Flaunt Body: Ingrown Hair Mask | Five Treatment Set

Summer finally looks like it has arrived and we’re getting ready for a seaside visit and our staycation here in the UK. This, of course, means that we need to think about getting bikini-ready and the dreaded hair removal. However, due to the issues with lockdown and no beauty salons open, for us at The Amazing Blog it’s been a case of waxing or epilation at home. Something that we all agree on (and a common issue here) is what to do when we get a razor rash or ingrown hairs? There is nothing worse than when the skin gets irritated with angry red bumps or peppered with unsightly little black dots as the hairs try to push through. So imagine our joy, when we were recommended to try today’s Ingrown Hair Mask | Five Treatment Set by Flaunt Body which won the Indie Beauty Expo Best in Show 2019.

Flaunt Body is a US brand founded in 2018 by Cameron Alexis Moore, who has a very interesting story behind her success. As Moore explained in a recent article, she was about to go on a romantic date, but whilst getting ready, she used an old razor where her skin experienced immediate irritation. The first thing that came to mind was to grab a face sheet mask and apply it to the irritated area, which helped.  It was then that she realised that there must be many other men and women who equally experience the same razor bumps, irritation or ingrown hairs. That is when she started her research and came up with this brilliant Ingrown Hair Mask | Five Treatment Set.  We also applaud Flaunt Body for their giving back policy of donating 5% of their profits to organisations like Love146.org who help to prevent human trafficking.  

The Ingrown Hair Mask is a gender-neutral, vegan and cruelty-free body mask which helps to soothe the skin, reduce irritation, hyperpigmentation and ingrown hairs. It is a unisex product and can be used for all skin types, in any area such as underarms, inner thighs, bikini line, chest or around the neck. Created to address ingrown hairs on any of the sensitive areas of the body, it is made of plant-based bio-cellulose which feels light and flexible almost like a second skin. The Ingrown Hair Mask contains a soothing serum rich in key ingredients like aloe vera, cucumber, chamomile, and glycolic acid.  There’s also polygonum cuspidatum root extract which is a good source of resveratrol which protect skin's surface with significant skin-calming properties that may help minimise the look of redness. scutellaria baicalensis root extract used in China and known as Huang-Qin, it's used for skin allergies, skin infections and inflammation. Horse chestnut seed extract is used for reducing swelling and skin sores where the preparations made from the tree's bark. Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice) root extract is for an anti-inflammatory, which means less redness and irritation for inflamed or irritated skin and finally, the rosemary leaf extract helps to reduce swelling and puffiness, heal burns and soothe the skin. The combination of which is quite a potent mix for helping to calm and heal the skin!

Thanks to all the plant-based ingredients (above), it not only smells divine but also deeply moisturises 5 x times more than a typical serum, where in particular, it repairs the skin’s appearance ridding it of unsightly red bumps. They recommend using this Mask immediately after shaving or 1-2 days after waxing. All you do is remove the protective top and bottom mesh layers to the mask, then apply it to the area where it’s most needed. Leave in place for up to 15 minutes to infuse with the skin, then remove the Mask and gently massage the remaining serum until fully absorbed – no rinsing needed.  You can purchase your Ingrown Hair Mask | Five Treatment Set here for $ 35.00.

Pure Anada - Delicate Compact Palette & Sweet Stillness Nail Polish

At The Amazing Blog, we think there is nothing better than having a new selection of make-up to experiment with to cheer us all up! Particularly, when it has a range of beautifully subtle daytime shades of blush and eye colours. We’re talking about Pure Anada and today we’ve bringing you another of our #amazingfinds with the Delicate Compact Palette and their softest pink Sweet Stillness Nail Polish. 

If you want to know why we’ve chosen to review Pure Anada a Canadian beauty brand, then see our other feature here. Let’s do a quick recap of their inspiring story behind this brand. Growing up in a eco-household, Candace Grenier, founder of Pure Anada, already had a vast knowledge of what proper nutrition should be and the importance of what the body needs. Passionate about making things for herself, she decided in 2003 to make her home and environmental as holistic as possible, discarding anything chemical. She went on to create a line of ‘natural, safer alternatives to mainstream cosmetics’ homecare, skincare and make-up which is where this success story began. These products are ethical, i.e. no discrimination or child labour is ever involved in the processing of making her raw materials. With clean formulations free from common allergens and ingredients that are naturally sourced, and everything is made in their certified organic labs in Manitoba. Their products are also cruelty-free, mainly vegan and certified with the Leaping Bunny programme. We found these at their UK retailer Live in The Light, so it’s a big thank you to them for sending us these products for review. We’re big fans of this online retailer and recommend a visit to their website as they also share our ethos in promoting holistic and environmentally friendly brands.  

Today we want to talk about Pure Anada’s Delicate Compact Palette and Sweet Stillness Nail Polish.  First things first, the Delicate Compact Palette’s colours are discreet, natural and gave us an effortless no make-up look. The pale rosy pink blush named Sweet Pea pairs perfectly with four eye-shadow colours: The satin luxurious taupe/grey that shifts to a shimmering pink called Haunt, a velvet taupe/mauve titled Macchiato, an iridescent champagne blush named Darling, and finally a matte ballet slipper pink Water Lily. If these moreish colours don’t swipe you off of your feet, then perhaps their win with the Sweet Pea blush at The 2020 Beauty Bible Awards here will. The packaging is recyclable with a pretty floral designed outer box and metallic foil etched cardboard inner palette, that also comes with a mirror inside. It only contains all-natural formulas comprised of pressed mineral pigments and jojoba oil for softness. The jojoba oil keeps the texture silky and smooth and most importantly, non-greasy.  Apart from the colours and natural formulas what we particularly like about this make-up is its cost-effectiveness. Unlike most palettes, this one is refillable! When finished, you can buy the individual colours and pop them right back into each of the magnetic slots in palette. Best of all,  the coverage is sheer but buildable and the blusher promises a demi-matte fresh healthy glow to the face and that’s exactly what it delivered. This is for us a smart investment with its natural everyday colours and is available for £29.95, you can find it here.  

Moving on to the Sweet Stillness Nail Polish which is from a range of twenty long-lasting colours. This Sweet Stillness is a pale rose pink non-toxic nail polish. More importantly, it is free of the five most toxic ingredients which are usually found in regular nail polish. The three most toxic ingredients being dibutyl phthalate, formaldehyde, and toluene. They are followed by another two which are formaldehyde resin and camphor.  If you wish to know how toxic they are, here’s a quick explanation:  The dibutyl phthalate, or otherwise called the plasticizer, is used to provide sheen. It has a carcinogen effect and can cause thyroid problems and is often linked to hormone changes. Formaldehyde used to harden the nails, is also carcinogen when inhaled and while it’s evaporating can sometimes cause allergic reactions if it comes in contact with your skin. The toluene used to give a smooth finish and keep a uniform colour can cause eyes, lung, and throat irritation when inhaled and can also affect the central nervous system. The formaldehyde resin used to strengthen the nails is a skin allergen and remains active for up to three days after your nail polish dries, and can cause dermatitis. Finally, camphor, which used to be a treatment for cold or flu, is now chemically manufactured and can have a serious side effect when ingested. When exposed in large doses, primarily through inhalation, it’s known to cause irritation, nausea, dizziness, and headaches, it is therefore highly toxic! Quickly added the formulas in the Sweet Stillness Nail Polish are solvent-based and not water-based, but this is long-lasting and a more durable option than water-based.  We’d also advise applying it with their Super Base Coat and the Free Topcoat. You can find Pure Anada’s Sweet Stillness Nail Polish here for £8.95. 

Vedic Essentials: GoodNight Food Supplement

Here is a question for you; how are you sleeping at the moment? With the global pandemic 2020 has been a year of uncertainly and we’re all feeling very sleep-challenged! Because we value our beauty sleep, here at The Amazing Blog, we’ve been searching for calm amongst the chaos and trying out a new remedy, meet Vedic Essential with their GoodNight Food Supplement.

Vedic Essentials is a new brand established in 2019 here in the UK, with their main focus around the ancient practice of Ayurvedic medicine, which has been used for over 3000 years in India. Vedic Essentials continue this Ayurvedic legacy but with a bit of a twist, as they infuse it with modern science too. They believe that ‘without health, nothing else matters’ and instead of letting someone else take control of your well-being, it metaphorically speaking puts you behind the wheel with their supplements. They specialise in producing high-quality supplements and remedies, and unlike modern medicine, they focus on the body’s power to heal itself using natural ingredients and herbs. In the practice of this Ayurveda, there is order and disorder in nature and the body. Therefore, good health is considered as order, and a disease is a disorder. Thus, to help maintain this balance in the body, Ayurveda focuses on the mind, body and consciousness to get them to work in harmony to maintain a balance. 

We were excited to receive their GoodNight Food Supplement that we are going to be talking about today, which we subsequently learned have been flying off the shelves! These capsules have a blend of six key natural ingredients. First, we have chamomile known for its ability to reduce anxiety and stress, therefore promoting better sleep. Chamomile has long been recognised for its calming properties. Then there is soothing blend in the ashwagandha one of the most important herbs in Ayurveda, apart from helping the body manage stress and anxiety, it is probably best known for fighting insomnia and stimulating the brain against depression. The reishi mushroom here is to boost the immune function and help with fatigue. Schisandra berry is proven to reduce cortisol levels in the body (the stress hormone) and is effective in controlling changes in serotonin and adrenaline providing you with a goodnight's sleep. The fifth element in this blend is the Maca which will improve your mental well-being and mood, and finally, there is Hops extract, which promotes a better sleep cycle. Besides these six key ingredients, this GoodNight supplement is rich in 5-HTP derived from griffonia, which has been proven to increase the feel-good hormone serotonin and is a naturally occurring amino acid that induces a calming effect on the brain. There’s magnesium, known for its ability to relax the mind and contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Last but not least, it contains vitamin B6, which helps in maintaining a positive and relaxed mood. 

We took one capsule in between supper and bedtime, the effect was gradual where it took about three or four days to kick in and have an optimum effect, quietening the mind and offering a better quality of sleep. We’d recommend these as an excellent aid to help the body and mind regulate and rebalancing itself, this GoodNight Food Supplement is suitable for vegans are gluten-free and non-GMO, and you can find them here for £17.99.

GÍÍLINEA BÍO: Organic Anti-Ageing Elixir & 24hr Advanced Moisturiser

We always like to look a little further afield than the UK for some of our skincare features and today’s products are from the dreamy landscapes of Austria. Meet the certified organic and vegan brand GÍÍLINEA BÍO with their latest Organic Anti-Ageing Elixir Serum and 24hr Advance Moisturiser. We at The Amazing Blog have reviewed one of their body care product in the past here.  What we like about this brand is that they have quality and transparency with this family-run business that sources 98% of their ingredients from organic farms.

GÍÍLINEA BÍO was founded by Franz Leibetseder who grew up surrounded by a family of chemists, which fired his passion for herbs and natural remedies. It started out selling products to regional pharmacies and stores but has since grown and distributed throughout Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Best known for their use of aloe vera barbadensis harnessing its healing, skin-nurturing anti-ageing power. GÍÍLINEA BÍO only uses the aloe vera gel in its purest form. Products are manufactured partly in Austria and Italy where most of the ingredients (long list here!) like argan and olive oil, apricot and pomegranate seed oil, rosemary and lavender extracts, hibiscus seed and grape seed oil and shea butter are grown, harvest and immediately dispensed into the products. These natural ingredients always hold their freshness because the plants are not processed with heat but cold-pressed, which makes the actives stay fresh longer. GÍÍLINEA BÍO firmly believes that by using plant-based products in their skin and haircare positively enhances wellbeing. All products are certified organic, vegan and cruelty-free. No silicones, paragons, sulphate or nanoparticles are used. As well as PEG´s, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances or pigments.

We must also mention that we applaud GÍÍLINEA BÍO for their giving-back policy.  They’ve been working with likeminded partners on a rainforest project in Brazil, see here; ​and have developed a coffee project with sale of Bio Café Art&Child coffee where they support a street child project UÈRE in Brazil, you can help by buying their coffee online here.

Today we’ve brought to you yet another one of #amazingfinds from the power of nature itself with the GÍÍLINEA BÍO Organic Anti-Ageing Elixir, a serum from their special treatment range. They call it a ‘powerful elixir’ and this subtly fruity-scented serum contains their hero ingredient of aloe vera, an antioxidant, that combats free radicals which ultimately helps to slow the ageing process and improves collagen production and skin elasticity. It also has glycerine which will hold the moisture and give it a youthful glow.  We certainly found that this serum gave our skin a wonderful glow! The argan oil and hibiscus seed extract not only helps with the age spots but it gives an overall feeling of freshness, and a younger smoother-looking complexion. It has natural fruit acids that purify skin by removing dead skin and improves cell regeneration. The wheat germ oil extracted is a rich source of vitamin E, which helps reduce skin damage, fight free radicals, and support collagen formation and helps to maintain an even skin tone. While the hyaluronic acid plumps and gets rid of all fine lines. Thanks to the combination of all these natural actives, it instantly gives good natural cell renewal and a natural lifting effect. They advise applying one drop on your face, neck, and décolleté (and even on the eyes!) night and day before moisturiser. If you have oily or combination skin, this can be used solo.

Then this Elixir can be followed with their 24hr Advanced Moisturiser. This floral-scented lotion is in an air pump bottle, it’s particularly recommended for stressed skin. It absorbs really quickly and contains water and aloe vera making it ideal as eye care because of the soothing, hydrating and refreshing qualities it offers.  There is sweet almond oil extract that protects the skin from UV ray damages and helps your skin look smooth and free of fine lines. The fatty acids in the almond oil also help in maintaining the moisture in your skin making it glowy. This wonderful 24hr Advanced Moisturiser also contains jojoba oil which helps in regulating the sebum production, while the pomegranate oil in it has potent anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties and fends off free radicals. Just like its name indicates, this moisturiser is long-lasting and can be applied day and night (we suggest after the Anti-Ageing Elixir). You can find the Anti-Ageing Elixir serum here for 61.90€ and the 24hr Advanced Moisturiser here for 36.9€ 

Davisage: DVS Handie Bottles

Our way of living at the moment is constantly changing.  Be it the way we eat, dress or live day by day.  Now at The Amazing Blog we don’t leave the house without our mask and hand sanitiser. Alas, with the use of all these alcohol-based sanitisers, comes with the downside of dry hands. However, we have found a solution with Davisage’s two different types of DVS Handie Bottles. Both cleverly have a hand sanitiser and hand cream combined in separate sections in one bottle, making it dual-action. And, one of these just happens to be alcohol-free!  

We have already featured several products from the Davisage range here. Davisage is a company that combines technology and expert knowledge to create advanced products that help to address issues such as anti-ageing. These have been developed combining Japanese expert technologies and famous French formulations. So, when we learned about their timely launch of the DVS Handie Bottle, we couldn’t resist making this the latest #amazingfinds and must-have addition for our handbags!  

The DVS Handie Bottles combine both sanitiser and cream, where each 7.5ml is kept in separate compartments in this 15ml bottle – making it a dual-action. Let’s talk about the luxurious hand cream contained in both types of Handie Bottles. Its key ingredient is black orchid known for its amazingly deep hydration. It helps to prevent loss of elasticity and firmness, keeping the skin soft. The orchid oil has healing properties and soothes irritated skin. Orchids have often been called 'the perfect plant for the skin' simply because it contains calcium, magnesium and zinc which are all beneficial. Not only does orchid oil moisture the skin it also boosts the skin’s immunity, reduces fine lines and signs of ageing.  Whereas the Santiser here kills germs and effectively prevents the growth of fungus and yeast. This has a 60% alcohol content, which kills 99.99% of bacteria and bugs. The Handie Bottle that contains alcohol, kills all germs, bacteria, and viruses in a matter of 60 seconds. The alcohol-free one here will remove all germs, bacteria, and viruses as well, but it includes lavender known for its antibacterial properties and the aloe vera, which will hydrate your skin.

These elegant Handie Bottles, serve as 4 in 1 product making them unique in so many ways. Apart from the santiser and hand cream, these bottles have a handy compartment at the base of the bottle which can act as jewellery/ring holder. They also have a little circular facial mirror ideal for a quick touch up of makeup on the hoof. These both get the thumbs up from us as they’re multipurpose, small and light enough to even be taken on a plane. You too can purchase these here for £22.