Esse - Repair Oil

Scaring of any size is a mark of life, but it’s no biggie to want to minimise their appearance. The trick is to find the right product. We prefer a natural product that will be gentle on the skin. Luckily, The Amazing Blog team discovered a Certified Organic treatment by Esse Probiotic Skincare, sure to reduce scarring on all skin types.

Esse was founded by Trevor Steyn, in South Africa, in 2002, after the formulating was complete. The company’s focus is on the probiotic microbes living in and on the skin. Their products create an environment on the surface that caters to the growth of beneficial microbes. Most importantly, Esse does not believe in harming skin in the quest for short-term results. As well as being Organic, Esse is vegan and cruelty-free. They also support fair trade and are a carbon neutral company. What’s not to love?

Esse’s Repair Oil is for all skin types, night treatment, and scar tissue repair. We’ve found that it does not leave excess residue on the fingertips after it’s been applied elsewhere. The golden hue of the oil disappears after it’s been rubbed into the skin, but the faint flower scent sticks around much longer.

We don’t know about you, but natural, readable ingredients get us excited. The Repair Oil contains a nourishing balance of omega fatty acids found in flax, marula, and rosehip. RegeMarula Oil includes anti-oxidants meant to strengthen and protect, as well as heal (as does rosehip oil). Not only does it contain fabulous omega fatty acids, but vitamin E is included in high doses to stimulate cell regeneration. Other advantageous oils include kalahari melon oil, which is high in omegas, and yangu and manketti, which are also high in omegas and omega-3s and demonstrate UV protective properties. Hello, healthy, stronger skin!

You can purchase Esse Probiotic Skincare Repair Oil 15ml for £36.00 here.

Ruskha's Travel Try-Me Kit

We are always on the go at The Amazing Blog, so when we find 100% natural and vegan products that are also travel-sized our eyes light up.  Ruskha’s Travel Try-Me Kit contains two products; the Skin Awakening Cleanser and the Concentrated Youth Elixir. Ruskha is Bulgarian cosmetics brand founded by Rossy Antonova. They pride themselves on creating products with 100% natural plant ingredients, without using any fillers or synthetic/toxic substances. They also hand make their products in small quantities so that you always receive the highest quality.

First, the travel kit includes The Skin Awakening Cleanser, which works to remove dead skin cells and clean pores. We like this product because it gets the tough job done without drying out our skin. The cleanser contains French pink clay, thermal muds, white willow bark, liquorice, sandalwood, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and soapnut. These all-star ingredients have a variety of benefits, including extracting toxins from the skin and soothing + cleansing. This cleanser comes as a powder, but all it takes to activate it is a couple drops of water. This cleanser has taken our skincare routine to the next level.

Secondly, we have The Concentrated Youth Elixir, a Pure Beauty Awards 2018 Finalist. It is wonderful for reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This powerful elixir has the skin looking rejuvenated and radiant. This product contains 18 powerful ingredients some of which include: French lavender extract, Salicornia extract, mastic gum extract, Argan oil, and frankincense oil. This mixture gives the skin a healthy glow, as well as making the skin look younger and more hydrated. All it takes is 1-4 pumps of the elixir applied to a clean face in the morning and evening.  

You can purchase Ruskha’s Travel Try-Me Kit that includes a 10ml bottle of Concentrated Youth Elixir and a 100ml bottle of Skin Awakening Cleanser, here for €59.

Zglow Blueberry Antioxidant Mask

Today, The Amazing Blog has quite the treat for you all. This intensely hydrating Blueberry Antioxidant Mask from zglow is so deliciously scented that we’re almost tempted to take a taste! Instead, we let our skin drink up this treat made of 100% organic ingredients. Zglow is a US skincare brand that cares about what ingredients are absorbed into the skin, the environment, and our animal friends. This is something that always sparks our interest, particularly since they proudly boast to be organic, paraben, chemical and BPA free, vegan, non-toxic, and never tested on animals.

This creamy face mask is filled to the brim with ripened blueberries and white tea, which do wonders for cell rejuvenation and the removal of dead skin cells. Blueberries are little antioxidant powerhouses and this face mask is full of all of their skin-loving vitamins. It is highly recommended for dry to normal, sensitive or mature skin types. Our favourite way to use it is as a base for our makeup, especially those of us who struggle with pesky dry patches that can cause your makeup to appear flaky. We simply apply a pea size amount all over the skin, let it soak in for a few minutes, and continue on with our make-up routine.

This mask glides on and over dry patches to make our skin brighter, while helping to reduce redness. When we really need to pack in a punch of serious hydration, we exfoliate the skin in the shower and then apply a generous amount over the face and neck.  Relax for 10-15 minutes, as the mask works its magic. Then simply rinse and follow with your regular moisturiser. We also used the Blueberry Antioxidant Mask overnight. Just remember to always wipe away any excess before hitting the pillow. Of course, our favourite part is the fact that it smells just like blueberry pie. The Blueberry Antioxidant Mask is available for purchase here on the US website for $27 plus international postal shipping charges of $14.

Utopia Skincare

As our readers of The Amazing Blog will know we're always striving for perfection - well, perhaps only in our dreams! So when we heard about ‘Utopia Skincare’ we wanted to see if the products really lived up to their name... Made in the UK, Utopia Skincare was created by Chris Smith, an award-winning skincare formulation scientist who invented the patented anti-ageing antioxidant complex used in the renowned Boots’ No7 Protect and Perfect Serum. It has been specifically designed for women with mature skin, to help prevent signs of premature ageing before, during and after menopause. What make this range unique is cutting edge 'Adaptive Skincare Technology' which uses ingredients that literally adapt to the skin’s particular needs. The range also contain a pollution defence formula which claims to protect the skin from 'harmful environmental aggressors' that speed up the ageing process.  What makes Utopia’s product line stand out for us, is their Derma Complex which is a combination of eight ingredients that work together to create a more youthful looking complexion. This complex is able to penetrate down to the lower levels of the dermis and restore collagen and elastin fibres, thus reducing and preventing the appearance of wrinkles. All of Utopia’s products are collagen boosting, pore refining, paraben free, and silicone free. They are also suitable for vegans and vegetarians. 

The first of the three products that we were sent was their Hydrating Day Cream. This advanced formula  contains retinol, SPF 30 and UVA protection to help prevent sun damage and other pollutants. Our skin definitely felt more hydrated throughout the day, but what really appealed to us was that it contains a lot of ceramides, sterols and other skin lipids; also the SPF in the cream which gives extra protection under make-up. It is easy to use, simply apply a pea-sized amount to your face and neck each morning. It also works well as a primer and lets the foundation just glide smoothly on.

The second product was their Nourishing Night Cream; this cream works to restore the skin to its optimum hydration level overnight and also removes dead skin cells. When applied to the face, the cream is instantly soothing, giving improve firmness and elasticity, we also liked the texture and smell. It works deep down at the dermal-epidermal and has three star ingredients; these are exopolysaccharide, vitamin E and ceramide-rich oat oil. Exopolysaccharide helps to rebuild skin, vitamin E absorbs toxic free radicals, and ceramide-rich oil brings hydrates the skin.

The final one of our trio is the Instant Firming Eye Serum it treats the under eye area, which is probably one of the most challenging areas of the face to repair. Utopia Skincare has formulated this Serum to help reduce dark circles, crows feet and puffiness. It contains pepha-tight to immediately reduce under eye bags, neodermyl which combined offers the best of the latest anti-ageing technologies. Utopia claims that when used over the course of two weeks, it has the same wrinkle reducing effect as that of a collagen injection! We can't vouch for this, but it did leave the eye area of our Exec Ed's plumped up and smoother.

You can purchase a 50ml tub of Utopia’s Hydrating Day Cream here for £34. A 50 ml tub of Utopia’s Nourishing Night Cream here for £34, and a 15 ml tube of Utopi­­­a’s Inst­­­­ant Firming Eye Serum here for £27.

Myrto Argan Bio Body Wash

Cold weather and dry skin go hand-in-hand, so it has been our mission here at The Amazing Blog to stop the cycle. It’s hard to resist a long hot shower or a bath when the weather is so currently dreary, Summer? What summer! So instead we have made it a point to find a bodycare regime that keeps our skin seriously hydrated. We were sent the Argan Bio Body Wash in Cassis Schizandra from Myrto  This is one of our favourite and most recent organic brands #amazingfinds  and our skin has never felt or looked better!

Most shower gels contain harsh ingredients that focus on cleansing, which often leaves our skin even drier than before.  We used the Argan Bio Body Wash because it uses mild amino acids that cleanse the skin, and are gentle enough to preserve and protect the skin lipid barrier without any use of irritating alcohols, preservatives, or emulsifiers. Instead, Myrto uses skin-loving ingredients like hand-pressed organic Argan oil, which instantly nourishes the skin. This is so gentle with a pH value of 5,0 to 5,5 that you can use it as a 2-in-1 product for both body and hair!

There are three different body washes that will cater to your specific skin needs. Both the Pomegranate and Cassis Schizandra Body Wash have been formulated to suit sensitive skin types. The Myrtle Tea Tree is perfect for sensitive skin that is prone to impurities, while still maintaining the skin’s moisture. Myrto also recommends this one to men with very short hair who want an all in one product.

All three of the Myrto Argan Body Washes are organic, vegan and come in two sizes: A 100ml size for £10.50 and a 500ml for £43.40 and you can purchase them both here.