Friday Favourites - Beauty Boxes

Christmas is over and we're in freezing wet January! Most of us have already broken our 'good intentions' for our New Years resolutions. With all these grey days, we thought that we'd  share some beauty box ideas to cheer you up. Here at The Amazing Blog, we're big fans of these boxes as they give us a much needed variety of beauty treats each month and we have chosen our favorite boxes which will provide you with some spoiling treats.

Whether it’s a much needed pamper session or ready to hit the town, Dollibox has got you covered. From eyelashes to face masks, it’s a beauty addicts dream. As soon as our box arrived in the office, we couldn’t wait to indulge and try out all the products. DolliBox will send you five luxury treats to your door every month, prepping you with tips and tutorials. Dollibox will give you the opportunity to test out different  products to help you find that personal favourite.

Starting with the Freemans Charcoal and Black Sugar Polishing Face Mask and Avocado and Oatmeal Clay Mask, a must have for a pamper night in with the girls. Oil Arganic is something every girl should keep in their beauty treasure chests. 100% Argan oil, this product will moisturise and hydrate, giving your skin that natural boost as well as replenishing your hair. Also great for lips, nails, hands and feet, the benefits are seemingly endless. If you are having more bad hair days than good, Wonder 10 is what you need, transforming your hair in ten different ways to give you smooth and shiny hair. TanTruth will give you that summer glow, pulling you through the winter months. If you are ready to hit the town but forgot to pick up your eyelashes, Dolli Box has you covered. Eye Candy gives you those fluttery eyelashes, great for finalising that smokey eye effect. A beautiful sparkly nail polish is all you need to finish your look this season and Dolli Box has given you Little Ondine, a natural nail polish which is easy to peel off after use. 

Dollibox will reveal to you their beauty secrets for a bargain price and we love the idea of a flexible plan, no pressure or worries. A month to month package is just £10, 6 Month suscription £9 and for 12 month plan £8.50 plus £3.25 extra for Delivery on all plans. Click here to start receiving your Dollibox now.

We love finding new and upcoming products and Cohorted is here to provide us with those monthly must-haves. Giving you the choice of two boxes; White edition or Black Edition.

The Black edition is full of all your favourite luxury beauty brands we all jumped around in glee when the postman arrived. The award winning nail polish, Nails Inc. has already won us over before with their amazing shades of choice, however we loved the colour shades Cohorted had given us; Chelsea Flower Show and Colville Mews. Chelsea Flower Show, a bright and bold orange shade is great to light up an outfit in these cold winter nights whilst Colville Meadows a delicate beige shade will compliment any outfit you wear, all year round.  Lighten up your eyes with Bare Minerals instant eye reviver to help reduce tired looking eyes. Contouring is taking the beauty world by storm and Laura Mercier’s Facebook Palette is an essential. A complexion for flawless skin, the palette offers two concealers to cover those blemishes, a tinted moisturiser and mineral pressed powder to set the look. To bring some drama to your eyes, Cargo’s eye palette will give you that smoky eye effect. Richly pigmented colours, this palette is a winter must-have.  To finish off your gorgeous new appearance, Cohorted gifted us with a spray of Chloe, a fresh, floral scent, giving you that elegant smell. Cohorted Black Edition is available here for £35 a month. A giveaway for what you get!

Once you have got your make up looking flawless, all you need is a fragrance that matches your new look. Whether you want fun and zesty or something sensual and warm, Cohorted white edition has something for everybody. As soon as we lifted the lid, inside was a full sized 100ml Guerlain Shalimar L’eau bottle, staring at us in all its beautiful glory. From the elegant packaging to the spritz of its fresh and citrus notes, Shalimar is perfect for daytime wear and for an evening with the girls.  If that wasn’t enough to please us, a small bottle of Boucheron Paris Perfume was perfectly placed to the side in stunning white packaging. It’s orange blossom tones and rose essence is a great fragrance for spring time, smelling heavenly. Cohorted surprised us with a mini bottle of Versace Crystal Noir, a seductive and ultra-feminine scent dominated by notes of Gardenia, Donatella’s favourite flower. Last but certainly not least, a little sample of Annick Goutal Petite Cherie, which was actually made for Goutal’s daughter herself. A floral and fruity perfume with notes of pear and rose, great for daytime wear or the perfume for the summer season. Box value at £120 its silly not to grab it for only £35 a month here.

If you are a fragrance fanatic then the Perfume Society is for you. It works a little different to the other boxes. Inside is full off mini samples from a variety of companies. Ranging from Atkinsons, Floriental to Noir Exquis, The Perfume society box has got you sorted for finding your perfect scent. Accompanied with smelling notes and sample blotters, you can test out every one. Also provided is a beauty treat hidden amongst the glorious scents. Sarah Chapman’s Intense Hydrating Booster will leave your thirsty skin moisturised and rejuvenated.

To grab your own Perfume Society Box, you can buy a VIP subscription which includes eight editions of ‘The Scented Letter,’ an online fragrance magazine and you’ll also receive the Perfume Society all for just £25 a year here.  Alternatively, you can buy the box individually for £17.50 here.

Salted Caramel Milkshake - Shaken Udder

We love indulging in our childhood memories at The Amazing Blog; whether it’s remembering making sandcastles on the beach on a hot summer day or getting muddy in the park and climbing up that big oak tree. After tiring ourselves out we would go into the kitchen and our mothers would make us a delicious cold milkshake. So, you can imagine our excitementwhen we receivd the new Shaken Udder’s Salted Caramel Milkshake.

Using only the finest of natural ingredients, Shaken Udder has produced a collection of heavenly milkshakes and their newest addition is no exception. Blended with Malden sea salts, smooth caramel and Semi Skinned British milk, Shaken Udder provides a mouth-watering combination of sweet and salty. We had the first heavenly taste just opening the bottle when a sweet and embracing smell met our senses. Every sip is a pleasant discovery of milky creaminess and aromatic caramel with that unexpected hint of Maldon Salt. We loved the packaging just as much as the product and their clever cow mascot was enough to tempt us. We love indulging in things that are 'slightly' naughty but nice!

This time Shaken Udder really wanted to run the extra mile and we think they truly made it. Make your palate sing with joy; you can get a single bottle of milkshake here for £1.30 or create your own selection of milkshake here. 

Foot Expertise – Regenerating Cream and Blister Shield

We at The Amazing Blog  certainly put our feet through their paces whether its hobbling around in 6" heels or giving them a good pounding at the gym in well-worn trainers. This is where a trusty foot care brand like Foot Expertise comes to our rescue.

The secret behind happy feet is to keep them supple and moisturised which why Hydra Recharge Cream can really make a difference. We all know how different the skin of our feet is from the rest of our body. So this cream has been created to be richer and thicker because it needs to penetrate and be effective to the deeper layers of skin. What we liked is the fact that we didn’t have any slippery side effects and noticed that it absorbed immediately into the cracks and desquamation (sorry that doesn't sound very sexy!) It has an emollient complex which is unique and patented to the brand called 'XpertMoist' which supports long lasting hydration and minimises trans epidermal water loss. The other key ingredient Vitamin E contributes to skin softness, elasticity and restructuring. 

The other 'must have' product from the range is the Blister Shield. It can be used as a barrier and a preventive method against developing painful blisters. It is an invisible protective film that when smoothed onto the skin helps to cushion the bruising and prevents the formation of blisters.  How it works is by a little ball on top that smoothly rolls on the skin creating like an invisible film; initially we were a bit doubtful. However, our tester said with a twice daily application it really helped to dampen the burning sensation she had from her new shoes.  The key ingredients are XpertMoist (as per above) and Sodium Hyaluronate, creating powerful humectants attracting and retaining water onto the skins surface giving it the cushioning effect the helps prevent any abrasion. 

NB something worth mentioning is that both products are diabetes friendly. The Hydra Recharge Cream is available here and The Blister Shield here both products are priced at £11.99.

Vivderma – Facial Oil and Sculpting Neck & Chest Cream

It is not a secret that our face is our business card and here at The Amazing Blog we know how to take care of it, together with Vivderma specific products.

After a certain age, in particular, all we ask for are visible results that last longer than a day. And with Perfecting Facial Oil it won’t be a dream but something tangible that everybody around you will notice.
The first benefit we have noticed is that our collection of skincare products has strongly improved; no more countless serum, day cream, night mask. This oil does all the job alone counting only on its remarkable ingredients, leaving the skin plumped and not oily at all. Some of us are still admiring the effects in the mirror; taking advantage of argan oil, bioretinol and Vitamin E, the oil really improves face brightness and skin tone! Beside Vivderma used only natural scents like petitgrain and palmarosa to create an iconic fragrance that will gently blend in to the skin.

The Sculpting Neck and Chest Cream contains Dermahealth Biomimetic Skin Complex™ which is a specific formula that along with exclusive ingredients as Revinage™, Bimiol BSC®033  and Vitamin C, acts fast against the signs of aging and helps neck and chest regaining the elasticity they had once.
There is no catch and it is not something from another world; it is pure science and love for excellent products. Launching this cream, we think Vivderma gave us a real opportunity to love our skin more than usual. What impressed us the most is the consistency, very smooth and not too rich or thick. More than anything we like the feeling of an emulsion that slowly turns into a serum very fresh and light. In our opinion it’s pretty perfect for every skin type.

As we did, you will fall in love with the packaging. Elegant dark purple bottles that will look great on your vanity table.  The Facial Oil can be bought here for £65 and the Sculpting Neck & Chest Cream here for £45.

Tom Cridland - Luxury Menswear Collection

Founded in 2014, Tom Cridland is an affordable and stylish range of menswear. It is something that I as the only chap at The Amazing Blog want to let all and sundry know about. Tom is also a bit of PR whiz, and has cleverly gained a celebrity following with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Grant, Rod Stewart, Robbie Williams, Nile Rodgers and Ben Stiller.  Not bad for a 25 year old modern languages graduate!  Tom has built up his brand all on his own and on 14th January he launched in the Concept Store in the Kings Road, Chelsea  - where his brand will be residing there for two months.

There is more than meets the eye to Tom Cridland’s luxury menswear collection. The 30 year Sweatshirt has only recently launched this year, which is sustainably made with premium organic cotton crewneck, backed up with a 30 year guarantee. No wear and tear for 30 years? Almost sounds too good to be true. With the sweaters costing around £65 if by any chance your trusty sweatshirt gets a tear on the left arm, not to worry just send it back to the shop, they will repair and send it back, completely free of charge.  It seems that Tom Cridland’s success is booming and we can only expect more from him in this year.

What I particularly love are the organic cotton trousers at £89 (see above pic of Electric Blue pair) they are a good slim fit, the material feels soft they are a really affordable price for truly really luxurious product. Tom personally oversees all the designs and manufacture in Portugal so you know that the quality will be top-notch. Tempted? Then hurry over to Kings Road and check the new 2016 collection out for yourself, or buy a sweatshirt online here.