Christmas Gifts for Men

Let’s face it we all know how difficult it is to find that perfect man gift. Every year struggle offering the same things: Aftershave, watches, ties or even socks! This year at The Amazing Blog we've had enough of the mundane and have a few more unusual gifts ideas to suggest...

Question: Who loves a well-groomed man with a smooth and perfectly shaved face? Answer: We do!  That's why we think that the Cornerstone personalised gift set is the perfect gift for those who like to step up their shaving game. The £30 Shaving Gift Set includes a face scrub, a shave gel, a personalised razor with engraved initials (an added bonus) and a post-shave balm.

Before shaving, the Face Scrub gently exfoliates the skin removing dirt and impurities which helps for a smoother shaving. Enriched with eucalyptus oil and ginger extracts the Sensitive Shave Gel is formulated to protect sensitive skin from irritation and shaving cuts. Eucalyptus works as a highly protecting ingredient with its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. The gel enables a smooth and comfortable shaving experience. The Aluminium Razor is made with five high-quality fine blades. Each blade is made from Japanese chromium steel and designed to reduce the risk of burns and clogging. The razor has an Aloe Vera strip that helps the blades glide smoothly. Finish the shaving in apotheosis with the Sensitive Cooling Post-Shave Balm. Infused with mint and honey, this refreshing balm instantly replenishes, hydrates and cools the skin. This set also comes with a £10 gift card - bonus! Purchase the Cornerstone gift set here for £30. They also have a Cornerstone subscription club - see website for details.

Christmas means gifts, wine and good food. It’s the time of the year when we do our best to be an aspiring 'Nigella' cooking gourmet meals for our loved ones, made with delicious, rich and luxurious ingredients. When January comes its time for a slowdown generally with a detox and rather boring food. However, this year why not make the whole year feel like Christmas with the L’Atelier Des Chefs Cooking Classes.

L’Atelier Des Chefs is one of UK’s best cookery schools it offers classes from a quick 30 minutes to an intense 4 hours tuition for anyone wanting to learn more about creating great food. The school provides a great and diverse range of class themes including French, Thai and Asian cuisine. They offer a diverse selection of Seasonal and Healthy Eating, Pastry and Sweet Things, Greek, Moroccan, Burger Making, Street Food and of course British food.

The classes are run by professional chefs that are passionate about sharing their expert tips. These classes are the opportunity to expand your recipe repertoire and learn new techniques in a fun environment. These culinary courses are the ideal gift offering the opportunity for your man to don his chefs hat and become the latest cooking maestro! For a  90 minutes cooking classes, a gift card is available here for £58.

This year we have found the perfect gift for gin lovers. It is the Gin Tasting Experience for Two, at Brennen & Brown distillery. This unique olfactory experience will take you through a voyage of sensorial discovery guaranteed to tantalise the taste buds. There will be demonstrations of their innovative distilling techniques where you will also glean more about the history of Gin. During the tasting class, you will not only drink and taste fabulous gins but also learn more about the different botanicals which create the individual gin flavours. It is a an experience for two, which always makes it more fun to share. The experiences starts at 5.30pm and run on a Thursday and Friday with occasional Saturday. You can buy a Gin Tasting Gift Card here for £35.

Interflora’s Gentleman's Indulgent Mini Hamper is a real treat for anyone with a sweet tooth. This luxurious gourmet hamper has everything your man could need for a quick snack. The basket includes Cartwright & Butler Chocolate Peanut Cookies, Bespoke Pickle by Blue Writing, and Thomas J.Fudge's Tangy Stilton Wafers. In fact, there are a plethora of treats including Cambrook Brilliantly Baked Salted Mixed Nuts, Copperpot Caramel & Sea Salt Butter Fudge, Yorkshire Popcorn Salted, Fair & Square Milk Chocolate, Haribo Jelly Beans with Blue Ribbon and Green & Pleasant Natural Cider. All very tempting, not only that but Interflora also includes two bottles of refreshing artisan cider to boot! Perfect for your chap, we're sure he'll bless you as he sits back, relaxes and enjoys these in front of the TV. You can purchase the hamper here for £35.

Wallets are a Christmas gifts classic, and so last but not least, we thought we'd include our favourite one.  We love this beautiful Gentlemen’s Hardware Bi-Fold Leather Wallet. Made with hard-wearing tan leather this stylish and sophisticated wallet is a must-have man accessory. Designed with multiple compartments and card slots this wallet enables the owner to have a well-organised wallet that is fast and easy to use. It has an advanced RFID lining that blocks any unwanted contactless payments. The wallet comes in an elegant, smart branded tin box. Apart from its great quality what we particularly like is the embossed words on the inside seam: “Fortune Favours the Brave”. What a great motto for that special man in your life. The wallet can be purchased here for £40.

Supreme Cell Vitality Rejuvenating Mask by Elizabeth Grant

The Amazing Blog is a huge believer in using masks to try and achieve that all elusive perfect complexion. We keep being told by the media that it is imperative to use an effective face mask at least once a week. So, we have been testing out quite a few to see which ones seem to be the most effective.  We received the Supreme Cell Vitality Rejuvenating Mask from the American skincare range  Elizabeth Grant. This product claims to "Provide protection and revitalise the skin making it appear more radiant" We couldn't wait to try! 

The Supreme Cell Vitality Rejuvenating Mask is formulated to purify the skin and boost its natural luminosity. A plethora of good ingredients: Kaolin, Canadian glacial oceanic clay, blue green algae extract, eryngium maritimum extract, aloe vera juice; as well as  chamomille, tea-oil camellia, sage flower and cucumber extracts are all incorporated in this mask formula. Kaolin clay and Canadian clay not only act as a gentle exfoliator but also remove excess oil and draw out impurities. Eryngium Maritimum extract stimulates skin regeneration by increasing elastin and collagen in the epidermis. Blue Green algae the brand star ingredient works for a suppler and more luminous skin.

This mask is a performer. It is perfect for those looking for an immediate glow and youthful-looking skin. After one application our skin looked clearer, smoother (and firmer for the older members of the team!) We think that this mask makes it both a wonderful anti-ageing and rejuvenating mask. Suitable for almost anyone. Easy to use just smooth it on with your fingertips gently applying to all areas of the face (avoiding the area  the eye), leave it for 5-10 minutes and then rinse it with warm water -  et voilà! The mask is available at IdealWorldtv for £49.99.

Drasanvi Hemp Oil Shower & Bath Gel and Rosehip Oil Body Lotion

At The Amazing Blog we're already big fans of the Drasanvi brand. In fact, a while ago we wrote about their popular Collmar Marine Collagen supplement here. So we were happy to discover the Drasanvi‘s body care range, with their Hemp Oil Shower & Bath Gel and Rosehip Oil Body Lotion to try. Drasanvi has over 23 years of experience in the natural health and supplement industry and has fast become the go-to point of reference in the European health and wellbeing sector. This brand is now a very welcome newcomer to the UK with their supplements currently available online at FeelGoodMatters. Drasanvi have built their reputation on producing an extensive range high quality and innovative products, together with a skin and body care range infused with natural and active ingredients from plants, fruit and minerals extracts.

Drasanvi Hemp Oil Shower & Bath Gel is a calming and soothing bath gel that is suitable for all skin types. It is enriched with hemp extracts and ylang ylang essential oil. Ylang ylang essential oil is renowned for its refreshing and sebum production balancing properties; it also promotes a clear and healthier skin. This unique combination of ingredients makes a nourishing shower gel that not only gently cleanses skin but also soothes it. The mix of the hemp extracts and Ylang Ylang oil create a reviving scent that instantly awakens your skin leaving it hydrated and silky smooth.

Whereas the Hemp Oil Shower & Bath Gel deeply cleanses and refreshes the skin, the Rosehip Oil Body Lotion helps to nutrify and regenerate. This body lotion has some premium natural ingredients which include both rosehip and geranium oils, making it the ideal choice for dry or mature skin. Geranium and rosehip oils are floral essential oils that are used to repair and rejuvenate the skin; which in turn helps to reduce the appearance scars and stretch marks. The subtle combination of geranium and rose leaves a very delicate and long lasting scent on the skin. Why we particuarly like this body lotion is because it absorbs quickly and leaves no tell-tale white residue.

Both these products are not tested on animals and made from natural and organic ingredients. They have the European ECOCERT certification, therefore conforming to the highest quality standards. You can purchase Drasanvi’s Hemp OIl Shower & Bath Gel here for £6.15 and the Rosehip Oil Body lotion here from £12.95.

Taylor's 32 Whitening Toothpaste

At The Amazing Blog we believe that beauty starts from the inside and nothing is more beautiful than healthy, clean and brilliant teeth. Therefore we are always on the lookout for the most effective and most natural toothpaste. We recently discovered Taylor's 32  natural whitening toothpastes. The toothpastes are in three different flavours: Classic mint, Fennel and Mint and Grapefruit and Mint.

Taylor's 32 is a brand that values and promotes a healthy lifestyle; the company strongly believes in the benefits of natural and high-quality products to provide good brushing experience. Not only their whitening toothpastes are natural but they are also free from SLS, artificial preservatives, sweeteners and abrasives.

Their Classic Mint whitening toothpaste is an intelligent mixture of peppermint and unique essential flavour oils. The toothpaste is formulated with sodium bicarbonate, silica, fluoride, xylitol and vitamin E. Together these ingredients restore the natural whiteness of the teeth, remove stains, and strengthen the tooth enamel. The classic mint toothpaste deeply cleanses the teeth while leaving a fresh and minty feeling.

The Fennel and Mint like the brand's toothpastes is enriched with Taylor's 32 unique recipe and ingredients. The toothpaste is highly effective for removing stains caused by coffee, tea or wine. After a few application teeth look whiter and more brilliant. Infused with vitamin E renowned for its strengthening and protecting properties the toothpaste helps restore teeth natural shine without harming them.

Our favourite flavour of the lot is the Grapefruit and Mint one. What an unusual yet perfect combination. As well as being as effective as the other two the blend of grapefruit and mint gives the toothpaste an extra freshness. The sensation is pleasant and agreeable in the mouth; it has a zesty and minty flavour that is at the same time refreshing and invigorating.

These toothpastes are the ideal way to start and finish your day. If you are looking for a whitening toothpaste that will give you natural white teeth without damaging your teeth enamel, do not hesitate Taylor's32 is the brand.

You can purchase the classic mint toothpaste here, the fennel and mint flavour is available here and the amazing grapefruit and mint here for £5 each.

Topp Box - A Monthly Subscription For Men

We are huge fans of the monthly subscription boxes at The Amazing Blog, but we know it can be hard to find the right one for you as the internet is awash with potential options. As great as it would be to subscribe to them all unless you have a bottomless pit of funds it’s a little fiscally unfeasible.  However, having spent a long time scouring the internet, we think we have found the Holy Grail for male subscription boxes, Topp Box. It’s the perfect blend of premium male beauty products and cosy accessories that will leave you feeling pampered and prepared. 

Each month Topp Box will send you an assorted box with 4-5 products selected to suit you and your needs. The boxes are filled with premium grooming and lifestyle products from top brands. The box we received contained a talc-free men’s body powder from Fromonda, an S5 Skincare Resilience Mask, a Henri Lloyd ocean Mineral Spray Sun Defence Cream, a Pits and Bits Rinse Free Body Wash, and a pair of delightful socks from TOPPSOCKS. It’s hard to choose a favourite item from the box, but we are especially fond of the sun cream which had an amazing scent. For only £16 a month it is a steal as the retail value of the box would come to over £40.00; four out of the five products were full size. 

This is the perfect way to treat yourself, it also makes a great gift, and with Christmas around the corner, it’s a fabulous present that keeps on giving. Click here to sign up to the subscription box of your dreams.