Be+Radiance : Duo Palettes - Set+Glow+Highlighter & Color+Glow Duo Blush+Highlighter

Whether we want to get dolled up or go for a natural look this party season, blusher, powder and highlighter are our three must-haves here at The Amazing Blog. Happily, one of our favourite French natural cosmetic brands, Be+Radiance, sent us both their Set+Glow Duo Powder+Highlighter and the Color+Glow Duo Blush+Highlighter, perfect for adding a touch of festive glamour that will see us well into the wee hours! And if you missed our previous review of their Primer and Matifying Foundation, click here.

The Be+Radiance story starts with beauty expert Aïmara Coupet whose dedication to offering clean products for all skin tones is second to none. After years of working with major brands like L’Oréal, Sephora, and blackUp, Aïmara decided to shift her focus to providing people with inclusive skincare and cosmetics that would actually be good for the skin. With over 20 years of beauty experience and an innate passion for makeup, this Be+Radiance founder, has developed her cosmetics expertise, especially when it comes to the complexion. During the time, Aïmara was working as a consultant to explore the science of the microbiome, the natural bacterial ecosystem of the skin, and was able to work with a laboratory to create a silicone-free foundation. This creation is what prompted the launch of her brand Be+Radiance. As a mixed-race woman, she has pushed for the cosmetics industry to recognise plural beauty, and is determined to create diverse collections with makeup that is “healthy and sophisticated, luminous and universal.” In an industry that struggles to develop products with the right textures and colours for darker skin, she has committed her brand to formulate for all skin tones, and only using clean beauty practices. They make sure to have “equity in the choice of shades and in the adaptation of textures to different skin types.” The brand uses clean formulas, rich ingredients, and probiotics to create makeup that respects the skin. These products all contain probiotics to help strengthen the skin’s natural barrier and protect its microbiome. Their products avoid the use of silicones, parabens, and perfume to maintain the natural balance of the skin. As a clean beauty brand, their products are made in France, are vegan and cruelty-free with an R & D team that integrates raw materials with 85% - 100% natural ingredients to help keep skin healthy and beautiful.  

We loved using the Set+Glow Duo Powder+Highlighter and Color+Glow Duo Blush+Highlighter palettes. They’ve both been created using 95% natural ingredients and are also enriched with probiotics that positively colonise the microbiome to repair the skin barrier, resulting in stronger skin microbiota. These microorganisms also help retain moisture more effectively to keep skin hydrated, healthy, and smooth. The microbiota then offers rebalance and protection when these probiotics and prebiotics come together. The duos include a blend of organic oils rich in antioxidant properties, with moringa, sunflower and jojoba; plus organic shea butter, rich in linoleic acid, which when combined these both nourish and smooth the skin. These duo palettes are free from talc, mineral oil, silicone and fragrance making them suitable for all skin types. They harness the skin benefiting properties of probiotics, and as the brand says these are made to “respect the skin balance, let the skin breath and take care of the most sensitive skin.”

The Set+Glow Duo Powder+Highlighter is half matte powder and highlighter and comes in a selection of 17 shades. It is ultra-smooth in texture and helps set makeup or add a shimmering glow. We received this duo in the No 13 where the shades perfectly complemented each other. The fine powder is used to set the foundation and give a matte finish, whereas the highlighter catches the light and provide the skin with a radiant and glistening look. The way we applied the powder was to take a large powder brush and sweep it along the central panel of the face to help mattify any shine. Then with another brush, we applied the highlighter in an upward movement just above the cheekbones and with our forefinger blended a little on the brow bone to accentuate it. The brand also recommends mixing the powder and highlighter together for a dewy look.  

The second product, the Color+Glow Duo Blush+Highlighter, again, is half blush and highlighter and is available in a variety of 4 shades. The blush in the duo palette is highly pigmented and has been carefully curated to blend and modify and work with a wide range of skin tones. Whether it is a warm pink or a coral with gold undertones, we found the choice of colours blends well. The highlighter works with the blush to create a balanced shimmering effect. We used the duo palette in the shade 02 and found that the blush was perfectly pigmented to bring out a warm rosy look in our cheeks, and the highlighter topped off the look with its illuminating finish. We applied the blush along our cheekbones and a little into the centre of our cheeks, adding the highlighter just above, and a dab also along the brow bone. 

Both these products are another of our festive #amazingfinds. Whether you're looking to buy for yourself or as a gift, they’re available from the Be+Radiance French website here. Or you can also purchase the Set+Glow Duo Powder+Highlighter for £26.40 here and the Color+Glow Duo Blush+Highlighter for £26.40 here.  

Purdy & Figg : The Original Citrus Hand Sanitiser Spray

Now with Omicron, yet another strain of COVID-19 on the rise, it’s even more critical to keep hands clean and sanitised. And at The Amazing Blog with how often we use hand sanitiser, it’s a must to have one with a good fragrance too. This is where Purdy & Figg's Original Citrus Hand Sanitiser Spray comes into play. Plus, we love their coordinating Refillable Atomiser, making it even more convenient to carry hand sanitiser in our party bags this season.

Purdy & Figg is a company that was founded in pursuit of reducing "the number of toxic chemicals that we use on our skin and plastic waste around our homes." NHS nurse Purdy Rubin and horticulturist Charlotte Figg shared this passion and began experimenting with creating natural cleaning products for the home. When cold and flu season rolled around, these founders wanted to create a solution, "For a better, bacteria-killing and moisturising alternative to the toxic mass-produced hand sanitiser gels found everywhere else." Beyond their passion for finding good, natural products, they have helped others discover ways to make their own products. Purdy & Figg held "workshops to share their knowledge with others on how they could create great products at home, to save money and to help the planet." Purdy & Figg remains a family business with Purdy's sons now at the helm, and Charlotte & Purdy still creating new sprays and products. 

The Original Citrus Hand Sanitiser Spray is an effective sanitiser and made with 70% pharmaceutical grade alcohol and safe, pure essential oils. This spray has a sweet orange, pink grapefruit and niaouli flower scent, making it smell infinitely better than your standard hand sanitiser. For a sanitising product, it's impressive that there are only a few key ingredients: pharmaceutical grade Isopropyl Alcohol, Hamamelis Virginiana (witch hazel), vegetable glycerin and three 100% pure essential oils. Witch hazel is a popular ingredient in skincare due to its anti-inflammatory and bacteria-fighting properties. Vegetable glycerin is Non-GMO and vegan friendly, and this ingredient is essential in helping the skin stay smooth while retaining moisture. This hand sanitiser has proven to kill 99.9% of bacteria. What we love is the uplifting fragrance of pink grapefruit, sweet orange, and the aromatic niaouli flower essential oils, which are energising with anti-depressant and naturally anti-bacterial properties, making them a winner. The essential oil niaouli will probably be new to our readers, it’s a relative of the tea tree plant with many similar healing benefits which is why it’s probably used here. It has sweet camphorous like top notes and undertones of eucalyptus, blends particularly well with the other essential oils pink grapefruit and sweet orange.

Purdy & Figg packages their products in sustainable glass bottles with the option to purchase refills. They even created a 15 ml refillable aluminium atomiser spray bottle in vibrant colours of red or blue (suitable for spotting quickly in a handbag!) With any of the four preferred Purdy & Figg sanitisers, fill up this container to have a stylish yet practical (and sustainable) way to carry your favourite sanitiser. Made of aluminium and glass this reusable container is small and convenient, allowing you to keep it unobtrusively in a pocket or in a tiny party bag.

We’re big fans of hand sanitiser sprays, as they’re easy, quick-drying and less fiddly to use than their gel cousins. Simply spray this Purdy & Figg sanitiser onto your palms then rub your hands together to ensure complete coverage and take in the beautiful scents of the essential oils. There are four fragrance blends to choose from with Floral, Woody, Frankincense & Myrrh and Citrus. Oh, and we must mention that they were voted best hand sanitiser of 2020 by ITV This Morning! This is another one of our #amazingfinds. To purchase the 50ml Original Citrus Hand Sanitiser Spray and 15ml Refillable Atomiser Spray, together, for £17.99 see here. We also think this makes a very practical stocking filler.

Clarity Blend - Mind Spa Bath & Body Oil

At this time of year, at The Amazing Blog, some of the favourite things we enjoy are aromatherapy based products - especially when we can add them into a long de-stressing hot soak. This is where this multi-tasking Mind Spa Body & Bath Oil from Clarity Blend’s comes to our aid. Also for Christmas gift ideas, we thought we’d kick off with Clarity Blend, and share a few more in the run-up to the big day.

Clarity Blend is a natural aromatherapy brand based in the heart of Berkshire, where they offer well-being and at-home spa products for a more balanced, positive, and healthier lifestyle. Bulgarian born Veronika and Dimitar Vasilev, founders of Clarity Blend, wanted to start a brand that shares their passion for aromatherapy. Their love for essential oils was founded when the couple wanted to reconnect with themselves and nature, helping to give them a calmer way of life. “With happy memories of growing up surrounded by the aromatic meadows of the Bulgarian countryside, we found ourselves craving the feeling of calm that time spent in nature had given us.” Their journey began after a long search for natural, non-toxic and sustainable products, that would fit their remit. So, they started with research combining nature’s best from woods, flowers, resins, and fruit essential oils to create quality products with the help of top clinical aromatherapists, and finally launching their two initial ranges with Sweet Dreams and Energy Boost. Clarity Blend values education and sharing the power of aromatherapy and its many benefits with its loyal customers. “The power of aromatherapy is a wonderful thing, and we’re passionate about sharing its benefits so you can enjoy a more balanced, positive, and healthier lifestyle. We like to call it ‘Nature in a bottle,” and they went on to say, “We source pure essential oils from all over the world and sprinkle a touch of our Bulgarian heritage into our blends. Our aim from the outset was to capture the essence of the meandering meadows and flowery scents of our childhoods and share their natural benefits.” All products are eco-friendly, 100% natural, vegan and free from artificial fragrances, parabens, sulphates, phthalates and SLSs. In addition, they are handmade in the UK under Good Manufacturing Practice using oils sourced from worldwide reliable suppliers. A core value of Clarity Blend is never harming endangered or vulnerable plant species. However, what makes this brand even more noteworthy is its sustainability efforts, where they use glass products, bamboo and rubber-capped glass, and metal roller balls to minimise the use of unnecessary plastic. Even their hampers and delivery boxes are made with kraft boxes, fully recyclable filling or biodegradable peanut pellets. They now have ten collections and within each of these are four different products with Body & Bath Oil, Bath Salts Roll-on and a Diffuser Blend.

The Mind Spa range focuses on relieving stress, anxiety, irritableness, and tension in daily life. Truly an at-home spa experience, filled with four key essential oils eucalyptus, patchouli, bergamot and lemongrass. Eucalyptus eases breathing, giving one a sense of fresh air and the feeling of a deep breath. This fresh and clean smell is one of our favourite oils of all time. Patchouli has antidepressant properties that help the nervous system and emotions become more balanced. It also gives this product a sweet and earthy scent. The Sicilian bergamot is fresh, citrusy with hints of floral, and exudes positive and happy vibes. Lastly, lemongrass helps reduce fatigue and lack of motivation by stimulating the mind and emotions. We’re focusing today on the Body & Bath Oil. This product is a good body oil that nourishes and moisturises the skin while also treating the mind and spirit, particularly when inhaling the aroma. In addition to the essential oils, this Body & Bath Oil also has the carrier oils of jojoba and almond. Both these oils treat dry skin while also reducing the appearance of stretch marks and scars. We were curious to try this product as it recently received the Bronze Award for Best 100% Natural product at the Global Green Beauty Awards 2021 and was a finalist for best body oil at the Natural Health Beauty Awards 2021. We put a few drops in our hands to warm it up. As directed, we applied it directly after shower or bath on warm, dry skin, then massaged it in gentle circular motions towards the heart. We also think that you could add a few drops of this oil to a warm bath for even greater relaxation. We liked how there was no oily greasy residue, and it absorbed quickly and thoroughly into the skin. It made us feel balanced, focused and boosted our end of the week self-care night. Whether you’re a beginner or avid lover of aromatherapy, the brand offers the opportunity to join their Wellness Club where you’ll receive valuable tips for healthy living. Plus, members get a free digital copy of our Wellness Pocket Companion and 10% off on all orders. To purchase Clarity Blend’s 100ml Mind Spa Body & Bath Oil, for £16, see here.

Root Minerals : Moisture Infusion Lipstick & IntensifEYE Me Natural Mascara

After a long year stuck inside, there is no better feeling than being able to go out again, and for us at The Amazing Blog, this means putting a little more effort into ourselves and our appearance! That is why we went on the hunt for new and unique beauty products to break us out of our post-pandemic slump. Root Minerals caught our attention with its multitude of natural products. We decided to try the Moisture Infusion Lipstick in the shade Strawberry Kiss and the IntensifEYE Me Natural Mascara. 

Root Minerals is a vegan makeup brand that is “inspired by love.” The company, which is based in the UK, was founded by Jay Baharj in 2016. Jay’s story starts with the love for his wife and a fascination with natural ingredients. When Jay’s wife, Amy, used makeup, her sensitive skin would have a bad reaction, eventually leading her to stop wearing makeup altogether. Jay began to wonder if other people suffered this way and why makeup couldn't benefit the skin. These questions drove Jay to research many different “natural” brands that contained many harmful and unnecessary ingredients. Out of frustration and love for his wife, Jay founded Root Minerals to create makeup products that would be cruelty-free, ethical, and all-natural. Jay now has a well-established makeup line featuring over 60 super pigment eyeshadows, 30 organically infused lipsticks, 36 foundation shades, and more! Root Minerals proudly holds the vegan certification and uses its brand to advocate against animal cruelty. Root Minerals began with a story of love and continues to promote love through its natural and ethical products.

The first product that we tried was the Moisture Infusion Lipstick in the shade Strawberry Kiss.  All of the lipsticks in this collection are infused with organic oils and plant-based waxes, which protect the lips from the sun and provide staying power for all-day colour. Natural oils and waxes are also beneficial due to their moisturising and nourishing power, setting apart the Moisture Infusion Lipstick from others that dry out our lips as the day goes by. Some of the most notable ingredients in these products are castor oil, shea butter, and iron oxide colouring. Castor oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acid ricinoleic acid, which helps retain the skin's moisture by preventing water loss through the outer layer of the skin. When used in lipstick, castor oil keeps the lips hydrated and helps avoid the product's bleeding around the lips. Shea butter is an easily absorbed ingredient that goes to work at treating and preventing chapped lips. The fatty acids and antioxidants found in shea butter help smooth lips and create a soft and supple look. Iron oxide colouring is a natural colourant that comes from the oxidation of sedimentary rocks, leaving us with brilliant shades of silver, red, yellow, brown, and more. Iron oxide is moisture resistant, making it perfect for the gym or summer heatwaves. The shade Strawberry Kiss, a dark metallic orangey-red colour, and is reminiscent of the natural wonders left behind by oxidised rock. The colour is earthy and rich, perfect for a pop of colour and has a fabulous bit of shimmer for this festive period. The application was smooth and felt nourishing even hours after applying. 

The second product that we tried was the IntensifEYE Me Natural Mascara. This cleverly named mascara has a specially designed brush and formula meant to thicken and darken lashes. This multifaceted mascara is waterproof, quick-drying, and perfect for sensitive eyes or contact wearers. The unique formula contains natural plant oils and vegetable waxes for long-lasting wear. One ingredient that stood out to us is oryza sativa bran oil. This bran oil helps to repair dress and brittleness while contributing to hair growth. This oil helps treat and nourish the eyelashes while being worn, making a multi-purposeful product. In addition to healing the lashes, the mascara can be used as an eyeliner due to its creamy texture or used to eliminate white hairs. We liked how the formula was buildable, which meant we could add more or less mascara to create a day or night look without the mascara clumping. Just a few swipes left our lashes fuller and thicker, and the creaminess of the product made for a smooth application. If you are looking to add mineral makeup into your routine, then these natural and ethical products will be for you. To purchase the Moisture Infusion Lipstick for £25, click here. To purchase the IntensifEYE Me Mascara for £25, click here.

The Soap Loaf Company : Cosmeti-Craft Rose Soap Crafting Kit

We love a challenge at The Amazing Blog, and this time, we thought we’d try our hand at making a hand-crafted soap as it looked like a lot of fun! This award-winning Cosmeti-Craft Rose Soap Crafting Kit is from The Soap Loaf Crafting Company the same company that sent us their Solid Deodorant Making Kit, which we reviewed here. 

After working as a finance broker for 11 years, founder Natasha Green felt it was now time for her to get in touch with her creative side. This manifested itself into creating a bath and body care business, The Soap Loaf Company , in 2012. The company brings to market handmade toiletries and cosmetics, which has gone on to expand into their renowned DIY cosmetic workshops. Through The Soap Loaf Company, Natasha began to host soap-making parties for children's groups and organisations. As the parties expanded with new products and ideas, she decided that it was time to attract the adult customer audience. In 2018, Natasha launched a sister brand Cosmeti-Craft. It offers customers unique experiences to nurture their creative side and provides them with a wide array of cosmetic products to craft at home, from soap and bath bombs to deodorants and lip gloss. Now with over thirteen different locations around Yorkshire, The Soap Loaf Company has opened up spaces for adults and children alike to explore their crafting abilities. These workshop crafting parties include making body butter, lip balm, solid shampoo bars and deodorant, moisturiser, and many more. They also extend past the borders of Yorkshire and travels around the country hosting events and supporting charities. Cosmeti-Craft works hard to foster a self-care environment for its customers. The brand points out how it excels in the "field of self-care, wellbeing, and mindfulness offering the resources to create a unique self-care, personal hygiene based and creative cosmetic product." The essence of both these brands is to allow others to develop new creative skills in a way that improves their well-being. Many healthcare experts have linked crafting and participating in handmade activities, to a boost in an individual's morale together with a positive effect on mental health. The company also prioritises sustainability, as they're a plastic-free business and only use 100% recycled product wrapping and biodegradable glitter. They focus on offering fully compostable packaging, reusing and recycling all materials from their suppliers, and ordering materials in bulk to reduce shipping frequency and CO2 emissions. They also collect bottle tops for a specialist recycling group, offer paper bags in store for customers, and reward customers with a 20% discount for bringing refillable containers when making further purchases. As a vegan and cruelty-free company, their Cosmeti-Craft Rose Soap Crafting Kit Kit  (see below) was recently awarded the Best Soap Bar Gold Winner at the 2021 UK Global Makeup Awards. Natasha Green has also been recognised for her impressive business acumen and was a finalist for the Best Business Woman in Retail or Consumer Business at the 2019 Best Business Women Awards.

This time we were lucky enough to be sent the Cosmeti-Craft Rose Soap Crafting Kit.  The Soap Loaf Company promotes this crafting experience as "the best bar of soap, is one that the consumer makes for themselves." This Soap Making Kit allows you to create two different 85g soaps, which you can decorate and colour in your own manner, giving you the opportunity to explore your creative side. The kit comes with two different kinds of SLS free soap bases, a fragrance oil, two different types of floral petals, soap colour, soap mould equipment, and a step-by-step tutorial to help you through it.  All you need is a microwaveable mixing bowl or large jug, a wooden spoon, and a microwave. The two types of soap bases are translucent, which we used (see photo above) or an opaque one. They are both glycerin and SLS-free (SLS is an acronym for Sodium Lauryl Sulphate), a surfactant known to irritate the skin. Glycerin, on the other hand, is a humectant; it hydrates and helps the skin to retain moisture. Without SLS's, the glycerin soap base is more effective in soothing all skin types, including sensitive ones. The kit also comes with a rose fragrance oil that gives the soap its calming floral scent. Rose essential oil combines vitamins and minerals with benefits for both the mind and body; and has antiseptic properties that help combat redness and irritation. The dried rose petals in the kit, apart from the fresh floral fragrance roses emanate, also have other benefits mentioned above. The dried marigold petals are known as an anti-inflammatory and have antioxidant properties to aid with collagen production. Apart from the refreshing botanicals, both these petals contribute to the soap exfoliant properties make the skin soft. The brand also encourages you to experiment with other ingredients, like dried flowers or coconut oil, for increased moisturising and further exfoliating effects. We particularly liked making this soap bar because it avoids all artificial preservatives, chemical foaming agents, and palm oil. 

To help you create your hand-crafted rose soap bar, the kit has an in-depth set of instructions. The process includes using a 'melt and pour' method, where you melt the soap base in the microwave and then mix the ingredients in, using your own unique blend. Then simply pour the contents into the mould and let it set. This will take about thirty minutes, but if you are feeling eager to see your finished product, you can pop it in the fridge, and it should be cool and set in just fifteen minutes. Once it’s all set, gently peel off the mould, and voila! The soap is now ready. If you are not using the soap immediately and avoid surface condensation, it is best to store it in a cool and dry area in an airtight container or cling wrap. NB Cosmeti-Craft advises that this soap should be used within six months of making as it doesn’t have any preservatives.  We loved how the soap smelt, looked and felt and think that it makes not only the perfect Christmas gift but also a super-easy crafting and activity project. The Cosmeti-Craft Rose Soap Crafting Kit can be purchased here for £19.99, and if you are looking for more structured guidance, you can purchase it for £29.99 here with the Online Workshop Session.