Broadies Supplements: CBD Antibacterial Hand Sanitiser & Sports Recovery CBD Roll On

We’re all being careful during this lockdown period and are all following the recommended hygiene practices to protect ourselves and others. Therefore, here at The Amazing Blog, we’re always interested in trying new types of hand sanitiser. So, this one with CBD from Broadies Supplements it certainly piqued our interest, together with their handy little Sports Recovery CBD Roll On.

As a small family business, based in Somerset Broadies Supplements was founded by Robert Broad and Esther Dodd when Esther found that CBD was effective in relieving the various pains and issues that she had been enduring for a while. Being quite surprised and smitten with the benefits of this hemp plant, she and Robert decided that they would share their knowledge and appreciation for CBD-infused products with others by creating their own range. With a focus on high-end customer service, their physical and online stores carry a wide range of CBD products for those who need to treat or soothe aches and pains or just calm the mind. These products include topical treatments, oils and tinctures, and edibles offering their customers a wide choice of products which have all been third-party lab tested. You can rest assured that they produce quality CBD products, as Broadies Supplements are members of the Cannabis Trade Association.

With these current pandemic times, we all know how essential it is to keep our hands clean to protect ourselves and loved ones. In these past few months, we’ve learned to place greater importance on wisely choosing the correct hand sanitiser. In the past, when we have selected a basic alcohol-formulated sanitiser, it became only a matter of days before our hands suffered. This is because of the alcohol in the sanitiser removes the protective lipid film on the skin causing dryness. And with winter fast approaching, it is bound to become even worse as we alternate in between the cold and central heating.  We’ve found that a quality hand sanitiser is the answer to help keep our hands clean and hydrated. We found that this 30ml CBD Antibacterial Hand Sanitiser, holds the right amount of alcohol to eliminate any germs with its antibacterial action but has added hydration with other natural compounds. These include aloe vera extract, vitamin E, nerolidol (a naturally occurring sesquiterpene alcohol found plants) and glycerin which work in synergy with the active 63% alcohol. This formula keeps hands soft and protected with the added bonus of the broad-spectrum CBD and its terpenes which ease any uncomfortable dryness or itches to help heal the hands. In each bottle, you will benefit from 30mg of natural CBD extract in this fragrance-free formula. To use, simply spray a small amount on dry hands and massage in until completely dry. This 30ml bottle of CBD Antibacterial Hand Sanitiser is available here for £5.99.

The second product is the Sports Recovery CBD Roll On (Full Spectrum) in a little 10ml glass bottle, which is as convenient as it is effective. it’s ideal for relieving muscle soreness that can be caused either by anxiety or over-exercise. Infused with 500mg of pure CBD from organic hemp plants, it’s available either in broad or full-spectrum (although, we’re a bit confused as Broadies say both are made up of CBD isolate and THC free?!) Either formula can be used to gain benefit for a pain-relieving action. This CBD Sports Recovery Roll-On allows you to target specific pain points, where the CBD starts by interacting with the bodies endocannabinoids to help ease and relax the muscles. In a carrier oil of grapeseed; the essential oils here are ylang-ylang, frankincense, lavender, and chamomile. These all provide a further relaxing and rebalancing action for both mind and body, giving an overall feeling of wellbeing. There is a  subtle fragrance of ylang-ylang and lavender, making it seem like an at-home calming spa moment. This Sports Recovery CBD Roll On has 500mg of CBD isolate and is available in 10ml for £15.99 here. 

We enjoyed using both these products and would highly recommend them if you are looking for a different way to incorporate CBD into your daily lifestyle. Also, in their Somerset shop, they offer a variety of CBD professional massage options, to help cope with chronic pain or just everyday tension. Which after the lockdown you can go online and book in here.

B Loved - Hormonal Bath & Body Oil

With the winter season in full swing, soaking in a hot bath is just what we long for at The Amazing Blog. So let us introduce you to one of our favourite aromatherapy brands B Loved, where we’ve previously reviewed one their Naturally Scented Candles, The Balancer here. Today we want to talk about their Hormonal Bath & Body Oil which we think is the perfect way to soothe away the day. 

After going through professional and personal challenges in 2016, Elizabeth Burchill started to make her products as a source of therapy. She loved essential oils and their aroma, which prompted her to pursue a diploma in aromatherapy and essential oil science while also taking product making courses to perfect it. She is now a clinical aromatherapist accredited by the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists. Fast forward three years and she now has a wellbeing brand that creates aromatherapy candles and bath and body products, all of which are natural, sustainable, cruelty-free and vegan friendly. B Loved also sources their ingredients from UK suppliers who are members of the ATC. Products in the range include pulse point oils, body lotions, body scrubs and their hormonal bath & body oil.

This Hormonal Bath & Body Oil comes in a reusable glass bottle and pipette. In times of emotional stress or hormonal tension, this product help to alleviate these symptoms. You can use this product in two different ways, either by adding a few drops into your bath to fully relax and ease tension or directly massaging into the skin. It is packed full of numerous oils, the key being rosehip which is full of anti-inflammatory fatty acids to firm and moisturise the skin. The argan oil here contains oleic and linoleic acids which absorb quickly and hydrate. Apricot kernel oil also has moisturising properties, but can also gently exfoliate the skin and relieve inflammatory conditions. There are also key essential oils here: The grapefruit has soothing effects by balancing the cortisol levels to help ease stress. Whereas Clary sage is known to reduce premenstrual tension, periods pains, and anxiety. Finally, the patchouli oil treats skin conditions such as dermatitis, acne, dry and cracked skin; it can also aid relaxation, easing anxiety. As some of us who don’t have a bath to soak in, we particularly like that this formula is also gentle enough to use as a body oil. So, for those of you who do, before hopping in to destress after a long day, week and even year, we highly recommend purchasing your Hormonal Bath & Body Oil here for £35 - it also smells divine!

Marc Inbane - Perle de Soleil

It’s November, the leaves are turning glorious hues of bronze, red and orange. However, our skin at The Amazing Blog has that grey ‘city pallor’ and is much in need of some help to get back its healthy summer glow. We were thrilled to receive some ‘sun beads’ from one of our favourite award-winning tanning brands Marc Inbane, where these ‘Perle de Soleil’ are easy to incorporate into our everyday skincare regime adding a golden shimmer to the complexion.

Marc Inbane was founded in 2012 in the Netherlands by a trio whose names  INgo, BArt and NEle form a portmanteau to cleverly become the brand name ‘INBANE’.  Marc Inbane is a tanning brand that we first introduced with their traveling set here and is a brand that we have kept a steady eye on as they grow. They have created a safe premium tanning brand that has innovative formulas that allows the consumer to achieve a healthy and natural-looking glow all-year-round. Their products are suitable for all skin types and tones; they’re vegan, cruelty-free and don’t contain any parabens, silicones or sulphates. And most importantly, dermatologically tested and EU compliant. Their products are award-winning and now retailed in over 40 countries, they’re also used by leading make-up artists and recommended by dermatologists.

Perle de Soleil was launched in 2018 and has been developed based on a four-fold tanning technology that uses an airless drop dosage system.  This particular award-winning unisex product is probably the easiest self-tanning product that we have tried in ages, as it integrates seamlessly into daily skincare. All you need to do to achieve that lost summer glow is mix a few drops of Perle de Soleil with your day cream. The convenient ‘one drop’ applicator allows you to create that custom sun-kissed look with the intensity that you want. The brand suggests using 2 to 3 drops to subtly enhance skin colour, or 4-5 drops to create a medium tan and 5+ drops if you are going for a full-on sun-drenched look. You can also progressively increase the number of drops if you want to give the illusion this winter of returning from the sunny ski slopes. The product is quick and takes about 3 hours to work its magic, lasting up to 3 or 4 days, giving the skin a natural look. After this, you can shower, sleep, go out in the sun, (with an SPF of course, perhaps mixed with these drops?)  Two quick reminders: (1) Don’t forget to exfoliate your skin before using a self-tanning product to prepare the skin and rid it of those pesky dead skin cells to leave the skin a silky smooth blank canvas. (2) Wash your hands after applying or you’ll end up with orange palms! The product comes in a sealed airless sleek 15ml black tube which allows for a long shelf life without preservatives. We recommend including this in your next beauty shopping list, where you can purchase it here for € 34.95. it’s another one of our #amazingfinds as it’s cost-effective and lasts up to an astonishing four months, which in our view is excellent value.

Essential Drops Bathroom Aromatics - Pomegranate & Lychee

Do you need to take your bathroom fragrance from drab to fab? Finding a natural scent to put down the loo is something of a rarity. In our search in the office bathroom looking for a product to cover up the delicate issue of ‘nasty smells’ at best, all we could find was some rather unpleasant cheap air freshener that filled the place with fumes, that when you accidentally breathed them in, they almost made us choke! At The Amazing Blog we were thrilled to be given a natural aromatic deodoriser that delivers botanical freshness and neutralised unwanted pongs - leaving the bathroom smelling sweet. We often talk about essential oils; however, this one from Essential Drops Bathroom Aromatics is specifically designed for one purpose – the loo!

Essential Drops Bathroom Aromatics is a British brand that is formulated by Bruce Green who is also known for his skincare brand SOS Serum Skincare which we have reviewed here. Green specialises in skincare and is a chartered scientist, a chartered chemist, and a fellow of The Royal Society of Chemistry. He is a man with great expertise and has contributed to the formulations of many cosmetic brands in the UK & North America, and he also sits on several EU advisory committees. This brand is his first foray into the world of bathroom fragrance. These Essential Drops are excellent for eliminating unwanted and unpleasant smells, helping to maintain a fresh sweet fragranced bathroom by only using natural essential oils. This means that there are no artificial ingredients, they’re cruelty-free, vegan and locally produced. By sourcing their ingredients from reputable local suppliers, they can deliver high-quality products every time. We also like that their glass bottles are recyclable. They currently have a range of three different scent combinations: Grapefruit & Kumquat, Ginger & Black Pepper and Pomegranate & Lychee (which we are featuring today). 

The Pomegranate & Lychee comes in a frosted recyclable 50 ml glass bottle with a pipette top. Each bottle can last around 50-100 uses depending on the frequency and amount you use. You can either drop one full pipette or 3-4 drops directly from the bottle into the bowl before or after flushing. If you want to make your bathroom smell more like an at-home spa, you could use the Essential Drops in both your loo and hand basin, bringing an uplifting fragrance to the entire room. These drops create an almost like a film-like surface (which flushes away) allowing the water to trap the unpleasant odours whilst releasing the good ones! We love that there are only three ingredients here in total, with the essential fruit oils of pomegranate and lychee in a grapeseed oil base. To get rid of those lingering bathroom whiffs and start your lockdown spa day at home, purchase your Essential Drops Bathroom Aromatics in Pomegranate & Lychee here for £18.00 or £50 for the full collection of all three here.

THE PASTRY CHEF’S GUIDE by Ravneet Gill

Here at The Amazing Blog we not only enjoy eating delicious food but also finding new ways to simplify and cook it ourselves.  We’ve been making sure that we have got a supply of flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda so we can enjoy the current baking craze whilst staying at home.  Talking of which, today we’re featuring  The Pastry Chef’s Guide which will help ‘to up your game’ and get you onto another level in the world of baking. It also helped satisfy a sweet tooth! 

The Pastry Chef’s Guide is written by the inspirational Ravneet Gill for both chefs and home bakers, it’s a reference book that should be on everyone’s cookbook shelf.  Don’t be ‘afraid’ of baking is the message!  Gill writes about her love of baking and pastry which shines through, it’s easy and fun to read. It shows how to go back to basics and explains the use of each ingredient in detail like butter, gluten, gelatine; so you know how to get it right every time. Having started her love of sweets with chocolate covered raisins and Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut;  Gill studied at Le Cordon Bleu before taking over the pastry sections at St John, Llewelyn’s and Wild by Tart. Now a freelance chef, during 2018  she set up an industry networking forum called Countertalk, it’s a job service and community that advises on healthy work environments in the food industry. She has since successfully hosted events that encourage chefs to expand their knowledge outside of their stations by learning directly from other chefs.

The book is a joy to read as well as being straightforward in telling you how to line your tins, boiling points and what equipment you really need.  This book is all about the ingredients and taste-making sure it is seasonal whilst producing impressive puddings and pastries, Gill says she learned a lot of that from Fergus Henderson who writes the introduction to the book.  The Cherry and Custard Pie that she created here, is still on the menu at St John’s Restaurant.  The recipes are seriously good having been organised into sections of Sugar, Custards, Chocolate, Pastry, Biscuits, Cakes and Puddings.  There are step-by-step recipes to help you master custard, nail crème patisserie, or bake the ultimate gluten-free chocolate cake.  So whether you want to make a fluffy birthday cake, smooth and rich ice creams macarons, or meringues, Gill gives great advice to make it all seem easy, a good pastry chef is all about balance.  There are also great tips to help avoid the pitfalls, i.e. for meringues use a clean dry glass, ceramic, or metal bowl to avoid the egg absorbing any smell, colour, grease from a plastic bowl. French, Italian even Swiss meringues are all clearly explained; as are all the uses for custard from ice cream to doughnut filling, delicious. You can buy the book here at the price of £18.99, we think it’s a must for any cook!  

For those who want an online course, you can join Ravneet Gill at the Puff Bakery School for pastry online, where there are some great reviews on their courses.