L'Organiq - Hyaluronic Acid Triple Fruit Serum

As you’ve probably already guessed by now, we’re a little obsessed about our skincare regime.  After years of research on how to ‘feed’ the skin, we know that one of the most essential items is face serum. After all, it’s the first product that we apply day and night after cleansing and toning. They are an important product that put antioxidants directly into the skin, balancing and protecting our complexions. We also find that a serum is most effective when it has hyaluronic acid, (see here ) as this helps hydrate and strengthen the dermis. Today at The Amazing Blog, we’re thrilled to have found a new serum, the vitamin-enriched Hyaluronic Acid Triple Fruit Serum by L’Organiq. We particularly love their empowering motto of: ‘Be kind, be clean be beautiful’.

Emma Chevrel, the founder of L’Organiq, has always loved skincare but she never thought of having a beauty brand of her own. She was in a city career and she describes how her life was great back then. But, as Emma says, “Sometimes it takes a bomb in our lives to wake us up to what we’re really here for. That bomb for me was when, early in 2009, I was diagnosed with Grade 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer.” Emma experienced skin problems as the treatments were intensive. Her skin became very sensitive and no skincare products could help her, so she decided to create her own with L’Organiq, a brand that puts people and the planet first. The brand started in 2019 in Dorchester, where each one of their products is lovingly crafted to be cruelty-free and has organic ingredients. These are also carefully combined to offer antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing results. L’Organiq offers a wide range of skincare, haircare and grooming products. Emma has also created a ‘return and reward’ scheme in which she encourages customers to return their empty bottles (free of charge) so that they can be recycled or reused. We also like their eco-credentials with a minimal carbon footprint using only UK based suppliers and 90% of the range produced in recyclable glass containers.

The Hyaluronic Acid Triple Fruit Serum is one of the three serums in their range. The first thing we noticed is that it is vegan, fragrance-free, with a clear and slightly gel-like consistency.  It also is oil-free and full of hyaluronic acid (which we love!)  The triple fruit extracts are: Cranberry which acts as an exfoliant and has vitamins like A and C help boost collagen production;, grapefruit which is also full of vitamin C and good for balancing the skin, whereas the raspberry protects from UV damage with antioxidants and ellagic acid keeping skin healthy and rejuvenated. These fruit extracts are the ideal combination for anti-ageing and a vitamin boost. The serum is also packed with vitamin B5 which keeps the skin quenched by absorbing moisture from the air and has anti-inflammatory properties to help heal the skin and leave it soft and hydrated.  Easy to apply, it comes in a 30ml glass bottle with pipette, we found that a little does go a long way. It was good for each of our different skin types; as it absorbed quickly and is nourishing enough to use alone - with the perfect texture and lightness to use in the current heatwave!  You can purchase your Hyaluronic Acid Triple Fruit Serum here for £26.00

Luly Guadiano - Luxury Body Lotion & Sugar Body Polish

Pampering products are the order of the day! Here at The Amazing Blog, as regular readers will know, we like to champion natural indie brands that care about the environment. Today we are featuring the luxurious organic Swiss skincare range Luly Gaudiano with their Luxury Body Lotion 250ml and Luxury Sugar Body Polish 225ml. 

Luly Guadino was founded by Lourdes Gaudiano in 2013, where it all began when she decided to move from Panama to Switzerland, hoping to find a suitable job. However, fate planned it otherwise and the brand began its humble beginnings with natural soaps being sold at local Swiss markets. This swiftly led her onto a natural cosmetics course in France and soon what started as a hobby, turned out to be a pivotal point for her successful career path. Even back in Panama, Lourdes was always concerned about the environment, and when she arrived in Switzerland, she was fascinated by their eco-awareness and advancement in the production of natural and clean cosmetics. This was when she knew she came to the right place to launch her own natural and sustainable skincare range. When Lourdes introduces her brand, she says:  “I speak about my story as a Panamanian building a cosmetic brand in Switzerland.” All products from the Luly Guadino range are ‘sustainable luxury’ made by using only green energy, with non-toxic and natural ingredients, in recyclable packaging. The brand was awarded the most luxurious sustainable skincare brand for 2020 by Lux Life and when Luly Guadiano was exhibiting at the 2018 Indie Beauty London, is when we first spotted this brand!

The first of the two products that we tried was the Luxury Body Lotion with a subtle fragrance combining both floral and citrus, this nourishing body lotion has luxurious and natural ingredients that leave the skin smooth and radiant. Its key ingredients include sweet almond oil known for its excellent hydrating properties for dry skin and cell renewal.  There are highly concentrated fatty acids with the organic shea butter, are ideal for softening the skin and its anti-inflammatory properties help to heal the skin from damage. It also contains sunflower seed oil providing the skin with a plentiful amount of vitamins A, C, and D all of which aid in regeneration. The aloe leaf and rosemary leaf extracts are rich hydrants that help improve skin quality. Finally, the edelweiss extract in the lotion gently fragrances and also provides good antioxidant properties to help keep your skin firm and wrinkle-free. This unique swiss flower will protect the skin from UV rays damages and premature ageing.

Next is the Luxury Sugar Body Polish. This body polish gently exfoliates the skin whilst also enveloping the body in its silky hydrating film. Use it all year round, to keep the skin smooth and radiant. The key ingredients found here include jojoba seed oil which is a good dry skin healer and also balances sebum, its antioxidants properties work as a protector and emollient. This Body Polish also contains coconut oil which is gentle, perfect for healing and works well together with the exfoliant of sugar crystals to remove the dirt and excess of oils. The latter will give you a much smoother, softer, and silkier skin. Last but not least, this golden sugar scrub also includes edelweiss extract to give soft and velvety skin. All products are made in Switzerland and have 100% organic and vegan ingredients. Lourdes Gaudiano advises using Luxury Body Lotion 250ml twice a day to keep skin moisturised and radiant. As for the Luxury Sugar Body Polish 225ml, massage it onto skin with warm water or rub the product in a circular motion and then rinse off. Make sure to use dry and clean hands to scoop out the product and for great results, repeat once or twice a week. To get your Luxury Body Lotion 250ml for CHF34.90 and the Luxury Sugar Body Polish 225ml for CHF49.90 see here. There is an exclusive offer of FREE POSTAGE to the UK if you enter Discount code FREEUK on the checkout for your purchases.

Clockface Beauty – Beard Oil Ho Leaf & Bergamot

They say ‘time is measured in days, weeks and beards’ and with this yo-yo-ing lockdown, it feels like I’ve been cultivating one for months! Yet again, this presents another perfect opportunity to put those girls at The Amazing Blog through their paces, to search out a natural, super-gentle and great smelling beard oil for me. Not an easy task as my skin is quite sensitive and when washing my face, which is now quite often, it becomes a little sore and sensitive. This time, they introduced me to one of their favourite organic skincare brands Clockface Beauty who has created a fantastic grooming range from cleanser, masks to shave balms and oils. They kindly sent us their award-winning Ho Leaf & Bergamot Beard Oil which I couldn’t wait to try. If the brand sounds familiar to you, it probably because you’ve read our feature on their Foot & Leg Scrub and Balm here.

Sarah Thomas founded Clockface Beauty with the help of her mother, Karen. During her pregnancy, Sarah found there to be a noticeable lack of transparency on beauty product labelling. So this is where the Clockface Beauty story began where she and her mother decided to create their brand of natural, organic, cruelty-free and vegan skincare. This luxurious and natural skincare also offers products without artificial chemicals or synthetic fragrances.

As with so many of their products, the Ho Leaf & Bergamot Beard Oil has ingredients that are 99% organic. I used this Beard Oil first thing on my freshly washed beard, massaging it in to help nurture not only my hair follicles but skin too. The result was that my whiskers felt softer and my skin soothed and hydrated. A few drops of this Beard Oil go a long way, it absorbed quickly leaving me with a very pleasant fresh and subtle aroma. Light in consistency, it’s versatile enough to use on all beard lengths and skin types. The key ingredients of bergamot have antibacterial benefits helping to reduce skin irritation, oiliness, acne, psoriasis and eczema. Whereas the frankincense here has anti-ageing properties that protect the skin cells while reducing the blemishes and shrinking the pores. The carrier oils are jojoba which stimulates the hair growth and apricot kernel gives a toning and slight tightening effect to the skin. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that the ho leaf here is mildly antiseptic, stimulating and known to also be an aphrodisiac! All in all, this Beard Oil feels cooling and healing, so if you too have a newly acquired beard that is giving you some grief, look no further. To purchase the 30ml Clockface Beard Oil for £22 here.

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. 

Masktini Spritz & Masks

At The Amazing Blog, we think that climate change, sun exposure, pollution and the change of seasons all contribute negatively to the changes in our complexion.  With the current lockdown on salons, we’ve been searching out ways to give ourselves a spa-like facial at home. We were recommended to try products from Masktini, a skincare brand where nature meets science. Today we’re featuring the Woke Bae - Whenever Moisture Spritz and their full collection of face masks. 

Masktini is a US skincare brand founded by Olga Parno. Having struggled with sensitive skin and breakouts, with no skincare solutions in sight, she decided it was time to step down from working in a successful career on Wall Street and create her very own skincare range. With her team of skincare experts, Parno created four gentle, and more importantly, results-oriented products, which are designed to help even the most delicate of complexion achieve a better quality of skin. The charming portmanteau Masktini, was inspired by combining her passion for face masks and one of her simple pleasures, the end of the day cocktails with her girlfriends. The branding is strong and luxurious, offering the consumer innovative skincare and at-home salon experience. Plus, with the product sizes at only 50ml, it makes them very user-friendly and easy to pop into an overnight travel bag. 

The first product in the range we tried was the Woke Bae - Whenever Moisture Spritz. This has been created to hydrate the skin by misting. Let’s talk about some of the key ingredients here, the Spritz is made up of apple extract, rich in antioxidants that help with the skins’ elasticity ridding it of free radicals to give a more youthful and firmer complexion. The watermelon extract renews skin cells and protects against UV damages and hyperpigmentation. Rich in grapefruit/orange peel oil, makes it an excellent antioxidant, full of vitamin C which blends well with the hyaluronic acid and collagen-boosting marine algae polymers. Used morning and night this vitamin-enriched Spritz gives a double whammy of refreshing and helping to plump away any fine lines.  We used this deliciously subtly fruity/vanilla fragranced mist daily for a week or so and noticed how it kept our faces moist and hydrated. It also worked well spritzing after using any of the masks too. To purchase you can find the Woke Bae - Whenever Moisture Mist here for £55.

The second product we tried was the Metal Head - Gold Brightening Mask which left us with an instant radiance! This Gold Brightening Mask contains mineral micro-pigments that leaves the skin with a golden glow. We think that this mask makes it a brilliant skin ‘pick me up’ post-party. Some of the key ingredients here are vitamin C to boost collagen levels giving skin back its elasticity; the pomegranate stem cells, which act as a skin brightener and with its antioxidants neutralises damage and protects against inflammation. The sunflower oil provides smoothness, rich in vitamin E it soothes acne and aids against other skin imperfections. We applied a generous layer onto a dry skin from chin to forehead (avoiding the eyes), using gentle upward strokes (as suggested). Leaving it on for 15–20 minutes then rinse away with warm water. It left our complexions with a glorious luminosity for the entire day. The Metal Head Gold Brightening Mask is available here for £65.  

Next, we have the Night Ranger – Overnight Renewal Mask; which for us was a ‘sleep therapy’ as a leave-on treatment, working overnight with its feather-light magic to improve the complexion. Made up of natural lime pearl acids, these act as an exfoliant for a smoother skin texture, whereas the papaya enzymes will clean clogged pores and help rid the skin of dead cells and soothing any redness or sensitivity. Finally, the hyaluronic acid plumps away fine lines and the anti-ageing retinol encourages healthy cellular renewal. Masktini advises applying a thin layer of this clear gel over the entire face (avoiding the eyes), stroking it upwards, leaving it on overnight then rinsing the skin with water to awaken a more luminous complexion. To purchase the Night Ranger - Overnight Renewal Mask for £65 see here.

Last but not least, the fourth product we used was the Twilight Zone - Tahitian Detox Mask.  They describe this as a ‘reset button’; ingredients include vitamin C from the Grapefruit /Orange Peel (see above with Woke Bae) and bamboo charcoal powder known for its ability to remove dirt and toxins from the skin. It also has the more unusual Tahitian black pearl powder which when massaged in, very gently resurfaces the skin giving it an immediate radiance. This black pearl powder will also help to undo sun damage and hyperpigmentation. This dark creamy mask warms up when applied, and with its botanical blends, it hydrates and restores the moisture balance, giving the complexion-boosting brilliance, while also deeply cleansing. Apply a thin layer of this foaming mask, then massage in for 1-2 minutes to let the black pearl powder activate. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse it with warm water. To purchase the Twilight Zone - Tahitian Detox Mask for £55 see here.

Which was our favourite? After much consideration, we’d have to say the Twilight Zone, as living in a polluted city, we found that this mask really did help to unclog our skin, leaving it hydrated and super-squeaky clean!