Kind Natured: Ginger & Lemongrass Energising Body Wash

Are you still lacking in energy and finding it difficult to get going in the morning? Then you need a little bit of zesty body wash to boost your day. Today at The Amazing Blog we're featuring a great first step to kickstart your day, with the men’s Ginger & Lemongrass Energising Body Wash   from Kind Natured .

Kind Natured is one of the flagship brands owned by Brand Architekts Group plc. As an established brand Kind Natured has an extensive list of skincare products ranging from natural haircare, skincare to bath and footcare to a unique line dedicated to men; the brand values are all about ‘keeping it natural.’  The company ethos is to develop all formulations with at least 97% of natural ingredients with the other 3% there to ensure the look, feel, aroma and stability of each product. These clean ingredients are vegan friendly, tested on people, made in England and all with 100% recyclable packaging. The brand's commitment is to the customer experience, where they offer top quality products at very affordable prices.  

 We had the opportunity to try out the recent award-winning Ginger & Lemongrass Energising Body Wash – a Bronze winner for The Best New Male Skin & Body Product at The Pure Beauty Awards 2020. Most body washes contain harsh ingredients that focus on smell and deep cleansing, which often leave the skin dry and taut. This is where Kind Natured is different. With this Ginger & Lemongrass Body wash there is no a compromise between efficacity, natural ingredients and above all, respect for the skin. This product leaves the skin cleansed and refreshed thanks to its subtle and energising scent, where the body wash contains a perfect wake-up cocktail of the zesty ginger and lemongrass. However, these are not the only two key ingredients; there’s an amalgam of other citrus here with lime and may chang oil, bitter orange and lemon peel extract and gingergrass. Also, not forgetting to mention the deep cleansing turmeric and essential oils like cypress, clove leaf, juniper berry, tea tree, nutmeg, rosemary and clary sage.  With this plethora of revitalising ingredients, it’ll be all you need to get a morning dose of get-up-and-go! The Ginger & Lemongrass Body Wash is one of our male reviewer’s favourites, mainly because of its greener and cleaner ingredients making it a natural body wash at an affordable price.  You can purchase the Kind Natured Ginger & Lemongrass Energising Body Wash in 250 ml here for £4.99; this product is also available in selected Boots and Waitrose. 

David Jourquin Paris: Cuir Mandarine Eau de Parfum

We think that a scent can immediately change your mood, bringing good memories back or creating new and exciting ones. Finding that one and only fragrance that encompasses your style, personality and suits each season - is a case of trial and error. This is why at The Amazing Blog we love exploring new olfactory experiences. Meet David Jourquin with and his inventive range of fragrance, today we are reviewing the delicious Cuir Mandarine.

David Jourquin created his fragrance company in 2011  after a lifetime of being surrounded by all sorts of olfactory inspiration. His mother always went to work wearing her famous leather coat and loved sprinkling tiny drops of perfume on the cushion pillows. His father smoked cigars and took David to the market in Pointe-à-Pitre,Guadeloupe, where he revelled in all the spices’ sweet, robust aromas. For David, these memories have shaped who he is today, and inspired him to recreate them in the form of his unique fragrances. Motivated by intense passion, each of his fragrances expresses a different facet of his intimate universe. Inspired by seasons and places he has created a core collection with Vendômen offering seven different Eau de Parfum where these scents are characterised by their personality and emotional impact. The Opéra collection are the refill flacons ready to be slipped into the leather coverings of the Vendôme Collection, or left bare, according to one’s desires and budget. For Jourquin, fragrances are emotional touchstones: "They speak the truth in a language that is invisible yet essential, intimate yet universal. My greatest joy is to share these fragrances with you, to create secret paths that bring us closer to ourselves so that in turn, we can get closer to others." We were excited to experience this magic.

We couldn’t wait to try one of his first launch fragrances with the much talked about  Cuir Mandarine which was a recent Gold winner with Best New Premium Fragrance at the 2020 Pure Beauty Awards.  it emits a very soft and slightly sweet unique mix of mandarin and leather. The square bottle itself is clad in hand-stitched calfskin with a solid wood grain top to accentuate its masculinity. The vibrant top notes of mandarin, pepper and lavender are very evident and immediately greet you. However, what makes this so unusual is the middle notes of leather and patchouli. The five different varieties of patchouli used originate from the mint family and are cultivated in tropical Asia. Here the patchouli has subtle musk that enhances the other fragrance notes. The base notes are the rich blond Virginian tobacco and amber which add a dimension to the sweet and earthy notes, holding everything in balance. Although Cuir Mandarin luxurious fragrance that is aimed at the male market with its timeless and classic scent and modern twist; we loved the sensual, rich, warm and sweet aroma which conjured up the change of seasons, taking us swiftly from autumn to winter.  It ‘s certainly a scent we’d recommend spritzing to uplift spirits and transport you to warmer climes even on a grey and wet English day! You can purchase Cuir Mandarin in 100 ml for €230 in 5 ml for €8.90 here. 

Waken: Spearmint Mouthwash

Brushing one’s teeth twice daily is a given. However, not many of us think about using mouthwash on a daily basis. Here at The Amazing Blog we believe in proper oral care just as much as our skincare. This is where we’d like to introduce Waken with their range of eight natural mouthwashes. We chose Spearmint to try, which unlike other mouthwash, uses natural mint and is entirely alcohol-free. 

Waken is a mouthcare company that Simon Duffy created in 2019. Duffy was the former founder of Bulldog skincare launched in 2006 which focused on sustainability and ethics. The company won many grooming awards around the world and was present in more than 30 countries. After selling Bulldog in 2016, he was inspired to use the same core principles of sustainability and ethics in dental care sector not only to improve on mouthcare the products in the market, but also to help the environment too. This led to the launch of Waken in 2019, which sells vegan mouthwash and accessories made with natural ingredients and sustainable alternatives. As you may know, regular mouthwash is usually used to kill 99% of germs in the mouth and keeps it fresh. However, many types of mouthwashes heavily rely on artificial ingredient, Waken, does not use any artificial flavours or colours. Their range of eight mouthwashes are entirely alcohol-free which rids the mouth of the burning sensation you would typically get while using regular mouthwash. Waken strives to create mouthcare products that not only care about the planet but also can be showcased as a thing of beauty in the bathroom, rather than a symbol of embarrassment! All mouthwash bottles are sustainable and certified carbon neutral where the bottles are kind to the planet, they suggest rinse, recycle and repeat in good conscience. They also offer a food-grade reusable stainless steel Mouthwash Cup that is dishwasher-friendly and will sit proudly with your chosen Waken Mouthwash.

This award-winning Spearmint Mouthwash recently won a Silver in 2020 Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards . It is a vegan-friendly blend that is kind to the teeth and gums. Some of the key ingredients here are sodium fluoride to protect against cavities. The xylitol is the sweetener, processed from trees like birch or plant fibre called xylan. It works by starving the harmful bacteria in the mouth and is known to boost dental health and prevent tooth decay and inflammatory gum diseases.  The hydrogenated castor oil is an emulsifier, it works to keep the product blended and it is also completely safe and it is an approved food-grade ingredient. What impressed us was the taste…the flavour is most definitely spearmint, and unlike other mouthwashes, this felt mild in the mouth and didn’t exude any eye-watering vapours! Waken recommends rinsing your mouth with 20ml of the Spearmint mouthwash twice a day for 30 seconds and then expel. Remember to never swallow or swig from the bottle, and do not dilute the mouthwash. This Spearmint mouthwash impressed us with its delicious flavour and the freshness it left in our mouth. However, we would like to remind our readers that using mouthwash is not a substitute for regular brushing or flossing. This will undoubtfully make an elegant statement when gracing your bathroom and you can purchase the Waken 500ml Spearmint Mouthwash for £4.50, here. Of course, we mustn’t forget about their Mouthwash Cup accessory to accompany the Spearmint Mouthwash. This will ensure you take the correct serving of your mouthwash every time,  for £3.00, you can purchase the Mouthwash Cup here.  

MAYSAMA: Green Rooibos Pressed Serum

The more unusual an ingredient, the more it piques our interest! Although we are familiar with green tea in skincare, green rooibos is certainly a first for us to review at The Amazing Blog.  We are featuring the hero product from MAYSAMA with their unique Green Rooibos Pressed Serum  which we couldn’t resist giving a try.

MAYSAMA was founded in 2018 by Beverly Sanderson. The brand is based in South Africa and produces ethical, natural, vegan and high-performance antioxidant green rooibos skincare. For years, Beverly struggled with skincare issues, including rosacea, vitiligo and photosensitivity. Desperate to improve her skin, Beverly went to a dermatologist who guided her to eat organic foods and use natural skincare products. Her interest in healthy skincare grew, which led her to discover and cultivate a passion for green rooibos tea. She began working with the Nelson Mandela Institute in South Africa to look at rooibos' cosmetic potential. The anti-inflammatory properties of rooibos improved Beverly's rosacea, which led her onto launch MAYSAMA with the brand philosophy of 'If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well'. Her launch product is the Green Rooibos Pressed Serum with the starring ingredient of green rooibos which comes from unfermented leaves that have a much higher antioxidant capacity than red rooibos because the flavonoids have not been destroyed by oxidation. Uniquely, rooibos protects and repairs the predominant cells in fat tissue, responsible for maintaining skin fullness, and its rich source of alpha-hydroxy acid and zinc fights off premature ageing. MAYSAMA's pharmaceutical-grade green rooibos has a patented extraction process that significantly enhances the aspalathin content and the main flavonoid responsible for its antioxidant activity, creating a superior cosmetic ingredient. We applaud the brand for its giving back to the rooibos community in South Africa through the Environmental Monitoring Group (EMG) in Cape Town. It is a climate change adaptation work programme that works with rooibos farming communities to develop a sustainable harvesting strategy and gain more insight into the plant's ecology and its response to climate change. MAYSAMA pledges to contribute 1% of its profits to the EMG and help research and support Rooibos' sustainable harvesting.

An award-winning product with a recent Editor’s Choice winner in the 2021 Beauty Shortlist Awards, and a Silver award winner Pure Beauty Awards 2020; the Green Rooibos Pressed Serum   formulated with green rooibos, has long been an ingredient used to relieve dryness, itchiness, and eczema by minimising oxidative stress and increasing cellular healing. This light gel-serum quickly absorbs into the skin, to help protect, hydrate, and soothe, leaving skin supple and revitalised. Other key ingredients are a blend of argan and baobab oil, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E.  There is also our old favourite cannabis sativa (hemp seed oil) which balances the skin and hydrates and regulates the skin's oil production. Gotu kola (Indian pennywort) and marigold extract which have antioxidant properties and promote collagen production. Sea Buckthorn is full of omega 6 and plus vitamin C and E and are anti-inflammatory offering protection against premature signs of ageing. Chlorella vulgaris extract  stimulates collagen production and contains a high level of carotenoids. Liquorice root extract and turmeric both work as an anti-inflammatory and help reduce age spots and hyperpigmentation. These all help to moisturise and strengthen the skin; plus, without fragrance or essential oils and with a pH of 5.0 to 5.3, this serum is ideal to use even on the most sensitive skin. We loved its soft and authentic botanical fragrance and the way this golden semi-transparent serum enhances the complexion with a warm glow. We applied one or two pumps of the serum to the face and neck and found when used alone, it enhanced our skin tone with an almost sun-kissed luminosity. Most importantly it is kind to the skin and skin microbiomes (these are skin flora, made up of trillions of good bacteria which live on the skin). We’re looking forward to when MAYSAMA develops on more products, and would certainly recommend this as another one of our #amazingfinds. You can purchase MAYASAMA's Green Rooibos Pressed Serum in 30ml for £46.00 directly off the MAYSAMA website, here.

Tuesday 2 March: The 2021 Beauty Shortlist Awards

**BIG CONGRATULATIONS 🎉 🥳 TO ALL THE WINNERS **

Today we're celebrating NATURE.

There's been a special energy around the 2021 Beauty Shortlist Awards this year, which is so cheering when we've all been wading through a heavy, "abnormal" and often difficult year.

These awards are not particularly easy to win, it's quite a wait from 1 September to Tuesday 2 March to find out if you have won.

But fortune favours the brave, Awards Day is here at last, and it's time to share the 🧡.

2021 highlights and emerging trends include:

* inclusive beauty (a priority for the industry)
* plantable packaging (you can compost at home)
* CBD edibles & delicious treats like coffee, nut butters and 70% dark chocolate
* the "almost naked" soap + solid skincare bar heroes flying the flag for "plastic-free"
* crystal beauty... moonstone-infused serums and shungite cleansers
* nootropics, gut health solutions and mood enhancers (yes please)
* buy-a-product-plant-a-tree campaigns
* recycled ocean plastic, mushroom (mycelium) boxes and a lot less plastic overall...

I hope you enjoy the awards today. Big congratulations to all the ethical, beautiful 2021 AWARDS winners - including those who've won one of the first ever Beauty Shortlist ECO LIFESTYLE AWARDS (new for 2021).

To see the gorgeous green winners go to thebeautyshortlist.com or click the bio link above. HAPPY MARCH 🐇🌷!

“We need the tonic of wildness…we can never have enough of nature”
Henry David Thoreau