Friday Favourites - Nails for Spring

At The Amazing Blog, we can never have enough nail polishes to share in the office! Whether it’s to coordinate with our latest outfits or to pack into our travel bags for a holidays, we cannot resist adding yet another polish to our collection. So today we thought we would share some of our favourite colours and brands for this season.

Starting with Only Fingers and Toes ‘Understated Chic’ Trilogy Set. When these arrived,  we instantly fell in love with the elegantly embossed recyclable packaging that sets off the nail polishes, giving a very luxurious feel. Inside there are three gorgeous shades that are on-trend but also versatile enough to be worn all year round. The polishes are all DBP, Toluene, formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin, camphor and ophthalmic acid free;  and what we particularly like is the Only Fingers and Toes supports charity ventures like Dollis Hill Dolls Nail Bar (London) Polished Girlz (US) and Shine Nail Bar (Leeds).

‘Sweet like Candy’ a pale pink shade which made the nails look glossy, perfect for daytime wear. ‘Manganese’ a khaki colour, perfect for the up and coming military trend. Our favourite of the collection was ‘Ciao’ is a pastel purple shade gorgeous for the upcoming spring season. If you want to have gorgeous and chic nails grab your Trilogy Set here for £42.

One nail polish brand you cannot go wrong with the fashion-led FNUG and we were so excited to get our hands on these.  FNUG uses the holographic nail lacquer to get your nails looking sparkly as ever. Starting off with a Aqua fix base coat, apply one layer and let it dry to enhance the holographic effect. We were sent 'Fnuglista', a pink shade that sparkles, great for a girly night out and for our futuristic fashionistas, 'Futurista' a blue sparkly shade, whilst moving ours fingers it gave a prism effect of light reflecting peacock shades. Both delicious shades for that Balmain style. Get all 'Psychedelic' with their silver holographic nail polish, giving the wearer a playful and ice cool style. These cool and vibrant trio of nail polishes are great for creating a dramatic effect. We rocked the 'Futurista' blue polish - our favourite, which worked well with both denim and our little black dresses.  

If the holographic nails aren’t your thing, then FNUG also has a coral ‘A Lister' and deep purple ‘After Party’ in regular nail polish, letting you create a more subtle look for the upcoming spring season. Get the nail polishes individually here for £12.00 each.

We couldn’t contain our excitement when Kiss sent us some of their 'Everlasting Range' which included an LED Gel Lamp, French Manicure Everlasting Gel; plus three great shades of gel polish.  'Sweet', a sea green colour which is lovely for the spring months ahead, 'Smoky', a dark grey shade which complements your smokey eye look for nights on the town and 'Lush', a bright shade of pink which is bursting full of vibrant colour.

The 'French Manicure Everlasting Gel Polish' includes french wraps, brush-on gel glue, colour gel 'Petal', base gel, top gel, gel cleanser, lint-free wipes, a buff block, manicure stick , a mini file and an instruction sheet to help you along the way. This kit provides you with everything you need for a really professional looking French Manicure.

Accompanying both kits, is the LED Gel Lamp to cure the gel evenly for chip free nails with a high gloss effect. Only 30 second drying time so perfect for when we are in a rush. When we tested out the 'Everlasting Gel Polish' we were pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of the application.  For everlasting and beautiful nails get your kit here ranging from £14.99 to £38.99.

Deborah Lippman is a celebrity and fashion manicurist who has designed opulent nail polishes for top celebs like Lady GaGa, Scarlett Johansson, Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow, Just to name a few, and we were pleased to find out that Deborah has now graced us with her new limited edition spring collection of 8ml mini bottles, ‘Sweets for My Sweets’ which include six pastel shades from soft yellow to baby pink and we just couldn't wait to give them all a try.

Our favourite nail polish was ‘Sugar Sugar’ a pastel baby pink, an effortlessly chic shade which matches any outfit of your choice. The formula of the polish allows you to apply thinly onto your nail for a long lasting colour effect topped with a high gloss finish, completely gloop free. Like the above two brands FNUG and Only Fingers and Toes, Deborah Lippman is a 'five free' polish and is also not tested on animals.

Presented in a colourful gift box, these sets of polishes will make the perfect treat for you or your nail enthuastic pals. Add a splash of pastel to your hands with Deborah Lippman’s must-have shades for the spring here for only £27.

Sapooni - Salty Seaweed Body Polish

Here at The Amazing Blog, we’re all about championing smaller, artisan brands. It seems as though the skincare market is so saturated with companies claiming to be perfectly organic, or promising unbelievable results that they just can’t deliver. So we’re always delighted when we find a diamond in the rough; an independent brand that shines through. Our most recent love is Sapooni, a natural, handmade brand from Cornwall.

With a huge range of products to choose from, there really is something for everyone in the range. The Mucky Men collection contains all natural products, formulated especially for men who work outside. The range includes a Moustache & Beard Balm, and Hand Cream to name but a few, and all contain the most nourishing ingredients, perfect for caring for your skin. They have also formulated an aptly named Teenage Dirtbag range, which is perfect for teens prone to blackheads and breakouts. Their Teenage Dirtbag Soap is formulated to draw out excess oil and dirt, as well as including natural antiseptics, tea tree and arnica. It’s super gentle, so you can use it daily to help combat those pesky spots.

Last but not least, we tried some wonderful products from Sapooni’s Seaweed Range, and fell in love. Packed with minerals and vitamins, seaweed is an amazing skin detoxer. We particularly liked the Salty Seaweed Body Polish. Clearly packaged with care, the elegant glass jar looks great on the bathroom shelf. Sea Salt acts as a great exfoliating base, and is combined with intensely moisturising components like Mango Butter, Olive and Sweet Almond Oil, making it such a decadent treat for your skin. And with seaweed that’s hand-harvested from the Cornish coast, we can’t help but think about our wonderful jaunts to the seaside every time we use it.

Grab yourself a Salty Seaweed Body Polish Kilner Jar here for £18, and check out all of the homegrown products that Sapooni has to offer here.

Rodin - Facial Cleansing Powder

At the end of the day, when all you want to do is lie on the sofa with a glass of wine catching up on the TV you've missed, your cleansing routine can seem like a bit of an effort. Here at The Amazing Blog, we have found a beauty secret which will make your routine much more of a treat. Rodin's Facial Cleansing Powder tailors to your cleansing needs, perfectly prepping your skin for the rest of your routine.

Admittedly a little odd looking for a cleanser, when the powder arrived in the office, it took a bit of reading before we were sure how to use it. Containing a beautiful blend of calming Jasmine and Vitamin C packed Neroli Oil, the product smells divine when massaged onto the skin. Rice Bran Extract gives the powder its granular texture, and Red Algae Extract adds a moisturising element, making it ideal for most skin types. After tipping a little of the powder into our hands, we simply added water to build it into a rich, cleansing lather. We love the fact that just a tweak of ratios totally changes the consistency and purpose of the product - adding less water makes the powder into a fabulous exfoliator, whereas adding more allows you to gently wash away the day's grime. Whatever your needs, it's a great way to cleanse your skin before adding some nourishing face oil.

Add a bit of luxury to your cleansing routine, and treat yourself to the Facial Cleansing Powder here for £32.

Resultime - Re-Densifying Night Cream

Here at The Amazing Blog, we're always testing new skincare products to try and keep our skin plump and wrinkle-free, and our latest discovery, Resultime's Re-Densifying Night Cream, is perfect for doing just that. Taking action during the night, it's ideal for perfecting a smooth visage whilst you're getting your beauty sleep.

Enriched with Vitamin A, B3 and Vectorised Micro-Collagen, the Re-Densifying Night Cream promises to reduce any visible fine lines and wrinkles, plump up your skin and give back that glowing youthful appearance. The cream's thick, creamy texture feels so luxurious and cooling to apply, leaving a layer of rich moisture on the skin, so that it can work it's magic through the night. As well as being incredibly soothing on our complexions, our skin was noticeably softer and brighter when we woke, and we were pleasantly surprised by our much more even, full visage. All you have to do is apply the cream onto a cleansed face and neck in the evening just before dozing off in order to wake up with a more hydrated and plumper skin.

For consistent results get your Re-Densifying Night Cream here for £58.50 and enjoy plumper and healthy skin.

HECK - Sausages

Here at The Amazing Blog, we love all things British. From a Sunday Roast to a cone of delicious Fish & Chips, we’re quite proud of our tasty English dishes, and so when we’re making them at home, we make sure to only use the best ingredients. You can imagine our delight when the lovely people at Heck sent over a selection of their mouth-watering sausages, absolutely perfect for some good old Bangers and Mash.

Made in small batches, Heck ensure that their sausages are packed with the best flavours possible, using only the best ingredients. A proudly independent brand, you can be sure that you're only getting the best out of these tasty treats.  We loved the 97% Sausages. Wonderfully succulent, and perfectly filling, they taste amazing served with mash and red wine gravy – the best comfort meal for an evening spent at home. As well as the traditional pork sausages, Heck also champion a range of delicious chicken chipolatas. Our favourites were the Smoky Paprika Chicken Chipolatas, which tasted so moreish when chopped up over a simple tomato pasta. All of the sausages are both gluten and dairy free, so everyone can tuck in. If you’re looking to step away from tradition, and try out something new, then why not check out the Heck recipe page. We’ve got our eye on that Pork & Apple Casserole.

With the quality of a Farmer’s Market purchase in the convenience of your local supermarket, we think we’ve found our new go-to bangers brand. Check out the delicious range here, and pick up your favourite flavour from £3.