Dr.Vegan: Vitamin D3

Does anyone get enough sunlight these days? Having been stuck inside for months, for us at The Amazing Blog, we certainly don’t! So, we were itching to try Dr.Vegan’s Vitamin D3, especially as it’s 100% plant-based and with the added bonus of multiple health benefits. We also like that their slogan says, Dr.Vegan products make a “Better Me. Better Planet.” 

Dr.Vegan  is for every kind of diet, all products are vegan or vegetarian, non-GMO and free of lactose, gluten, dairy, allergens, starch, and sugar. The company was founded in summer 2020 with the mission “to bring clarity, simplicity and ethics to your nutrition and supplements.” Dr.Vegan supplements are formulated by expert nutritionists and made in the UK. Their products are shipped worldwide and delivered for free in the UK. Dr.Vegan is all about protecting the planet, so their naturally sourced, plant-based supplements come in a refillable pill tin and are shipped in biodegradable and recyclable packaging. Since their ingredients are in a more bioavailable form, they are more absorbable and effective. And since their supplements come as capsules instead of tablets, they are free of binders and additives. Gordon Lott, the co-founder of Dr. Vegan, has been in e-commerce for 20 years and “is passionate about using technology to simplify the world of nutrition and supplements, empowering customers with easily accessible information to improve their understanding and control over their daily wellbeing.” On Dr.Vegan’s website, you can create a diet profile that shows you what nutrients your diet is missing and what supplements their nutritionists recommend for you. This was impressive, and creating a diet profile took us around five minutes, and all of the supplements they recommended made complete sense. 

Dr.Vegan’s Vitamin D3 is good for your bones, muscles, and immunity. Vitamin D also helps your body absorb calcium, keeping your bones and teeth healthy. It is good for your muscles, and specifically your heart, because it supports healthy muscle function. Did you know that low levels of vitamin D can cause heart disease? And lastly, vitamin D is good for your immune system because and keeps it in balance, so it’s not over or under-functioning. We get this vitamin from the sun, but most of us (especially in the UK) don’t get enough sunlight to be vitamin D sufficient, and that’s where this vitamin D3 supplement comes in. Being plant-based, Dr.Vegan’s Vitamin D3 is primarily sourced from the cholecalciferol in Lichen, which is a green algae.The only other ingredients this supplement contains besides vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol from lichen) are brown rice flour and capsule shell (HPMC, vegetable cellulose). Dr.Vegan’s Vitamin D3 comes with 30 capsules, where they advise to take one a day with food. Each capsule contains 2500IU, which is the ideal support for any diet. Public Health England recommends all adults take vitamin D supplements, specifically during the autumn and winter. And during the pandemic, many experts have recommended taking this D supplement to help protect themselves against COVID-19. Our conclusion is that vitamin D is always beneficial, especially right now — and Dr. Vegan has now made it easy for us all to access, with this their ethically sourced vitamin D3 supplements. If you’re lacking sunlight or looking to protect your health, you can buy Dr.Vegan’s Vitamin D3 here for 30 capsules it is £6.75 for a one-off or you can subscribe monthly, saving 15% and pay £5.74. 

Zuzka Natural Beauty: Rose Petal Cleansing Milk

When we did a poll at The Amazing Blog on how we cleanse our faces, it seems that some of us like to use a face wash in the morning and then a cleansing milk in the evening to remove makeup and city grime efficiently. We haven’t featured a cleansing milk for a while, so today, we’re featuring a newly discovered brand  Zuzka Natural Beauty and their Rose Petal Cleansing Milk that promises to melt away daily dirt either with damp cotton wool or warm water.

Zuzka Natural Beauty is a UK botanical and vegan skincare company. All products are formulated by the founder Susan Kohutova herself, a medical herbalist and beauty specialist with over 30 years standing. The inspiration for the brand name Zuzka comes from Slovakian for the founder’s name, Susan.  Working with multiple luxury cosmetic brands as a consultant or therapist has helped Kohtutova gain invaluable experience, enabling her to create her own beauty brand, where she shows a passion and understanding for nature and organic ingredients. As a medical herbalist, wherever possible she always tries to use organic botanicals in her skincare, with the idea of making them suitable for all skin types. Apart from the skincare, there are also mineral makeup and hair products, through to grooming products for men. Zuzka specialises in anti-ageing solutions and products to help acne-prone, oily, sensitive, or dry skin types. The products are also cruelty-free with zero animal ingredients and sustainably packaged with recyclable materials, which are mainly in aluminium bottles that have been described as having ‘the look of being functional, practical and purist.’ For the ingredients, they use organic herbs, plants, and flowers, all free from pesticides, chemicals, and synthetic ingredients like mineral oils and artificial fragrance. The brand recently won Lux Life Health Beauty and Wellness Award in 2020, for Best Botanical Cosmetic Company. Not only does Kohutova have a beauty brand, but she has also founded The Zuzka salon in Dorset, where clients can enjoy a peaceful beauty treatment and explore her botanical garden, where Zuzka herbs and plants are grown to use in their products. 

This Rose Petal Cleansing Milk conditions skins whilst removing all traces of makeup and grime. This cleanser has a thick milky consistently, leaving skin looking healthy and radiant while still cleansing and soothing even the most delicate or sensitive of skins. The cleanser contains absolutely no water and is oil-based, which helps retain and maintain your skin’s natural oils rather than dry out your face. It can be used on all skin types. The key ingredients to this product are organic rose essential oil infusion that is great for mature and sensitive skin. This cleansing milk also has whole aloe vera leaf that helps soothe and calm; and rosehip oil to reduces inflammation and gently exfoliate. The formula combines oils that include frankincense, organic beeswax, kokum butter, sunflower seed oil, borage seed oil, hemp seed oil, comfrey oil, hydra oats and many, many more. These natural oils are beneficial for hydrating and healing normal-to-dry mature skin.

The completely natural, light floral fragrance is refreshing, and the cleanser is soothing and easy to apply with its uplifting rose fragrance. It feels luxurious; in the evening, we simply massaged a small amount over the face and neck in a circular motion and wiped away with damp cotton wool (especially around the eye area). We found it brilliant for removing stubborn makeup as it worked deeply into the pores to remove any impurities, which helped balance and brighten skin. As we always say, ‘simplicity is best’, and this natural and organic cleansing milk delivers precisely what it promises as ‘A skin conditioning cleanser and makeup remover’. It is a super-gentle cleanser that left skin soft, hydrated and clean.  If you have sensitive, dry or mature skin, then we think this luxurious cleansing milk is a must to add to your skincare routine. To purchase the 150ml Rose Petal Cleansing Milk for £20, see here.

Raven Botanicals: Solstice Rejuvenating Facial Oil

If you're familiar with The Amazing Blog, then you’ll know how much we love our skincare! We think finding the right product always starts with understanding the ingredients used. With the longest day fast approaching, we thought it'd be rather appropriate to feature this Solstice Rejuvenating Facial Oil from Raven Botanicals. A new natural skincare brand who offer full transparency on all their ingredients.

Raven Botanicals was founded in July 2020 by two sisters, Arabella and Charlotte Harvey. Growing up surrounded by the beautiful scenery of Scotland, they began to experiment with the natural ingredients that surrounded them. "From the only CO₂extracted sea buckthorn oil in the country, hand-picked on the ancient East Lothian coastline, to lavender oil from Fife, our range of serums, facial oils, masks, balms and cleansers pay tribute to the power of nature's finest ingredients." Choosing high-quality and locally sourced ingredients is a priority for Raven Botanicals. A cruelty-free brand, most of their ingredients are organic and either vegetarian or vegan; where these handcrafted products are created in small batches without preservatives. In addition to the ethical practices in the formulation of their products, the packaging is ‘deliberately simple’ with biodegradable and compostable labels. Their labels are made from sugar cane, hemp and linen to replace wood-based paper, and they strive to deliver their products without unnecessary shipping materials. Their products also come in widely recycled materials like glass and aluminium, with reusable components like pumps and droppers. Raven Botanicals also believe in the transformative power of self-care, and have a giving-back policy with regular product donations to the charity Womens' Aid. By joining their 'Love Raven Rewards' community, purchasers can use these points towards a discount on their next order or go to support Women's Aid. Although the brand is less than a year old, six out of the nine products have already been recognised as award winners!

The Solstice Rejuvenating Facial Oil has plant-based ingredients like sweet almond, rosehip, sunflower, pumpkin and evening primrose oils. It effectively addresses dry skin and the appearance of fine lines in mature skin types. Other natural plant derivatives like jojoba and camellia seeds oils are also used to help hydrate, moisturise and restore a healthy and youthful complexion. The combination of these oils stimulating collagen and elastin production, repairing and healing blemishes.

The 'Solstice' element of this Facial Oil gets its name from drawing on a rich heritage of ceremonial and symbolic ritual ingredients like myrrh and Damask rose in this skincare. . One of these time-honoured ingredients Myrrh, is resin obtained from a wound that penetrates through the bark and into the sapwood, where the tree secretes a Myrrh gum. This has been used as a perfume and for medicinal purposes for centuries. The Ancient Egyptians so highly prized Myrrh that they purchased entire boatloads, using it in incense and salves to heal wounds and sores. There is also rosa damascena (damask rose); this highly-scented rose was originally grown in Central Asia and Damascus, but then it was brought to Morocco in the Middle Ages. Now its mainly grown in the Dadès Valley for dried flowers, oils and rosewater. It’s said that the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to have rowed along a canal filled with rose petals with the Empress consort Mumtaz Mahal. In the intense heat of the sun, the scent was intoxicating: so much so, that the surface of the water was skimmed to capture the beautiful perfume and her luxurious residence furnished with opulent rose water fountains. In the 1940s, the French built distilleries to produce rose oil which has been widely used in perfumery and skincare ever since. Each year during April and mid-May, the M'Goun Valley, also known as the Vallée des Roses, produces between 3-4k tonnes of wild roses. This precious rosa damascena has intoxicating rosy notes accented by spicy facets, which are evident here in the Solstice Rejuvenating Facial Oil.

To get the best results, they suggest massaging 2-6 drops on your face and neck with your fingertips for a healthy, radiant glow. We used this for a morning and evening skin routine either by itself or under makeup. This Facial Oil helps lock in the moisture and delivers a soft and smooth complexion whilst also targeting and restoring problem areas such as dry or dehydrated skin. We can’t think of a better Facial Oil to use to celebrate the growth of life, and to see the shifting of the seasons with the sun rising on Monday June 21st , the first morning of summer!. They describe it as "lightly spiced, naturally, floral aroma is uplifting and soothing,” and we couldn't agree more. Available in 30ml here for £26 with free shipping on orders over £45. 

Corpo Sancto: Botanical Perfume Oil Collection

At The Amazing Blog, we love to try new fragrances, especially those that transport us to a different place or time, and with the Corpo Sancto’s newly launched Botanical Perfume Collection, we can wistfully imagine ourselves somewhere far, far away. This Botanical Perfume Collection takes us on a fascinating olfactory journey with their five unusually named perfume oils: Going To California, Marrakesh Express, Norwegian Wood, This Bird Has Flown, Gold Dust Woman, and Where The Wild Roses Grow.

Corpo Sancto is an Anglo-Scandinavian brand based in fashionable Brighton, which sells perfume oils, scented room diffusers, biodegradable luxury rapeseed wax candles, and a range of other home-related products made from reclaimed goods. Their perfume oils are made in small batches, vegan, and use only natural ingredients. Sustainability is at the heart of the brand, and wherever possible, their suppliers are UK-based and their packaging is made from recycled materials. Corpo Sancto is run by Chris and Annelie Bystrom-Turner, who are a husband and wife duo. In addition to being co-owners of Corpo Sancto, Chris is the drummer in Orange Goblin, and Annelie is a well-known makeup artist. Corpo Sancto’s mission is to be as eco-friendly as possible, carbon-neutral, with biodegradable products that are paraben-free and all without compromising on style or quality.

The Botanical Perfume Collection has a base of jojoba oil, and each perfume oil is then blended with a unique combination of scents. We’ve heard that the process of creating these fragrances is a highly guarded secret that involves weeks of sampling and testing to get it right. When asked about this new launch, Corpo Sancto said that they were tired of the misleading descriptions for traditional scents, and that’s why they deliberately chose obvious ingredient explanations here for each of their aromas. Which by the way, if you hadn’t already guessed, the five perfume oils are named after a rock or pop anthem (look them up!) - this is where lyrics, melodies, and scents meet.

Here are the perfume oils in the Botanical Perfume Oil Collection: Going To California which they describe as “Thumbin’ a ride to Laurel Canyon” with warm citrus notes of neroli and grapefruit mixed with coriander and spicy black pepper on a base of frankincense and myrrh. Marrakesh Express is of “Memories of Morocco through the haze of hashish smoke” with woody and warm amber fragrance notes blended with black pepper, tobacco, vanilla, sandalwood, tolu balsam and smoke. The Norwegian Wood – This Bird Has Flown is “A stroll through a Scandinavian forest on winter solstice” with fresh, woody notes of pine, cedar, rosewood and opoponax on an earthy base of patchouli and oakmoss. Gold Dust Woman is “A fragrance for the dark” with notes of Middle Eastern spices, rose and jasmine on a warm base of frankincense, myrrh and sandalwood. And finally, Where The Wild Roses Grow is described as “Petals crushed underfoot as you journey through the woods” with a hint of clary sage blended with rose, orris and labdanum on an earthy base of oakmoss, patchouli, and sandalwood. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but if we had to, it’d be neck and neck with Where The Wild Roses Grown and Gold Dust Woman.

Given the choice of wearing perfume oils or an Eau de Parfum, it’d be perfume oil every time for us. Why? Did you know that a perfume oil is more concentrated? With over 20% of fragrance concentration in the oil, this gives the wearer up to eight hours of scent, and even then, it still deliciously lingers. Whereas Eau de Parfum (EDP) contains about 12% fragrance concentration in alcohol, which evaporates after approximately four hours, leaving the wearer in need of reapplication. When using these perfume oils, we suggest anointing the pulse points, especially the wrists, rub a little to warm up the oil, and then take deep breaths; it helps to soothe the mind, uplifts the spirits and gives us our own little piece of calm throughout the day. We used these alone, but you could combine one or two from the collection to create an individual scent that resonates with your given mood. These are another of our #amazingfinds and we highly recommend experiencing these exceptional perfume oils; you can buy them individually at 10ml for £30.00, and 2ml for £5.00, or for the set of five in the Botanical Perfume Collection see here at £120.00.

Holistic Highland Hemp: Organic Acacia Hemp Honey

On The Amazing Blog, we love to search out lots of new and different products that incorporate CBD, due to all the good benefits that it offers.  Today we’d like to introduce Organic Acacia Honey here which has been blended with a full-spectrum hemp paste extract, which has cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids from Holistic Highland Hemp.

Holistic Highland Hemp is one of Scotland's leading suppliers of full-spectrum CBD oils, capsules, pastes, chocolates and honey. Founded by Kyle Esplin in 2012, Holistic Highland Hemp is a member of the Scottish Hemp Association (where Esplin in chairman), their aim is to work with all hemp and CBD providers, to help support the growth and development of the industry. Esplin started Holistic Highland Hemp after an illness caused him to turn to natural alternatives when conventional medications failed to treat and bring relief to his condition. Esplin now works with clients looking to optimise their health and wellbeing through natural methods, such as CBD. Esplin is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience to help others take a more holistic approach to self-care and self-improvement. Holistic Highland Hemp prides itself on the integrity of their CBD which they put into their products. Esplin said, "All of our CBD products are regularly tested to the highest quality laboratory standards, allowing us to make sure we offer only the highest-grade CBD." This is an award-winning brand where in 2019 they won a Silver in the category of ‘Best Edibles’ at the Hemp & CBD Expo. All products compliant with the UK regulations and contain less than 0.01% of THC. 

Organic Acacia CBD Honey is blended with Holistic Highland's hemp paste, where both ingredients are sourced from the EU, but all blending, branding and packaging is done in Scotland. The mixing of the raw honey and the 8% full-spectrum (CBD) hemp extract is combined at low temperatures in order to help preserve the benefits of both the CBD and raw honey.  Full-spectrum CBD, we often talked about previously, with all for all it’s glorious cannabinoids that not only help to alleviate anxiety but can offer pain relief too. Honey itself is antibacterial and anti-fungal agent, a powerful prebiotic rich in antioxidants, and can even help to reduce bad LDL cholesterol. We tried the Hemp Honey with 250g of CBD (which has 1mg of CBD per gram of honey). The choice of an acacia honey here stems from its light and sweet taste, which complements the strong savoury hemp extract flavour. This Hemp Honey is intended to be taken straight and is particularly good for those who find the hemp extract's flavour alone too strong and earthy. It's versatile and easy to use, where you can simply spoon it straight from the jar. However, during this hot weather, we found it blended beautifully with vinegar, olive oil, and mustard as a simple salad dressing, or it paired rather well with toasted dark rye bread with lashings of butter! Watch this space, as Holistic Highland Hemp tells us that they hope to introduce Scottish honey soon to help reduce their carbon footprint. The 250ml Hemp Honey is available to purchase here in two CBD strengths: 25mg for £10.99, and a 250mg option available for £29.99.