Bio2 You Organic Seabuckthorn Hand Cream and Eye Contour Cream

Due to the colder weather, we have noticed that our hands are drier and in much need of a good quality hand cream. As you will know by now, here at The Amazing Blog we are very passionate about natural and organic skincare – especially when it comes to our skincare products. So, when Bio2 You kindly sent us their Organic Seabuckthorn Hand Cream and their Organic Seabuckthorn Eye Contour Cream, the girls in the office were excited to try them out.

We are slightly obsessed with hand creams here at The Amazing Blog and have more than we should mention on our desks and in our handbags... But there was something special about the Bio2 You Hand Cream. It is very silky feeling, absorbs well and smells very natural, rather than having a chemical fragrance. In fact all Bio2 You’s products are 100% natural and organic so there is nothing harmful to your skin.

The cream is very moisturising and my hands felt so soft and smooth after application. The combination of shea butter, vegetable oils, seabuckthorn oil, mallow and aloe extracts create a fantastic cream that is nourishing and works a treat to protect nails and cuticles also. Perfect for the colder weather.

We also tried out their Eye Contour Cream, which is a unique formula that stimulates the production of collagen, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and preventing the formation of new lines around the eyes. The cream has a similar luxury feel and natural smell as the hand cream. Both products make use of seabuckthorn, a fantastic ingredient with exceptionally high levels of vitamin C, E and A and is also rich in both amino and omega acids.

If you are interested in seeing the benefits of seabuckthorn in your skincare routine you can find out more information about Bio2 You and their products on their website. Both products can be purchased on the website, the Organic Seabuckthorn Hand Cream retails at £19.95 for 100ml and the Organic Eye Contour Seabuckthorn Cream is £24.95 for 15ml.

Uslu Airlines Nail Polish

We all know that it is not just the formula of a product that makes you want to purchase it. Everything from the name of the product to the packaging should interest the consumer. If there is one company who has very ‘cool’ marketing, packaging, and products, it is Uslu Airlines. Uslu Airlines was founded by a Turkish make-up artist and German entrepreneur, and they are taking the cosmetics world by storm. We recently tried one of their lipsticks in the colour HOH, which we featured on The Amazing Blog here, and absolutely loved the power of the colour. When we heard about their new release of nail polishes, called ‘USL’, we knew we had to try them out!

The USL range by Uslu Airlines features nail polishes in a delicious array of colours including two glitter shades. We were able to sample CUN, which is a lovely bright orange, that we think will be suitable to any skin tone. It applies very smooth and two coats of the polish did the trick for my nails. We think this is the perfect shade of pumpkin ready for Halloween!

If you didn’t already know, Uslu Airlines refers to the names of their products as ‘destinations’ with each product having the name of an airport around the world. CUN stands for the Cancun International Airport in Mexico and I think that this is an incredibly fitting name for the colour. It is bright and tropical, but will work just as well for autumn. The USL range has a variety of colours from light pinks to red, so there will definitely be something for everyone.

Uslu Airlines has a wide range of products available, from the USL nail polishes to their vibrant lipsticks and airbrush makeup. To purchase the USL nail polishes or learn more about the brand, visit the Uslu Airlines website.

Friday Favourites: Think Pink for Breast Cancer Research

As you might already know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and with breast cancer being the most common form of cancer in the UK currently it has never been so important to raise awareness of the symptoms of this horrible disease. Here at The Amazing Blog, we have been collecting a range of our favourite products that are currently raising money for this wonderful cause by donating a portion of their profits to breast cancer charities. Bodhi are an eco-luxury skincare brand based on the philosophy that a good natural skincare routine will not only boost your skin, but also your wellbeing. The Bodhi products use traditional botanical remedies as the basis of their skincare range, using only 100% natural essences. To support the cause of Breast Cancer Research, Bodhi have created the Desert Rose Rejuvenating Face Oil Limited Pink Edition. This is a luxurious facial oil is based on the Bulgarian Damask Rose and features Argan Oil, which has skin renewal qualities and Rose Hip Oil which has anti-aging properties. Bodhi founder, Elijah Choo says “Our aim is to empower and inspire women to support this tremendous cause by helping to reinforce body confidence during breast cancer.” To support the work of this fantastic charity, Bodhi are donating £10 to Breast Cancer Research from every sale. You can purchase the Desert Rose Rejuvenating Face Oil for £38 from the Bodhi website.

Dell’Ugo have created a very special pasta to raise money for Breast Cancer Research this October. The new edition to their fresh pasta line is the exciting Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Fiorelli, which not only sounds delicious, but looks it too as this pasta is pink! We think that this would be a very quirky choice to serve up at a dinner party as the pasta offers up complex flavour combinations because the beetroot has been tenderly marinated in a relish consisting of pomegranate and mint. You are in safe hands with Dell’Ugo as they have been creating delicious new recipes in the UK since 1929. You can try the special pink pasta yourself as it is available now from Waitrose where it is retailing for £3.49. Dell’Ugo will be donating 10 pence from every pack that is purchased to Breast Cancer Research.

This October, OPI has launched its seventh annual Special Edition Pink of Hearts 2013 nail duo to promote breast cancer charity Look Good Feel Better. The set contains a gorgeous baby pink polish 'Pink-ing of You' and a Limited Edition glitter polish 'More than a Glimmer' that can be worn over the top of the pink shade. As an added bonus, OPI are giving away free nail decals within the set so you can add crystals and pink ribbon embellishments to complete your look. For every Limited Edition Pink of Hearts kit sold, OPI will donate £2 to Look Good Feel Better. You can purchase your own kit from the OPI website for £18.80.

 To support the work of the Pink Ribbon Foundation, haircare brand Paul Mitchell have created a limited edition collection: 'The Girls are Alright'. The collection includes the Super Skinny Serum, the Super Strong Daily Shampoo and the Super Strong Daily Conditioner, which are all presented in limited edition packaging to raise awareness of breast cancer. The range aims to improve the appearance and quality of your hair by strengthening and conditioning it. We love the colourful and fun packaging of these lovely hair goodies. You can get your hands on these special products from the Paul Mitchell website where the Super Skinny Serum is available for £17.25 for 150mls, the Super Strong Daily Shampoo is £11.50 for 300ml and the Super Strong Daily Conditioner is £14.25 for 300ml. Clinique have released a special edition Pink With a Purpose lipstick in the shade 'Pink Ribbon Honey'. The lipstick is a lovely pink colour that will give you a sheer coverage so it will enhance your natural lips without being too heavy. The lipstick also comes with a limited edition pink ribbon case which is perfect for storing makeup essentials in your handbag for reapplication on the go. We love the sleek and luxurious packaging and think it is the perfect size for girls who are always on the move. For every purchase of the Pink With a Purpose Lipstick, Clinique will be donating £2 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and you can show your support now by getting your own from the Clinique website where it retails for £16.

Nail Art by Helena Biggs

As you’ve probably guessed, we girls at The Amazing Blog are HUGE fans of anything to do with nails or nail art and we are also avid readers of Scratch, the UK’s No.1 nail magazine, which focuses on the latest beauty industry news and nail trends. So when we heard that Scratch’s Deputy Editor Helena Biggs was bringing out her book, Nail Art, we couldn’t wait to get our claws (get it?) into a copy.

Nail Art is a fantastic book, not just for professional nail technicians, but for hobbyists too. The book is really thorough and begins with the basics such as the tools needed to create beautiful nail patterns and how to prepare your nails before you begin. Each chapter has a different theme and focuses on certain types of nail art. The themes range from ‘Fashion-forward fingertips’ to ‘Nail art from the underground’, and every single chapter is packed full of images of beautiful and often intricate nail designs from top nail art professionals. We think it has enough nail art inspiration to last you a lifetime.

Not only does this book show off some amazing nail artwork, but there are also plenty of nail art tutorials throughout the book to help you to recreate some of the classic and also fashionable nail looks. These tutorials include plenty of photos and a step-by-step guide to help you perfect your desired look, which is great for beginners but also helpful to improve techniques of those already involved in nail art. We were very happy to see some of our favourite Nail Techs featured with breathtaking work from the likes of Megumi Mizuno, Zoe Pocock, Marian Newman and Sam Biddle.

Our favourite chapters have to be the last two, ‘Intricate Nail Designs’ and ‘Fantasy Fingernails’. These chapters feature a range of stunning photographs of the most intricately detailed nails we have ever seen. Whilst they are perhaps not the most practical of designs they are beautiful pieces of artwork that we could admire for hours. If sculptured nails aren’t your cup of tea, you can find plenty of information and images about a whole range of techniques from dotting tools to nail wraps, to nail caviar. There really is something for everyone in this wonderful book and you are sure to pick up plenty of tips and tricks of the trade to include in your own nail art work.

If you are a nail art enthusiast too, we highly recommend that you get yourself a copy of this wonderfully informative book, we promise it will become your nail art bible. This fabulous book is so popular that it is currently completely sold out! However the book is being reprinted, so watch this space for more copies that will be available on Amazon and from Waterstones.

Heathcote & Ivory Vintage Collection

After a tough start to the week, all I could think about was going home and taking a nice, relaxing bubble bath. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to use the bath melts from Heathcote & Ivory’s vintage collection in the Mimosa and Pomegranate scent. We had received these earlier here at The Amazing Blog and I was just dying to get the chance to try them out. From the moment I dropped these into my bath, the rich floral scent of mimosa and the light fruity scent of pomegranate filled my entire bathroom. I was able to melt away the stresses of the beginning of the week with the softening and relaxing notes that had begun to perfume the water. My bath left me feeling silky smooth and smelling delicous, and the relaxed feeling lasted long after my bath was finished. These bath melts created a decadent bath time experience and left me feeling calm and level-headed, not to mention they are sulphate and paraben free which is always a plus.

To complete the experience, I decided to use their coordinating Hand and Nail lotion. This lotion, with its combination of fruity pomegranate and rich mimosa, it's also enriched with vitamin E and Shea butter which left my hands feeling soft and my nails stronger. My hands looked and felt instantly nourished and with the lotion being natural and paraben free as well, I didn't have to worry about applying any strange chemicals to my hands.  I loved the feeling and the scent so much I've decided to stash some in my handbag in case I'm need of further moisture protection - especially in this freeze weather.

The combination of both the bath melts as well as the hand lotion left me feeling relaxed and was exactly what I was looking for. If you need a 'pick me up' of your very own you can purchase the Bath Melts for £7.00 and the Hand and Nail Lotion for £5.00 on their website and get ready to create your own perfect bath time experience.