Vilana - Mint Hair Conditioner

One of our missions this month has been to find a completely natural hair conditioner that won’t irritate an itchy or sensitive scalp. Not an easy task!  At The Amazing Blog, we’ve searched high and low and were recommended to try a brand called Vilana Natural Beauty, who are famed for their gentle hair care products and advice on hair loss.

Founded by Vilana Bagdone, a wife and mother of three who has a light bulb moment when one day she caught sight of her ‘dull, drawn and pale skin’. Despite using countless bottles of high street creams and serum, nothing seemed to help. It was only then that she realised she needed to return back to basics to harness the true power of nature and natural products. Today Vilana Natural Beauty uses a selection of top-quality essential oils to ensure she has the best to create her effective skin and hair care solutions. We’re excited to report that the brand has recently been nominated for The Scottish Business Awards which will be held on 23 February.

We tried the Vilana Natural Beauty Mint Hair Conditioner which is their hero product from the hair care collection. Looking at the key ingredients, it’s no surprise it is a bestseller. The conditioner is enriched with apple vinegar that leaves the hair feeling soft, shiny and smooth and peppermint essential oils which help to promote hair growth. Peppermint has antimicrobial and antifungal properties which help to tackle dandruff and other scalp issues. The shea butter and honey also add moisture for more luscious and thicker-looking hair. We’ve used this several times and noticed that it helped to restore, nourish and soften the hair effortlessly. They advise that you leave the product on the scalp for up to five minutes, in order to let the conditioner soothe and sink into the scalp, then rinse away. We were left with a refreshing scent of mint and very shiny hair. The added bonus is that it can be used as a hair mask as well.  There are no sulphates or parabens, and they even offer a full ingredient list with an explanation here. This one of our #amazingfinds of the week; you too can purchase a 200ml pot of Vilana Natural Beauty Mint Hair Conditioner for £12.50 here.

Tweezerfile

With the sudden focus on perfectly shaped and groomed thick eyebrows, At The Amazing Blog we’re well aware of just how important a pair of tweezers truly are. Plucking those stubborn hairs can sometime be difficult and even painful and the thing that makes the process all the worse is a pair of horrifically blunt tweezers. We came across a perfect revelation (as well as a solution) to blunt tweezers at a beauty trade event.

Met Tweezerfile which is a simple solution to a small problem but one that will save you money in the long term. The only investment you have to make is a pair of tweezers and one Tweezerfile Sharpener and then you’re set for life! No more running back and forth to the pharmacy or online beauty shop because your tweezers are blunt and no good anymore. It is a simple tool to refresh your old and blunt tweezers that can neatly be stored in a back pocket or beauty bag. The Sharpener has diamond plated stainless steel for the highest quality sharpening and is complemented by a handle that fits in the palm of your hand.

This multi award winning and eco-friendly product, is recognised by industry experts and comes highly recommended. This little gadget will make your tweezers work like new again. It will re-sharpen any blunt tweezers within seconds thus saving you time as well as money. Perfect eyebrows are now just a few seconds away. The product will save you all the frustration that most of us face when dealing with blunt tweezers as you pluck your eyebrows. We think these are a beauty essential and from what we’ve noticed online, all those who have purchased are beyond satisfied and are simply raving about this product. Hop on over to their official website here to purchase your own sharpener for £19.99 in either a fetching shade of petrol blue or coral.

Luxju Natural Hair Care Products

We keep seeing the motto: ‘Happiness is a good hair day’ pop up on Pinterest, and some of us here at The Amazing Blog couldn’t agree more! So, finding a completely natural hair care and styling brand that offers a solution for those of us with fine and frizzy hair – is a joy. Let us introduce you to Luxju Natural Hair Products who we met at a trade show late last year. Their founder set us a challenge, to see if her styling products made any real difference to our hair.

The name Luxju comes from the word luxurious, and most certainly these products feel just that. From her own experience, the founder Veronica J is only too aware of the struggle that some women face with either textured hair that has coils, curls or has been chemically processed.  Her frustration was that she couldn’t find any effective ‘natural’ products to use on her own hair. That’s when she had a light-bulb moment. Working closely with specialist labs, she went on to develop unique formulations that only have the highest quality natural and organic ingredients. They are also vegan and free from parabens, mineral oils, petroleum; plus they are cruelty, gluten, colour and fragrance-free. All of the products help to soften, nourish, hydrate the hair and define curls. For those of us here with frizzy, curly and unruly locks, this sounded like a recipe for true happiness.

Veronica very kindly gave us the trio from the range to try. The very first product we used was the Luxju Nourishing Hair Mist.  It is specially designed to moisturise the scalp and keep hair healthy, soft and conditioned. The mist is super-light with purified water that’s enriched with aloe vera to help repair dead skin cells on the scalp and leave the hair smooth and shiny; the green tea extract helps fight scalp dryness or dandruff and amla fruit that helps to thicken the hair. We used this spray as the first item from the trio, by spraying it onto our scalp and dry hair. It felt fresh and cool, and helped to ‘refresh the hair’ leaving it feeling more hydrated; and although this is fragrance-free, there was a delicious hint of a green tea/coconut combo.

Next, we used the Luxju Nourishing Hair Crème. This product aims to bring strength, curl definition and moisture to the hair. We loved how rich and buttery the texture felt when applied, and it melted beautifully into our damp hair before styling.  We also liked the key ingredients (similar to above) plus aloe vera, baobab and neem seed and coconut oil all of which are famed for moisturising dry hair and adding shine and softness.

For the finishing touch, we used Luxju Nourishing Frizz Control Oil. What we liked about this special Oil is that you can control frizz, flyaway hair days, plus keep your hair from being dry and brittle. The combination of key ingredients like castor, sesame, broccoli and camellia seeds help to seal in moisture like no other – without leaving the hair lank and greasy. Castor seed oil thickens hair and reduces split ends and the sesame seed oil nourishes and strengthens hair from the roots. Top tip from us, make sure to use this product on dry or damp hair from roots to tip to achieve optimum results.

Conclusion? Well, we took the challenge and Veronika we think you have some winning products here because they really do work! Please can you develop a shampoo and conditioner for us too? Regardless of your hair type, we think that these three products can be used every day to rock gorgeous hair! You can purchase items individually starting from £41 each here

Shakeup Cosmetics

My turn dear readers to say ‘Happy New Year’! Today I’m kicking-off with one of our #amazingfinds which is a new brand of men’s cosmetics. Apparently us boys have different skin to the girls… (NB: Girls at The Amazing Blog!) that may sound a glib expression, but there is an increasing amount of data to show that our skin is 20 - 25% thicker due to the presence of testosterone, which goes some way to explain why certain products manufactured for women can be ineffective for us. Since we also have slightly larger active sebaceous glands, our pores tend to be larger leading to a higher propensity of acne and pore blockages. Of course, we also put our skin through the dreaded daily slash of a sharp blade which inevitably stresses the epidermis, making it far more sensitive.

Happily, for us twin brothers Shane Carnell-Xu and Jake Xu have come to our rescue - they are the driving force behind Shakeup Cosmetics and are shining the light ahead for us boys to reap the benefits of a skincare range as diverse as that for women, but specifically tailored for our needs. Whilst we all want to look our best, not everyone wants to make it headline news when we walk into a room, which is where Shane and Jake have come to our aid with their Shakeup Cosmetics For Men range. Although born in Beijing, the boys emigrated to the UK in their teens and are proud to have formulated and produced their line here, ensuring the highest standards, as well as rejecting animal testing, and keeping their products totally vegan-friendly.

At the moment, we have the Under Eye Concealer and Moisturiser, called ‘Eye Eye Captain’, the ‘Let’s Face It’ Tinted Moisturiser, and the ‘Lip Life To The Full’ Volumising and Moisturising  Lip Gel, with the first two of that list coming in Light, Medium and Dark shades for the skin palette. Retailing at £20 for the Concealer, £25 for the Moisturiser, and £12 for the Lip Gel, we can get our hands on these goodies from here and that stalwart of the pioneer brands, Harvey Nichols - and when HN starts stocking a range, you know it’s one to watch! This range is certainly one to try, as there is a revolution afoot in the male grooming world, and it is being spearheaded by dynamic teams like Shane and Jake who believe in natural, wholesome skincare, and are bringing it to market for us to enjoy.

La Sultane de Saba - Santal Ancestral Eau de Parfum

This is the last of our reviews, which is unashamedly immersing ourselves in the luxury of Christmas. Today at The Amazing Blog we’re on a journey with the mysteries of the Orient, enjoying the darkly mysterious sensuality as we experience La Sultane de Saba - Santal Ancestral EDP  from Paris. If the idea of escaping the humdrum and travelling somewhere exotic and exciting is your thing, then La Sultane de Saba is a brand you need to check out. It revels in both those things as it offers up its own particular concept of beauty treatments not just in a glorious array of indulgent products, but also through La Sultane de Saba spas and treatments (see our recent feature on their Rose Facial Set here) 

With such a backdrop, we knew that the Santal Ancestral EDP for men would be an experience to be relished and enjoyed, and were not disappointed. With the warmth of sandalwood forming the foundation of this scent, the most extraordinary sensory journey begins as we get notes of patchouli and cedar coming through too. Truly a heady mix to transport you to the sophistication and elegance of the Orient, and all the romance therein. Whilst it’s base is strong, there is a delicious freshness which comes through on the top notes of geranium and sandalwood - as Eau de Parfum, it of course, contains more perfume oil than that of Eau de Toilette, allowing its depth to be more intense, however, it’s definitely not overpowering. The sense of smell is such an evocative one, and Santal Ancestral is a fragrance that both indulges and celebrates this. At £79.00 for 100ml from here, it is definitely worth a try as this delicious EDP lasts and lasts. BTW if you love this, then why not try their other fragrance in the range Oud Wood here.