Cochine: Vanille & Tabac Noir Reed Diffuser

Now that everyone is talking about a second lockdown, here at  The Amazing Blog we’re remembering that dreaded feeling of being house-bound, again! Somehow, we need to get our inside space to feel more like the outside, and with a few minor changes like adding a room fragrance, we find that this can help. Now with autumn here, we’ve already changed our room fragrance to something richer, earthy and more reflective of the season. Thanks to Cochine who sent us another of their delicious reed diffusers in Vanille & Tabac Noir, we can now enjoy this comforting and warming scent to uplift our spirits. This simple reed diffuser stimulates our olfactory sense and helps to make our anticipated ‘stay at home, stay safe’ more enjoyable and a whole lot less stressful.

We have previously featured their Tuberose and Wild Fig Reed Diffuser which we totally loved. Kate Crofton-Atkins founded this luxury brand in 2008, and she has been creating a unique selection of fragrances ever since.  Kate spent the first year working with essential oils and then she had the opportunity to partner up with a New York-based fragrance house to launch Cochine in Hong Kong. Since then, Cochine has produced a range of perfumes, reed diffusers, candles, and skincare products. The brand offers luxurious products that have gained them global recognition, in five-stars hotels and boutiques. They have a strong focus on design as well as a sensory focus where each of their fragrances transports you to a global destination and evokes memories and fires up the imagination.

Vanille & Tabac Noir Reed Diffuser is produced by blending several key base notes such as that of vanilla bean, patchouli and the warming sensual scent of the tobacco flower.  BTW did you know that Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco flower) has a long history of use by herbalists as a relaxant, as well as relieving nausea and travel sickness? Yes, that was news to us too! These ingredients are all enhanced with extracts of nutmeg, cardamom and basil leaves which give a warm and opulent aroma to this oil, with the added extra of a feeling of luxury and well-being. All you need to do is arrange 4 to 8 rattan reeds and let them absorb the oil inside the bottle, then by occasionally turning the reeds, it will keep the room well-fragranced. Unlike burning a candle, these can be left unattended; and because they don’t contain any alcohol, they will keep on giving out a long-lasting fragrance.  Or you can remove the reeds and put the stopper for occasional use and the number of reeds used can be adjusted to strengthen or soften the scent. You can purchase your Vanille & Tabac Noir Reed Diffuser here for £60.00. This makes the perfect background fragrance and will add elegance to any home. 

Amoorra Mood Boosters Calm Spray & Sleep Oil

Everyone needs a spa-day, but what if you don’t have the time or money? This is where we’ve been looking for at-home solutions; after all, we need to get better sleep to help reduce anxiety and stress. If that is what you are looking for, Amoorra is the brand for you. Here at The Amazing Blog, we’ve already featured their Bath Bombs for the Shower. Today we want to talk about their Calm Mood Booster and Sleep Natural Oil both claim to help offer a solution for achieving a sense of peace and tranquillity.

 Amoorra was founded by two busy mums who were struggling to find time for spa-days. They wanted an at-home spa experience without having to worry about cleaning up afterwards. The name Amoorra comes from the Italian words for love and aroma. All the brand’s products are based on the principles of aromatherapy, where they offer a selection Bath Bombs for the Shower, as well as a Mood Booster sprays and blended therapeutic essential oils.

We tried the Calm Mood Booster which comes in a handy blue glass spray bottle. It’s ideal for spritzing making you take a step back and draw breath all when life gets too hectic. We think this is great for breaking a frenetic work cycle or changing the mood. It can be sprayed in the air, on fabric and even on the pulse points, we found with just one spray you get an instant aromatherapy hit. In the blend are antioxidants which have many benefits, including helps fight signs of ageing and protect against environmental stresses.  It contains just a few simple ingredients in water/alcohol base with the essential oils of camomile, cardamom, clove and lemon; which when combined these give an uplifting and zesty finish.

Unlike the Calm Mood Booster, the Sleep Natural Oil is a concentrate of only pure essential oils. We recommend using a few drops of Sleep Natural Oil in a plug-in diffuser which will puff out a fragrant mist helping you to drift off peacefully. There are only three ingredients here with lavender, bergamot and vetiver. Lavender has many benefits to help you sleep, as well as reducing stress and anxiety. The bergamot will reduce nervous tension in the body and elevate mood. Finally, vetiver oil calms the mind and is particularly good for insomnia, fatigue and depression.

When purchasing your 50 ml Calm Mood Booster at £9.99  here and/or the 30ml Sleep Natural Oil at £14.99 here, Amoorra is offering 20% of your purchase using the code Gift2020.

Concrete & Wax - The Modular Collection: Tealight Trio in All Sage

It’s nearing to the end of August and we can feel that slight autumnal bite in the air. Shorter days and longer nights are not far away and the candle season is almost upon us. This is why at The Amazing Blog we thought we’d introduce you to one of our first #amazingfinds for the autumn. Meet the contemporary styled and hand-poured candle company Concrete & Wax with their versatile Tealight Trio in All Sage from The Modular Collection which are stackable tea lights where you can build them vertically or burn each one independently. 

They were founded in 2018 by Alex Sommer and Laura Keller (AKA Mr. Concrete and Mrs. Wax) who among many other things, are also expert trend forecasters in the fashion industry. They came up with this conceptual brand, which offers the consumer a variety of design choices with mix and match concrete modular and interchangeable candleholders, together with uniquely fragranced soy wax candles. The holders are available in six plain colours and three unique camouflage designs. They’re cleverly adaptable and fit into almost any interior style whether it’s a minimalist contemporary penthouse or rambling country cottage. At each stage of brand development Concrete & Wax, wanted to make sure that they kept their sourcing of materials and suppliers as sustainable as possible. And as a true testament to artisan craftsmanship, they produce all products in their Suffolk workshop where everything is hand-poured, finished and packaged. They say: “When it comes to the finishing touches, we scour the local market to source as much as we possibly can - our aim is to support local business and to keep our footprint as small as possible.” The general perception of concrete is a rough, heavy industrial material; however, here we see it being used as a smooth material taking on streamline and stylishly statuesque shapes. They produce a selection of reed diffusers, in black bottles with concrete tops that double up as a tealight holder. Also not forgetting the recent addition of coasters in all the different colourways including a new splatter design.

Concrete & Wax very kindly sent us the Tealight Trio in Sage these are three hand-poured sage green concrete tealight holders in varying heights. As mentioned, they can burn independently or be stacked to make one tall tower. Each of these concrete holders has natural cork feet making them appear as if they’re slightly floating, plus the cork offers protection for heat-sensitive or polished surfaces.  We preferred to arrange these all nestling together for an extra twinkly effect. All candles (including tealights) are made of 100% vegan blended soy wax with a choice of fragrance. We’re fans of soy wax as it’s clean-burning and tends to hold scent longer than other varieties of wax due to the slow burn which releases the scented oils gradually.

There are four candle fragrances. The Lime, Basil & Mandarin is a citrusy fragrance that is relaxing and energising all at once. Lime is known to help clear the mind, the basil is thought to boost mood, and the mandarin soothes tensions. Secondly, we have Tobacco & Oak, this is considered as a very earthy aroma with smoky tobacco and dark oak mixed with leather, spice and musk. It’s very masculine, but not overpowering. This autumnal scent makes you want to hunker down and snuggle up in the warmth. The musk here will also help elevate your mood and give a general feeling of wellbeing. Thirdly, Sandalwood & Black Pepper, which according to Concrete & Wax, this scented candle is the most luxurious in the collection. Sandalwood is believed to be beneficial in treating anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia and the warming scent of black pepper will help relieve stress. Last but not least, Amber Noir, is the latest addition to the collection and is warming, intoxicating and mysterious. Tropical and exotic, burning this candle will spirit you off to far and distant climes … Top tip: These tealight candles will also fit into the Slim Holders. We love the pick ‘n ‘mix and the interchangeable aspect, which allows us to swap fragrance, colour or style of container all on a whim to fit our mood!  To see the full range from Concrete & Wax see here starting from £22.

Cochine: Tuberose and Wild Fig Reed Diffuser

Still feeling a bit housebound? Then what a better way to enhance your mood than by an uplifting fragrant reed diffuser and we at The Amazing Blog can guarantee that you’ll love this one! We’ve been itching to try the reed diffusers from Cochine since we first discovered the brand as winners on global The Beauty Shortlist Awards.

Cochine is a luxurious and sustainable brand, launched in 2008. Its founder Kate Crofton-Atkins, took her inspiration to create her range of special fragrances from the charming hidden Saigon streets, overflowing with jasmine against the stylish backdrop of French architecture, that she encountered on her move there. The name of the brand is derived from La Cochinchine, the name given to Southern Vietnam by the French. In the beginning, Kate spent a year working with essential oils, and then partnered with a New York-based fragrance house to launch Cochine in Hong Kong. Today there is a range of over ten different fragranced perfumes, reed diffusers, candles and skincare products for bath and body. This brand has now found global recognition and is in select boutique and five-star hotels around the world. These high-end products reflect elegance from the actual scents through to the beautiful presentation and packaging.  Today we’re excited to be reviewing one of their unique reed diffusers that have been filling the office here with it’s intoxicating scent, Tuberose & Wild Fig, Kate said: “It’s inspired by my favourite time of day in Saigon -dusk - where the warm air carries the really rich and romantic scent of jasmine and tuberose, and that’s what I wanted to bottle.”

With this Tuberose and Wild Fig reed diffuser, let’s talk about the key scent notes found here. The tuberose, unlike the name suggests, is not a rose. It is, in fact, a member of the agave family (which gives us tequila!) it provides a powerful floral and heady nose with an olfactive spectrum, the smell of tuberose is like an explosive bouquet of white flowers.  Studies have shown that the tuberose scent when inhaled can help reduce stress, and help fight insomnia The inclusion of the warm night-flower jasmine is known to improve balance, restore, and revitalise energy giving an uplifting feeling of joy and relaxation. The ripe, fruity and earthy wild fig lingers here as the base note, cocooning and embracing with its softness. Finally, there also gentle burst of freshness from the citrusy bergamot.  What we love about reed diffusers is that they can be left unattended or you can remove the reeds and replace the stopper for occasional use. Also Inverting the reeds or increasing the number of reeds will strengthen the fragrance. You can find the reed diffuser here for £60.

SPRITZ WELLNESS – Yoga Mat Sprays: Energise & Relax

Today’s #amazingfinds comes from a world where inner peace is much valued. At The Amazing Blog we’re often guilty of not focusing on the importance of a having healthy mindset and sense of calmness. As a consequence, we try regularly to practice things that can help us get there - such as yoga!  Some of us are regular ‘yogis’ and thus mindful of the importance of keeping our mats clean and in tiptop condition. We thought we’d share with you these SpritzWellness Yoga Mat Sprays, Energise and Relax which are aromatherapy based; we found these via the 2020 Beauty Shortlist Awards (as the latter was awarded Wellbeing Editors Choice). Their primary purpose is to clean the sweat away from yoga mats to restore and keep them pristine.  

Spritz Wellness is a holistic company founded by Laura Colucci in 2017, a professional yoga trainer who divides her time between the beachy shores of West Sussex and the London metropolis. The aim of the company is to help everyone find peace in the centre of their busy and chaotic worlds. They also focus on providing products that are not only made from start to finish using durable and recyclable material but also have ingredients that help to maintain a grounded and balanced mindset. The commitment to a better self is used in all aspects and it is shown even in the small detail. In fact, Spritz Wellness fights for a better future by supporting Surfers Against Sewage, who help keep the oceans clean. In fact, they not only regularly donate a part of their sales to this non-profit organisation, but also participate in beach cleaning here in the UK. 

Their award-winning product Yoga Mat Spray Relax comes in 2 sizes, the 50 ml, and the 100ml. It is made with three simple ingredients water, tea tree oil and lavender.  The lavender is taken from flowering tops of French lavender shrubs, and aids in promoting wellness and calmness by reducing stress, anxiety, and sometimes pain. It is especially good to fight insomnia and restlessness as well as headaches. Another component here is the tea tree oil, derived from the leaves of the Melaleuca tree in Australia, it is indeed the cleansing ingredient in the sprays, thanks to its antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, anti-infectious, and antioxidant characteristics. It helps fight germs and other unwanted foreign bodies, and has an immediate effect on the body, increasing the activity of the white blood cells in our system and boost immunity. This yoga mat spray is made of recyclable glass bottles that will help in enhancing grounded feelings of steadiness and relaxation after the yoga session thanks to its purifying components. To purchase see here 50ml bottle costs £12 and the 100 ml bottle costs £19.

Their other Yoga Mat Spray Energise, also comes in 2 convenient sizes, the 50ml, and 100ml bottle. This cleansing, energising, and restoring spray. It aims to energise (hence its name) the body and mind with its powerful ingredients. Often used in aromatherapy, the main ingredient here is lemongrass, which is a tall grass that grows in the tropics and Spritz Wellness harvest this precious botanical to provide energy by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. Its citrusy scent helps, believe it or not, in boosting self-confidence and giving an overall happy atmosphere. When inhaling the scent, it helps the part of the brain related to emotions, behavior, and sense of smell and memory to boost it. Again it also has water, and tea tree with its antiseptic characteristics acting as antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory. They suggest using before and after a session to help banish all negative thoughts with the double whammy of also cleaning your equipment!  To purchase the Energise see here for 50ml at £12 and 100 ml at £19 respectively. Both these ‘super spritz’s’ help deep clean your yoga mat while keeping everything all-natural – they certainly get the thumbs up from us.