Africology Coffee and Rose Diffuser

Who doesn’t love entering into a beautifully scented room? Here, at The Amazing Blog, we have a weakness for reed diffusers as they are safer and more versatile than candles. At this time of year, we want a room fragrance that has both warmth and freshness, this is where one of our favourite beauty and lifestyle brands Africology never fails us. Our regular readers will remember our post on their Rose Body Balm where we commented on their African heritage and how they capture the key flora and fauna of Africa in their ingredients.

Africology has as range of five different fragranced Atmosphere Reed Diffuser sets. We tried the Coffee and Rose diffuser, which for us was absolutely delightful. From its simple, elegant packaging to its sophisticated tawny glass bottle design, it offers soft warm top floral notes combined with the rather interesting and more robust coffee ones, making it a more weighty fragrance and perfect for that heady romantic evening ambience. Apart from its elegant design that will complement any décor, this diffuser is long-lasting; we had ours on the go for at least 3 months!

This diffuser is made from only 100% natural oils. It is very simple and easy to use, just open the bottle and place the diffuser reeds into the bottle until the reeds are fully coated with liquid. Wait about 5 minutes and take the reeds out and insert the opposite dry end of the reeds back into the diffuser. To enhance your home with this long-lasting and evocative fragrance, purchase the Africology Coffee and Rose Room Diffuser here for £45.00. Or at their newly opened London store here.

Scent Republik - Whoosh Stick

Children can’t help it; they love running around, climbing up trees and getting themselves dirty. We certainly don't want that to change at The Amazing Blog, but a product to ensure that our children don't smell like wild ones is a concept we can’t argue with. Scent Republik's Scent Sticks for children provide us with just that - six fragrances in a stick form that is easy to handle, and fun to use.

The brand Scent Republik was created by two fathers, Kevinn Hirsch and Alex Theodorou, who wanted to offer children on the verge of puberty a non-sexualized scent. They aimed to create products that make children feel good about themselves, whatever mood they are in, or no matter the daily tasks they face. The different scents are subtle and natural, and as they are manufactured in the UK, and made from cruelty-free and vegan-friendly ingredients, the products are suitable for children even with sensitive skin. The brand offers a variety of six different sticks, each with a fantastic name that underlines the children’s mood: Chill, BFF, Fab, Yay, Zap and Whoosh.

We were sent the Whoosh Scent, a blend of raspberry, strawberry and cassis. Like with all of the range, the packaging is travel-friendly, and the stick can be used up to 1000 times. These fragrances are the perfect cross-over from overly sweet child-like perfumes to adult fragrances, which are pricier and let’s face it, not suitable for children. Little ones can use the Scent Republik sticks as a type of invisible marker, and will be greeted with a non-sticky, and fresh formula. This dries quickly, so it can be applied in an instant - the least time chasing children around with products, the better!

Try these lovely scents here, perhaps as a gift for a loved one - we think they’d be great stocking fillers. Each stick is priced at £4.95.

Eau de Philae - Boisée Parfum for Him

The Amazing Blog HQ has been touched by La Dolce Vita this week after a wonderful few weeks spent exploring the glories of the Italian Riviera - great food, delicious wine, inspiring company, and all with the sumptuous backdrop of a beautiful country. In no small part, this has inspired our #amazingfinds.

One of our exciting discoveries, amidst all the romance and splendour of centuries of tradition, was to be found encapsulated in a most attractive glass bottle. In many ways, traditional in design, Eau de Philae's Boisée Parfum is a refreshing fragrance which packs quite a punch on the scent spectrum. Boisée Eau De Parfum should certainly be given the whiff test if you like your aftershaves to be fresh, but not too flowery. Brought out to stand alongside some equally evocative options, such as Eau De Parfum Bouquet For Her in the Eau de Philae Range, it is similarly organic and holds vegan-friendly accreditation, created by InLight Beauty’s partners C.E.M.O.N Homeopathics in Italy.

For Him, however, we are offered a mysterious woody scent, with zesty fresh accents to awaken the senses; although interestingly, the overall fragrance is quite formal, giving an almost reserved result. They say: “Due to the wheat-derived organic alcohol and high content of medicinal plant extracts, Boisée Eau de Parfum is a completely natural fragrance, in tune with the body’s natural vibrations and as such is a richly sensory experience enhancing both health and wellbeing.” Despite this glorious concoction being prepared in Naples, the original recipes hail from Ancient Egypt - the island of Philae to be exact … 4000 years is probably just about enough time to get it right! It has 82% organic ingredients, and you will be glad to hear that the price is not a Pharoah’s ransom, at around £42 for 50ml and available online from here.

Friday Favourites: Perfume boxes

The scent of a perfume often reveals a person’s personality. Finding the right fragrance that embodies who we are is a struggle. With so many fragrances out there, it can feel impossible to narrow it down. The Amazing Blog has rounded up some fantastic fragrances that we are sure you will love. Whether you prefer a sensual, floral or bold scent, there is something that will suit you. These Discovery and Sample sets are also the perfect gift!

JO LOVES FRANGRANCE DISCOVERY GIFT EXPERIENCE

The famous Jo Malone rules the fragrance market, and for good reason! Jo started her fast-growing company, Jo Malone London, in her London kitchen. This scent mixologist gained huge recognition for her accomplishments, leading to her selling the company to Estée Lauder Companies in 1999 where she worked as the Creative Director until 2006.

Jo Malone is back with her new company Jo Loves, inspired by her beloved memories. We are so excited to see new beautiful and high-quality fragrances from her! The Jo Loves Fragrance Discovery Gift Experience is a wonderful way to explore some of Jo Malone’s long-lasting incredible scents to find one that best suits you. The Fragrance Discovery Gift Experience consists of ten 2ml vials. The best part? Jo Loves will send you your favourite fragrance in the form of a 50ml bottle of Eau de Toilette. The fragrances include Pomelo, White Rose & Lemon Leaves, Mandarin, Smoked Plum & Leather, Red Truffle 21, Shards of Cedar & Red Thyme, No. 42 The Flower Shop, Gardenia, Pink Vetiver, and Green Orange & Coriander. With this wide array of aromas to test and choose from, you are sure to fall in love with at least one!

Our go-to of the bunch has to be the Smoked Plum & Leather, but you can purchase the set here for £105 to see which one you fancy.

SANA JARDIN DISCOVERY SET

Next up, we’ve got the Sana Jardin Discovery Set. Sana Jardin is the first socially-conscious luxury fragrance brand. They strive to create social change through commerce called The Beyond Sustainability Movement. This movement aims to make female entrepreneurs agents of change in their communities while preserving that commnicity's skills. This set comes with seven vials of 2ml Eau de Parfums. The first fragrance is Berber Blonde No. 1, which has a slightly musky aroma with beautiful notes of Moroccan orange blossom and North African neroli. Tiger By Her Side No. 2 is just as seductive as the name suggests. It has notes of amber, Moroccan rose, patchouli and Somalian Incense. It is the perfect scent for those who want to get in touch with their wild side. Savage Jasime No. 3 is a rather heady, musky scent as well, but with a floral twist from the infusion of Moroccan jasmine.

Sandalwood Temple No. 4 is a blend of East Indian Sandalwood, cedarwood, Madagascan vanilla, neroli, and Haitian vetiver. It all comes together to create a wonderfully seductive scent that is sure to turn heads once others get a whiff. Celestial Patchouli No. 5 has an intense and rich aroma with notes of patchouli, leather, sandalwood. Not only that, there are floral hints of rose and jasmine with a touch of cinnamon bark for an invigorating experience. Nubian Musk No. 6 is another musky scent that is amplified by a bit of vanilla, jasmine, rose, and grapefruit flower. Revolution De La Fleur No. 7 is a tropical and floral fragrance comprised of Moroccan ylang-ylang and frangipani.

If these fragrances have caught your interest, you can purchase the 7 x 2ml vials of Eau de Parfum from Sana Jardin Discovery Set here for £30.

APRIL AROMATICS

One of our newest discoveries is the Deluxe Sample Set from April Aromatics. Founded by perfumer Tanja Bochnig in New York, April Aromatics perfumes are free from animal ingredients (besides beeswax), certified organic or wild-crafted, and contain 100% natural ingredients. In addition, the packaging is recyclable! The April Aromatics 7 Chakra Oil Set was a winner of the 2018 Beauty Shortlist Editors' Choice Award. 

With this set, you receive 10 out of the range of 15 fragrances that they offer. Each Eau de Parfum vial contains 2.5ml of the fragrance, which they say equates to about 28 spritzes. These scents are deliciously intense and super long-lasting. To make the choice a bit easier on you, for the summer evenings, we recommend adding Ray of Light and Rosenlust to your list. These two have unique and evocative aromas that we don’t want to ever run out! Ray of Light has notes of lemon, lime, pink grapefruit, and bergamot. A citrus infusion! Rosenlust contains a soft floral mix of tonka, ambrette, and sandalwood.

You can purchase the Deluxe Sample Set of 10 x 2.5ml vials of Eau de Parfum from April Aromatics here for €111.

EDEN PERFUMES SAMPLE GIFT BOX

If you are looking for an environmentally-conscious scent, then we recommend Eden Perfumes. Eden Perfumes is a family-run vegan company from beautiful Brighton. They say: "Botanical cruelty-free perfumes consciously crafted with respect to the planet and all beings." Their products are 100% vegan and not tested on animals. They have similar, not identical, scents to popular ones on the market with over 200 fragrances to choose from, all of the fragrances come in Eau de Parfum strength, not Eau de Toilette! Unlike many others, Eden Perfumes doesn't contain animal notes, such as musk, milk, and honey.

We tried a Sample Gift Box where you can choose your own three combinations. The one that Eden Perfumes sent us contained these three scents: No. 309 Daisy (a floral, woody musk), No. 420 Ispahan Oud (oriental floral; unisex), and No. 475 Neroli (subtly sweet and citrus aromatic; unisex). While those three scents are wildly different and luxurious, we were drawn to Daisy and felt that with its versatility, it could to be worn day through to night. Eden Perfumes has dozens of scents, all of which are very reasonably priced. We deeply encourage you to see the full range for a little spoiling fragrance spree.

Purchase an Eden Perfumes Gift Box of 3  x 10ml bottles of your choice for £21.60 here. Curious about the scents we highlighted? Then you too can purchase a 30ml bottle of No. 309 Daisy, No. 420 Ispahan Oud, and No. 475 Neroli for £18.00 each.

We'd like to give a special thank you to April Aromatics for sending us a 30ml bottle of Rose L’Orange, which we will be reviewing in August. We hope that we have inspired you with our choices. Now get spritzing! 

'Heaven Scents' Discovery Box - The Perfume Society

At The Amazing Blog, we know how easy it is to both love perfume and fragrances but hate shopping for them. It can be daunting, which is why we often stick to one fragrance for years until it’s recognisably our scent. While it can be lovely to have a signature scent, sometimes you want to diversify, but the idea of wading through the scented halls of department stores can be as mentally overwhelming as it is overwhelming for the senses. This is why we are such big fans of The Perfume Society and their Discovery Boxes. We were lucky enough to receive The Heaven Scents Discovery Box, but there are over forty to choose from.

Each discovery box is filled with various perfume samples, allowing you to dabble in different fragrances until you find one, or a few, that you like. We received eight (!) samples in our box, ranging from floral, to fresh, to fruity, to gourmand scents, featuring fragrances from brands such as Prada, Jimmy Choo and Miller Harris. If you're interested in the complexity of perfumes, such as the top notes, heart notes and base notes, then the information cards that come alongside each perfume will be a standout addition for you. We loved this touch as it helped teach us what it was about each perfume that we liked, helping us to discern what we want in a fragrance. The box also contained a gift of a full sized bottle of Judith Williams Body Butter, which smelt so divine we understood why our box was called Heaven Scents!

To purchase your discovery box from only £17.50, or to just learn more about the fantastic world of The Perfume Society, click here.