Friday Favourites - Winterville

As we may have mentioned before, at The Amazing Blog we absolutely LOVE this festive period! Mulled wine, fairy lights and layers are among some of the best things, so being able to enjoy all three in one event is certainly an evening we won't be missing! This year one of our favourite festive events, Winterville, is taking place in South London at Clapham Common. 

What we like about Winterville is that the event offers Londoner’s an alternative festive experience that’s accessible and enjoyable for all. Go ice-skating on the outdoor ice rink, take the kids to the fairground or head to the roller rink with some friends for an active and fast-paced day.  If you would rather relax and be entertained then head to their famous Spiegeltent which is hosting one-off events such as comedy, cabaret and family Christmas shows.  What’s more, the event is the part-time home to some of London’s best street food at the Feastopia, full of option and delight. 

Entry is free, but attractions and events are priced individually. Winterville is open from November 23rd until January 5th, so there is plenty of time for you to go and no excuse for you not to. NB:  Due to weekend popularity for all these individual events, Friday and Saturday night you will need to book your tickets here.

Light Touch Complexion by ZAO

We at The Amazing Blog are delighted to talk about the ZAO Light Touch Complexion. This is a must-have beauty product if you want a radiant and youthful look. ZAO is a beauty brand that creates organic cosmetics with 100% natural ingredients and formulas. All their products contain bamboo both for their casing and formulations. Bamboo is well known for its high level of silica, an essential element that enhances skin elasticity. You can say goodbye to tired complexions as this miracle product will have you instantly looking refreshed and more awake.

The Light Touch Complexion illuminates skin to give you a healthy glow and a revitalised appearance. Like every ZAO product, the Light Complexion Touch is free from parabens. Instead, the brand uses micronised silver powder which is a natural preservative and antiseptic. The product is made from 100% natural ingredients and organic farming ingredients. These include organic bamboo oil and sweet almond oil, which is well known for its nourishing and moisturising properties.

We honestly can't live without the Light Touch Complexion. When applied on the cheekbones it gives a rejuvenated look. It can also be used in the corner of the eyes and on the lip's contour for a luminous appearance. It leaves a velvety touch on the skin and stays in place all day. It is cruelty-free and has a vegan and gluten-free certification as well as being ECOCERT certified. This is a real treasure that will become a firm favourite in your makeup bag. 

Purchase this lovely product here for £16.50.

Friday Favourites: Tipples With a Twist

Whether you are a cider lover, live only for gins, or a wine aficionado, here are some flavourful and delicious must-have drinks to have in your possession. If you're bored of the usual drinks on offer, we at The Amazing Blog have a selection of some traditional drinks with a unique and interesting twist. 

The Fifty Pounds Gin is produced by a family owned distillery located in London. It is traditionally made with the finest grains spirit distilled four times. The gin is produced using a method that is centuries old, known as Batch Process Distillation, which Fifty Pounds Gin hark as the best way to get the purest gin possible. It is thrice filtered, making sure all impurities are removed. It is self-proclaimed as the 'smoothest gin ever' and we have to agree. The method they adopt is delicate and painstaking; however, we reckon it is worth it. The botanicals selection, a combination of herbs, spices, fruits and flowers, makes it extremely delicious and nuanced in flavour. Where most gins focus on the juniper berries (the ingredient that makes gin a gin, and which can be a bit heavy or resinous), Fifty Pounds Gin have made the more mellow coriander seed their hero ingredient. Angelica root then contributes a lovely earthy and spicy flavour.

It is a classic, smooth, rich and fresh drink that goes well with a good tonic and a lemon zest. A special mention should be made for the design of the bottle that is inspired by the first ever gin bottles, giving them a beautiful vintage appearance. 

You can purchase the Fifty Pounds Gin 70cl bottle here at £34.99.

Cider Lovers are going to love the Cranes Cranberry Cider. When twin brothers Ben and Dan decided to go into the business they thought that cranberries should be the key ingredient of their drinks and they thought well!

Cranes cranberry ciders are a mixture of the finest cranberries and apples which makes them very refreshing, light and tasteful. The ciders are naturally light as the sweetness comes from the fruits used during the production rather than additional sugars, and therefore they have 30% fewer calories than brand leaders. You can enjoy these sweet ciders guilt-free! These delicious cranberry ciders are available in three sublime flavours.

The Cranberry & Lime is one of our favourites; it is crisp, light and ideal for an afternoon refreshment. The second flavour is Blueberry & Apple; a perfectly sweet pairing. The third flavour is the Raspberry & Pomegranate, which is as fresh and invigorating as the first two but with that little delightful fruity taste that makes all the difference. 

A case of 12 Cranes Cranberry Cider can be purchased here at £27.60.

Famous for its alcoholic drinks, the Republic of Ireland will be soon renowned for its fruit wines. Móinéir wines are luxurious artisan fruit wines made in Wicklow Way Wines, the first ever Irish fruit winery. The wines are made from 100% Irish fruits.

The Blackberry Wine is a delicious blend of blackberries and wild elderberries; an Irish plant that was foraged in the Wicklow Mountains. The wine is intensely flavourful and fruity but with a light body making it easy to drink.  The Móinéir Blackberry Wine is a perfect choice for a light aperitif and goes wonderfully well with red meats.

The brand’s Irish Strawberry Wine is created with juicy, delicious handpicked Irish strawberries gently pressed to capture the most of their flavour. It is an aromatic, slightly sweet and crisp wine that will satisfy the palate of wine lovers. Here at The Amazing Blog, we love combining it with some dark chocolate, a real treat! We love that these are a little taste of Ireland captured in a bottle.                                                

Both wines are suitable for vegans and are unique gifts to offer to your loved ones.

You can purchase the Strawberry Wine here at 21.99€ and The Blackberry Wine here at 24.99€. Fortunately, you can buy the products in GBP by using PayPal.   

Sloane Home has found the way to our hearts with the Lone Stag Spirits: the LONE STAG SPIRIT Raspberry and Lime Gin Infusion and the LONE STAG ZESTY Clementine, Lemon and Lime Vodka Infusion.The drinks are traditionally produced in the heart of the British countryside with only the finest ingredients. Bottled, packaged and labelled by hand they are more delicious and savoury than any spirit made by machines. 

The spirits offer an excellent tasting experience; you can taste and identify all the ingredients used during the production. The sweetness and acidity are well balanced making the drinks taste natural, delicate and aromatic. The Lone Stag Spirits come in a fabulous case with cocktail ideas, transforming you into the new cocktails master. It is also a great gift for your friends and family.

We are very fond of these flavourful spirits, and we are not the only ones. Indeed, the LONE STAG SPIRIT Raspberry & Lime Gin infusion was awarded a Great Taste Award by the Guild of fine food August 2017 and the LONE STAG ZESTY Clementine, Lemon & Lime Vodka infusion won the same award in 2016.

If you want a taste of these delicious spirits, you can purchase a Sloane Hamper including both bottles here at £45.00.

We here at the blog can no longer have a dinner or go to a party without one of these drinks. This great selection of diverse and unique drinks will be a show-stopper at any dinner party.

Helmies – Nail Helmets

We girls at The Amazing Blog  love having beautifully manicured hands and it's a rare occasion to spot any of our team without perfectly preened nails. Some of us get a little more adventurous than others dabbling in amateur nail art (currently rocking the reverse French Manicure look). However, there is nothing more annoying than when we are on the dash, and our nail polish is still drying. You know the scenario, last minute manicure, late and hastily digging deep into our handbags to find house keys and - yikes - you guessed it, smudging!  This is when someone suggested these clever little Helmies Nail Helmets.

In the box, we found ten white little helmets plus two bigger pink ones for the thumbs or toenails. Helmies are reusable, soft and elastic so they can fit easily over each finger/toe. Yes they do look a bit quirky and we all got the giggles when we wore them. However, they serve a purpose allowing you to go about your household errands or in our case, typing in the office. Helmies are ergonomically designed fitting perfectly over each finger/toe with three little holes on top which lets the air flow through allowing the polish to set properly. They're made of silicone gel and are hypoallergenic. In fact, they have thought of everything including the open back which allows your fingertips to be free for making phone calls or texting.

No more ineffectual waving of hands or blowing on your fingertips, time to invest in a set of these practical little Helmies Nail Helmets available for £7.99 here .

Balance Active Formula

It is a typical morning at The Amazing Blog. We jump out of the shower and the clock is ticking. But today our body care routine is faster and easier with Balance Active Formula.

It is almost impossible to believe but we can actually be ready in less than ten minutes and our clothes won’t stick because of never-absorbing body lotion.
Let’s start from the outside. It is a spray which means you will need half the time to put it on, in one gesture your body will be cover in a warm and caring lotion.
The top is very practical, it has a twisting lid that closes perfectly avoiding any possible spillage and you can carry it around in your gym bag.
We found it very convenient as a little amount is enough for both arms and the hydrating effect lasts longer than usual body lotion; no need to reapply and no waste, sounds like a good deal to us.
Among the others properties one really caught our attention, Balance Active is anti-aging.
An anti-aging body product is not something very common and we can’t help but loving it.
Texture and benefits are the main reasons why we usually buy a body cream but in this case there’s more that meets the eyes. In order to keep our skin soft and lovely to caress, argan oil has been add to this already complete product, which also donates a pampering scent.
If you like to change from the same range there’s also a lotion with coconut extract.

If your time is precious get Balance Active with argan oil here, the 200ml bottle is available at £5.49.