Makeup

Skin in Motion – Exercise Friendly Skinwear

In the forthcoming months, we’re looking forward to returning back to the gym. However, we do like to look our best without being puce in the face or with smudgy mascara. We’re rather ashamed to admit to the damage that we’ve probably already done to our delicate skin, working out with layers of heavy makeup left on! Many of you may be unaware of the fact that exercise can break down the skin's collagen, causing premature signs of ageing. Particularly when you use products such as foundation or bronzer which clog up the pores and often lead to breakouts, this is why at The Amazing Blog we were very curious to try out the exercise-friendly beauty brand Skin in Motion who claims to address all of these issues.  

The revelation for us is that with  Skin in Motion, is that you can wear breathable and sweat-proof makeup to the gym. It’s a lightweight solution that is easy to apply and remove after any workout. The co-founders Gia Mills and Sophia Lahlou cleverly spotted this niche addressing the need for workout friendly beauty. Gia is a London based celebrity makeup artist with well-known clients including the likes of Jessica Ennis-Hill, Cara Delevigne and Julia Restoin Roitfeld. She’s also long been a yogi, marathon runner, cyclist and racer and so understands the physical and mental benefits of working out.  Sophia Lahlou, a marketing professional with 17 years of experience in beauty brands, joined forces with Gia helping to help make them an unstoppable team. The idea came about when they discovered many women don’t go and work out because they were concerned over their appearance. This spurred them on to develop a range of cosmetics to not only make women look better, but feel better too. Skin in Motion has three main goals: encourage women to exerciseboost women's confidence, and donate to female empowerment charities like This Girl Can and we love how they’re advocates for causes such as Breast Cancer too.

Their current products include the Lift It Mascara, Work It Tinted Moisturiser, Cool It Mist and Clear It WipesLet’s start at the beginning of a beauty regime with the Clear it Wipes which remove all the dirt and sweat from the pores. The wipes are thin but loaded with salicylic acid and pomegranate enzymes. These ingredients help clear any harsh ingredients from the skin’s surface while moisturising and balancing. The pot comes with 40 pads and is 100% vegan and cruelty-free. Apply the wipes before and after the workout to clear clogged pores. This product helps cleanse the face and dissolve sweat and also promotes balance in the skin. The Clear It Wipes can be purchased here for £16.00. Next, we have the Work It Tinted Moisturiser which comes in three different and matchable shades: light, medium and dark. With plenty of coverage, the product manages to cover the skin while still maintaining a lightweight and matte finish and best of all, it looks completely natural when applied. The Tinted Moisturiser comes in a 30ml bottle and is cruelty-free, vegan, and paraben-free. It's nourishing and sweat-proof for even the most intense workouts. The product is incredibly smooth in texture, is best applied with a beauty blender and has a subtle citrus scent. The Tinted Moisturiser is a non-comedogenic formula and contains Argan oil to help hydrate and protect the skin. With fast-drying ingredients, you can take comfort in knowing that your makeup will stay put.  Work It Tinted Moisturiser can be purchase for £25.00 here. Something we find difficult to be without is mascara, and we know we’re not alone here. The Lift It Mascara is infused with beautiful Japanese berry kernels from the Sumac tree, the waterproof and smudge-proof mascara is cruelty-free and manages to lengthen and define even the sparsest of eyelashes. For a flawless look, apply the mascara at the base of the eyelashes and wiggle side-to-side in an upwards motion. The mascara comes in an intense black and is available for retail price £20.00 here We all know how our skin tends to get irritated when combined with sweat. Here is where Skin in Motion has created a face spray that helps hydrate and calms the skin. The Cool It Mist has a subtle floral fragrance, the bottle is 50ml and has 95% natural ingredients that are vegan, cruelty and silicone-free. To use just shake the bottle and hold 5 inches away from the face with your eyes closed and spray. Apply a liberal amount and wait a few seconds before leaving for your workout. The mist has hydrolysed hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate, mint to help cool and glycyrrhizic acid (liquorice extract) to calm the skin. The mist is lightweight and easily absorbed. the Cool It Mist can be purchased for £20.00 here. Lastly, we want to mention the rather fetching transparent neon orange and pink Gym Friendly Pouch For Life which is perfect as an on-the-go make up bag, or for taking with you in your gym kit. The Gym Friendly Pouch for Life you can buy for £15.00 here.  Or, if you are like us you can buy their Complete Beauty Care kit for £82 here. We think that they have struck on a genius idea and can’t wait to see more products in the range.

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 ClaireCosmopolitanTeen 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.

Danielle Creations - Erase Your Face

Much as we like to wear long-lasting makeup to take us through from day to night, the downside is that it requires using lots of cleansing cream and toner plus a bit of extra effort to remove.  As regular readers will know at the Amazing Blog we like to support eco-friendly alternatives, so you can imagine how thrilled we were to discover  Erase Your Face cleansing cloths. What could be more perfect than to be able to repeatedly use a cloth to instantly wipe away makeup with no waste? Not only good for the environment but also our skin. Solo these clever cleansing cloths combined with just water remove all kinds of excess from the skin, leaving a flawless and makeup-free finish.

Erase Your Face was invented by Danielle Creations, founded in 1969 they’re probably best known for their cutting edge makeup accessories and cosmetic bags. Based in the UK, they’ve grown into a global brand offering everything from cosmetic accessories, K-Beauty skincare to men's manicure and shaving sets.

Let’s talk about how to use the Erase Your Face, it’s made with a delicate and soft fabric which is 100% polyester, it is both pleasant and soothing to use. This cleansing cloth is water activated, once ready, dampen the cloth with warm water and gently wipe away the makeup in sweeping directions. After use, wash and ring out the water before hanging it up to dry. NB: They recommend machine washing the cloth before use to prepare the cleansing cloth for use. These face cloths are perfect for travel or just a quick cleanse. With an array of different colours and patterns to choose from, Erase Your Face is the ideal for anyone who has sensitive skin or doesn’t want to use harsh cleansers. We particularly like that it removes the likes of stubborn waterproof mascara or lip stain – ingenious! Get a pack of two for £6.99 here.  Or you can purchase a pack of four for £9.99 here, or separately for £4.99 each here.

Eloise - The Queen Eye Shadow Palette

As they say, ‘a queen lies in all of us,’ or at least that’s what the make-up brand Eloise believes, and frankly we don’t disagree. Feeling like royalty on the inside is surely a great boost to one’s confidence, but looking the part, well that can be a little time-consuming to achieve! Luckily, we at The Amazing Blog, found The Queen Eyeshadow Palette by Eloise which has a plethora of colours and textures that will certainly aid the look, with lots of shimmers and shine to keep your eyes bold, dazzling and regal.

Eloise Beauty was founded in 2017, and regular readers of The Amazing Blog will remember that we featured more about the brand’s background and a selection of their gorgeous brushes, and Illuminating drops here. Their aim is to produce quality items and introduce a wide range of trend-led products that break away from conventional eye shadow palettes challenging the consumer to experiment with colours and textures. Their products are visually appealing, dressing table worthy and of course, deliver impeccable results. Their ultimate mission is to create state-of-the-art products that are 100% cruelty-free, exceptional in quality but all at an affordable pricepoint.

The Queen Eye Shadow Palette has an energising colour range, with undeniable strength and exquisite femininity. The palette features an extraordinary combination of 20 different highly pigmented shades ranging from pink and peach to violet and turquoise green, ensuring there’s something for everyone. It includes 8 buttery mattes, 6 dazzling shimmers, 1 pressed pearl, 4 metallics and 1 duo-chrome textured pigment all of which allows you to create a new array of looks i.e. festive and dramatic or soft and understated. Best of all this Palette suits each and every eye colour and skin tone, it has the ability to take you on a journey of its own and finally leaving you wanting more.

We had great fun creating our own special looks (with our different ages/skin tones) there were at least three or four different and favourite colours for each of us. Not only that, this palette is an absolute steal at only £35 and a must-have for every make-up aficionado. You can conveniently purchase The Queen Eye Shadow Palette on their official website here.

Depixym - Cosmetic Emulsions Colours

Fancy playing around with some colours? But don’t have enough time to pick up a paintbrush and create a magical masterpiece? The Amazing Blog is here to introduce a new make-up concept that will allow you to explore your artistic side while creating looks that will leave you looking your brightest, best and gleeful self. Meet Depixym with their ‘Cosmetic Emulsion’ which is probably going to become the most versatile make-up product that you’ve ever used! The brand is here to give you the creative freedom to put some fun back into your make up look.

Depixym is the new generation of makeup that’s ready to rattle the cages of the cosmetic establishment. Mix and match away with their 19 different colours  (plus the addition of a gloss); think vibrant colours, bright yellow, an energising orange or a subtle pink with a woody brown. We know what you’re going to ask; how exactly do you use these colours? Well, that’s the point, it’s however you’d like! The brand breaks away from the restrictions of traditional make-up where an eyebrow pencil cannot be used as lipstick and eyeliner can’t possibly be used as a blush. Depixym’s products can be mixed together and used anywhere on the face or body; it’s so easy and just as you would mix your acrylics or oil paints to achieve the right hue when painting. All these 19 emulsions can be used as eyeshadow, lipstick, blush, eyebrow fillers etc. There are absolutely no limitations on where and how the product can be used, as long as you don’t eat it or stick it in your beautiful eyes.

The founders of this new and exciting brand believe that each individual is different; as to how can one product and one shade suit each and every one of us? They want us to break away from this world of labels. We love how they allow us to experiment and create their own looks and colours based on their personal desires and tastes. They want people to mix it all up and bring out their funky inner sides in a world that’s constantly telling you what’s acceptable. Depixym is based on breaking free from the shackles of society and embracing your true self in whatever shape, form or colour!

The product comes with a small metal palette (be careful it’s a little sharp on the edges) and a mixing wand, all for you to mix your colours in. We tried out the #1059 and #1183 to create our own shades. Each of us ended up with a completely different look; we mainly experimented with it as a lipstick taking us from vivid peach to a nude peachy brown. Best of all is its staying power, but don’t get it on your clothes – one of us did and couldn’t wash it out of their jeans! Hop over to their website to discover your hidden artist.  All their Cosmetic Emulsions colours are priced at £18.