Friday Favourites - Winterville

As we may have mentioned before, at The Amazing Blog we absolutely LOVE this festive period! Mulled wine, fairy lights and layers are among some of the best things, so being able to enjoy all three in one event is certainly an evening we won't be missing! This year one of our favourite festive events, Winterville, is taking place in South London at Clapham Common. 

What we like about Winterville is that the event offers Londoner’s an alternative festive experience that’s accessible and enjoyable for all. Go ice-skating on the outdoor ice rink, take the kids to the fairground or head to the roller rink with some friends for an active and fast-paced day.  If you would rather relax and be entertained then head to their famous Spiegeltent which is hosting one-off events such as comedy, cabaret and family Christmas shows.  What’s more, the event is the part-time home to some of London’s best street food at the Feastopia, full of option and delight. 

Entry is free, but attractions and events are priced individually. Winterville is open from November 23rd until January 5th, so there is plenty of time for you to go and no excuse for you not to. NB:  Due to weekend popularity for all these individual events, Friday and Saturday night you will need to book your tickets here.

Christmas at Kew

Deck the halls, hang up the mistletoe and string up those lights. Christmas season is here everybody, and we here at The Amazing Blog, clearly, couldn’t be more excited. More excitingly, Christmas is coming early to Kew, running from 22 November to 1 January.

The Kew Christmas festivities take place after dark, once the gardens have closed. The magical after dark experience brings you fairy-tale and fantasy. Wander down the one-mile long trail that winds through the gardens, as you are surrounded by illuminating and singing trees, giant baubles, buildings that boast over one million twinkling lights, a flickering Fire Garden. The Palm House lights up with a dazzling show of laser beams, jets of light and kaleidoscopic projections. It really is a sight to behold!

In addition to the mystical outdoor trail, there is festive food and drink on offer. Sipping some mulled wine, hot chocolate or spiced cider, and toasting marshmallows around the fire is the perfect way to warm your cockles in the winter chill. Fancy picking up some Christmas gifts? There is a wonderful selection of gifts and stocking fillers in Kew’s shops. The children even get a chance to meet Father Christmas and his elves next to the magical vintage fairground. It is the perfect event for all ages, to get you into the Christmas spirit and we can’t wait to bask in the festivities.

Book tickets here for £16, or £10 for children.

EFG London Jazz Festival 2017

From the 10th of November to the 19th of November London is going to get a little jazzier and we at The Amazing Blog couldn’t be more excited. The EFG London Jazz Festival is back again and will be showcasing a wonderful mix of international and British artists for you to enjoy. Events and concerts will be organised in different stunning London venues including legendary concerts halls such as the Barbican Centre and The Royal Festival Hall.

This music-filled event can be enjoyed by all, from jazz enthusiasts to newbies, to families; there truly is something for you all to enjoy. On Friday the 10th the Southbank is holding a Jazz for Toddlers so you can introduce your little ones to the magical and surprising world of jazz. Or why not stop by the London Jazz Café to listen to Moses Boyd and experience the genre from a new breed of artist not bound by any tradition.

Whether you’ve enjoyed jazz your whole life or the recent movie La La Land opened you up to a new and creative world the London Jazz Festival is not to be missed. Have a look at what’s on here and purchase yourself a ticket. If there is one thing we can guarantee about this exciting festival, its that you will have a swinging time.

Friday Favourites For Younger Looking Eyes

Taking care of your eyes and the delicate skin around them is The Amazing Blog’s number one rule for a younger looking face. Bags, wrinkles and dark circles can all make us look much older than we are, so it is of the utmost importance that we look after this sensitive and telling area.  As such we have created this little post to show you some quick and easy ways you can turn back the clock and bring some brightness back to your beautiful eyes.

The first on our list of handy tips has to be Nuxe who have released three different products in its Nuxelence range.  The first is the multi-award winning Anti-Ageing Night Care which acts as a Detox. This product recharges the skin by repairing mitochondrial DNA and detoxifies cells at night.  The Second product is the Eclat which has a unique anti-ageing formula, with passion flower and Hyaluronic Acid. This product targets skin cells at their core so that they maintain their optimum energy levels. It made skin seem years younger and helped bring back a radiance, which in turn made our eyes appear brighter and shinier.

Finally, there is the Eye Contour, which has an instant perfecting action. The contour has been specially designed to stimulate the unique curves of the eye area. The distinctive metal alloy applicator enables the exact right amount of product to be deposited onto the skin, as well as immediately help to give a refreshing and decongesting sensation that brightens the eye area.  The Eye Contour has a unique blur technology and contains light-reflecting golden pearly particles to help illuminate the eye area. The three in one treatment, which has an astounding ten patents, reduced visible signs of fatigue and ageing in only four weeks!

If you don't believe us, then you only have to look at the extensive research that Nuxe has carried out examining the effectiveness of their product. 90% of women found that the luminosity of their eye area was brightened, 84% found that the contour area was smoothed, 77% said they looked younger, and dark regions were reduced for 81% of women using the system. These are products that have been proven by women for women

You can purchase the Nuxellence Detox here for £48, buy the Eclat here for £48 and the Eye Contour is available here for £38.

Unfortunately, as we age our hair begins to thin, and this includes our lashes and brows which can become patchy and grow sparse. It’s such an apparent tell-tale sign of the ageing process, but seems to be one most forgotten. However, by using the Lash and Brow Conditioning Serum by Nouveau Lashes, you can give a fuller appearance to both your eyebrows and your eyelashes.

The product can achieve these amazing results because of its complex blend of multi-vitamins and conditioning actives. The serum also contains strong anti-oxidants which help defend the delicate hairs from damaging factors such as pollution. If immediate effects aren’t enough to persuade you to buy this fantastic product then maybe the fact that it acts as an unrivaled primer before applying mascara will. The conditioning effects help to pre-lengthen the lashes and help exaggerate the impact of everyday mascara.

You can purchase the product here for £19.99

Now, for a temporary fix as well as longer-term benefits to your skin, you have to try Fabulift Fabulous Eyes and their Advanced Serum. The serum helps to soften and eradicate lines around the eyes.  The serum contains two key ingredients that help to plump, smooth and diminish unwanted wrinkles. Peptide complexes, Argireline and Syn-ake, directly target expression lines and help to soften them up. Hyaluronic Acid helps to plump skin and reduce the look of lines due to its moisture retaining properties.

It couldn’t be simpler to use, you just have to apply a small amount onto your finger, roughly the size of a grain of rice, and dab it gently into freshly cleansed and dry skin surrounding the eye. This product is a real miracle worker it provides amazing results in an instant. Try it, your eyes will thank you.

You can purchase the Advanced Serum here for £29.99 and say goodbye to crow’s feet. It’s honestly like botox in a bottle.

With these amazing eyes products in your skincare collection, you are guaranteed to finally have the radiant, younger-looking and healthy eyes you have always wanted. All of the products are easy to use and will definitely perfect your skincare routine.

Friday Feature - Lips

The fun, or perhaps daunting, part about cosmetics for your lips is that the variety is vast, from sheer lipsticks, to opaque lip glosses, to shimmery lip glosses, to matte lipsticks, to moisturising salves and lip balms, the options are endless. We at The Amazing Blog maintain that the staples are a matte lipstick with longevity, a shiny lip gloss to use as a matte lipstick topper or on natural lips, an intense lip salve to use as a rich treatment, and an on the go lip balm. In our selection today, you’ll find all of these.

Lip preparation is very important when you’re going to be putting product on your lips, as you don’t want cracks and dried skin. Smith’s have a range of lip moisture products, and we were lucky enough to try the Rosebud Salve and the Tropical Ambrosia Balm. The former is their self-proclaimed ‘miracle in a can!’ and is their original salve dating back to 1892. The latter is a modern twist on the traditional formula with a heady combination of coconut and mango. The base formula has remained unchanged for over 100 years, with just some additional flavours added in to ramp up the vintage recipe for a modern generation. The concentrated blend of oil is high in vitamins A and E, which will do so much good for dry skin. The salves have a buttery, emollient texture which soothes chapped and cracked lips and anywhere that is craving for some extra-hydration – our cuticles and elbow love it! You can even add some dewiness to your face by tapping some onto cheekbones or keep unruly eyebrows and flyaway hairs in check with a touch of salve. Really, the options are endless.

Dr Smith’s company is still owned by his grandchildren, so we recommend getting in on this family’s secret recipe for some skin repair. Purchase tins here for £8.50.
 

Of course, these little tins aren’t always the most convenient to carry around with you, which is where ISUN’s Golden Lip Balm comes in. With equally intense hydration, it comes in a small chapstick for moisture on-the-go. This little lip saviour contains antioxidant herbs and high nutrient berry oils for nourishing lip therapy. One key active ingredient, Buriti Fruit Oil, extracted from the Amazon rainforest, has the highest known levels of protective carotenoids. Cacao Butter forms the base and is known for its antioxidants and fatty acids for intense moisture, and is responsible for the heavenly chocolate smell and taste.

All of ISUN’s products are created with natural ingredients, and these are harvested from the plants in their natural habitats, untouched by humankind. It is the rich nutrients that gives ISUN’s products their naturally nourishing properties.

Purchase ISUN’s Golden Lip Balm here for £12.50.
 

It is no secret that matte lipsticks have been the prominent trend of the past year or two, and they are definitely here to stay. With a matte formula, you get longevity and rich pigment. These lipsticks from LOLA say it all in the name; Matte Long-Lasing Lipstick, so make no mistake about it, these colours will last hours on your lips, with infrequent touch ups. Of course, as it is autumn, we’re into the colours Glacier Cherry, a rich, true red (which, to be honest, is timeless) and Purple Rock, a very autumnal, vampy purple.

The formula of these lipsticks does something special. It helps lips to appear fuller and smoother, which matte lipsticks usually do the opposite of. This is thanks to the blend of polymers and emollients which helps fill in fine lines and create an even surface. The jojoba oil and vitamin E nourish lips, making this matte lipstick a creamy and comfortable wear.

Purchase the Matte Long Lasting Lipsticks here for £11.95 each.
 

Now onto the gloss, a necessity, we believe, in everyone’s makeup collection. Jane Iredale’s PureGloss range has a plethora of shades to choose from. We have the shades Hot Cider, a golden-peach toned gloss, and Pink Lady, a classic pink gloss with a hint of shimmer. High-shine, sheer, but with a touch of colour, these glosses are perfect for transforming your natural lip colour or adding a shine and colour depth to lipstick. Despite being a gloss, these PureGlosses are remarkably long-lasting and contain Moringa butter and avocado oil to condition your lips. The added bonus? To us, they smell like gorgeously sweet pink lemonade.
These glosses are all vegan and certified cruelty-free, luxuriously creamy but with a slight stick which helps them to last longer on the lips. They are everything we love in a lip gloss.

Purchase the PureGlosses here for £19.95 each.

With an abundance of lip products and formulas to choose from, we hope we've helped you navigate the maze slightly. We think lips are one of the most fun facial features to decorate, so prep them and go forth and rock a bold or glossy lip!