Wow Beauty + Saskia's Flower Essences: CFF: Clarify, Focus and Flow Flower Essence & Powerful Woman Flower Essence

We believe in flower power. What about you? Today meet these ‘flower essences’ created by capturing the unique vibrational energy of a plant and holding it as a memory in water. In simple terms, when the flower essence is swallowed, an individual’s energy is reminded how to be, taking the body back to its original balance. At The Amazing Blog, we love how these flower essences help to boost confidence and give us back our balance. A while back, we wrote about Saskia’s Flower Essences here, and today, we’re featuring more from the brand who have partnered with Wow Beauty to launch the CFF: Clarify, Focus and Flow Flower Essence  and the Powerful Woman Flower Essence. We will explain why we think that these are true ‘nature’s little helpers’.  

The background to these begins in 2021, when Wow Beauty partnered with Saskia’s Flower Essences to launch these two unique botanical blends. Their alliance came via a chance meeting on social media, which has since led to a joining of minds and the creation of a new range of flower essences. Saskia’s Flower Essences was founded in 2003 by formulator and practitioner Saskia Marjoram, who has worked with plants and botanicals her whole life. Her background is as a professional gardener and as a florist to H.R.H. Prince of Wales. The brand’s essences are primarily made from native wildflowers and trees. Each tincture is designed to help people shift and change their emotional and behavioural issues. Saskia said, “I was delighted when Denise asked me to develop a blend with the title ‘Clarity Focus Flow’ from my range of single essences. After quite some deliberation and lots of intuition, the final essences we chose are designed to help people feel clear and sure as they move forward in their lives with a sense of purpose.” Saskia went on to say, “I am continually fascinated by how plants and humans interact and the wisdom they have to share with us. My deep love, friendship and knowledge of the flowers has continued to grow as I discover just how powerfully their energy affects and interacts with us.” Denise Rabor is best known for Wow Beauty ,a natural beauty and wellbeing portal that launched in 2016. More recently, she has launched The D.O.R Beauty Edit, an online store with products from female-led holistic and wellbeing brands. Denise has always been intrigued by vibrational medicine and flowers for helping solve emotional states, and this is how the concept for creating ‘CFF’ was born. Denise told us, “CFF is something that came to me early last year when I was creating some personal affirmations. Why? I needed to clarify and refine my purpose but required extra support. I wanted to create a product that could help things happen whilst also maintaining a state of flow. And I know that many women that I've spoken with feel the same need for some extra support.”  People have used flowers to heal emotions for thousands of years, extending back to Ancient Egypt and indigenous Australians who also used them as part of healing ceremonies to resolve emotional imbalances. In fact, we learnt from Endeavour College of Health that the earliest European recorded use of flower essences was by abbess Hildegard von Bingen in the twelfth century. It was where muslin sheets were placed over flowers at night to absorb the dew, then be collected in the morning, rung out, and used to treat people with emotional imbalances. However, it wasn’t until 1930 that Dr Edward Bach discovered the vibrational power of flowers and how to apply flower essence, thus creating 38 Bach Flower Remedies. This is where extraordinarily talented alchemists like Saskia Marjoram carry on this legacy. 

At this precise moment in time, the need for flower essences could not be more poignant. As the world gradually finds its feet after the global pandemic, this is when we all need to ask for help and guidance from these essences as ‘nature’s little helpers’. The CFF: Clarity, Focus, Flow Flower Essence was created to support individuals for when some clarity in life is needed. It helps to maintain focus, and achieve and maintain a flow. To use, take seven drops of essence two to three times a day, and say a personal affirmation. Take these drops for as long as you need, whether it’s a couple of days or weeks. The bottle contains 30ml, and the ingredients include springwater (60%), organic vodka (40%), and energy imprint of rio clarillo, crab apple, blackberry, peppermint, and willow (16% ABV). Springwater is free of contaminants and contains important minerals, organic vodka is free of pesticides and GMOs.  Rio clarillo helps you go with the flow, crab apple enables you to release guilt and shame, blackberry enables you to feel that it’s safe to grow, peppermint enables you to be clear and focused, and willow helps you be flexible. 

The Powerful Woman Flower Essence is for a confidence boost and was made with a view to helping women step into their power, have a strong sense of self and succeed at anything they put their mind to do. It is designed to enhance creativity and increase intuition.  Again, like the CCF, take seven drops of the essence under the tongue. The ingredients include springwater (60%), organic vodka (40%), and energy imprint of dandelion, twayblade, blackberry, bluebell, nettle, pennyroyal, and evening primrose (16% ABV). Springwater and organic vodka (described above). The dandelion allows you to release, twayblade helps you take a leap of faith, blackberry enables you to feel safe to grow, bluebell helps you be heard, nettle is for when you are really mad, pennyroyal helps you feel complete, and evening primrose enables you to see the light in the dark. 

Since childhood, my mother actively encouraged both anxious humans and pets to take a few drops of Bach Flower Essences under the tongue, and this has stayed with me, as a regular practice. I still use many of the Bach Flower remedies and I’m also a big fan of Saskia Flower Essences, primarily of the Focus Energise Create, which interesting has one or two of same ingredients as CFF. So, for me, the CFF would be my current ‘go to’ rather than the Powerful Woman. That said, Powerful Woman has a place and on days when one feels indecisive or full of self-doubt. And before you ask, all these flower essences are completely safe to use in conjunction with other medicines, homoeopathic treatments or during pregnancy and breastfeeding. We highly recommend try these, especially if you are a novice to the world of flower essences, and think these are a great first step. All flower essences are 30ml and you can find the CFF: Clarity, Focus, Flow Flower Essence here for £15.00 and the Powerful Woman Flower Essence here for £15.00.

AYPA Terra Inka : Raw Face Mask with Maca, and Raw Face Oil with Buriti & Maracuja

Raw and organic face masks and oils have the power to transform how your face both looks and feels, and Aypa Terra Inka’s products are no exception. At The Amazing Blog, we first discovered this brand at the 2021 The Beauty Shortlist Awards. What intrigued us was it’s extraordinary Andean raw ingredients, returning us back to heady days of our student backpacking travels in South America! 

 Aypa  is a beauty brand that is rooted in the nature of Peru. The company has skincare, special treatments, and at-home spa products, all in addition to having a Spa in Spain. Mirella Crovetto, the founder of Aypa, was inspired to develop a skincare and spa brand that included an Andean essence in its products, which she was couldn’t find in anywhere else. So, she travelled to the Andes in her native Peru and studied from the indigenous communities their centuries-old alchemy to bring into her skincare, and thus her company was born. Aypa means ‘earth’ in the Inca Quechua language, and stands for the respect the native Andeans have for nature. The brand fuses native tradition with innovation — combining the respect for nature and knowledge of plants inherited from the Incas, with today’s insight and research. Crovetto said, “It’s an invitation to travel inside my dreamed Peru, connect with the soul of its earth and get in harmony with nature.”

We were excite to receive four of their products, but today we’re going to review the first two. This is the Raw Face Mask with Maca and the Raw Face Oil with Buriti & Maracuja, which are two from the four in the Aypa’s Raw Collection. Both products are 100% natural, raw, organic and contain fair trade ingredients, which are cruelty free, and vegan. Aypa’s Raw Face Mask with Maca is a powder-to-paste mask that contains Andean superfood powers. Some of the main ingredients in this face mask include maca, algarrobo, lucuma, maras salt, muña, and green clay. Maca is a root found in the high Andean lands of Peru that is known as “the Inca fountain of youth.” Containing minerals, vitamins, and amino acids, it promotes cell renewal, increases skin luminosity, and slows down the ageing process. Algarrobo is a fruit found in the Pacific Coast of Peru that contains minerals, vitamin B, tannins, and lysine. This ingredient heals, balances, and has antioxidant and antiseptic properties. Lucuma is a fruit found in the mid-coast of Peru that contains vitamin B3, betacarotenes, and minerals. This ingredient energizes, nourishes, and has firming and anti-ageing properties. Maras salt is found in the high Andean lands of Peru, and its 84 minerals have anti-inflammatory and detox properties. Muña is known as “the mint of the Andes” and has antiseptic and soothing properties. Green clay contains many minerals and removes impurities, tightens pores, tones skin, exfoliates, absorbs, and reduces acne inflammation. To use Aypa’s Raw Face Mask with Maca as an exfoliant, mix a few drops of water into a teaspoon of powder on your palm until it is a paste, massage onto your skin, and then rinse. To use this face mask as a treating mask, mix a few drops of water or Aypa’s Raw Face Oil with one teaspoon of powder in a bowl until it is a mud-like texture. Then apply to your face and neck, leave for 10–15 minutes, and rinse, we could almost ‘feel’ the raw goodness healing our skin!

Aypa’s Raw Face Oil with Buriti & Maracuja contains four Peruvian oils that are cold-pressed from whole fruits. These oils include buriti, maracuja, palo rosa, and palo santo. Buriti, which is found in the Amazon rainforest in Peru, contains beta-carotene, vitamin C and E, and fatty acids. Beta-carotene protects skin from photo-damage, vitamin C and E regenerate skin, and the fatty acids moisturise and rehydrate skin. Maracuja is found in the sub-tropical north coast of Peru. Containing omega 6, vitamin C, and antioxidants, it hydrates and boosts collagen production. Palo rosa, which is rose wood, is found in the Amazon rainforest in Peru and helps regenerates tissues, improve circulation, and has antiseptic properties. Palo santo, which is holly wood, is found in forests in the north coast of Peru. This oil reduces oxidative stress and inhibits the elastase enzyme, thus creating a more youthful appearance. To use this blend of oils, apply one drop to your face and neck or mix with your moisturiser or liquid foundation. Whether you have dry or oily skin this adapts and balances to suit each skin type. There is a deliciously sweet and earthy fragrance (probably the rose wood?) where you can tell that there’s absolutely nothing artificial about this Face Oil. It’s almost a dry oil, as it hydrated and left our skin glowy without a hint of greasiness.

If you too want to reap the benefits of these raw ingredients, you can purchase the 30ml Raw Face Oil with Buriti & Maracuja here for 69.00€, and the 50ml Raw Face Mask with Maca here for 45.00€.

Skin Virtue: Future Advanced Serumist®

In the heat of the summer, there is nothing nicer than using cooling face mist to spritz from the beginning to the end of the day, keeping skin fresh and hydrated. Today at The Amazing Blog, we wanted to introduce a hydrating and anti-ageing mist, with this Future Advanced Serumist®, which is suitable for all skin types with a potent blend of highly concentrated actives from Skin Virtue.

Skin Virtue is an Australian result-driven premium cosmeceutical skincare range, which is also available to the consumer. Created in 2008 by skincare expert Nina Gajic, with a mission, “To bring beauty to life by crafting skincare regimes that are proven by science and enhanced by nature for clients who demand results and value. Our continuous research, development, and testing enable us to provide the most clinically advanced skincare technology available on the market today.” Gajic had been suffering from sensitive and problem-prone skin, which lead her onto several years of study for formulation science and clinical research. This enabled her to understand the skin layers and its complexity, including her own sensitive skin. Skin Virtue was formulated in association with an experienced team of biochemists and dermatologists in an Italian laboratory, using a synergy of clean beauty with cutting-edge skin science. The brand combines advanced science with high-quality ingredients with complex natural actives along with potent vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and soothing marine and botanical extracts in three multifunctional and targeted skincare collections: The Super Clear Collection is for skin concerns like breakouts, redness, clogged pores and inflammation. The Pure Anti-Ageing Collection is for dry skin. And the specialist Future Advanced Treatment Collection which is designed to work with the other two collections where it helps to address age-related concerns such as the appearance of discolouration, wrinkles, volume loss and sagging skin. Skin Virtue is committed to making all its products non-comedogenic, anti-irritating, anti-allergen, and free from any parabens and mineral oils, making it suitable for even sensitive skin types.

We’d heard so much about the Skin Virtue renowned Future Advanced Serumist® and we couldn’t wait to try it!  Hailed as a revolutionary potent anti-ageing serum which delivers as a mist - it has sixteen active ingredients to help nourish, rehydrate, tighten and tone. This serum is part of a six product collection in the Future Advanced range.  Quick and easy to use, it addresses numerous concerns such as ageing skin, moisture loss, dehydration, brightening, loss of luminosity, environmental damage, pigmentation, uneven skin tone and texture, blotchiness, fine lines and skin barrier function - what a list! It also promotes elasticity and suppleness to make the skin look younger, all thanks to its active ingredients. Among these top ingredients are glycine soja protein derived from the soya bean; this has numerous fatty acids such as palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic, that have anti-ageing and soothing properties. There is also rose water to tone and refresh and niacinamide (B3), ideal for increasing the skins resiliency and improving texture by making pores look smaller. The sodium hyaluronate is hydrophilic, meaning it easily mixes with water; this reduces dryness and flaking by increasing skin hydration and attracts moisture to the skin cells. Another of these key ingredients is methylsilanol mennuronate, a seaweed derivative that binds moisture in the epidermis helping skin regenerate by increasing collagen production, therefore, preventing fine lines. And finally, worth mentioning is another of our firm favourites found here is the aloe vera extract, a rich source of antioxidants and vitamins that have shown to neutralise the effects of UV rays, repair skin from existing UV damage. The Serumist® has a mild floral fragrance that won’t conflict with any other skincare used. We applied first thing in the morning after cleansing, and followed it with our regular serum or face cream. We found it energising and uplifting and also great for spritzing on face and décolletage during the day to keep skin feeling fresh and hydrated. We noticed skin looked dewier and plumper after use, and yes, it made a great addition to our skincare routine; although with this hefty price tag, it does make it a considered purchase. We think to see excellent results; it probably needs to be used in conjunction with the rest of the range as they make a formidable team when tackling volume loss, dehydration and skin discolouration. See here to buy the Future Advanced Serumist® 150ml for £73.00.

Regular Girl: Prebiotic Fiber & Probiotic Blend, On-the-Go

Digestion troubles with excess gas or bloating can at some time, or other, happen to us all. Here at The Amazing Blog, we’re often guilty of irregular eating habits and yoyo dieting, all of which has its consequences!  That’s why today, we wanted to introduce this supplement created by women for women with its unique patented natural formula that’s derived from the guar plant combined with the beneficial probiotic bifidobacterium lactis. Meet Regular Girl’s Prebiotic Fiber & Probiotic Blend.

Regular Girl’s healthcare products are aimed at the health-conscious woman who wants to treat or prevent digestive issues. Regular Girl’s supplements aid digestive disturbance and restores a long-term healthy balance thanks to their 100 % natural ingredients. On top of that, the brand is gluten-free, non-GMO Project Verified, certified organic, kosher and vegetarian. They are affirmed as GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) by an expert panel and are the world’s first prebiotic fibre and probiotic blend to achieve an important low-FODMAP certification, accredited by Monash University, Australia. The key ingredient here is the patented Sunfiber® a natural substance derived from the guar plant grown in western India. This is where they transform the plant’s fibre-packed bean into this acclaimed soluble fibre supplement. Also included in this formula is proven prebiotic fibre that increases the bifidobacteria lactobacillus levels; these supporting microbiomes are not only essential for the digestive system but immune health too.

As mentioned, this Prebiotic Fiber & Probiotic Blend on-the-Go is a certified Low-FODMAP product (FODMAP = Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols - a group of dietary sugars poorly absorbed in the small intestine). These are known to cause digestive problems such as gas-related pain, intestinal distention and constipation and diarrhoea in people suffering from functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This is where this Regular Girl’s supplement can offer a simple solution to maintain a healthy digestive balance. Now let's talk about how easy it is to use the product. This supplement comes in individual sachets, these you can take at any time of the day by adding it to drinks or food.  It’s colourless, odourless, tasteless, and gluten-free and dissolves quickly in liquids. Each sachet contains a well thought out amount of 6g Sunfiber® guar fibre (containing 5g soluble fibre) and 8 billion Bifidobacterium lactis. They advise taking one sachet a day - preferably in the morning to help get your digestive system on track. We sprinkled it into our cereal bowl, although you could also put it in smoothies, cold drinks or add it to a water bottle. It's really easy to use, and the benefits are huge. It's an excellent source of fibre, will improve good gut bacteria growth, and give a comfortable and full satiated feeling. To sum it up, it’ll provide you with regularity without excess gas or bloating. To try it for yourself and see all the benefits, you can purchase the Regular Girl’s Prebiotic Fiber & Probiotic Blend, On-The-Go from FODMarket here for £28.99 (30 sachets). 

CUBID CBD: Re:Vive Stay Active Gel

We don’t know about you, but here at The Amazing Blog time seems to have flown by - can you believe that it’s almost March? Whether like us, you’ve been keeping up with your New Year fitness goals, or just began your activities; certainly one or other of us here has already experienced some kind of soreness, joint pain or both! Most probably because in lockdown we’ve pushed ourselves even harder with a new home workout or perhaps walked too many extra steps. If this is you, don’t fret, as today we talking about the very soothing Re:Vive Stay Active Gel by CUBID CBD. 

CUBID CBD is a brand specialising in CBD, hemp-derived cannabidiol topicals and oils. Based in Derby CUBID CBD was founded by Paul Caplin in 2019, they produce high quality, award-winning CBD products with a reassuring tagline, “Choose a Better Day, Everyday.” Danielle Nodwell, CUBID CBD’s brand director, commented that the brand was created to “become an influencer, lead CBD revolution, and deliver a range of products that answered the specific needs of our customer.” Because the demand for CBD has been growing in the UK, CUBID CBD has made their products THC free, vegan and cruelty-free; using only broad-spectrum hemp oil in each of their topical products. Combining agricultural and scientific expertise, CUBID CBD's hemp is grown on a farm in Colorado where they to use an ethanol extraction method which is classified as GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) by the FDA. The CBD here has natural cannabinoids, proteins and fats, plus it is free from pesticides, solvents and parabens. CUBID CBD has a carefully curated self-care skin and body care regime, known as ‘the seven R’s’: Re:juvenate; Re:fresh; Re:lax; Re:scue; Re:new; Re:set and Re:Vive (which we review below).

CUBID CBD Re:Vive Stay Active Gel was a recent winner of Highly Commended in the Pure Beauty Awards London 2020; this is a botanical anti-inflammatory gel, which is light, cooling and designed to aid aching muscle issues. This has 500mg of CBD in the 100ml, where the 66% CBD combined with the other botanicals soothes any inflammation and finds a way to mend it. It’s blended with botanicals such as wintergreen leaf oil known to help ease stiff muscles, grapeseed oil to improve blood flow and rosemary oil with its anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties. Also enriched with eucalyptus leaf this helps with arthritis and has the added plus of its scent which helps to ignite an inner calm for a clear mind. Whereas the fruit extracts such as blackcurrant containing gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) that's been said to help ease inflammation, and the strawberry extract with ellagic acid is also another effective anti-inflammatory. The black pepper seed oil offers relief from spasms and cramps; and finally the cinnamon leaf oil stimulates circulation reduces muscle stress and relieves pain. It had a silky-smooth texture which melts seamlessly into the skin offering comfort to exhausted and tender muscles. With its soft fragrance, we could only detect a very pleasant and subtle eucalyptus and rosemary scent on the skin. As someone who has arthritis, I found that this offered some gentle relief. I also found it good for overworked hands, as well as shoulder and neck stiffness. Apply this Gel directly onto the skin and massage in circular motions to target the sore areas. You can use it daily at any time, or  before bed for a night of enhanced restful sleep. The Re:Vive Stay Active Gel can also be paired up with the oil drops by CUBID CBD for additional benefits. By the way, if you purchase the Re:Vive Stay Active Gel along with their Re:Set Oil Drops  you can save £20. The Re:Vive Stay Active Gel is here 100ml for £30.