Kew the Music at Kew Gardens

Summer is in full swing and with it a plethora of music concerts and festivals. Here at The Amazing Blog we can’t wait to head down to one of our favourites, Kew the Music at Kew Gardens, this weekend.

Kew the Music, a series of festival style concerts, returns for its sixth year with a truly fantastic line up of artists.

Tonight Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra hit the stage, promising another crowd pleasing show. Jools has been touring with his veritable musical army, the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra for more than 20 years and once again he will be joined by regular guest vocalists Ruby Turner, Louise Marshall and Mabel Ray.

Saturday UB40 featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey take to the stage. UB40 are undoubtedly Britain’s most popular reggae artists and have clocked up more than 70 million record sales worldwide with songs like Kingston Town, Red Red Wine, I Got You Babe (recorded with Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders), Rat In The Kitchen and Can’t Help Falling In Love. The bands initial line up lasted 30 years from the bands formation in 1978 until front-man Ali Campbell’s departure in 2008. Two other founding members of UB40 also left the band and have since formed UB40 featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey - back together at last.

Finally, legendary band The Specials close the 2015 Kew the Music festival on Sunday. Known for their unique up beat blend of two-tone and ska, they are guaranteed to have the Kew the Music audience on their feet and singing along to songs such as Too Much Too Young and Ghost Town.

Guests are welcome to bring their own food and drink, or to sample from the line-up of artisan bars and food stalls on site. For the very first time these concerts are a collaboration between Kew Gardens, Kilimanjaro Live Ltd and Raymond Gubbay Ltd. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew have been presenting summer concerts for 33 years.

Tickets start from £41.50 and can be purchased from the 24 hour ticket hotline: 0844 871 8803 or online.

Friday Favourites - Sweet Treats

The weekend is nearly upon us and so is the urge to indulge, and here at The Amazing Blog we know just how!

For something wickedly moorish pick up a packet of Ultimate English fudge which champions local produce in the Yorkshire region.

Using rhubarb grown in the heart of the rhubarb triangle itself by celebrated farmer D Westwood & Sons, the companies’ new rhubarb coconut ice gives a nostalgic nod towards the childhood-cherished rhubarb crumble.

If you fancy something more traditional check out their All Butter Fudge or the Salt Water Chocolate Truffle Fudge which combines the finest all butter fudge with the highest quality Belgian chocolate which recently was awarded a gold star in the Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards.

You can purchase Ultimate English fudge via retailers across the UK. You can find your nearest stockist here.

If you’re after a slightly healthier option then look no further as Chocolift is a lactose free, no added sugar chocolate with sweeteners extracted from plants, 38% pure cocoa, 8.2g whey protein isolate and 2g of coconut oil. The blend of cocoa, whey protein and coconut oil is a great alternative for chocolate lovers on sugar and lactose controlled diets, and at only 89 calories per half a bar we think it’s a great diet friendly option.

You can buy an 8 pack of Chocolift bars for £28.65 here.

Here at The Amazing Blog we also love Sweet Virtues’ award winning luxury truffles, which are nutrient-dense and power-packed with more than five super food ingredients in every truffle. The raw centre is made up of a blend of Maca, Lucuma, Coconut Nectar, Carob, Ginseng, Sunflower Seeds and Ground Almonds mixed with 72% Organic raw dark chocolate with Bio Live Cultures. Each truffle is hand-made and is dairy-free, suitable for vegetarians, vegans and those on gluten-free diets.

Available in three delicious varieties, Maqui, Chia Seeds & Lime and Baobab & Vanilla, the truffles come in boxes of around 10 (£13.95 for 115g), or a two truffle ballotin box (selection pack containing one ballotin box of each variety for £7.50). Both are perfect as a unique and luxurious gift or the ultimate guilt-free treat for oneself.

The Sweet Virtues range is currently available with a number of retailers, including Harrods, Daylesford, Planet Organic and Partridges of London, or from the company’s website.

Last but not least, we all know that chocolate makes you feel good, and Lovechock does just that! Made by hand from the best organic, raw cacao from Ecuador, instead of being roasted the beans are cold grounded, providing a natural source of flavonoids and ‘love chemicals’-  goodies that make you feel happy and loving.

Lovechock is milk free, soy free and gluten free and is sweetened with Coconut blossom nectar, which has a low GI value and therefore keeps the blood sugar levels more stable than common sugars. All Lovechock products are 100% vegan (recognized by the Vegan Society) and come in a variety of flavours including Goji/Orange, Almond/Fig and Mulberry/Vanilla.

We’re also loving Lovechock Rocks which are a great snack for when you’re on the go. The rocks are fruits or nuts covered in raw chocolate and a pinch of reishi, and come in three different flavour combinations Mulberry/Hemp seed, Almond/Cinnamon and Raisin Coconut.

You can buy Lovechock products from Planet Organic, Real Foods and The HealthBay.

Pop Brixton

Stuck for something to do this weekend? Here at The Amazing Blog we think you should check out Pop Brixton, a new unique space focusing on supporting local enterprise. Pop Brixton plays host to some of the community’s most exciting independent start-ups across food & drink, retail, creative industries and the arts.

With Brixton already established as a go-to foodie destination in London, Pop Brixton is set to build on this success, creating London’s hottest new destination in the heart of Brixton. There is plenty to choose from, including the renowned Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen taking up her first permanent residency offering authentic Ghanaian dishes, through to Miss P’s BBQ bringing their juicy beef ribs and Baba G’s serving up an Indian and British food fusion. As well as over 20 mouth-watering food and drink vendors, Pop Brixton boasts a diverse selection of independent retail outlets. From vintage clothing sellers Make Do and Mend through to Japanese tea house, Kyonocha, Pop Brixton provides a unique shopping destination full of hidden gems.

Other initiatives range from Pop Farm – a garden and greenhouse area planted by the local community – to local artist exhibitions, workshops and an event space with a programme orchestrated by tenants. The 200 capacity event space will offer a chance to enjoy a wide range of events, including TEDx Brixton talks, gigs and cinema screenings.

To find out more please check out their website and Twitter page.

Friday Favourites - Father's Day Gift Ideas

With Father’s Day just around the corner, here at The Amazing Blog we’ve compiled a list of our favourite beauty and grooming products to treat your old man, and get him looking and feeling great this summer.

First on our list is Belnatur’s Only Men line which has a great range of products designed to provide deep hydration, firmness and luminosity without a greasy feel. Two of our favourites are Belnatur’s Only Men After Shave Comfort (£16.99 for 150ml) and Belnatur’s Only Men Energy Fluid (£17.99 for 75ml).

Rich in White Willow, Cucumber, Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera, the Only Men After Shave Comfort is a refreshing gel that soothes the irritations caused by shaving. It assists with the prevention of premature aging and stimulates collagen production.

Belnatur’s Only Men Energy Fluid is light and non-greasy and recharges the skin with vitality and energy. It also improves water retention and increases skin’s flexibility.

Belnatur’s high performing products can be purchased from their official UK website and at salons nationwide.

Next on our list is one of our favourite ranges of hair products over here at The Amazing Blog. Label M is high on our list, and we think their thickening tonic (£10.95 for 150 ml) and deconstructor matt paste (£11.50 for 50 ml) make a great Father’s Day gift.

If your old man is slightly thinning on top, the thickening tonic is a unique gel to liquid formula which gives instant volume and texture to your hair. The deconstructor paste is also a fabulous product, great for those who like to style their hair, but love the rough and ready look.

The Label M range is available in a number of hairdressers including Toni & Guy. You can also buy the products from Label M’s site here.

Next we have men's body and skincare brand Scaramouche & Fandango , who have brought out two new grooming gift sets right in time for Father’s day. The Twin Pack (£13.50) comprises the daily shower essentials for men, including the brand's cleansing black quinoa and shea butter Shampoo and invigorating Brazilian papaya and vitamin E complex Body wash.

The Triple Pack (£25) helps start a skincare regime in three simple steps, and includes a Face Scrub; Shave Cream, containing guava extract to protect against razor burn; and a Hydrator.

We love that the products are fragranced with the range’s signature scents and are paraben free and 98% naturally derived. The products are suitable for all skin types and are made in the UK, and can be found at John Lewis, House of Fraser, Fortnum & Mason and Fenwick or from their website here.

Last, but certainly not least, New British luxury men’s grooming brand Thomas Clipper have the perfect shaving gift set this Father’s day, featuring the brand’s trademark built-to-last solid metal razors.

The Mark One (£85) and the Mark K (£125) shaving kits come with an exfoliating organic cotton flannel, an anti-inflammatory, organic shave balm, and razors that can be hand etched with up to 4 initials, to give your gift that personal touch.

Unfortunately we did not receive a press sample, so we can't really tell you what it is like. But we really liked the look of it! You can buy the gift sets from the Thomas Clipper website.

 

V&A Exhibition- Shoes: Pleasure and Pain

Christian Louboutin once famously said: “A shoe is not only a design, but it's a part of your body language, the way you walk. The way you're going to move is quite dictated by your shoes.” At The Amazing Blog we could not agree more.  From June this year all the way through to January 2016, the V&A will be home to a very special fashion exhibition exploring the transformative power of extreme footwear, our fascination and obsession with shoes as well as their agonising aspects.

 
In this exciting exhibition, there is an unrivalled collection of more than 200 pairs of historic and contemporary shoes from around the world. Some are as old as 2000 years and have never been seen before.  The collection includes shoes worn by high profile figures including Marilyn Monroe, Queen Victoria, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kylie Minogue and the Hon Daphne Guinness.  There is footwear for men and women by 70 named designers including Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo and Prada.

Exhibition curator, Helen Persson, said: “Shoes are one of the most telling aspects of dress. Beautiful, sculptural objects, they are also powerful indicators of gender, status, identity, taste and even sexual preference. Our choice in shoes can help project an image of who we want to be.”

In addition, the exhibition reveals the evolution of shoes and how little style, material and shape are so much more symbolic than you realise.  This exhibition is a must for any fashion lover or someone passionate about history.  You can find out more about it here.