Alassala - Moroccan Rhassoul Clay

Being the curious beauty enthusiasts that we are, we at The Amazing Blog love experimenting with unique beauty products and techniques. Having already fallen for organic UK brand, Alassala in the past, we were eager to try their intriguing new product: Moroccan Rhassoul Clay. Upholding Alassala’s 100% natural ethos, this ethically produced powder may just be the answer to all of our beauty needs.

Rhassoul Clay has been a multi-tasking beauty tool for centuries. Used to treat a multitude of skin and hair dilemmas, we were impressed to discover that the clay mix can be applied as a natural all-in-one detoxifier, cleanser and softener. With this vast collection of uses, it’s a sure-fire way to declutter your bathroom cabinet. All we needed to do was add few drops of Alassala Moroccan Organic Argan Oil and mix with water, and we were left with a silky smooth clay paste, reminiscent of a luxury spa treatment.  The natural oils allow the soft scrub to treat your skin and hair without any irritation, a quality that we can’t get enough of. Providing care for a variety of skin types, the clay gently absorbs impurities and excess oils from skin and hair, leaving us with baby soft skin, and lusciously smooth locks. Enriched with calcium and potassium, among other beauty boosting minerals exclusively sourced from the Atlas mountains, the product improves skin clarity, elasticity and texture as well as reducing dryness, flakiness and blemishes. The benefits of the clay treatment seem to be endless.

Used by the Royal Family of Morocco, we can certainly see how this natural Moroccan treatment is fit for a queen. You can purchase the Moroccan Rhassoul Clay here for £12.99, and you can shop the rest of the Alassala beauty collection here.

Beetox Skincare

If there's something I choose (and love) to spend my money on it's skincare. Make-up is secondary for me and quite different. My colour cosmetics stash is reasonable, I wear the same look almost everyday, and to be honest I like that... even though the amount of lipsticks that I own should be banned - I tend to forget that I only have one pair of lips, not 50. However, skincare is something that I only really discovered and appreciated about a year ago since working at Amazing PR. And right now, I'd rather wear no make-up and have good skin than having average skin and wear the most amazing blue-toned red lipstick (my fave shade of lipstick). We should all take care of our skin, after all it is the largest organ of the body and we only have one face. So in my view taking care of your skin should be a priority.

Working in the Beauty PR industry has given me the chance to try many products.  Although, there are really very few that I can actually see and feel a difference on my skin. At The Amazing Blog we've been fortunate enough to work very closely with UK skincare brand Beetox. UMF20+ Manuka Honey and Bee Venom based - beautiful ingredients and definite winners.

Their range consists of a Moisturiser, a Mask and a Serum. The Moisturiser's consistency is thick and smells heavenly. It's probably one of the most luxurious moisturisers that I've ever used,  it's instantly absorbed by my perpetually dehydrated skin  plumping it up and making it feel very soft.  It moisturises my skin beautifully and leaves it feeling very comfortable and ready for applying my foundation. The Serum's consistency is somewhere between a gel and a liquid. When applied to the skin it gently tingles and I can feel my skin tighten instantly (not that I need it, I'm in my middle twenties...) don't get me wrong this feeling is a very pleasant one indeed. And the Mask... is my favourite product of all, it  really purifies and delivers moisture back into my skin making it the perfect combination with the Serum for my particular tricky (and temperamental) skin type.

I must mention with a word of caution that  Beetox does warn all their potential customers about possible adverse reaction to their products. So do bear in mind that one of the main ingredients about this range is Bee Venom (along with their powerful UMF20+ Manuka Honey); so if you're unluckily enough to have an allergy to bee stings please stay away from this skincare savour. None of us at the office are so we've all added Beetox's products to our regular skincare routines.

You can buy Beetox skincare from their website. Follow them on Twitter, and 'Like' them on Facebook.

Retail prices are: Face Mask £55, Moisturiser £39 and Serum £45. You can also buy the 'Multi Set', which includes three products for £139.

PAYOT My Payot Masque Intensive Radiance Mask

Whenever I have a fancy dinner or going out with my friends for a big night out (this is more likely to happen), I love taking my time to get ready – I lock myself in the bathroom and let the ritual begin. When it comes to skin, I want it to look healthy and glowy – I don’t tend to wear heavy coverage base products at all, I prefer packing good skincare onto my skin and use little make-up. One of the products that I’ve added to my routine quite recently and that has quickly become one of my favourites is the PAYOT My Payot Masque Intensive Radiance Mask. An orangy gel-based mask that leaves my skin feeling fresh and radiant. PAYOT have launched My Payot, a new range of products with Superfruits extracts: Goji Berry, that protects the skin from free radicals and stimulates cells’ energy; and Acai Berries, rich in plyphenols that stimulate blood circulation to reactivate skin’s radiance. Each formula of the My Payot range contains an extract of Active Bifidus that reinforces the natural defences against external aggressions. Whenever I removed the mask after 10 minutes, my skin was soothed, feeling fresh and very soft – my make-up was applied beautifully afterwards.

PAYOT describe this radiance boosting mask as the “revitalising care for the day-after-the-night-before”, and at The Amazing Blog we couldn’t agree more. Whether you’re about to go out, or feeling tired after a big night, My Payot Intensive Radiance Mask works making your skin look healthy and boosting its energy - I've found that applying it once a week is enough for my skin to see the results.

My Payot Intensive Radiance Mask retails at £22.50. In order to find a PAYOT stockist in your area, visit their official website for more information.

JAMELA Luxurious Gold Crystal Collagen Facial Masks

While Egyptians believed the healing powers of gold could cure all manners of physical and spiritual affections (Cleopatra wore pure gold for a radiant complexion) and Romans used gold preparations for treatment of sore skin, today gold is used to treat and rejuvenate the skin. Many luxury spas offer 24k gold leaf treatments to calm and soothe the skin, preventing fine lines and wrinkles - gold locks in moisture and keeps skin firm by maintaining collagen in the skin holding back the breakdown on elastin. At The Amazing Blog, we've come across the perfect (and luxurious) gold leaf treatment without having to splurge on a spa. The folks at Jamela have developed and exclusive formula for extracting the rejuvenating properties of gold and infused them with organic nutrients and anti-oxidants, into an all natural collagen-based mask. The Luxurious Gold Crystal Collagen Facial Masks claim to aid the promotion of collagen and improve elasticity, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I've found that the fabulous Jamela masks leave my skin tighter and definitely brighter.

The application is pretty easy. Cleanse your face and apply carefully the mask to dry skin; to see the effects, the minimum time is 30 minutes, however, it is suggested to wear it for 5 hours overnight to see optimum results. The masks are collagen-based and they dissolve in water above 70° C - so if you fancy a luxurious bath after wearing your mask, we suggest you to throw it into the bath and you'll feel the benefits on the rest of your body too.

At The Amazing Blog we're thrilled with the Jamela Crystal Collagen Facial Masks, they contain 100% high molecular plant collagen with 24k gold and they have this lovely rose scent too.

If you really wish to treat your skin and try the benefits of gold, the 5 mask pack of the Jamela Luxurious Gold Crystal Collagen Face Masks retails at £37.50 and can be purchased through their website.

Själ

Like most 20-somethings, I have a love-hate relationship with my skin. Some weeks it'll be clear, and others I've seriously considered wearing a bag over my head. So I'm constantly trying new cleansers, toners and moisturisers to get that elusive, long-lasting perfect skin. And I think I may have come close with Själ's skincare range. I've been using the Combination Skin Essential Kit quite religiously for the past month and I can really tell a difference in my skin. The kit comes with Balans Deep Pore Cleanser, Light Cellular Renewal Cream, and the Perfecting Mask. From the first few times I used the products, I could feel how high quality they were, they just feel so luxurious on your skin. It took about a week for me to see a visible difference, and as a rule of thumb I like to give products a good amount of time to trial, as sometimes it takes a while for your skin to react.The cleanser is light but effective - I'm used to my facial cleansers foaming up, but the Balans cleanser stays light as you use it. The cream smooths over your skin easily, and you really don't need a lot to do the job, and considering the price that's a bonus in my book. The mask is as light as the cream, so you only need to smooth on one layer and leave it, afterwards it leaves your skin silky smooth. The Själ range is so unique and effective because of it's use of gemstones and minerals, they increase cellular productivity, provide skin clarity and micro-circulation. Själ  products use the highest quality ingredients and don't use silicone caffeine or petroleum jelly. Even though I've not tried the whole range, I'd be pretty comfortable saying they'd be as effective as the products I've been using.