Tanzee - Fairy Dust Self-Tan Drying Powder & Self -Tan Bed Sheet Protector

Yup, it’s the self-tanning season upon us again. With the very sporadic sun here in the UK, we prefer to rely on sunless tanning for our summer glow. Glove hand, self-tan applied – but then, there’s the hanging around waiting for it all to dry… hmm we don’t have much time for that! This is when at The Amazing Blog we made one of our #amazingfinds with the self-tan solution-based brand Tanzee with their Fairy Dust Self-Tan Drying Powder and their Original Self Tan Bed Sheet Protector. 

Tanzee is an Australian brand founded in 2015 by Marissa Rapa, who has a keen eye for both creation and innovation. This brand has found some ingenious ways to make self-tanning easy – the way it’s should be. As trailblazers, they were the first company to introduce their ingenious Self Tan Bed Sheet Protector. Tanzee is known for pushing the boundaries and finding solutions to issues that present themselves to the dedicated self-tan user. What we like, is that they’re all about listening to their customers’ needs.

Let’s start with the Fairy Dust Self Tan Drying Powder. We all know how draining it can be to wait for our self-tan to dry, especially when we’re in a rush. With this new Self Tan Drying Powder, you can wave goodbye to that because this Fairy Dust Self Tan Drying Powder really does dry your tan in seconds, plus prevents any stickiness or streaking A talc-free product, it is made of ingredients targeted at nourishing and hydrating the skin. These include baobab oil, rich in vitamins A, B, and C as well as fatty acids omega 3, 6, and, 9. It also contains potassium, magnesium, and calcium, together with green tea that contains a powerful antioxidant called EGCG that actually helps in fighting DNA damage from UV rays. Lastly, it contains organic coffee oil which improves skin elasticity, tones and even gives it an overall glow. However, let’s not forget that it is infused with a shimmering mica to make you sparkle! Therefore, not only is it going to allow you to enjoy a perfectly tanned skin, it will leave you with healthy, glowing and smooth skin free from chemicals. We think this is a must-have product for any self-tanning aficionados. Purchase here for £13.71.

We also want to talk about The Original Self Tan Bed Sheet Protector. This nifty Bed Sheet Protector stops your self-tan from staining bed linen and we all know how messy that can be… Simply slip your Tanzee between the sheets, insert the pillow into its case, fold the protective flap for arms over the top of your quilt - et voila! The material is 100% vegan friendly and comes in two sizes and three colours, a medium and a large in black, rose gold or silver. We had the medium black coloured Bed Sheet Protector and would advise you to wash it first before use to avoid any dye runs i.e. if have light coloured bed linen. It is simple to use and has saved me from having to endlessly wash the bed linen every time I tan (I can’t stand fake tan on duvets or sheets!) For regular sunless tanning addicts, we’d highly recommend both these products. To purchase the Tanzee The Original Self-Tan Bed Sheet Protector see here for £32.99. 

Pure Anada - Delicate Compact Palette & Sweet Stillness Nail Polish

At The Amazing Blog, we think there is nothing better than having a new selection of make-up to experiment with to cheer us all up! Particularly, when it has a range of beautifully subtle daytime shades of blush and eye colours. We’re talking about Pure Anada and today we’ve bringing you another of our #amazingfinds with the Delicate Compact Palette and their softest pink Sweet Stillness Nail Polish. 

If you want to know why we’ve chosen to review Pure Anada a Canadian beauty brand, then see our other feature here. Let’s do a quick recap of their inspiring story behind this brand. Growing up in a eco-household, Candace Grenier, founder of Pure Anada, already had a vast knowledge of what proper nutrition should be and the importance of what the body needs. Passionate about making things for herself, she decided in 2003 to make her home and environmental as holistic as possible, discarding anything chemical. She went on to create a line of ‘natural, safer alternatives to mainstream cosmetics’ homecare, skincare and make-up which is where this success story began. These products are ethical, i.e. no discrimination or child labour is ever involved in the processing of making her raw materials. With clean formulations free from common allergens and ingredients that are naturally sourced, and everything is made in their certified organic labs in Manitoba. Their products are also cruelty-free, mainly vegan and certified with the Leaping Bunny programme. We found these at their UK retailer Live in The Light, so it’s a big thank you to them for sending us these products for review. We’re big fans of this online retailer and recommend a visit to their website as they also share our ethos in promoting holistic and environmentally friendly brands.  

Today we want to talk about Pure Anada’s Delicate Compact Palette and Sweet Stillness Nail Polish.  First things first, the Delicate Compact Palette’s colours are discreet, natural and gave us an effortless no make-up look. The pale rosy pink blush named Sweet Pea pairs perfectly with four eye-shadow colours: The satin luxurious taupe/grey that shifts to a shimmering pink called Haunt, a velvet taupe/mauve titled Macchiato, an iridescent champagne blush named Darling, and finally a matte ballet slipper pink Water Lily. If these moreish colours don’t swipe you off of your feet, then perhaps their win with the Sweet Pea blush at The 2020 Beauty Bible Awards here will. The packaging is recyclable with a pretty floral designed outer box and metallic foil etched cardboard inner palette, that also comes with a mirror inside. It only contains all-natural formulas comprised of pressed mineral pigments and jojoba oil for softness. The jojoba oil keeps the texture silky and smooth and most importantly, non-greasy.  Apart from the colours and natural formulas what we particularly like about this make-up is its cost-effectiveness. Unlike most palettes, this one is refillable! When finished, you can buy the individual colours and pop them right back into each of the magnetic slots in palette. Best of all,  the coverage is sheer but buildable and the blusher promises a demi-matte fresh healthy glow to the face and that’s exactly what it delivered. This is for us a smart investment with its natural everyday colours and is available for £29.95, you can find it here.  

Moving on to the Sweet Stillness Nail Polish which is from a range of twenty long-lasting colours. This Sweet Stillness is a pale rose pink non-toxic nail polish. More importantly, it is free of the five most toxic ingredients which are usually found in regular nail polish. The three most toxic ingredients being dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde, and toluene. They are followed by another two which are formaldehyde resin and camphor.  If you wish to know how toxic they are, here’s a quick explanation:  The dibutyl phthalate, or otherwise called the plasticizer, is used to provide sheen. It has a carcinogen effect and can cause thyroid problems and is often linked to hormone changes. Formaldehyde used to harden the nails, is also carcinogen when inhaled and while it’s evaporating can sometimes cause allergic reactions if it comes in contact with your skin. The toluene used to give a smooth finish and keep a uniform colour can cause eyes, lung, and throat irritation when inhaled and can also affect the central nervous system. The formaldehyde resin used to strengthen the nails is a skin allergen and remains active for up to three days after your nail polish dries, and can cause dermatitis. Finally, camphor, which used to be a treatment for cold or flu, is now chemically manufactured and can have a serious side effect when ingested. When exposed in large doses, primarily through inhalation, it’s known to cause irritation, nausea, dizziness, and headaches, it is therefore highly toxic! Quickly added the formulas in the Sweet Stillness Nail Polish are solvent-based and not water-based, but this is long-lasting and a more durable option than water-based.  We’d also advise applying it with their Super Base Coat and the Free Topcoat. You can find Pure Anada’s Sweet Stillness Nail Polish here for £8.95. 

Ieva's Makeup - Reusable Strip Lashes + Classic Case

As they say ‘the eyes are the window to the soul’ and they’re the only focal point of the face with the current ubiquitous mask-wearing! At The Amazing Blog, we’ve been learning new tips and tricks to help make our eyes pop and what better way than with some speedy luxury strip lashes to make them flutter.  On our hunt to find good quality lashes we found a new brand Ieva’s Makeup that not offers only reusable strip lashes but lash cases, glues and tools to help apply. 

The eyelash and makeup company Ieva Makeup was founded a year ago by the makeup artist Ieva Bogdanova, best known for her work with top models. She proudly told us that the supermodel Winnie Harlow wore these lashes shortly after they launched. Ieva decided to create her own line of lashes when she became acutely aware of the colossal waste as people throwing away their strip lashes after only a single use. This is when she decided to create a range of reusable cruelty-free luxury faux mink lashes. She also sells glues, an invaluable Lash Applicator Tool and Classic Cases to keep lashes safe and in shape for reuse. Not forgetting to mention, that the entrepreneurial Ieva offers certified makeup courses for any aspiring makeup artists too. 

We received two pairs of FM22 Sassy Lashes which were soft, mounted on a flexible band and easy to apply. We often have trouble finding strip lashes that fit the shape of our eyes and end up bending and trimming them. However, these blended perfectly with our natural lashes and gave our eyes an extra lift. The results were glamorous! Giving our eyes a more intense look by adding a little drama, but without being over the top. Two of us have tried these, and have reused the lashes already 9 or 10 times. Top tip: After use, carefully peel off the adhesive with tweezers, before replacing them back in the moulds in the Classic Case, then they’ll be ready to go again. A quick note to say that the brand has slightly changed its Classic Case design since our photo above, but is still the same shape and design. You can purchase your Classic Case with the pair of Strip Lashes of your choice here for £14.99. Or if you only want the FM22 Sassy Lash you can find them here for £4.99.

Lily England – The Marble Luxe Makeup Brush Set & Bag in Black & Rose Gold

Although we’re currently in lockdown, this doesn’t give us the excuse to let our makeup gather dust. Now is the ideal time to ‘brush up’ (excuse the pun!) and improve our makeup skills. However, we remember being told by an esteemed makeup artist that when applying makeup it’s all down to the quality of brushes and ‘technique, technique, technique’. So imagine our delight when The Amazing Blog received this very timely Lily England’s Marble Luxe Makeup Brush Set & Bag in Black and Rose Gold.

Lily England is a British beauty brand created in 2015 by Kayleigh Graham, who previously worked in social media with brands like Selfridges and Burberry. That was when she spotted a gap in the market for stylish makeup brushes and bags, that were both affordable and mirrored the millennial trends. The brand is cruelty-free and vegan with its synthetic hair brushes, and if you’re searching for good quality, ethically produced beauty tools, then Lily England’s brushes are your answer.

The Marble Luxe Makeup Brush Set & Bag comprises of nine brushes: Crease, Angled, Smudger, Pencil Eye, Eyeshadow Packer, Sculpt & Glow, Kabuki Foundation and Large Powder. Not only are these super-soft and great quality, they also have sturdy and stylish rose gold mouldings around the bristles. This brush set comes in a waterproof black marble pouch, making it an elegant and stylish (not to mention insta-friendly) ‘must-have’. Let’s talk about three of our favourite brushes, beginning with the Kabuki Foundation Brush, a foundation brush that is great to use whether it’s with a liquid, or mineral powder. We found that brush strokes magically vanished, it was deliciously soft on the skin and best of all none of the hairs shed on our face! We also enjoyed using the Eyeshadow Packer with our Eloise Queen Eye Shadow Palette (see here for our recent feature). This brush quickly picks up the colour pigment and then reapplies it evenly, which makes it super-easy to blend. Last but not least in our top three, is the Large Powder Brush because it’s an essential finishing step for lightly dusting our loose powder to set makeup.

There’s so much you can do with this Marble Luxe Makeup Brush Set, whether it’s a natural glow or a stronger night-out look, there’s no limit to what you can create. As mentioned earlier, the set comes with its handy pouch so you can keep the collection in your handbag or pack it away for your travels. We think that this set makes the perfect gift or just an update for your makeup brushes. Your Lily England brush set is just one step away… Purchase your Marble Luxe Makeup Brush & Bag in Black & Rose Gold here for £39.99.

Simply CBD Bronzer - Self Tan Mousse

Have you noticed that the popularity of CBD being used in the beauty sector is growing rapidly by the day? Many spas and salons are eager to add cannabidiol based treatments to their roster which has prompted beauty companies to create an even bigger offering of CBD infused topical products. As regular readers will know, at The Amazing Blog, we’re big fans of all things CBD (see here) and are excited to share with you another one of our #amazingfinds with Simply CBD’s Bronzer. Launched as the UK’s first professional CBD-infused spray tan in 2018, they now have a range of sunless tanning which is for home use, which as regular fake tanners we’ve been itching to try!

Simply CBD Bronzer Tanning Mousse has four key ingredients, dihydroxyacetone (DHA), aloe vera, green tea extract and cannabis oil. The DHA is at 10% which develops into a good even medium tan - it is a safe FDA approved substance derived from glycerine that reacts with the amino acids naturally present in the surface layers of skin, which in turn then produces a brown colour change. Aloe vera offers increased moisture and reduced inflammation with a gentle antiseptic effect. The Green tea extract is rich in vitamin E and supports and maintains collagen levels, it detoxifies and is a powerful antioxidant also rich in anti-inflammatory properties and can serve as an antibacterial to help clear pores and ease acne. The cannabidiol (CBD) hydrates and nourishes the skin by offering moisture retention and regulating oil production for an even and beautiful tan. The CBD used here is 75mg per 200ml and has been refined to contain no trace of THC. Rich in phytocannabinoids, terpenes and fatty acids, the CBD helps to combat dryness. It soothes the skin and is an excellent source of antioxidants with supplementary vitamins A, B, C, D and E.

We found this natural, cruelty-free and vegan self-tan super easy to apply. After showering and exfoliating body we moisturised the dry bits like knees and elbows before applying the mousse with a microfibre mitt. Simply CBD recommends leaving the tan on for 6 to 8 hours; we left it on overnight. In the morning, we rinsed it off in the shower and were left with the stunning, even and natural bronze colour. Unlike many other sunless tanning products that with regular use have dried out our skin, with this Simply CBD Bronzer Tanning Mousse we found to our surprise that it actually helped to boost our skin’s suppleness and hydration! We’ll certainly be looking to try more from this brand.  It’s the perfect way to keep your summer glow without basking in the sun’s harmful rays, and for keeping the skin looking sun-kissed all year long; you too can purchase Simply CBD Bronzer 200ml for £29.95 or a Travel Mousse size 50 ml for £12.95, both are available here.