Annabelle Minerals - Makeup Pencils

It’s been a while since we’ve reviewed makeup on The Amazing Blog; so, we were excited to receive a range of makeup pencils from plastic-free and zero-waste mineral makeup brand Annabelle Minerals. It’s the first time we’ve reviewed Annabelle Minerals, and we couldn’t wait to try their latest launch of their eco and vegan EYE Pencils, JUMBO Eye Pencils and JUMBO Lip Pencils.

Anna Szczerba founded Annabelle Minerals in her home country Poland in 2016. Before creating her cosmetic company, she was a lawyer who studied law in Kraków. She began her company because of her personal experience with blemishes and when looking for solutions she came across a forum that introduced her to mineral makeup. This is when she discovered that mineral makeup helped with her breakouts and blemishes. With the lack of mineral makeup to be found in Poland, Anna decided to create her own with the help of a lab to manufacture her first cosmetic products, initially selling on her online shop and Facebook page. Eventually, she was able to quit her day job, and after a year, her brand was able to take off. Annabelle Minerals has been created with a view to being waste-free. As a starting point, with every product they release, they make an effort to use sustainable packaging. "Our passion is finding beauty in the surrounding reality, which is why the mission of Annabelle Minerals is making sure that every woman believes in the beauty that she has inside." As a vegan and cruelty-free brand, their products also offer UVA/UVB protection and are plastic-free, making them perfect for zero-waste lovers. They are also an award-winning brand with five awards to date which include Beauty Shortlist Awards in 2020 and 2021 and three Global Green Beauty Awards in 2020.  

Annabelle Minerals sent us their complete set of makeup pencils, which include JUMBO Lip Pencils, EYE Pencils and the JUMBO Eye Pencils. The brand told us the thought process and reason behind launching these new products. "We are constantly on the lookout for new launches in the spirit of less waste. As a brand, we’ve become very eco-conscious and are evolving towards being more sustainable with every new product, and makeup pencils were something that was missing in our offerings. We've been in the process of creating the lip pencils for months to make sure the first lip product is special and something we would use ourselves daily. Then we liked the results so much, that we decided to create something for the eyes, too."

Key ingredients common to all the makeup pencils are: Hydrogenated vegetable oil, copernicia cerifera wax, silica, glyceryl undecylenate, cocos nucifera, vitamin E, mica and oryzanol. The hydrogenated vegetable is best known as a thickening agent in cosmetics and for offering products a long and safe shelf life. However, it also has the added benefit of occlusives these help prevent transepidermal water loss. The copernicia cerifera wax is vegetable wax it’s a texture enhancer, stabiliser and a hypoallergenic additive to cosmetics. Silica when applied topically significantly improves the elasticity, texture and hydration of the skin. Glyceryl undecylenate is used to emulsify a product along with its antimicrobial properties. It also acts as a skin-conditioning agent and seals moisture into the skin. Cocos nucifera (coconut oil) is highly moisturising and the fatty acids give nourishment to the skin. Vitamin E is a light stabiliser, hydrator and antioxidant with potent anti-inflammatory benefits. The mica is a natural mineral that is commonly used as a colour additive and for its shimmery qualities in cosmetics. Finally, oryzanol which is extracted from rice bran oil and good for natural UV-A and UV-B absorbing capacity

Let’s start with their JUMBO Lip pencils - these are effortless to apply with creamy, non-drying formula, making them are comfortable to wear all day long. They also nourish and soften while providing long-lasting coverage and are versatile enough to use as a lipstick or lip liner, leaving a velvety semi-matte finish. The JUMBO Lip Pencils come in three natural lip shades. Cranberry is a deep and moderately cool berry shade. It gives a natural, multidimensional look. It's perfect for an everyday makeup look or a unique statement look. When you're looking for a natural and simple lip, then the Clover shade is the way to go. This nude pink shade accentuates your lips naturally and easily—ideal for an everyday look. Lastly, Marigold is great for when you want a warmer hue. This colour has peachy tones that go great with daily makeup and could even be used with a bold smokey eye for an evening look. Marigold makes lips appear fuller with its natural lip tone colour, and like the other two colours, leaves a semi-matte finish.

As mentioned, there are two different types of eye pencils – their EYE Pencils and JUMBO Eye Pencils. Both these eye pencils leave a creamy and velvety look and give a great colour payoff, and come in three shades. They are gentle and perfect for sensitive eyes, or beginners as they are long-lasting, and can be applied in several ways, starting as a basic eyeshadow and to a precision eyeliner. To quote Annabelle Minerals “[They’re] super blendable and very easy to use, we think they’re a great staple product.”

The slim EYE Pencils offer more precision lining than the JUMBO. We loved the versatility of Dark Wood a classic/go-to pencil as it is excellent as an eyeliner and eyeshadow primer. This shade will become a must-have in your makeup bag. Forest Sky is a graphite grey shade, and it is ideal for green and blue eyes as it leaves a soft and smoky effect. Lastly, comes the shade Pine, this brown shade gives a matte finish that you can use, again, with a smoky eye or even use as a filler to touch up eyebrows.

Their JUMBO Eye Pencils, as Annabelle Minerals says “Glide on effortlessly and create infinite looks with minimal effort.” Their smudgeable formula makes them easily blendable. The Fern, as the name suggests, is a beautiful green shade and has iridescent mica particles whose colour changes depending on the light. You can wear it alone or mix and match it with the other pencils. If you want a more suitable shade for an everyday look, then Maple is the colour for you. With a deep brown and copper glow, Maple is excellent for everyday use, again, it has the same iridescent particles as Fern, but here they reflect the light with a copper halo. Last but not least, we have Mist, a classic white and beige pencil with a matte finish. This colour can be used as an eyeshadow, liner, primer, and highlight.

Our conclusion? For the eyes, we loved experimenting with blending more than one JUMBO shade together to get a graduated look. The EYE pencils apart from precision liners, made great waterline pencils as they didn’t transfer or bleed. And the JUMBO lip pencils are a brilliant trio of natural lip colours - again we mixed and matched, using them to fill in and subtly enhance our natural lip colour. All makeup pencils are packaged in traditional natural wood and, for protection, have a metallic rose gold metal cap at the end. They have good eco-credentials as they're biodegradable (except for usable metal caps) and zero-waste products. Another one of our #amazingfinds we think these products are great as a standalone or blended with each other - here you can have lots of fun experimenting with different looks. The only thing missing is a JUMBO pencil sharpener - maybe something for the brand to add to their e-shop? You can find the JUMBO Lip Pencil here for £11.90 and the EYE Pencil and JUMBO Eye Pencil here for £9.90 and £11.90 each. 

Les Parfums de Rosine : Bulle de Rose

If you haven’t already guessed, at The Amazing Blog, we have a slight weakness for anything ‘rose’! That’s why we’re featuring the French perfume house Les Parfums de Rosine who always revere the rose in their fragrances (see our previous reviews here). Their rose-based fragrances never disappoint and we couldn’t resist trying their latest launch Bulle de Rose an uplifting scent that’s a nod to the up-and-coming spring.

Les Parfums de Rosine is founded by Marie-Hélène Rogeon, who comes from a long line of distinguished perfumers. Marie-Hélène’s great grandfather was the nose behind Eau de Cologne, a fragrance designed specifically for Emperor Napolean III. Her passion for perfume began early on, she was fascinated by this world of exquisite bottles, fragrances, flowery labels, and silk braid trimmings. She pursued her career in perfume and learnt her trade by working in various well-known perfume houses. When Marie-Hélène brought back to life the Les Parfums de Rosine brand in 1991, it coincided with a period when women began to tire of commercial perfumes and looked for more authentic scents with perfumes that told a real story. Les Parfums de Rosine has allowed Marie-Hélène to combine her love of fragrance with her passion for cultivating roses. In an interview in Vanity Fair, Marie-Hélène said "I'm fascinated by the diversity of roses, both in terms of their looks but also their scents, from green and citrusy to soft and honeyish." Hence, she has built a collection of rose perfumes, all different, from the fresh Un Zest de Rose to the more sensuous Une Folie de Rose. It’s important to Marie-Hélène that all Les Parfums de Rosine perfumes are made from natural essences, and that scent profiles are always decipherable. 

Les Parfums de Rosine’s Bulle de Rose was the co-created of the renowned perfumer, Serge de Oliveira, from Maison Robertet. He is well known for having worked with various companies creating perfumes with natural essences. In an interview with Le Petit Poudrier, Serge discussed the intricacies of working with 100% natural ingredients. He explained that making fragrances from natural substances takes longer and limits the number of ingredients at his disposal. Serge de Oliveira has worked previously with Les Parfums de Rosine on fragrances such as Bleu Abysse, Rose par Essence, and Rose Absolument. When asked where he gets his inspiration, Serge said, “It may sound cliché, but it is essential for perfumers: We find inspiration in travelling, visiting museums and cities, but also in our food, in materials, textures, or fashion. Everything can and must be a source of inspiration!”

Bulle de Rose is beautifully presented in a pearly-pink bottle accented with a blue tulle pompom. The perfume itself possesses top notes of blackcurrant and bergamot with elemi essence. Elemi is a resin tapped from pili trees, and it carries a spicy balsamic almost lemony scent and is most commonly used to tether ingredients so that they might last longer. This blend of top notes creates a lively fruity blend that incorporates the blackcurrant’s fruitiness with the bergamot’s citrus and a floral edge that lasts and lasts. The middle notes introduce the caressing purity of soap accord inspired by the legendary Camay soap (an accord is a blend of two or three ingredients that produces a completely new and distinctive smell); it then opens up into the star ingredient, the Turkish rose whose powdery fragrance embodies the scent the summer, followed by the discreet green herbal essence of green tomato. The base notes ground the fragrance with the sweetness of patchouli, sandalwood’s delicate woodiness and cypriol essence’s light and spicy notes. The direct translation of Bulle de Rose means ‘rose bubble’, which is precisely the aim of this fragrance, as it surrounds the wearer with a fragrant bubble of roses, creating a fresh and spring-like scent - and one we found hard to resist!. To purchase a 50ml bottle of Bulle de Rose at £108 to buy the 100ml bottle at £140 please see here. We also believe that a selection of Les Parfum de Rosine fragrances are also available in London at Liberty and Fortnum & Mason.

Melitta Meszaros Natural Skincare : Face Oil for Oily & Combination Skin

It’s not often that we come across a face oil that’s specifically intended for oily & combination skin. The younger members of the team at The Amazing Blog, requested that we find them a face oil for their slightly oily skin. So, we thought we’d try out the Face Oil for Oily & Combination Skin from this vegan and artisan skincare brand Melitta Meszaros Natural Skincare.

Melitta Meszaros Natural Skincare is a beauty brand that offers handmade natural skincare products with transparent ingredients. The brand’s story begins ten years ago when founder Melitta Meszaros noticed how many ambiguous ingredients were in her skincare products. This was when Melitta decided to start her journey to the world of natural cosmetics and begin looking for the best way to create skincare using natural, vegan, cold-pressed and preferably organic ingredients. Melitta finally launched skincare under her own name with a range of plant-based face oils, floral waters and a clay mask.  The brand’s mission is “to give you quality skincare products which are natural, simple but give high performance.”  All products are cruelty-free with no artificial synthetics, fillers, or additives. Their products are made in small batches in the UK and are designed to treat all skin types, including sensitive skin. For those with particularly delicate skin types, the brand even produce identical face oils without the essential oils with only a natural fragrance from the carrier oils. We were also pleased to see that all bottles and pipettes used are deemed to be recyclable, and the boxes and pouches used are compostable & biodegradable.

This award-winning Face Oil for Oily & Combination Skin uses only natural oils to promote overall skin wellness and to leave skin nourished. This face oil was recently awarded the Best 100% Natural Product and was a silver winner at the 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards. This face oil is specifically made for oily and combination skin (which we’re sure you already gathered from the product name) and is also suitable for most other skin types too. It is common for people with oily skin to avoid face oils for fear it will just make their skin worse - however, we know that this is not the case! 

Certain face oils (non-comedogenic) in fact, help balance sebum production and improve skin elasticity to leave your skin looking moisturised and healthy. Oily skin tends to produce excess amounts of sebum, which can cause clogged pores and breakouts. Regulating sebum production is key for oily skin because it helps keep your skin's natural moisture, and reduces the excess sebum oily skin produces. The right kind of face oils can even provide long-lasting hydration by enabling the skin barrier to effectively lock in moisture. To ensure this face oil retains all its healthy antioxidants, it is made with a combination of high-performing, cold-pressed oils.

Here the Face Oil for Oily & Combination Skin combines natural botanical carrier oils like grapeseed, jojoba, sunflower, rosehip, and argan.; together with the essential oils of grapefruit peel, rosemary leaf, and geranium bourbon. Let’s talk through the key ingredients that help oily skin. Jojoba oil is very similar to the naturally-occurring sebum in your body, which means it can efficiently regulate sebum secretion. It also has moisturising properties to help maintain the skin's hydration, elasticity, and smoothness. The skin-brightening rosehip oil is also ideal for treating oily skin, as it does not clog pores and is rich in retinoids, compounds that can help fight acne breakouts. Another hero ingredient is argan oil, which is non-comedogenic, and packed with oleic and linoleic acids to create a balanced and soft skin complexion. The face oil is multifaceted, as the essential oils also give it a mood-boosting and uplifting fragrance. Grapefruit peel has a fresh citrus scent to revitalise your mind, and its antibacterial and antioxidant properties are excellent for soothing acne. Rosemary leaf is also known to treat acne due to its antiseptic properties, and it can even out the skin's oil content - not to mention its energising fragrance can help reduce tiredness and improve mood. The geranium bourbon adds to the face oil’s scent with its calming floral notes; plus, it is an anti-inflammatory that leaves a healthy glow. 

Our verdict? It’s lightweight and doesn’t leave any oily or sticky residue. As for the fragrance, it has a subtle natural blend of botanical and citrus scents to leave you feeling soothed and refreshed. We applied a few drops and gently massaged them into the face. Melitta Natural Skincare suggests using the oil as the last step of a skincare routine because the oil will lock in all the ‘goodness’ of the other skincare products; it will also be absorbed better on a slightly damp complexion. We found this face oil revived skin and kept it feeling supple and hydrated. The team particularly recommend using this at night on the face, neck and décolleté. Or for a dewy look, during the day you can add a few drops to your foundation. It’s a face oil made with simple, honest and natural ingredients, that work at their optimum when combined. To purchase the 30ml Face Oil for Oily and Combination Skin for £25, see here.

The Speak Collective : Rose+Peach Hydrating Mist

During these colder months, skin hydration is more important than ever for us at The Amazing Blog. We notice how our skin suffers from the yo-yo-ing effects as we go from warm central heating to the chilly outdoors. We’ve always keen to use facial mists as they stop our skin from feeling tight and dry, so we were thrilled to be sent the Rose+Peach Hydrating Mist from natural skincare brand The Speak Collective.  

The US-based skincare The Speak Collective was founded in December 2017 by Nisa Zulkifli and her cousin Tiara. Nisa had been struggling with eczema for years when she began researching all the ways she could help her condition. With the lack of natural remedies available, she decided to handcraft her own formulas. At the same time, Tiara was also on the hunt for a skincare product to improve her hormonal skin and ended up trying one of Nisa’s creations. Tiara knew this skincare product had to be shared with others, so from this, The Speak Collective was born. Nisa is certified in organic skincare formulation from Formula Botanica, a leading teaching institution for organic cosmetic science. The brand aims to solve “the frustration of looking for effective products for sensitive skin, by using plant-based skin essentials to unleash your confidence.” They offer a range of skincare essentials made from carefully selected biocompatible ingredients, with no parabens, phthalates, and artificial fragrance or colour. The Speak Collective prioritises optimum skin health, as their products are created in a GMP certified facility, tested in independent labs, and use pure and gentle botanical ingredients. They are built upon the values of transparency, education, and respect for the planet and community. By educating customers on what is in their skincare, the brand empowers customers to make informed decisions about their choice of skincare. They also put sustainability at the forefront of their mission by using recyclable packaging and teaming up with upcycling NGOs. The Speak Collective contributes to the reforestation effort, and are partnered with One Tree Planted, where they donate $1 from every product sold to plant trees. They advocate for clean and conscious skincare, as all their products are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and specifically made to treat sensitive skin.  

The Rose+Peach Hydrating Mist is a refreshing botanical face mist that hydrates skin with each spritz. Facial mists are ideal for dehydrated skin because they give it an instant dewy, fresh, and restored feeling. This mist is created as a multitasker, as it can boost hydration, strengthen the skin barrier, nourish irritated skin, and of course, help to improve the appearance of the skin leaving it soft and dewy. The mist is made from a blend of plant-based ingredients designed to combat the effects of any dry, tight, red, or itchy skin. It contains a blend of 9 natural and functional ingredients may rose water, peach, evening primrose, yuzu ceramide, artichoke, eisenia (a type of algae), jiou, oubaku, okra and houttuynia. These are 97.55% naturally-derived ingredients and are kind to sensitive skin, the mist is also free from any essential oils and fragrances. The Rose+Peach Hydrating Mist harnesses the power of four key active ingredients, in particular, may rose flower water, evening primrose seed extract, peach leaf extract, and yuzu ceramide extract. 

The rose water comes from the may rose flower, this gives the mist a very light, honeyed sweet scent. The may rose, AKA rose centifolia, is one of the key ingredients used in the legendary perfume Chanel No 5. Unlike other roses, it’s edible and sometimes has 100 petals per rose. the may rose flowers once a year in may (hence the name) and can only be harvested on the same day that it blooms! The two most common species of rose used in perfume and cosmetics are the damascena rose (grown in Morrocco, Turkey and Bulgaria) and this may rose found in France, where it’s the emblematic rose of Grasse. Not only does the may rose water provide a natural, delicate fragrance, it also acts as a skin conditioner and an anti-inflammatory to help calm skin redness and hydrate the skin. 

The evening primrose extract is rich in fatty acids and linoleic acid, which help improve the skin by retaining water and balancing sebum production. Excess sebum is often a cause for acne and clogged pores, so regulating it is key for healthy-looking skin. The extract is also known to effectively fight inflammation and soothe dry skin.  Another key ingredient is the peach leaf extract which is packed with phenolic compounds that calm irritated skin and reduce inflammation. It also has powerful antioxidant properties and can stop free radicals, the damaging molecules that create wrinkles, dark circles, and uneven complexions. 

Finally, the mist uses a potent little citrus yuzu fruit extract high in vitamin C it’s an antioxidant powerhouse for brightening the skin, fighting signs of ageing, and even helping to combat dry skin. It also helps diminish the appearance of fine lines and restores the skin barrier function, so your skin is left healthy and radiating.

As we’re all about natural products, it’s good to know that this mist is only naturally coloured with hibiscus flowers extract – meaning that there are no artificial pigments that can irritate the skin. We used it in a variety of ways, after cleansing our face, and on top of makeup to give us a more dewy look. In fact, keeping it at our desks and spritzing it during the day, also protects it from the effects of the drying air-con or heating. We found the rose scent subtle and soothing, with the mist leaving our skin feeling immediately hydrated. For an even more refreshing and cooling sensation, The Speak Collective suggests you keep it in the fridge - however for us in the UK, perhaps not now in mid-winter!. They also recommend following the mist with a facial oil to ensure your skin seals in the moisture. To keep your skin nice and hydrated throughout these cold weeks, you can purchase the Rose+Peach Hydrating Mist here for $36.00.  

Mighty Green : Anti-Ageing CBD Face Cream

Yes, we admit it, we’re big fans of CBD infused products and always on the lookout for new discoveries. Today at The Amazing Blog we’re featuring CBD skincare Mighty Green and their Anti-Ageing CBD Face Cream; it’s a brand we stumbled upon last year at Professional Beauty.

Mighty Green is a UK-based company co-founded by Claudia Le Feuvre in 2019. Her passion for CBD grew out of her work as a nutritionist, where she observed the healing powers of CBD. She went on to develop Mighty Green with a team of experts who include healthcare professionals, a personal trainer, a psychologist, and even a facialist! Claudia hopes that Mighty Green can make a difference in people’s lives, in the most meaningful way it can – with their health. She also wants to make CBD as accessible as possible, offering a series of books for further education on CBD. In an interview with The Leaf Desk, Claudia explained why she started Mighty Green, “I looked into the marketplace, and there are so many discrepancies and a lack of standards. I was alarmed.” She went on to say, “I hope to bring credibility to the industry by sourcing high-quality CBD products. We’re trying to create a brand that customers will trust.” Her brand Mighty Green has broad-spectrum based CBD products, complemented by some of nature’s finest ingredients and all have certified lab reports here. These products currently range from an anti-ageing face cream to a range of balms and CBD oils. What sets them apart is that the brand offers a unique combination of industry knowledge, clinical experience and technical expertise. 

We got tempted by Mighty Green’s Anti-Ageing CBD Face Cream, which is formulated with the help of their in-house facialist. It’s a natural skincare that is infused with CBD broad-spectrum distillate and contains 150mg of CBD and CBG respectively. As we’ve discussed many times, CBD has demonstrated excellent anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant capacities in skincare - all of which we love. It also supports the skin’s natural cell cycle aiding in the replenishment and protection of skin. The addition of CBG or cannabigerol is a lesser-known cannabinoid found in the hemp plant. It helps boost the overall effect and has similar capabilities as CBD. Also rich in antioxidants, it fends off free radicals, making it an age-defying ingredient to help give skin a more youthful-looking appearance. The great thing about the combination of CBD and CBG - it keeps the skin free of excessive oil and bacteria and helps control oils produced by sebaceous glands. 

In addition to CBD and CBG, Mighty Green has added beta-glucan, and hyaluronic acid to their Anti-Ageing CBD Face Cream to lend moisturise and hydrate. Beta-glucan is a relatively new ingredient in cosmetics. It’s essentially polysaccharide sugars (or starch) extracted from oats and is a humectant that attracts water to the top layers of skin. Did you know that it has a 20% higher moisture capacitance than hyaluronic acid? Hyaluronic acid itself, as we’ve often discussed, plumps up the skin, smoothing out fine lines even if it is on a more temporary basis. Other key ingredients are essential oils and carrier oils, each playing a significant role in this cream. The carrier oils are neem, evening primrose, grapeseed and sweet almond oil. Whereas the essential oils are sweet orange and bergamot oil. Neem oil and evening primrose oil both contain anti-inflammatory linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid, which help sustain skin softness and elasticity to reduce the effects of ageing. Grapeseed oil protects skin from sun damage and, like neem and evening primrose oil increases skin elasticity and softness. Sweet almond oil has been used in ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic practices to treat skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. It’s highly emollient and contains vitamin A, and E, with omega 3 fatty acids and zinc; these vitamins help reduce fine lines and aid in cell regeneration. The essential oils with sweet orange promote collagen production, and the bergamot stimulates skin cell renewal with the added bonus of being super helpful in ridding skin of blemishes and hyperpigmentation. All these ingredients come together to give this CBD Face Cream its silky smooth consistency.  

The great thing about the Anti-Ageing CBD Face Cream is that it has little or no fragrance making it suitable for sensitive skins. We liked how it’s versatile enough to be used morning, evening, or both; and found it to be a good stand-alone face cream with no need for the addition of serum. The combination of the CBD/CBG, beta-glucan, hyaluronic acid and botanical oils, make it rich enough to hydrate even our parched skin! This is the first CBG infused skincare that we have tried, and a new powerhouse ingredient to watch as it’s just beginning to appear in the world of skincare. Tempted? Then see here to purchase Mighty Green’s Anti-Ageing CBD Face Cream 50ml at £37.50.