2020 Mama & Baby Awards are now OPEN

Calling clean, green parent and baby brands! The 7th annual Beauty Shortlist Mama & Baby awards are now open for entries. But hurry – the final deadline is May 8.

The hotly anticipated Beauty Shortlist Mama & Baby awards are back to celebrate outstanding ethical products for parents, babies, toddlers and beyond. 

Right now parents are more plugged in than ever to global health concerns. So there’s never been a better time to shine a spotlight on cherishable essentials that beautifully nurture, pamper and protect our families.

“There’s huge demand among parents for products that meet high ethical standards with an ingredients list that’s as pure and natural as possible,” says awards founder Fiona Klonarides.

“However, well-meaning mums and dads can find it tough to navigate the category. We need to direct consumers away from the big non-natural ranges cluttering the shelves of high street chemists and towards the gentle, ethical, clean natural brands – big and small.

“We’re not looking at a brand’s advertising budget. We’re finding out if their products perform for the most discerning audience possible: parents and their kids.”

Brands can enter now here .

Find out who’s won on Friday 12 June

These awards provide The Beauty Shortlist's definitive run-down of top-ranked natural, organic and earth-friendly baby products, plus beauty and wellness for mums and parents.

Experts, consumers and editors trust the awards to highlight excellence and ethics through a proudly independent judging process. 

For 2020, the global panel includes: 

– UK Katie Hill, co-founder of green living magazine My Green Pod (distributed quarterly with The Guardian to six million eco conscious consumers). 

– USA Makeup artist (Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue) and wellness coach Denise del Russo. 

– AUSTRALIA Holly Spierings, creative director of award-winning make-up brand Eye of Horus. 

Looking for recommendations right away?

Here are three of our previous winners… 

1. Madara Organic Baby & Kids Cocoa and Plum Creamy Oil
Judges loved how the extra-creamy consistency makes massages feel soothing and special for everyone. Meanwhile the rich cocoa butter smoothes away dryness and nourishes soft and delicate skin.

2. Balmonds’ Skin Salvation
Natural balms are a positive boon for parents protecting against nappy rash. The beeswax base seals away the skin’s moisture while protecting against irritating dampness – making it a must for the baby bag.

3. Bloom and Blossom Matilda’s Miracle Detangler
A natural product that takes the fight out of bed-time or pre-school hair-brushing is a big win for parents. Judges admired the calming lavender scent and how it worked across all different types of hair (however tangled).

About the awards
Originally launched seven years ago by beauty writer and respected natural living expert Fiona Klonarides, the awards are a 100% independent guide to parent and baby products.

Each year they’re judged by a panel of unbiased industry experts with no sponsorship or advertising to sway their decisions. This unique, transparent approach with an intrinsic focus on “natural, eco and ethical” attracts entries from across the world – creating a uniquely level playing field for both big and small brands.

Muk – Hot Muk Thermal Protector & Smoothing Serum

Sometimes in our hurry, we forget how much damage we inflict on our hair with everyday blow-drying, straighteners and styling. At The Amazing Blog we take haircare very seriously, continually searching out new heat protectors and serums. This is where we recommended the haircare brand Muk’s with their latest Hot Muk range.

Muk is an Australian haircare brand that was founded in 2006.  Looking to revolutionise the hair care industry and stand out, this is a plain talk brand and unlike others has no need to communicate their message with scientific and unfathomable jargon. It is a natural brand, and although they do use silicones, they are plant-derived with large molecules that don’t build up on the hair shaft. We particularly like that their products are 100% accredited by PETA, are cruelty-free, vegan (NB: a few products do contain beeswax), and the packaging is made from 100% recycled aluminium.

We started with the first of the two products, the Hot Muk Thermal Protector which has a non-greasy finish and gives a great sheen to the hair. Apart from being natural, it also contains UV filters that help to protect the hair from sun damage and seals it to stop humidity and frizz. We used this spray on towel-dried wet hair before blow-drying for heat protection. It has a delicious orange citrusy fragrance that stays on your hair throughout the day.

The second product we used is their Smoothing Serum that complements the Thermal Protector. A little goes a long way only 1-2 pumps needed, and this serum is brilliant to help eliminate static while boosting shine. As recommended by Muk, we’ve been using this focusing on our ends after blow-drying or before straighteners (make sure your hair is dry). When it came to styling, this serum certainly made life easier. It also has UV protectors which guard against colour fade and has a similar citrus scent as Thermal Protector, which means that they work well in tandem with no conflict of fragrance.

After trying these two Hot Muk range of products, we’d definitely recommend making them part of your hairstyling routine.  You can purchase Hot Muk Thermal Protector 250 ml spray for £11.75  here and Hot Muk  Smoothing Serum 55 ml bottle for £11.75 here. Or for better value, buy them together as gift pack here for only £16.75.

Terre De Mars - 004 Resonance Body & Hair Oil

At the Amazing Blog we’re big fans of the humble coffee bean and its versitility - not only can it give a wonderful boost to those of who find the early mornings a bit of a trial, but the health and medicinal benefits of caffeine-based cosmetology is now also sitting centre stage and rightly getting the attention it deserves. Terre De Mars is a company at the forefront of this.

Started by three friends who had memories of their grandmother espousing on the virtues of coffee as more than just a beverage, they started their empire from the humble beginnings of a 100% pure coffee face scrub. Alexandre, Poulad and Salem had such a phenomenal success with their scrub, that they progressed onto a more sure footing with the launch of a full range of coffee-based products, all of which are COSMOS, COSMEBIO, vegan and cruelty-free certified, and gender fluid. They created their formulae which comply completely with ECOCERT Standards, having researched and understood the benefits of using caffeine in a highly concentrated form, and along with the other totally natural ingredients, the results are a perfect fit for skin bio-compatibility and sensorial richness.

Today we’re talking about the Terre De Mars Résonance 004 Resonance Body & Hair Oil which contains antioxidant and nourishing oils to achieve radiance and smoothness. Castor oil regenerates the skin, and that vital caffeine component tones and invigorates the skin tissues, with Argan oil providing much-needed hydration. The complete range is a happy marriage between science and nature, formulated from powerful bioactive and probiotic ingredients, thus providing a powerful cocktail of nutrients. The benefits do not end there, not only is this nurturing balm kind to our skin, but the packaging is all created with recycled material, meaning the environment reaps huge rewards also. By the way, It doesn’t smell of coffee and has only a hint of zesty citrus scent from the bitter orange water.

Available here at €58 for the 100ml bottle, this is clearly unlikely to be an impulse buy, but the benefits of this newfound elixir are there to be experienced, and the results celebrated. We also believe from their retailer’s page here that it is currently available instore at Wolf & Badger or Make Me Feel (in London) for approx. £48.

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.