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. 

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.  

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

Quarnero: Fleur de Sel Relax Bath Salts

With winter still upon us here, at The Amazing Blog we love taking a hot bath at the end of the day, to warm up before bed and soak away the day. We've recently featured a few different bath products, but today we have an exceptional and award-winning brand Quarnero, with their delicate and unique Fleur de Sel Relax bath salts. 

Quarnero was founded by mother and son Zorica and Rešid Seferović, and is based in the Kvarner region in Croatia. They produce natural and organic face & body oils and bath salts, which have up until recently, been primarily created for the spa and salon sector. Their ingredients are mainly derived from the local region where the wild plants flourish in the clean air, and the unpolluted Dalmatian shoreline gives life to their fleur de sel. Otherwise, other key organic ingredients such as organic cold-pressed sesame oil and a few of the essentials oils are carefully sourced from selected organic locations. They use organic biodynamic plant actives combined with their time-honoured knowledge of ancient medicinal remedies to bring these select products to life – for Quarnero their brand ethos is to get’ back to basics’ and ‘less is more’. All products have the prized certification from NATRUE, International Natural and Organic Cosmetics Association https://www.natrue.org, who are committed to promoting and protecting global natural and organic cosmetics. All Quarnero products are handmade, vegan and delivered in solid, simple apothecary-style jars with Miron violet glass. Interestingly, this violet glass is scientifically proven to maintain fresh ingredients longer than clear glass. It also acts as a barrier preventing the loss of bioenergy, enzymes, smell or colour from the product stored within, making preservatives less necessary. The brand is now available in 39 countries, with six products in total, which are within the two ranges of Face & Body Oils and Bath Salts.

These Fleur de Sel Relax bath salts were a recent Wellbeing Winner, named as the Best Bath Soak at the global 2020 Beauty Shortlist Awards. As the name suggests, these contain the beautiful fleur de sel crystals, together with Quarnero organic botanical oils. When poured into the bath, this heady mix is slow to dissolve, fragrancing the water which in turn, absorbs into the pores relaxing the body. Any undissolved fleur de sea crystals can also be used to gently exfoliate and stimulate the lymph,as well as improving the skin's texture by making it soft and smooth. Fleur de sel is a salt enriched with natural minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iodine from the Adriatic Sea. It forms in oceanic conditions in seawater; it’s flaky, fragile and forms either as flat mass or as hollow pyramids, which look like angular delicate flowers (hence the name ‘flower of salt’). These bloom and float on the surface and are carefully harvested by hand. Fleur de sel is known as the purest form of salt on earth, as it contains no impurities or bitterness from the sea. Its been a tried and tested formula for therapeutic bathing since the Roman Empire and some even say that these salts have the aroma of violets.  Apart from the salts, other ingredients include oils from lavender, bergamot orange peel and geranium leaf. Lavender, as we know, relieves stress and aids sleep. Bergamot has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and soothes the skin. The geranium leaf has been used as far back as the Egyptians in tea to alleviate anxiety and fatigue. When I opened the jar of Relax Bath Salt, it immediately filled the room with its notes of lavender, bergamot, geranium leaf; and the potent fleur de sel. Another one of our #amazingfinds, it was deliciously intoxicating and from just opening the lid, I could slightly ‘taste’ the saltiness in the air. I can honestly say, that I could not get enough of these Relax bath salts. They made me feel uplifted, and yet tranquil, relaxed and at peace. With all the lockdown, stress and anxiety – what better way to soak away the worries of the day and get a good night’s sleep? To purchase the Relax Bath Salt in 450g at €94,49 please email info@quarnero.hr for enquiries due to the online shop currently being unavailable.

SKINEGO - The Prime

When you look good, you feel good! That's why we at The Amazing Blog, always put extra emphasis on having thoroughly cleansed skin. If like us, you live in a polluted city it becomes your number one priority. Today we’re featuring a new launch skincare device by SKINEGO, and when we spoke to the founders and learnt more about their Prime, we couldn’t wait to put it to the test. We've reviewed many different cleansing products, but this is a dual action facial cleansing device that goes above and beyond, not only does it cleanse but has a thermal eye massage mode too. Meet the Prime by SKINEGO, another one of our #amazingfinds.

The SKINEGO brand is co-founded by best friends Shazia and Fay, who have created a luxurious and carefully crafted high-tech skincare device. It brings a spa-like experience into the comfort of your own home, where the Prime can deliver similar results as some professional beauty treatments. Shazia and Fay grew up together, sharing their great passion for skincare. They were always trying out many different skincare products and as busy Mums were continually searching for new and effective beauty and self-care solutions. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the resulting anxieties and uncertainties caused them both to feel that they didn’t have time for self-care; it felt more of a luxury rather than a necessity. This made them take a step back and re-evaluate their skincare routines. They soon realised what they were missing was a high-performance, portable, easy to use cleansing and self-care device; hence the Prime was born. Shazia commented: "We created SKINEGO to remind ourselves that no matter what path you cross in life or whatever stage you may be at, it's not selfish to love yourself, to take care of yourself. It's time to make happiness a priority." And we couldn’t agree more!

The Prime is a revolutionary device with a dual-action facial cleansing brush with a thermal eye massage. It uses a combination of sonic and thermal technology, is battery-operated and portable - making it ideal for those on-the-go. It is 100% waterproof with skin-friendly silicone bristles and anti-microbial properties that provide a gentle and deep cleanse. It breaks down an astonishing 99.5% of dirt and skin impurities. The eye massager head heats up to 42 degrees and targets fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles around the eye contour area. 

Let’s start with the facial cleanser mode; moisten the face, wet the brush head and apply your regular cleanser.  Press once and feel it glide smoothly over the skin, move the Prime evenly around the face in circular motions. And don't worry about leaving it on, the device will automatically turn off after 2 minutes. When finished, rinse your face and the device. We want to mention how soft it feels on the skin (compared to other well-known cleansing devices), it’s gentle, in the way that it removes daily grim and even the most stubborn mascara, but without tugging on the delicate eye area. SKINEGO recommends using the Prime in the bath or shower, although not to submerge the device or use it for longer than 30 minutes. It’s a unisex and cross-generational device, and one that’s suitable for even the most sensitive of skin types. Impressive!

Now to activate the thermal eye massage mode. Press twice to get it to pulse and then give the device 10 seconds to warm up. Place the massaging ridges in a stationary position on the eye or move it slowly around the contour of your eye and r-e-l-a-x. This eye massage mode helps to soothe tired eyes and can be used either alone or with eye cream/gel. I like how the heated head speeds up the absorption of eye creams or gels compared to my regular manual eye contour tapping technique. Best of all, with daily use, I’ve noticed that a stubborn crease under my left eye now seems less visible and more plumped out!

The Prime is delivered in a stylish linen card presentation box, with a luxurious taupe travel pouch, 2 x AAA batteries and a 1-year warranty. It has indeed won us over with both its performance and versatility, and we’ll be continuing to use it on a regular basis. To purchase The Prime for £95.00 see here.