've seen in a while, we all fell in love with this beautiful faux tortoise shell pot. This brand has a fundamental philosophy that helps them develop all of their products. They believe that their products should help bring out everyone's inner beauty to equip you with a natural radiance and a confident glow

This mask has a unique formula based on the individual properties found in the waters and mud of Castrocaro Terme in Italy. It is enriched with antioxidants CoQ10, Alpha-Lipoic Acid and Vitamin E. The combination of these ingredients helps the mask to regenerate, strengthen and preserves the skin's structure. The mask works to keep skin looking youthful and radiant. The presence of minerals and other key ingredients with an astringent effect reduces the size of pores, signs of redness and skin irregularities. We found that our skin was looking brighter and more radiant after use, making it the perfect product to lift you when you’re feeling a bit worse for wear. 

The product is the most effective when used 2-4 times a week. Just massage directly onto cleansed skin and leave to dry for around 5-20 minutes before rinsing off. We'd certainly like to try more products from this skincare range. You can purchase the face mask here as part of their 6 part Ben Essere skincare set for £590 which contains all the brands signature products.

The next mask we wanted to introduce you to is the steinEY from Soley.  Containing Wild Icelandic Herbs and Volcanic Ash, this face mask will make you feel Scandi chic in 10 minutes.

The face mask contains minerals that regulate and balance skin, stimulate cellular metabolism and strengthen skin tissues while also reducing the signs of ageing. Packing in an exfoliating effect, the mask will also help to even out skin texture by removing dead skin cells, toxins and other impurities. The rich volcanic clay from Eyjafjallajökull and the Wild Icelandic birch promote the skin’s natural equilibrium, meaning you will be looking like your best self in no time. Mix ½ a teaspoon of the mask with ½ a teaspoon of water and apply evenly to clean skin with fingertips once a week. Leave it on until it dries and turns a light grey, which should take roughly 10 minutes. You can purchase the mask here for £38

Last, but by no means least, we wanted to introduce you to the Chlorella-Algae Mask from one of our favourite brands, ISUN.

This mask is suitable for all skin types and is ideal for people looking for a calming and hydrating gel mask. The mask contains superfood ingredients such as Chlorella-algae and Aloe Vera, which calms, nourishes, soothes and firms the skin. The lavender and rosemary oils in the mask help to enhance the skin-soothing properties and make this a sensory experience as well as a rejuvenating one. We think that this mask is particularly good for those with sensitive skins and the co-owner Tracey Annette suggested: "Chlorella Algae Mask mixed with plain Natural Yoghurt is also excellent for hyper-sensitive skin conditions such as Rosacea." We're already fans for iSuncare skincare and have to say that this mask left our skin feeling more toned and hydrated and we also liked how fresh-faced we felt all day long. You can purchase the ISUN mask here for £52.00

No pampering session is complete without a face mask and we hope you enjoy trying our favourites too. Make your next ‘me time’ all that bit more special.

Christmas Stockings Fillers

For the last post of our Special Christmas Week, we are going to talk about stocking fillers. No matter our age, we're always so excited to find out what Father Christmas put in our beautiful stockings. While we love those little, fun and cute gifts, it can sometimes be difficult to find great stockings ideas for less than £15. We at The Amazing Blog have racked our brains and looked for the best stockings fillers at a reasonable price.

Let’s start with Heathcote and Ivory Gardeners Tree Tidings; this little gift set contains two hand creams and a Relax bath tablet. The shea butter hand cream as its name suggests made with shea butter(obviously) but also with other essential oils including lemon, orange and peppermint. This beautiful mix makes a highly nourishing hand cream. While the shea butter cream has a zesty and fresh scent, the Hedgerow hand cream has more of a fruity smell thanks to the blend of rhubarb, blackberry and elderflower extracts included in the formula. Together these ingredients intensely hydrate hands leaving them softer and smoother. Enriched with chamomile, lavender, eucalyptus and rosemary the bath tablets is the ideal product to help you relax while bathing. All made without Parabens and Sulphates. You can purchase the Gardeners Tree Tidings here for £6.00.

The festive period is the opportunity for us all to look at our best. With Christmas dinners and New Year events, we all like to shine bright and to have our party looks on point. And what better way to complement a look than a beautiful nail polish. A lovely and shiny nail polish is the little detail that instantly completes a look. Le Mini Macaron’s Mini Petit Bouquets nail polish set with their pretty pastel shades might just be the perfect trio for nail polishes lovers. The set contains three nail polishes including lavender; a pale purple, Rose pale; a pastel pink and wildflower a grey nail lacquer with blue hues. These nude and pastel shades will bring a modern and elegant touch to your look. Le Mini Bouquets nail polish set is available here for £24.99.

Christmas is the time to be merry, eat great food and drink delicious tipples. However, as years pass by, we start getting bored of the usual tastes and flavours. For those who like us want to add a little twist to their tipples, Popaball has created the Popaball Bursting Juice bubbles for Gin, Prosecco and Vodka. The Blueberry and Lemon Bursting Juice Bubbles for Gin, with its sweet and zesty taste instantly add a burst of sweetness and juiciness to your drink. The Apple & Cherry Bubbles for Vodka, (our favourite) taste delightfully good; the sensation of the Popaballs bursting in the mouth is just incredible; it brings drinking Vodka to a whole new level. The Shimmer Blueberry Bubbles for Prosecco is ideal to add a little touch of glam in your prosecco. Just add the blueberry bubbles and the shimmering liquid, watch the sparkle forms and enjoy the fruity taste.  The bubbles are suitable for vegetarians. You can purchase all the Popaballs from Cotswold Trading. See here for the bubbles for Gin £3.79, the bubbles for Vodka here for £3.79 and the shimmer bubbles for prosecco here for £4.49. Guaranteed to add a bit of an extra 'fizz' to your Christmas tipple!

 

 

We at The Amazing Blog appreciate a warm and relaxing bath once in a while. And when we do so, we love using the most calming and beautifully scented bath products. Sloane Home excel in the art of making stunning bath salts. Our preferred ones remain the Lady Grey, bath salts with a zesty and fresh perfume, the Topiary Garden, is a more floral and classic scent and the Rose Garden has a sensual and luxurious fragrance. All bath salts are made with Dead Sea salts well known for its therapeutic properties. The bath salts help you relax by easing muscles and uplifting the spirit. There are nothing more agreeable than soaking in a warm and welcoming bath after a long day and these fantastic bath salts from Sloane home are just what you need. Purchase the bath salts here for £16.50 each.

Hang on a minute you really thought that we would give you some stockings fillers tips without including one treat? Come on you should know better, we here at The Amazing Blog can’t resist the temptation of delicious and savoury candies. Our addiction of this season is The Fudge Kitchen award-winning sliders; the brand specialised in making gourmet handmade fudges, its sliders include six fudges with three different flavours. The Gin Selection pack include two Bitter Orange and Cubeb Gin, two Juniper and Kaffir Lime Dry Gin and two Sloe Gin fudge. This box with its popping and rich flavours will ravish your delicate palate. The Salted Selection include Isle of Sky Salted caramel fudges, Cornish Smoked salted Maple fudges, and Maldon Sea Salted Chocolate fudges. These fudges are at the same time creamy, sweet and smooth. The sea salts included in the recipes add a little touch of zest and crunch that balances perfectly well with the sweetness of the other ingredients. You can purchase Fudge Kitchen's Salted fudges and Gin fudges here for £8.00 each.