Little Butterfly London : Fresh Meadows Cooling Leg Gel

Even in this unprecedented heat,  at The Amazing Blog, we’ve been running around on our feet all day. It’s easy to forget self-care for tired legs, which is why we’re thrilled to have found a cooling and energising gel that helps lift and nurture swollen, heavy-feeling legs and feet. Meet Little Butterfly London’s organic-certified, vegan and cruelty-free Fresh Meadows Cooling Leg Gel, which leaves legs and feet feeling rejuvenated. Although aimed at mothers, we think it’s ideal for anyone with achy limbs and feet. Yet another one of our #Amazingfinds, this hero gel was also recently awarded Winner of ‘Best Therapy for Tired Feet and/or Legs’ at the 2022 Mama & Baby Awards.

Growing up in a family of hoteliers in Austria, founder Gudrun Wurm always had the entrepreneurship bug. Combine that with her love for cosmetics, skincare and luxury design from a young age, and her frustration and inability to find a baby skincare range with organic purity, natural formulations and elegant packaging, she launched Little Butterfly London. “I could not find a range which ticked all my boxes,” said Gudrun, “I was looking for an organic luxury range which would be absolutely safe and gentle, yet highly effective to care for even newborns and susceptible, irritation-prone skin, made of generous formulas using precious ingredients. Essentially products I would love to pamper my own son with. This is how it started. Eventually, the idea took shape, and the brand was born.“ Little Butterfly London has authentic, natural and organic ingredients, and is free from any harmful irritants – making it perfect for fostering delicate, sensitive, reactive or eczema-prone skin. Ingredients like mineral oil, paraffin, parabens, SLS, silicones, DEA, TEA, PEGs and MIs (methylisothiazolinone) never make the cut, nor do synthetics and strong essential oils. Instead, gentle organic actives at a low level are utilised. The brand is eco-friendly, treading lightly with the planet in mind and in everything they do. All products are packaged with recyclable materials, and only trusted suppliers with sustainable and responsible production methods, and environmental accreditations are used, like FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). As if it couldn’t get any better, the range is pregnancy safe during breastfeeding, dermatologist-approved for sensitive newborn and eczema-prone skin, and vegetarian society-approved. Last but not least, Little Butterfly London is made in the UK and approved by Vegan Society, Ecocert and Cruelty-Free International. The brand is also committed to carefully crafting its mother and baby skincare range with five values: purity, excellence, pleasure, beauty and grace.

Fresh Meadows Cooling Leg Gel comprises of 98.7% of the ingredients of natural origin, and 95% of the total plant ingredients that originate from organic farming.

You can find anti-inflammatory properties like ginger root, arnica flower and horse chestnut, boosting circulation and reducing puffiness. Next to these are nourishing oils of sweet almond, peach, passionflower and cucumber packed with an abundance of vitamins and fatty acids – locking in moisture and strengthening the skin’s resilience and elasticity. On the other hand, antioxidant-rich green tea, grape juice and aloe vera neutralize free radicals and protect the skin at a cellular level.

The sweet almond oil keeps skin looking healthy and protects from UV radiation through its richness in vitamin E for smooth, soft, youthful-looking skin. Additionally, peach kernel oil is filled with omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, carrying moisture deep into the skin for plump, hydrated skin. At the same time, Irish moss powder is lavishly hydrating and non-comedogenic, and peppermint oil soothes inflammation, itchiness and irritation. Among the ingredients listed above, aloe vera, peach kernel oil, peppermint oil, grapeseed oil and green tea are farmed entirely organically. 

Several other ingredients that you might not be too familiar with and ones to mention are sodium phytate, which stabilises cosmetic products, and potassium sorbate, which acts as a preservative. Denat (denatured alcohol) makes products spread and absorb easily while also acting as a preservative. Dicaprylyl carbonate is a skin-conditioning agent to enhance the absorption of other ingredients. Cetearyl glucoside, a blend of cetearyl alcohol and glucose to emulsify ingredients, and glyceryl stearate, an emollient responsible for keeping products blended.

As cooling leg gels go, this one for us is unmatched. Easy to apply, using gentle upward sweeping movements from toes to above the knees, it absorbs quickly. Our top tip is to keep it in the fridge to use on those blisteringly hot days - it’s heaven! As mentioned, the opaque gel is full of skin hydrating goodies as well as a subtle minty-fresh scent. It’s a lifesaver during the heat and works brilliantly on swollen legs after a flight (AKA ‘gravitational oedema’ from sitting down too long). It doesn’t dry out the skin; instead, you get hydrated and smooth legs. Hence, we recommend using the Cooling Leg Gel liberally, even in the colder months, if you need some leg pampering. See here to purchase a 100ml tube of Little Butterfly London’s Fresh Meadows Cooling Leg Gel at £22.

Hairy Jayne : Floral Shampoo Bar

Hate having to pack heavy bottles of shampoo and conditioner for your trips away? They always take up far too much space, and if decanted for hand luggage, they’re too small to last the holiday! At The Amazing Blog, we’ve abandoned our regular liquid shampoos to try out the solid bars for a while. Today we’d like to share another of our latest #amazingfinds with a very travel-friendly sulphate-free Floral Shampoo Bar by Hairy Jayne; it’s gentle on hair and, best of all, won’t leak all over your clothes!

Hairy Jayne all began when hairdresser Jayne Rutland started getting raw hands from washing clients’ hair with mainstream and professional shampoos. This was when she decided it was time to investigate making her own natural hair care and went on to train at the cosmetics workshops Plush Folly. It inspired her to start experimenting and creating shampoos and conditioners using only natural plant oils. Jayne wanted a vintage-style name that everyone would remember, and ‘Hairy Jayne’ was born; it also rhymes with Mary Jane (shoes), which she says makes people laugh. She formulates and oversees the making of all her refillable and zero-waste hair care products, which are Vegan Society certified and cruelty-free. All ingredients are naturally derived and sustainably sourced. Jayne explained, “Unlike a lot of other zero waste beauty brands in the UK, we live, breathe and specialise in hair care. We only make hair care. We believe that living a sustainable lifestyle shouldn’t mean compromising how lovely your zero-waste shampoo and conditioner makes your hair feel.” Sustainability is also of paramount importance to Hairy Jayne; therefore, the packaging is either plastic-free, biodegradable or comes in refillable bottles. They also reuse packing materials wherever possible and plant a tree for every product sold with Ecologi to help reduce carbon emissions. The brand is probably best known for its sulphate-free Shampoo Bars, which have certainly made their mark as a Gold winner at the Free From Skin Awards 2020 and, more recently, as a Commended Winner in 2022, the Beauty Shortlist Awards.

Let’s talk more about The Shampoo Bars; these are ‘sydnet bars’, a made-up word that combines ‘synthetic’ and ‘detergent’. The detergent they use (sodium cocoyl isethionate) is derived from coconut oil. Jayne tells us, “The sulphate-free detergents we use in our solid shampoos are very mild and hair softening and won’t damage the hair like a traditional soap would. Syndet bars work better in hard water than soap does, too.” The brand offers a chart under ‘Is This The Right Product For You?’  showing the type of shampoo bar and the best option for each hair type. Jayne explained her reasoning for creating the Shampoo Bar, comparing herself to soap bars, “Unfortunately, there are a lot of products on the market that say ‘shampoo bar’ on the label, but they are actually bars of natural soap with added hair-friendly ingredients. These soap bars give solid shampoo bars a bit of a bad name when the user is left with hair that feels waxy and dull.” It’s because a simple natural soap isn’t the right pH level to use in the hair. Something to note is that shampoos need to be acidic (compared to soaps which are very alkaline) because the pH level of hair is between 4.5 and 5.5, which is acidic on the pH scale. pH-balanced shampoos don’t strip your hair and scalp of natural oils and protect it from dryness, frizz and damage. A slightly acidic shampoo also seals the hair cuticles keeping it strong and shining.

The Shampoo Bars come in four different fragrances:  Floral, Citrus, Musk and Herbal. Colour coded for hair types (see about ‘chart’ above), these are sulphate-free Shampoo Bars contain many ingredients as the liquid sulphate-free shampoos. We tried the ‘Floral Shampoo Bar’, which has three key essential oils, geranium, bergamot and vanilla, to give it its fragrance and restorative properties. The geranium also targets the scalp; and controls dryness, excess oil, and sebum production. Bergamot is rich in fatty acids and conditions and tames frizz. Lastly, vanilla strengthens hair and induces blood flow to the scalp.

The core ingredients in each Shampoo Bars are sulphate-free cleansers, mango seed butter, olive oil, aloe vera, green clay, palm-free stearic acid, detangling agent, and essential oils. The sulphate-free cleansers are sodium cocoyl isethionate, derived from the fatty acids in coconut oil that attract oil and water in the formula making it blend together; and disodium cocoamphodiacetate is a foam booster, that also conditions and improves dry, or damaged hair by replenishing moisture. The mango seed butter seals moisture and reduces breakage giving hair its elasticity. Olive oil provides softness and shine, and aloe vera controls greasy and helps an itchy scalp. Green clay anchors the essential oils allowing the scent to remain strong within the shampoo bar; it’s also effective at eliminating dirt and toxins while balancing oil production. Finally, the stearic acid is vegetable-derived and here as an emulsifier, stabiliser and thickener. 

What we like about this Shampoo Bar is the absence of water, and the concentration of ingredients, which means that it lasts longer than its liquid counterpart. Hairy Jayne gives three eco-friendly packaging options: recyclable cardboard box, reusable aluminium tin or no outer package (naked). To use the Shampoo Bar, they recommend saturating hair and massaging the Shampoo Bar directly onto the scalp, then rinsing away. Edwina, who tested this Shampoo Bar for the Awards, has very long, fine curly hair and gave it the big thumbs up. It lasted over a month, smelt amazing and was very gentle on her scalp and hair. In fact, it left her scalp nourished and with no irritation, unlike some other liquid sulphate-free shampoos. She also used Hairy Jayne’s multi-award-winning liquid Treatment Conditioner in tandem with the Shampoo Bar, and recommends it as a conditioner for optimum results - i.e. tangle-free hair!

Why not invest in this for gentle hair care for home use, or for your next trip away? To purchase the 50g Floral Shampoo Bar (which can last up to 2-3 months) for only £9, see here. Or, if you’re looking for a hair care bundle, they start at £15 here.

Lilly Be Organics : Be Energized Essential Oil Perfume

We love the power of fragrance, and how it can influence our mood, it’s something we all tend to underestimate. Perfume oils, have been our No.1 go-to scent for a while, and today at The Amazing Blog we want to talk about a new and award-winning essential oil perfume Be Energized by Lilly Be Organics.

Founder Lissette Monzon was a clinical master aromatherapist before starting Lilly Be. She’d already earned two master's degrees in education and worked as a teacher for 11 years. As much as Lissette enjoyed teaching, she longed to know more about plants and oils since the first time Lissette's mother introduced her to an aromatherapy kit at age 15. Even though she is a certified clinical master aromatherapist, she didn't put her skills to work for over ten years. As a stay-at-home mother, this was when she started selling her organic products at local farmers' markets, "To me, I was simply making ends meet. But, my beautiful customers and a series of serendipitous events revealed otherwise." And this is when Lilly Be, a US-based organic aromatherapy and skincare brand came to life. All of the products start with "BE", as in "to be" or "becoming" who you indeed are. Her priority is always to inspire positivity and target individuals in a holistic manner. "We look to nature as our original medicine and as a true example of what it means to simply BE." Lilly Be has 20 organic products from skincare, body care, perfumes, essential oils and wellness. Lissette told Voyage Mia in an interview that she chooses to work with organic, nature-based ingredients, to create synergy within the mind and body. Lilly Be also gives back to Sofias Hope, which fights childhood cancer. Together, Lilly Be and Sofias Hope produced "Be Hope", a rollerball perfume that promotes courage, peace, and optimism while pushing aside fear. She donates 20% of the proceeds throughout the year and 50% during September – Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Not only did Lilly Be win Editor's Choice for the ‘Be Energised Essential Oil Perfume’ and ‘Be Dreamy Pillow Mist’ at The 2022 Beauty Shortlist Wellbeing Awards, but also ‘Be Clear Daily Face Wash’, and ‘Be Refreshed Ultra Quenching After Sun Care’ in the Beauty section. The products are all made in the USA, produced organically, GMO-free, with sundried instead of chemically altered clays and salts, synthetic, paraben, dyes, and fragrance-free. They are also cruelty-free and Leaping Bunny certified.

We’ve been looking forward to reviewing this Be Energized Essential Oil Perfume; these rollerball essential oil perfumes come in six different scents: Be Hope, Be Energized, Be Refreshed, Be Prosperous, Be Love, and Be Your Dream.

Be Energized contains only four blended organic essential oils: Peppermint provides mental clarity, and helps relieve stress and headaches, and rosemary, helps improve memory. Ginger which increases energy levels; and grapefruit, which provides a bright aroma that helps to stimulate the senses. The base carrier oil is jojoba oil and vitamin E, which moisturises skin and absorbs quickly with no greasy residue. Jojoba oil has a slower evaporation rate than most oils, helping perfume last longer. These combined ingredients are designed to inspire positive energy and mindset. As Lissette says, this perfume is "Nature's energy – bottled."

Lilly Be's glass rollers are stylishly packaged in natural bamboo. Each rollerball has the product name engraved into the bamboo - so no chance of muddling them up if you have more than one... What we like about rollerball perfumes is that they are less harmful to the environment; a spritz of spray perfume may contain volatile organic compounds (VOC) that react with sunlight and other chemicals in the atmosphere resulting in ozone pollution.

Given the choice of wearing perfume oils or an Eau de Parfum, it’d be perfume oil every time for us. Why? Did you know that perfume oil is more concentrated? With over 20% of fragrance concentration in the oil, this gives the wearer up to eight hours of scent, and even then, it still deliciously lingers. Whereas Eau de Parfum (EDP) contains about 12% fragrance concentration in alcohol, which evaporates after approximately four hours, leaving the wearer needing a reapplication. Plus, most spray perfumes have an alcohol base which can be extremely drying to the skin.

Lissette recommends you use the rollerball on your pulse points as often as you choose. We applied it first thing, and again when we were flagging at our desks; it certainly helped to give a much-needed burst of energy during the day. Anointing the pulse points, especially the wrists, rub a little to warm up the oil, and then take deep breaths; it also helped to soothe the mind, uplift the spirits and gave us our own little piece of calm. An uplifting scent with the top notes of peppermint following through with grapefruit and a tiny touch of ginger and rosemary - they all blend together extremely well. Lilly Be's Essential Oil Perfumes are among another of our #amazingfinds. To purchase this handy pocket-sized Be Energized Essential Oil Perfume at $20 (£15.85) see here.

Modern Botany : Natural Deodorant

As summer begins, so does our search for the perfect deodorant. And we’re happy to report that at The Amazing Blog, we’ve found the optimal match for our needs; Modern Botany's Natural Deodorant. What we love about this award-winning Irish brand Modern Botany, is that it’s inspired by the principles of botanical science, utilising the best natural product sourced from Ireland and all over the world.

In 2016, Modern Botany was developed and co-founded by John Murray CEO, and pharmacognosist Dr Simon Jackson in West Cork, Ireland. Dr Simon Jackson is the founder of several companies, including the award-winning Dr Jackson's Natural Skincare. Dr Jackson has a rich background, including 20 years of worldwide expeditions and research; fascinated by the study of ethnobotany (a cultural and regional study of people and their relationship with indigenous plants). He went on an expedition to Indonesia, where he decided to continue learning and returned to London to complete his PhD in pharmacognosy. In an interview with The Clean Beauty Edit, Dr Jackson said, "In setting up skincare brands like Modern Botany, I was able to use this as a vehicle to transfer this knowledge of the natural world, and the wealth of learning I had obtained through the years both academically and also first-hand from ethnic communities from around the world." Modern Botany started with the simple belief - it's time to do better by creating personal care products that are kind to our bodies and the planet. Sustainability and inclusivity are of paramount importance to the Modern Botany brand; Dr Jackson said, "Likewise, sustainability was always going to be a central element to the brand DNA in terms of ingredient sourcing, production, and packaging. Inclusivity is also very important to the brand as the universal flavour of our products were designed to keep the focus on skin and problem skin and not gender per see." Modern Botany focuses heavily on their ‘Power of Five’ - Flaxseed for giving, Borage for gratitude, Seaweed for loving, Calendula for nature, and Chamomile for sleep. They also believe that no more than five or six key ingredients should be used in any one formulation and that a good product should have multiple uses and be suitable for all skin types. Modern Botany’s products are made in Good Manufacturing Practice facilities, are all 100% natural and’ Cosmos Natural’ as a minimum benchmark only using botanical and mineral extracts. They were awarded 'The Best New Brand' at the 2021 CEW UK Beauty Awards. Furthermore, the Natural Deodorant won ‘Best Natural Deodorant- Spray’ at the 2022 Beauty Shortlist Wellbeing Awards.

The Modern Botany Natural Deodorant is a unisex natural spray-on 100ml deodorant made with powerful plant-based active ingredients. They also offer the option of a 25ml travel-size or a 500ml refill bottle for when you run out. As members of 1% For The Planet, Modern Botany donates 1% of its revenue to environmental causes. The deodorant is made from astringent and deodorising active ingredients, which naturally counteract underarm bacteria and prevent odour. We love that it can also be used as a multipurpose product such as a body mist or perfume. The blend of 11 essential oils leaves the underarms with a clean, fresh scent, a delicate and natural fragrance. The formula is clinically and dermatologically tested, suitable for all skin types and contains no parabens, petrochemicals, or aluminium salts. With more and more health issues being linked to cosmetic ingredients, it is vital for consumers to know exactly what their products are made of, which is why Modern Botany is very transparent with its ingredients. Here these include witch hazel, water, lavender, sandalwood, eucalyptus leaf, vetivert, coriander, lemon tea tree, clove leaf cedarwood, frankincense and chamomile.

Let’s look at the ingredients in more depth: Witch hazel is derived from bark and has a fresh woody scent and has traditionally been used as a natural astringent and an anti-inflammatory for centuries. Lavender, apart from its floral signature scent, has strong germ-fighting, antibacterial and relaxing properties. Sandalwood has a sweet woody scent and is traditionally used for skin disorders and as an antimicrobial. Eucalyptus has a camphoraceous aroma and is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial. Vetivert has slightly citrusy/soapy notes and has good antiseptic properties. Coriander has a lemon/nutty/spicy scent, it can be used as a skin detoxifier and is rich in powerful antioxidants like vitamin C. The lemon tea tree has a zesty scent and is a strong skin healer helping to eliminate microbes and fungi. The frankincense has an aromatic sweet, warm woody and soft balsamic scent and is often used for wound healing as it’s cytophylactic (protects the cells of the organism). Clove leaf has a spicy/woody/warm sweet scent used for skin-calming and is anti-bacterial. Chamomile has a herbal/ floral scent and is also a soothing, hypoallergenic and anti-inflammatory agent. And finally, with its sweet wood scent cedarwood, is good for skin-calming, particularly for those with rashes or eczema.

Many antiperspirants aim to block the body from sweating and releasing toxins. The natural way, however, is with this formula which allows the body to sweat and also helps to minimise perspiration. With its key ingredient of witch hazel, it closes the pores and tightens the underarm skin, promoting the healthy function of the sweat glands and reducing perspiration. it has a fresh and subtle scent and makes a superb effective deodorant for our morning routine. Plus, because we like the fragrance, it’s another quick spritz to freshen up at midday and in the evening. It’s another one of our #amazingfinds and one we heartily recommend. To purchase the 100ml Modern Botany Natural Deodorant for £22, see here, or for the 500ml refill at £84 here. NB, apologies, we’ve just seen that due to its popularity - it seems to have sold out! So, If you would like to try the travel size at 25ml at £15 see here, where it’s currently in stock.

CBD Leafline : The 5000g Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray

At The Amazing Blog, we've written about countless CBD products and regular readers will know how much we love CBD with its endless benefits. This time it’s with the 5000g Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray by a familiar award-winning CBD brand CBD Leafline. You may remember the brand from previous blog posts here.

CBD Leafline was founded in 2018 by husband and wife team and CBD enthusiasts Paul and Sonia Shrive. By doing their research and not rushing through the entire process, the company was able to go through proper research and development on CBD with the purpose to follow UK product compliance while also providing consumers with the highest quality. Another brand focus is to educate customers on CBD by making packaging easy to read and understand. "Our other main focus has been to educate our customers about CBD through reader-friendly packaging that is easy to understand – we know there is nothing worse than being left frustrated by industry terminology – we hope we have achieved that." This family-owned business aims to be transparent about its entire process. All products are batch tested by a government-accredited UK independent laboratory. CBD Leafline is CannaPro certified meaning; their products, trading standards, marketing, and conduct have been reviewed. Their products are natural, vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, paraben and sulphate free, and all made within their own facilities in the UK. CBD Leafline is an award-winning company. In fact, they have won a few awards at the 2021 and 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards. They recently won Best CBD Oil (isolate) at the 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards for their Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray which we are reviewing today.

The Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray is THC-free and has 5000mg CBD which is isolate, which means that all other compounds such as flavonoids, terpenes, and amino acids, have been extracted, leaving behind only pure CBD. It’s also made up of fractionated coconut oil (MCT oil) and Citrus flavour it has 5000mg of CBD Isolate. 

They use fractionated coconut oil (MCT) as a carrier oil (the CBD is crystalline or powder in its raw state therefore mixed with the MCT for this reason); it's naturally high in fat and has had all of the non-essential fats removed to allow the most efficient absorption of CBD. As it’s made with CBD isolate there is no taste or trace of hemp, which makes these Twist Sprays (strawberry and citrus) very popular and easy to take. CBD Isolate is an excellent option for those interested in CBD but not the compounds found in cannabis plants, particularly if you are a sportsperson with routine drug testing. The extraction is done by a unique and challenging CO2 extraction process. Extra precautions must be taken to avoid unwanted substances during purification.

Now, what are the benefits of CBD? Scientists have reviewed a variety of benefits when researching CBD. CBD is thought to improve one's anxiety and depression. When CBD is consumed, it positively interacts with serotonin receptors in the cerebrum. It may also relieve inflammation and pain and be immune-modulating. CBD sprays are more unusual than other CBD edible products in the market. This makes them a little harder to find. However, what we like is that this spray has higher bioavailability than some other edibles, and these sprays, like the oils, are applied directly under the tongue. Tongues mucus membranes have small capillaries, which allows the product to be absorbed faster into the bloodstream. The spray allows a more direct route than other forms of ingestion. To use, shake the contents first and spray the recommended dosage directly under your tongue every morning and night. For maximum effect, allow the oil to sit under the tongue for about 2 minutes, CBD Leafline recommends. For new consumers, it's best to start with the lowest dosage to see how the body handles it. This 5000ml is the most potent dose in the range, so for the CBD novice, it’s recommended to start with 1500ml, as you can always slowly increase the dosage if necessary. It’s also vegan and gluten-free, and you can even refer to one of the dosage guides here. The Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray comes in a 30 ml bottle with an applicator at the top. We like it because it tastes great and is an easy and discreet way to carry CBD.

The Pure CBD Citrus Twist Spray contains 5000mg of pure CBD and is THC-free. It’s a great way to start off your day and end your night. The Twist Spray ranges come in 3 strengths: 1500mg, 2500mg and 5000mg. See here to purchase the PURE CBD Citrus Twist Spray for £49.99.