Jeffrey’s Tonic

With the party season nearly upon us, we’re always looking for a fresh take on our favourite cocktails in order to impress! At The Amazing Blog we love a good gin and tonic just as much as the next person, however, we’ve found ourselves getting a little jaded with just plain tonic water, which is normally on offer. That’s where our #amazingfinds and discovery of Jeffrey’s Tonic comes in.

Jeffrey’s Tonic started when Mike and Maureen Robinson received a book for Christmas all about gin, tonic waters and syrups. After experimenting with the recipes and getting glowing reviews from family members, it finally clicked to the Robinsons that this might be something they should share. The distinctive ingredients are what make Jeffrey’s Tonic stand out. The syrups are made from cinchona bark straight from Ecuador. While most other syrups use quinine a extract, Jeffrey’s uses bark straight from the tree which gives it a distinct amber colour. Discovered in Peru, cinchona bark is known for its anti-fever properties. Did you know that Robert Talbot used cinchona bark to cure King Louis XIV of France of malaria?

Jeffrey’s Syrups come in 4 varieties and it is recommended that you mix them in a 1:5 ratio with soda water. The Not So Plain Tonic Syrup is simply made with cinchona bark and organic Sicilian lemon juice. We recommend pairing it with complex or fruity gin for an interesting cocktail. The Original Recipe is the first recipe that Mark and Maureen made, with cassia, nutmeg and allspice, The Original is a great addition to any Christmassy drink. We recommend adding a splash to your whisky cocktail for a round, bold flavour. The Lime, Galangal & Orange pairs perfectly with your bubbly prosecco or with soda water for an adult soft drink astThe galangal gives depth to the delicious citrus flavours. Whereas the combination of their Yarrow, Rosehip & Elderflower provides a really delicate flavour, perfect for pairing with a floral gin or dry prosecco!

If you want to add an original twist to your drinks this season, the individual Jeffrey’s Tonic Syrups can be purchased here for £7.00 for 200ml. Apart from being able to purchase them individually, we also like the Gift Set with all four varieties of Tonic Syrups, and think it makes the ideal stocking filler this Christmas, as it’s only £14 for four 50ml samples here.

Friday Favourites – Bath Salts

When it’s been a long stressful week and then it is finally Friday, what better way to relax than luxuriating in bath salts with steaming water! There is nothing we like more at The Amazing Blog than a good soak while sipping a chilled glass of something nice. This is why today we want to introduce you to some of our top-picks very special bath salts.

Let’s start with Sea Magik Turmeric Serenity Salts. If you’re a regular reader, you ‘ll have probably already read about Sea Magik when we featured their 21 Sea Magik Mist  and Sea Magik Shampoo and Scalp Mud   We really rate their brand’s values and honesty, with their added bonus of being cruelty-free, vegan and beneficial for the planet too.

With the fluctuating change of temperature this November – some of us have been nursing a chill. So, it is rather timely to give the Sea Magik Turmeric Serenity Salts a try. We can report back that after a good soak we felt our energy levels bouncing back. Could this be the healing powers of a blend of 100% natural Dead Sea and Epsom salts which are amazingly restorative? Apart from Turmeric (a.k.a. the wonder spice) which has anti-inflammatory properties, there’s bitter orange and safflower essential oils too. They relax the body while soothing, softening and conditioning your skin with the added bonus of leaving your bathroom smelling divine. Get your 1kg bag here for £8.99, just add 1 cup of salts to warm water and relax in with this home-spa experience.

Next is Björk & Berries, a Swedish brand that puts nature in a bottle. Well, with brands like Björk & Berries, the products they put on their skin encapsulate Swedish traditions, being natural and organic. In this case, the primary ingredient is Birch, the Swedish life giving tree that has endless benefits such as anti-inflammatory, curative, and hydrating properties. If you want to indulge a classic Scandinavian spa experience and prepare your skin for the winter months coming up, the Björk & Berries Birch Ritual is for you. In just ten minutes, with their three-step skincare range, you will improve your circulation, detoxify and hydrate your skin.

Our favourite product of the range is the bath salts. Start off by immersing your body in their Botanical Bath Salts, made from hand-picked flowers and herbs to relax and detox. With lavender, lemon balm and chamomile flowers combined with natural sea salts, spring clean your body by activating your lymphatic system. The gentle aroma will take you to the Swedish forests, purifying your mind and bringing harmony to your atmosphere.  Then you can follow (as we did) with their Scrub and Serum (in a later review) from the Birch range to enjoy all the effects of the integrity of their products. You can purchase your Botanical Bath Salts here for €35.00 and enjoy a Swedish like skincare routine straight from the forest to your bathtub. It is impossible not to enjoy the scent of nature!

Perhaps like us, you’ve had insomnia? Or maybe blocked sinuses? We were recommended to try Verdant Alchemy’s Breathe in Bath Salts. Verdant Alchemy was launched in 2018 by Vivien Leung who like most of us was regularly experiencing high-stress levels. She wanted to create a well-being brand for skin and body care. After exploring all sorts of natural ingredients, she came up with her Breathe in Bath Salts. These have the COSMOS natural certification from the Soil Association.

Mainly composed of Eucalyptus, Lemon and Thyme, these Breathe in Bath Salts exude this powerful combination of natural vapours which have anti-inflammatory and immune boosting qualities, perfect for helping to clear blocked sinuses. Also combined with Epsom and Dead Sea salts they are extremely rich in minerals, helping to nourish the skin and well as supporting muscles and the immune system. To buy the Verdant Alchemy Breathe in Bath Salts 100g pot for £12.00, see here. They will help to clear your mind, just inhale, relax and enjoy.

We suggest lighting a few candles and soaking in on one of these invigorating bath salts to help reset your mind and body; so you’ll be recharged and ready to start the week ahead.

Stellar Décolletage – Elixir Extraordinaire Dry Oil Mist

We’re going to try not to mention ‘anti-ageing’ here at The Amazing Blog, let’s talk ‘age-inclusive’ products aimed at a less than youthful skin – particularly as there is an age variant here in the office! As time goes by, our skin can’t hide the sun damage, a bad diet or any environmental stress that we sustain; and let’s be honest, none of us ever gave ageing a second thought in our 30’s. Well, here we are today, wondering if there is help at hand. Happily we return to a brand that has already left a deep impression on us, Stellar Décolletage. We recently wrote about their Velvet Restore Sleep Complex which is the second step of their trio of products that have been designed to replenish, restore and rejuvenate the décolletage.

We bring you their third step in the trio, with this exceptional award-winning product the Elixir Extraordinaire Dry Oil Mist. Rich in vitamins and designed to target the much-forgotten areas of the delicate neck, breast and décolletage. With its unique blend of six oils, it is light, absorbs quickly and leaves you with a wonderful powdery and floral bouquet. Key active ingredients are the Inca inchi oil, which contains vitamin A, E and amino acids, all of which have antioxidant properties, reducing lines and boosting the anti-ageing factors. There is also macadamia oil, rich in omega 6 and 7 which support skin restoration and act as an antimicrobial (which are mainly found in younger skins). And finally, shea butter that hydrates skin sweet almond, jojoba and borage oils all of which rejuvenate, soothing and help to relieve breast tenderness.

To use the product, apply it daily (morning and evening) on cleansed skin by spritzing it over your breasts and décolletage. Using your hands massage it moving upwards towards the neck and upper arms, allowing it to smooth into your skin. Hydrate and protect your skin with this lightweight oil that comes as a spray, not only does it feel good but we love all the antioxidants that it has too. Get your Stellar Décolletage Elixir Extraordinaire Dry Oil Mist 100ml bottle for £68.00.

Tracie Cant - S.C.D. Oil

As Albert Einstein once said “Energy can not be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed from one form to another.” Here at the Amazing Blog we know that is true for Tracie Cant’s S.C.D oil. 

Tracie Cant is an alchemist, reiki practitioner, holistic nutritionist and quoted by Jo Foley in The Luxury Spa Edit as an inspiration. However, she is probably best known as a top celebrity and editorial hairstylist and would gift little bottles of her S.C.D oil to actresses, models and musicians on set. After getting glowing reviews from everyone she gifted it to, Tracie decided to make S.C.D oil for a larger market. In ancient times, the ritual of 'anointing' was reserved for saints and kings, to inspire a divine presence or purpose, and S.C.D oil was designed to bring that practice to more people. It takes its names S.C.D taking the three keys letters from the word SaCreD.

Tracie used her 20 years of experience as a Master Energy Healer to create S.C.D oil, a unique blend of pure ancient sacred oils, chosen for their innate high vibratory frequency and healing potential. She works with energy centres and uses her S.C.D oil to balance, unblock and elevate physical, emotional and spiritual energies for clients in her Harley Street clinic. The ancient oils that she has combined in her S.C.D oils have a measurable electromagnetic frequency. When high-frequency oils are used, they assist in the elevation of our frequency, which promotes health and well-being. Our energy fields can be lowered by many factors including stress, processed foods and illness. The leading plant geneticist Bruce Tainio discovered that the lower our energy systems, the more likely we are to have illnesses. So it makes sense to keep the system vibrating at a higher frequency. Raising the frequency of our energy system, not only has a greater capacity and potential for self-healing but also helps to create a space for encouraging inspiration.

Tracie believes that ‘Energy Healing’ is not a substitute for conventional medicine, but can be used alongside it to ‘kick start’ the body's innate healing mechanisms. We loved using the S.C.D oil during meditation or for everyday general well-being. It is beautifully perfumed and the luxurious faceted crystal bottle is a perfect addition to any dressing table or armoire. Made with a unique blend of natural high-grade ancient anointing oils, it has a carrier of sweet organic almond oil, no additives, preservatives or alcohol. We think that the S.C.D oil is the perfect addition to a meditation routine.  Apply a small drop on the back of the neck at the base where the shoulders meet and cross, it can also be placed on the chakra points of the chest, wrists and feet. Want to anoint yourself with ancient oils? The S.C.D oil can be purchased here for £85 for 30ml.

Tiiya Alanoud Alattiya - Rose Oud Epiphany Eau de Parfum

Every so often you smell a perfume that transports you to another time or place. At The Amazing Blog we instantly felt transported to exotic Arabian nights after closing our eyes and a little spritz of Tiiya Alanoud Alattiya’s RoseOud Epiphany Eau De Parfum and we relished every fragrant moment.

The founder Alanoud Alattiya is a graduate from the UCL Museum and Gallery Practice Masters program. By day she is a museum practitioner and by evenings a couturier. She grew up in a household fully immersed in couture, with her mother being one of the first women to wear Christian Dior in the Arabian Gulf. it was just a decade ago, that her career in couture designing amongst members of elite society was frowned upon. However, her first cousin, His Highness The Father Amir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani built a platform of newer social meaning and understanding, allowing her creativity to be celebrated.

Regular reader will remember that we recently wrote about her Concentrated Eye Cream here, but today we wanted to tell you about her Epiphany Rose Oud Eau de Parfum. After applying a spritz of this perfume, we immediately felt the warmth and essence of the luxurious Persian Gulf. The Arabic oud’s woody deep scent mixes with the sweet floral notes of rose oil to create an elegant fragrance. Oud oil is estimated as being worth 1.5 times the amount of gold. This ‘liquid gold’ gives the Rose Oud Epiphany perfume a complex aroma and mythical essence of the East. Trust us when we say that with the Epiphany perfume, a little goes a long way. It lingered on the skin all day and then some. If you too want to smell like luxury, the Tiiya Alanoud Alattiya Rose Oud Epiphany Eau de Parfum 100ml can be your too, if you purchased here for £120.