SKN-RG - Alpha Serum High Energy Liquid Laser

At The Amazing Blog, it’s no secret we love natural and organic skincare that also acts as a performance brand too.  We’re excited to share with you one of our favourite brands that we’ve written about in the past SKN-RG. Today we’re going to introduce you to one of their hero products the  Alpha Serum High Energy Liquid Laser, which creates a natural shield against UV and blue light as well as helping to tighten and lift the skin for a more youthful appearance, which certainly makes it one of our #AmazingFinds.

SKN-RG was founded in 2009 by scientists Deborah and Robert Scott who realised in the overpopulated world of skincare, it was vital for them to make stand-out products that really work. Their approach is to use cutting edge technology to make something really amazing. In 2011 they created and evolved the use of the world’s first Quanta® extraction machine, built to extract the plant’s full benefits, using a broad spectrum of light and sound waves. Giving their brand name from the convergence of skin + energy = SKN-RG.

As a British brand, each product is created in their laboratory in Essex and contains a unique blend of herbs and adaptogens that complement each product’s specific function. Each herbal blend is only made possible through the power of Quanta® technology. In 2014, SKN-RG reached a turning point in their business when their Quanta® technology was given a Government and University Business Innovation Award. SKN-RG’s other awards include Natural Health Magazine and Beauty Shortlist Awards in 2019/2020 such as Best Face Mask and Best Makeup Remover for products from SKN-RG’s ‘Advanced’ line.

The Alpha Serum High Energy Liquid Laser which won the Editor’s Choice Award in 2020 at the Beauty Shortlist Awards, is a part of SKN-RG’s ‘Evolution Line.’ The Alpha Serum is emulsifier -free and offers a natural lift with unrivalled protection by creating a natural shield against blue light and UV. Ingredients such as kombuchka, a fermentation of sweet black tea by the symbiosis of two-microorganisms commonly used in skincare for radiance, anti-ageing, smoothing and re-densifying. Other ingredients include hyaluronic acid to help retain water in tissues and adaptogenic herbs which help to increase cellular and promote anti-bacterial properties to aid in clearing up acne, leaving the skin more radiant and beautiful.

We’ve enjoyed using serum by applying using a sweeping upward effect to aid skin tightening, it is slick, cooling and provides a wonderful blurring effect making it the perfect base before applying makeup. If you too would like to experience the power of the Alpha Serum High Energy Liquid Laser, it can be purchased here for £75 for 15ml.

Dr Russo - Once A Day Sun Protection SPF 30 & SPF 50 Invisible Face Gel

Good skin starts with prevention, and here at The Amazing Blog we’re always on the lookout for the best SPF and suncare. Today we’ve got one of our #amazingfinds, meet Dr Russo’s Sun Protection Invisible Face Gel ideal for protecting the complexion and combatting harmful rays when out and about. 

The founder Dr Luca Russo is renowned internationally for his work in reversing sun damage and premature ageing. He is a London-based cosmetic and dermatologic surgeon who lecturers on skin rejuvenation. This sun protection gel features Dr Russo’s innovative long-wear SPF technology that creates a force-field on the skin to deflect the harmful sun’s rays. His philosophy is to protect the skin with broad-spectrum SPF 30 and SPF 50 sunscreens and potent antioxidants throughout the day, followed by reversal agents that stimulate new collagen production and repair all signs of photo-ageing. The beneficial ingredients are antioxidants, such as hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and ferulic acid. All of these repair existing signs of DNA damage, inhibit tyrosinase, help to maintain elastin and collagen levels, reduce glycation of proteins and soothes inflammation, so the skin becomes stronger, more luminous and resilient. These ingredients also help repair existing signs of damage, as well as stopping the production of melanin which causes dark spots. The product is free from PABAs, parabens, artificial fragrance and compatible with all sensitive skin types.

The formula is light-weight, non-greasy, and does not leave a chalky film on the skin, making it perfect to wear everyday under makeup. Protect, moisturise and repair your complexion with a single sweep with this once a day application.  It keeps skin protected and is waterproof and sweatproof for up to 80 minutes. The product comes in SPF 30 and SPF 50 variants, to apply, use the unique click brush applicator, sweeping the product over the face and neck area. It retails for £26 for 15ml and can be purchased here. In a 15ml bottle, this is the perfect size for your handbag or to take on a bike ride.

V 10 Plus - Water Base Sunblock SPF 40+++

At The Amazing Blog, we’re getting ready to ditch London's bleak weather for a springtime break. We’re dreaming of somewhere warm and tropical where all we need to pack is our swimsuit, coverup, sandals and sunscreen (of course!) The V 10 Plus Water Base Sunblock will soon become your new best friend going forward from spring to summer. Coming in a compact tube this SPF 40+++ is perfect for protecting your face, neck and decolletage to take on holiday or to wear as an everyday primer under makeup.

V10 Plus was started in Japan by Akiko Yokota and her sister in 2011, and has only just landed here in the UK. The skincare range is made in the Yoktalab in Japan, it’s free from parabens, chemical fragrances, artificial colours. Plus all products are water-based and dermatology tested. V 10 Plus was awarded the Top 25 Prestige Award in 2014 in Singapore, and were recently the official skincare sponsor for Miss Singapore Beauty Pageant in 2019. 

Today we want to talk about their Water Based Sun Block SPF40+++ which full of natural protectants to keep your skin shielded from the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays. Key ingredients are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide which absorb the harmful UVA/UVB ray spectrum.  Also, the ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, which is a vitamin C derivative, restricts melanogenesis and eliminates free radical. As we all know sunblock is a super important step in our skincare routine both on holiday and at home. The sun’s rays can make your skin age quicker, leading to dark spots and redness, but all of these symptoms can be prevented by using sunblock. V 10 Plus Sunblock is water-based, meaning it won’t be sticky when applied under makeup. It also has a non-powdery finish and sits lightly on the surface of the skin. The sunblock leaves skin feeling moisturised without leaving a white film on the surface, unlike some other sunblocks we could name!

You can purchase the V 10 Plus’ Water Base Sun Block SPF40+++  here for $36, or in-store at Zen Pharmacy in London. At 30 ml, we think it’s the perfect size to take on the plane for a quick weekend sunny getaway.

Glowcup - Face and Eye Cream Duo Set

Today at The Amazing Blog we discover a new facial massage treatment that hails all the way from France. Some of you may already be familiar with ‘cupping’ techniques for body treatments which are used to break down cellulite. However, here we are talking about a similar technique but used in a gentler way just on the face, neck and decolletage to help tone and stimulate collagen in the skin. The Glowcup Duo Set is a set of 2 facial cups used in tandem with their natural Face and Eye Creams.

Glowcup, was developed in 2016, is the little sister of the Cellu-Cup, which is known for their ‘cupping’ products are used to helps the lipolysis (degradation of fat cells in the body) and remove the 'orange-peel' effect from the skin. Glowcup has been developed to be used specifically on the face. It was conceived by Cellu-Cup with the help of a doctor with a University Diploma (DU) in Morphological and Anti-Age Medicine.

The duo of Glowcups are made from eco-friendly food grade baby nipple silicon raw material. They are made up of two sizes, a face cup and a smaller special eye contour cup known as the Mini Glow, which is best suited for around the mouth and eyes. To use simply apply their creams to the face, pinch the cup and allow it to form a slight suction to the face contours. From there, move the cup over the face, being careful to keep a vacuum and not to release the suction, thus creating a massaging effect. Glowcup recommends using the cups for five to six minutes, depending on your sensitivity level. The massage stimulates the production of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid helping to plump the skin. See their Glowcup User Manual. The blood microcirculation is activated for a more radiant complexion. They tell us that long term use of the Glow Cup can combat sagging skin and the appearance of wrinkles. There are clinical studies conducted by Dermscan laboratory conducted with 22 people (aged 36 - 65) over a period of 28 days. +8% saw more radiance, +5% more skin density, -12% saw less crow’s feet, 82% of users say that they noticed better skin and 77% of women said that the eye contour care with Miniglow drained morning skin oedema.

Let’s talk about their Glowcup Face Cream ‘Good About Myself’, it features more than 54 percent botanical ingredients. It reinforces the smoothing and plumping effect on the skin when used with the Glowcup. Key ingredients are the beech buds, which contain flavonoids which are antioxidants found in nature that help strengthen elasticity and fight against damage to collagen fibres. Other ingredients in the face cream include muscat rose oil a source of vitamin F and essential fatty acids, centella asiatica extract which produces collagen and helps repair the upper layer of the skin. The Glowcup Eye Cream, ‘For Your Beautiful Eyes,’ is lighter and more of a fluid formula, which we think also makes it a great primer to use before makeup. It has natural ingredients such as green algae and acacia gum fight signs of fatigue, dark circles and puffiness.

Both these Glowcups can remove some of the creams during the massage process, so we recommend using a light layer before the massage and following the treatment with more if necessary. If you would like to try the soothing massage of a Glowcup treatment for yourself, you can purchase the Glow Cups kit (of two) here for £18.00. The Glowcup Cream for the Face here for £16.20 and The GlowCup Cream for the Eyes here for £14.40.

HuGG - CBD Skincare Products

No weekend is complete without some pampering and indulgence. Here at The Amazing Blog we’ve been lucky enough to discover a new range of CBD skincare products that will enhance your ‘you time’ as well as make your body and skin as smooth as butter. We’d like to introduce to you HuGG.

The HuGG CBD products are a range of cannabis-based products from the research firm CiiTECH; a registered UK cannabis biotech company and collaborative partner with Israel’s Hebrew University of Jerusalem – the epicentre of cannabis research and development. Using their knowledge and expertise of their CiiTECH researchers, the aim of The HuGG CBD is to discover, develop, and commercialise CBD products. Their collaborative efforts with leading Israeli cannabis research institutions – as well as local hemp suppliers here in the UK and EU – has allowed them to deliver market products based on a high level of quality and expertise. As you can discover from our recent feature on CBD (see here ) when it comes to your health, you need to choose CBD oil you can trust — in terms of quality, safety, and purity.  In a period where the fast-emerging CBD industry has been difficult to comprehend, not to mention overwhelmed with low-quality ‘snake oils’, it’s important to feel comfortable and confident with the CBD products you choose. The product development team at The HuGG collaborates and consults with leading researcher’s scientists to identify unique CBD formulas, plus innovative delivery systems, and advanced extraction techniques designed to create premium and leading products for every part of your mind and body. Plus HuGG recently swept the board with wins in the CBD categories for the 2020 Beauty Shortlist Awards.

We tried and tested a number of products. Let’s begin with the HuGG Coffee Body Scrub. It is antioxidant exfoliating facial scrub with 50mg CBD and when used, results in a youthful glow. Infused with essential oils and enriched with 50mg CBD, this ‘wake me up’ caffeine Inspired Scrub exfoliates, tightens pores as well as moisturises all in one. It smells so delicious, almost good enough to eat!  The CBD in this Scrub will aid your skin making it feel more radiant. Priced at £24.99 here we think that his CBD infused coffee scrub is an essential.

Next, we tried the HuGG CBD Massaging Oil.  We were sent a small 25ml bottle to try which sadly all went in one sitting so can’t confirm about the benefits here. Made with essential oils such as lavender, lemon and frankincense, in a base of sunflower seed oil, grapeseed oil and apricot kernel oil as well as 50mg CBD amongst various others, they claim that this body oil will leave you feeling blissful and calm. Not only can it be used as a massage oil but also as a skin indulging moisturiser. This oil smells amazing and absorbs easily into the skin without leaving a greasy residue. Priced at an affordable £17.99 here.

Let’s move onto the HuGG CBD Cuticle Oil ideal for feeding the nail beds. Made with lavender, rosemary, and clary sage essential oils and Infused with 20mg CBD, this cuticle oil creates a skin-soothing remedy for nails, hands and feet. This mani-pedi style of nail care is all-natural to give you the best plant-based care all around. Furthermore, it also leaves no greasy residue, priced at £14.99 here .  

Further adding to their Cuticle Oil, we also tried the Hugg CBD Foot Soak Salts with 30mg CBD. Made with hemp extract, coconut oil, dead sea salts, Himalayan salts and other essential oils. These salts help your feet unwind after a long day or simply indulge in a nourishing pedicure foot soak with the essential oils and salts. The Foot Soak is also infused with eucalyptus for antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Priced at £6.99 here.

Last but not least, we have the HuGG CBD Roll Away with mint, lavender and 50mg CBD. This is our favourite and is a handbag essential that is cooling and relaxing giving you everything you need, just when you need it. It helps you take a small break from your busy lives and just breathe. The lavender and mint essential oils create an invigorating yet calming refresher to support tension throughout the day. Apply In circular motions, roll the gel onto your temples, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Repeat 3 times and continue on. The rollerball can also be used on other pressure points. Priced at £17.99 here this product will help to steal away all your stress and tensions in moments...ah Luxury!