Mokosh : The Ultimate Nutritious Starter Pack

With so many different skincare products to choose from, mixing and matching products can often feel like trying to solve a puzzle! So, today at The Amazing Blog, we thought we’d keep it easy by featuring a set of products that work together in perfect synergy. Meet The Ultimate Nutritious Starter Pack, a sample-sized 4-step routine created by the organic skincare brand Mokosh.

Former medical scientist, veterinarian, and pathologist Marion O'Leary founded Australian brand Mokosh in 2006 after discovering many of the mainstream skincare brands she used contained toxic ingredients. She worked with her friend Jayne Bland who introduced her to the Indian science of Ayurveda, which focuses on working with the body's natural healing systems. The result is 10 years of research and experimenting, refining, and perfecting an organic skincare range that doesn’t compromise on ingredients - using the purest and most beneficial. Marion was determined to make "the world's cleanest skincare range" by creating Mokosh. She wants to target the root cause of skin imbalance and restore the skin's equilibrium with products that are potent, healing all made with simple botanicals. All products are formulated without water, or the skin-disrupting emulsifiers and preservatives. As a waterless brand, Mokosh products have a higher concentration of healing, natural ingredients that don't disturb the skin's microbiome or barrier. In addition, all Mokosh products are free from synthetic ingredients, fillers, palm oil, and artificial fragrances. They're cruelty-free, certified organic, and packaged only with refillable or recyclable materials. Mokosh offers a skin-match quiz on their website to recommend products based on your skin type, concerns, and needs. With natural products that are suitable for any skin type, it's no wonder that Mokosh is a multi-award-winning brand and recently received the "Most Revolutionary Skincare Brand" Award in the Luxlife Health, Beauty, & Wellness Awards 2021.

Mokosh sent us their Ultimate Nutritious Starter Pack,  a set of four different products designed to meet the needs of dry and mature skin. These products focus on hydration, replenishing the skin's protective barrier, removing dead skin cells, rebalancing skin pH, and delivering potent nutrients to promote collagen production and enhance elasticity. The first product in the pack is their Facial Cleanser, Exfoliator, and Mask,  a 3-in-1 formulation that removes superficial cell debris, clarifying, refining, and renewing the skin. It delivers humectants, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory molecules, minerals and α- and β- hydroxy acids that promote cell regeneration and collagen growth. It contains aloe vera gel powder to soothe and moisturise skin, meadowsweet leaf and flower powder which contains salicylic acid to exfoliate naturally, and pomegranate fruit juice powder to provide hydration and deposit vitamin C in the skin. This Facial Cleanser, Exfoliator, and Mask comes in a powder form, so to use it, take about ½ to 1 teaspoon of powder and add water to make a smooth paste. To cleanse, gently massage the face and rinse, and to use as a mask, apply it to the skin and leave for 15-20 minutes before rinsing. We liked using this product in the shower to make it easier to mix and rinse, but be careful not to allow water into the jar!

The second product in the pack is the Pure Hydrosol Toner made with a blend of damask rose and lemon balm hydrosols. Hydrosols are made by distilling fresh flowers, leaves, fruits, and other plant materials. They're water-soluble and contain as many nutrients as essential oils but are much gentler on the skin. Rose hydrosol is a mild astringent, so it controls sebum production, tightens pores, and balances skin pH. It also maintains moisture in the skin, delays the formation of wrinkles, and has anti-inflammatory properties, decreasing redness and repairing irritated and damaged skin. Lemon balm Hydrosol also soothes inflamed skin, tightens pores, and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. Both of these hydrosols also have aromatherapeutic properties, helping to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. You can spray this onto your face and neck after cleansing and before applying the serum. We also liked using it throughout the day, as it’s a refreshing pick-me-up.

The third product is the Raspberry and Pomegranate Beauty Serum, a hydrating concentrate that Mokosh designed for normal and dry skin. The serum is a blend of ten organic botanical seed oils that work together to protect dermal elements and plump and soften the skin to reduce signs of ageing. Pomegranate and raspberry seed oils contain high concentrations of antioxidants and essential fatty acids that fortify the skin's barrier, as well as Vitamin E, C, and A that provide deep moisturisation that helps to restore damaged skin and fade scars. After cleansing, warm about 3 to 4 drops of this serum in your hands before patting gently into your skin.

This routine's fourth and final product is the  Rich Face Cream formulated for mature or dry skin types. It's an award-winning and best-selling cream that delivers potent botanicals and nutrients that protect collagen, build the skin's protective barrier, and support cell growth. This cream contains ten oils mixed with shea butter, including rosehip, avocado, pomegranate, neem, and prickly pear oils - all rich in fatty acids and antioxidants, triglycerides, and vitamins. These nutrients nourish and repair skin, and help to reduce inflammation, and even skin tone. As the last step in your routine, take a half pea-sized amount, warm in your hands, and pat onto skin. It smells amazing and feels luxurious, almost balm-like in texture, and best of all, very little goes a long way. Being small and compact this Ulitmate Nutritious Starter Pack could also be a very good travel companion for a weekend away. To experience the benefits of the Mokosh Ultimate Nutritious Starter Pack, you can purchase it here for $45.00AUD.  

Nurme : Natural Deodorant Mandarin and Orange

At The Amazing Blog we know how important it is to stay fresh while living our busy and sometimes hectic lives. Whether we are running daily errands, going to the gym, or travelling, we all want to feel protected from unpleasant odours. We also love discovering new brands with natural or organic products that are not tested on animals and free from nasty chemicals. And let’s face it, no matter what the activity, we all want to smell our best! Today we are featuring Nurme’s Natural Mandarin & Orange Deodorant.

Nurme is an Estonian brand that has just celebrated 12 years of producing natural cosmetic products. The name stems from the Estonian word Nurm for meadow, a special place from childhood for Marit Tiits, co-founder of the brand. For her a meadow is a place that “always brought me joy was full of surprises, and when needed, offered comfort.” Nurme is a business built and run by a mother-daughteriew, duo, Marit and Luule Tiits, who decided to combine their knowledge, skills and drive to create this business when the financial crisis of 2009 arrived, resulting in redundancy notices for them both. Marit began by making handmade soaps and bath cosmetics in her home kitchen; she created unique gifts for friends and family. Marit describes it best: “At first, I thought that soap is just a nice accessory in the bathroom and never thought of washing myself with it. The excitement was even greater when I realised that I had managed to change the world.” When Marit became a mother herself, it became clear that skin problems affected many people and that your soap choice is the starting point in helping restore your skin. They found that your skin’s condition could improve by 80 per cent with a suitable natural soap.  Nurme strives to create “100% natural and organic products” literally from head to toe. Since 2009, they have been producing handmade and natural products with aromatherapy, body, skin and hair care products; and are also a multi-award-winning brand (see here).

The range of products from Nurme are created using only natural, herbal ingredients that offer gentle ingredients for both skin and hair. This same concept is used to formulate Nurme’s Natural Deodorant, which contains odour-neutralising essential oils and baking soda to prevent the spread of odorous bacteria. The other key ingredients here include cornstarch, which is excellent for absorbing moisture; coconut oil, which is used for its antibacterial properties to help reduce odour-causing bacteria. Plus beeswax, which is used as a natural consistency stabiliser and shea butter which leaves a non-greasy feel while moisturising the skin. Last but not least, Nurme uses sunflower seed oil due to its anti-inflammatory properties, which also benefits dry skin. Marit notes that “it can be said that basically all the oils, fats, waxes, essential oils, and extracts used in Nurme products are skin superfoods.” This natural deodorant is aluminium and paraben-free, without synthetic dyes or fragrances. Nurme’s Natural Mandarin & Orange Deodorant uses mandarin peel oil and sweet orange peel oil to give it the delicious citrus scent. To go along with their natural products, Nurme utilises “zero waste” packaging for their deodorant, made out of cardboard, so that it is environmentally friendly. This deodorant was duly put through its paces with pilates, workouts and brisk walks. It passed our test, as we stayed fragrant with no evidence of any nasty niffs. It's easy to use; just push up at the base of the cardboard tube and apply the balm to your underarms. If like us, you love natural deodorants that smell ‘natural’ and then this one is for you. Plus, it’s already gained worldwide recognition winning a silver at 2021 The Global Green Beauty Awards. Nurme’s 80g Natural Mandarin & Orange Deodorant is available here for €12.60 and also in five other fragrances. 

Sintra Naturals : Soothing Cleansing Balm

With the colder months approaching, skin dryness will likely be on the menu, which is why at The Amazing Blog, we always look for kind and gentle products. Particularly with a cleansing balm as we need it to remove makeup, and also soothe our sensitive skins. We stumbled upon this indie natural skincare brand Sintra Naturals, who pride themselves on offering natural skincare solutions, with their Soothing Cleansing Balm.

Sintra Naturals is a women-owned and run brand. Geethika Ghanta created this brand to create affordable, natural skincare. In India, she grew up using natural ingredients for each part of her daily routine – from skincare to haircare. Ghanta has always been interested in the formulations and ingredients of in-store skincare products, and this interest turned into a passion when her son was allergic to the “shop-bought baby soaps and lotions.” Even when Geethika looked at more high-end formulations and products, she found synthetic fragrances and additives. With this realisation, Geethika took matters into her own hands by learning how to make natural skincare and launching Sintra Naturals. “My mantra is that the term natural shouldn’t have to be expensive.” Sintra Naturals pride itself on creating handmade, vegan and effective natural products for all skin types. By only using natural ingredients, Sintra Naturals has developed products to calm and smooth skin. Geethika has one simple rule when it comes to ingredients: “if an ingredient is not deemed for human consumption, it should not be in our skincare routine.” She went on to say, “I will not claim that my products will heal any skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis but they are definitely gentle enough to bring relief.” The brand’s products are handmade and they also take the sustainability issue very seriously; they are plastic-free and have either recyclable or biodegradable packaging. The soaps are essential oil-free (good for sensitive skin) and packed in reusable organic food-grade re-usable cotton bags. There are absolutely no synthetic ingredients, fragrances or additives in the Sintra Naturals skin or body care. 

The Soothing Cleansing Balm is ideal for helping to restore hydration to the skin in a gentle and calming way. This Global Makeup Awards Bronze-winning balm, uses shea butter to restore the skin by moisturising but not leaving a greasy feel. Combined with castor oil which is well known for its natural cleansing properties, it helps clean out the pores by drawing dirt out without drying out the skin. Grapeseed oil is used due to its allergen-free and suitability for all skin types. Geethika loves to use this versatile oil in her products because it has “amazing, skin-loving properties” and is a by-product of the wine industry, making it a sustainable ingredient. Grapeseed oil is high in vitamin E and other vitamins and minerals used to maintain the elastin in the skin. The Roman chamomile here not only offers the balm its fragrance it also soothes redness with its anti-inflammatory properties. Finally, the kaolin clay ingredient is a gentle clay used to help clean the impurities from the skin, with antibacterial properties, which help to remove oils and contaminants from the skin. The Soothing Cleansing Balm is perfect for removing makeup or the residue from a day. To use simple warm a pea-sized balm in hands before gently massaging onto around the eye area, face and neck. Then wash away with warm water (or as in our case a warm washcloth), we particularly liked how it was gentle and efficient in removing all stubborn makeup. It’s suitable for all skin types, and we found it especially good for soothing problematic skin. This skin balm is available in either Tea Tree and Chamomile blends - we received the Chamomile. Sintra Natural’s Soothing Cleansing Balm is available for £10.00 from their website here.

Eden's Gate: CBD English Breakfast Tea, and CBD Chamomile Tea

If you’re like us and reach out for a pick-me-up mid-afternoon, then keep reading on. This is when tea is our preferred drink of choice, and at The Amazing Blog, a comforting cuppa is just the ticket. Regular readers will know that we're big fans of all things hemp and CBD, and today, we're introducing to you another of our #amazingfinds with these refreshing and delicious CBD-infused teas from Eden's Gate.  

Eden's Gate is a family-run British business established by Tyler Woodward in 2018. Apart from their own brand, they are also an online store that supplies various CBD brands and products. Fueled by his love for nature and all of its remedies, Tyler launched Eden's Gate sharing his passion for effective and safe CBD products that provide all of nature's benefits without using any synthetic compounds. Tyler told us, "We strive for clarity, whether it's the CBD itself, production methods or the knowledge of our users. We're not hiding anything - transparency is key!" This is where Eden's Gate provides clear and detailed information on all of its products. They are also triple batch tested with lab test certification for each one. In addition, they pride themselves on being ‘from seed to shelf’ and are GMO and cruelty-free, and contain high-quality, broad-spectrum CBD sourced from the most reputable US hemp farms that have organic plants grown without pesticides. Eden's Gate uses CBD that is extracted through super-critical CO2 extraction. In this process, carbon dioxide (CO2) pressure and temperature are manipulated until it's in a liquid-gas form known as ‘super-critical liquid’. The method allows Eden's Gate to safely extract only the purest CBD while leaving behind bi-products such as THC, waxes, and chlorophylls. This resulting CBD is solvent-free, meaning that no extra compounds or chemicals are involved in the extraction process, making this CBD environmentally friendly too!  They are quick to point out that they use their own equipment and oversee every aspect of production without any 3rd party involvement.

We were sent two of Eden's Gate's CBD teas to try, the first being their CBD English Breakfast Tea with 300mg of CBD. Each tea bag contains 20mg of broad-spectrum CBD combined with black tea, resulting in a rich tea with a full-bodied English Breakfast black tea. Eden's Gate uses unbleached tea bags made from cellulose fibres, meaning that they don't contain chemicals like dioxin or microplastics like polypropylene that are harmful to both your body and the environment. Being  broad-spectrum CBD means that it has no detectable THC levels, but does have dozens of the different isolates and terpenes naturally found in the hemp. We imagine that the broad-spectrum CBD here will be a water-soluble CBD distillate (Eden’s Gate, please correct us if we’re wrong!) ideal for infusing into beverages. It also makes use of the "entourage effect", as these compounds help the CBD work better, so you're getting all the goodness of the hemp plant without the THC. The tea leaf becomes black tea and gets its dark colour from a lengthy oxidation and fermentation process. The tea leaves and picked, and then left to dry where they are either rolled and cut and left the oxidise. It’s a process that helps to develop the flavour and aroma changing the colour from green to brown. Let's not forget that black tea itself also has a long list of benefits; it contains antioxidants that decrease the risk of chronic disease, boost heart health, reduce blood pressure, and improve alertness and focus. So when combined together with the CBD it helps to provide reduced stress and anxiety and a whole host of other benefits too. The process of brewing CBD Tea also allows your body to ingest more of the CBD than other forms like drops so that you can get the same intense effects with a smaller dosage. All we did was place a teabag in freshly boiled water, brew for 3-6 minutes and added oat milk. it has a good rich flavour of English Breakfast tea, but it does take a little longer to infuse than a regular black tea, but well worth the wait! What does it taste like? Well, like black tea, but very mild with the slightest hint of fruitiness from the hemp. Delicious and great for keeping away those mid- afternoon blues! It is pricey compared to your everyday cuppa, so we tended to drink this as and when. To purchase the English Breakfast Tea 300mg here at £16.99 for 15 bags.

The second tea we tried was the CBD Chamomile Tea 300mg. Each unbleached tea bag contains chamomile sourced from the Nile River Valley in Egypt, lemon balm, and again 20mg of broad-spectrum CBD, so you're still getting the same complete CBD health benefits as the English Breakfast Tea mentioned above. Chamomile tea is thought to reduce inflammation and menstrual pain, slow down osteoporosis and lower blood sugar. We general drink chamomile tea to help with sleep and relaxation. So what could be better than getting the amplifying relaxation effect when the two are combined here! The chamomile flower is not alone; the lemon balm also has mood-boosting properties and improves cognitive function, turning this into quite a potent mix. Again, recommended brewing between 3-6 minutes like the CBD Black Tea. Since Chamomile tea doesn't become bitter if you leave the teabag in it for too long, we steeped it for up to 6 minutes to fully reap all the benefits and enjoy its sweet floral (no hemp taste) chamomile and lemon-y flavour. It’s the perfect choice for a nighttime cuppa, and sent us swiftly off into the land of nod. To purchase the CBD Chamomile Tea 300mg see here at £16.99 for 15 bags. 

The Soap Loaf Company: Cosmeti-Craft Solid Deodorant Making Kit,

Even in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, at The Amazing Blog, we always try to make time for fun ways to combine our creative and practical skills - showing off our handmade products to friends! This time, we thought we’d try our hand at making a DIY deodorant from one of The Soap Loaf Company’s Cosmetics-Craft enterprising options with their award-winning Solid Deodorant Making Kit.

Founder Natasha Green launched the British Sheffield based brand The Soap Loaf Company  n 2012, offering a wide array of soaps, solid shampoos, bath bombs and bath products. Natasha developed an interest in soap-making and wanted to express her creative side after working for 11 years as a finance broker. She followed her passion and created The Soap Loaf Company to bring to market her own handmade toiletries and cosmetics, which led her to the launch of her workshops. Through The Soap Loaf Company, she began to host soap-making parties for children's groups and organisations. As the parties expanded with new products and ideas, she decided that it was time to attract the adult customer audience. In 2018 Natasha launched a sister brand Cosmeti-Craft, which went on to increase the products and output for workshops and parties for adults. Today, they host regular workshops all over South and West Yorkshire; the participants can follow tutorials to create soaps, bath bombs, moisturisers, shampoo bars, solid perfumes, scrubs, and many more. Cosmeti-Craft also has funded and charity rates for special needs groups, schools, universities, or charities. They tailor each workshop to offer support and resources, allowing each individual to express their creativity and sense of achievement, by creating a unique self-care Cosmetic-Craft product. The positive feedback from these has been overwhelming, Natasha told us that they often have reported how the workshops have helped engage and bring back joy into the participants' lives, boosting both morale and mental health. In addition to helping others, The Soap Loaf Company and its sister brand Cosmeti-Craft are determined to have a positive impact the environment. They focus on offering fully compostable packaging, reusing and recycling all materials from their suppliers, and ordering materials in bulk to reduce shipping frequency and CO2 emissions. They also collect bottle tops for a specialist recycling group, offer paper bags in store for customers, and reward customers with a 20% discount for bringing refillable containers when making further purchases. Recently Cosmetic-Craft has gained the attention of Virgin, Living Social, Uniquely Local, BBC Radio Sheffield, and Channel 5. Natasha herself, can often be found demonstrating the kits on Craft Store Sky Channel 673. All products and kits are organic, vegan and cruelty-free. They recently won a Bronze award in the Global Green Beauty Awards for Most Innovative Green Product with their Solid Deodorant Making Kit (below). We’ve also heard whispers that they’ll be making another announcements about a new award later on in the year…

The Soap Loaf Company kindly sent us their Solid Deodorant Making Kit to try out here; this is where the kit brings the workshop to you! It’s a bit like doing elementary chemistry and such a fun and easy thing to create. This kit gives you one finished solid deodorant, there are four key ingredients, together with two essential oils, and a reusable/ compostable container, and a fool-proof tutorial to follow. We like how they keep it simple; we won’t go into the details of how we made it (rather long-winded). Instead we’ll talk about the ingredients and our finished product.

Interestingly, we thought they’d use beeswax, but no, the kit provides candelilla wax instead, it’s a plant oil that becomes a solid wax once extracted. It's the best out of all alternatives to beeswax as it spreads and absorbs more efficiently and also offers more hydration. The shea butter in the kit also boosts skin moisture and soothes irritated inflamed skin. Did you know that most commercial high street deodorants contain sodium bicarbonate (AKA baking soda)? it’s a cheap surfactant and is used in deodorants to absorbs moisture and destroy odour. However, it can cause irritation and discolouration or staining on the skin. Instead of sodium bicarbonate, The Soap Loaf Company uses kaolin clay and magnesium flakes, as these ingredients are gentle, absorb moisture and control odour without changing the skin tone. Magnesium also has calming effects on the body and promotes cell growth and repair. The last ingredient is the fragrances; there are two different essential oils, we had the peppermint and orange essential oils - but there are many others to chose from. Combining these two (25 drops max is recommended) gives a refreshing aroma plus it offers antibacterial and antifungal properties, with extra bonus that these oils help to elevate the mood! This newly made deodorant does not contain artificial preservatives, palm oil, or chemical foaming agents, and it has a "use by" date of 6 months.

The kit itself also comes with very self-explanatory instructions and advice for creating the deodorant. With the completed mixture you fill the product container up to the top. Then leave it to set for 60 minutes - they suggest putting it in the fridge to speed it up. Any left over can be poured into a tin or heat proof container to use separately. Once set, your deodorant is ready to use - push up from the base and raise the deodorant mixture 1 cm and you’re ready to go! It feels soothing, smells great and best of all it’s been made with your own fair hands! If you fancy creating your own custom deodorant, or perhaps purchasing this kit as a gift. You can purchase the Solid Deodorant Making Kit here for £19.99 (as we did, without the online workshop) or at £29.99 with the online workshop. It’s another of our #amazingfinds and we found making this very relaxing and therapeutic to do. Watch this space as we’ll be trying out another of their kits very soon.