Masktini Spritz & Masks

At The Amazing Blog, we think that climate change, sun exposure, pollution and the change of seasons all contribute negatively to the changes in our complexion.  With the current lockdown on salons, we’ve been searching out ways to give ourselves a spa-like facial at home. We were recommended to try products from Masktini, a skincare brand where nature meets science. Today we’re featuring the Woke Bae - Whenever Moisture Spritz and their full collection of face masks. 

Masktini is a US skincare brand founded by Olga Parno. Having struggled with sensitive skin and breakouts, with no skincare solutions in sight, she decided it was time to step down from working in a successful career on Wall Street and create her very own skincare range. With her team of skincare experts, Parno created four gentle, and more importantly, results-oriented products, which are designed to help even the most delicate of complexion achieve a better quality of skin. The charming portmanteau Masktini, was inspired by combining her passion for face masks and one of her simple pleasures, the end of the day cocktails with her girlfriends. The branding is strong and luxurious, offering the consumer innovative skincare and at-home salon experience. Plus, with the product sizes at only 50ml, it makes them very user-friendly and easy to pop into an overnight travel bag. 

The first product in the range we tried was the Woke Bae - Whenever Moisture Spritz. This has been created to hydrate the skin by misting. Let’s talk about some of the key ingredients here, the Spritz is made up of apple extract, rich in antioxidants that help with the skins’ elasticity ridding it of free radicals to give a more youthful and firmer complexion. The watermelon extract renews skin cells and protects against UV damages and hyperpigmentation. Rich in grapefruit/orange peel oil, makes it an excellent antioxidant, full of vitamin C which blends well with the hyaluronic acid and collagen-boosting marine algae polymers. Used morning and night this vitamin-enriched Spritz gives a double whammy of refreshing and helping to plump away any fine lines.  We used this deliciously subtly fruity/vanilla fragranced mist daily for a week or so and noticed how it kept our faces moist and hydrated. It also worked well spritzing after using any of the masks too. To purchase you can find the Woke Bae - Whenever Moisture Mist here for £55.

The second product we tried was the Metal Head - Gold Brightening Mask which left us with an instant radiance! This Gold Brightening Mask contains mineral micro-pigments that leaves the skin with a golden glow. We think that this mask makes it a brilliant skin ‘pick me up’ post-party. Some of the key ingredients here are vitamin C to boost collagen levels giving skin back its elasticity; the pomegranate stem cells, which act as a skin brightener and with its antioxidants neutralises damage and protects against inflammation. The sunflower oil provides smoothness, rich in vitamin E it soothes acne and aids against other skin imperfections. We applied a generous layer onto a dry skin from chin to forehead (avoiding the eyes), using gentle upward strokes (as suggested). Leaving it on for 15–20 minutes then rinse away with warm water. It left our complexions with a glorious luminosity for the entire day. The Metal Head Gold Brightening Mask is available here for £65.  

Next, we have the Night Ranger – Overnight Renewal Mask; which for us was a ‘sleep therapy’ as a leave-on treatment, working overnight with its feather-light magic to improve the complexion. Made up of natural lime pearl acids, these act as an exfoliant for a smoother skin texture, whereas the papaya enzymes will clean clogged pores and help rid the skin of dead cells and soothing any redness or sensitivity. Finally, the hyaluronic acid plumps away fine lines and the anti-ageing retinol encourages healthy cellular renewal. Masktini advises applying a thin layer of this clear gel over the entire face (avoiding the eyes), stroking it upwards, leaving it on overnight then rinsing the skin with water to awaken a more luminous complexion. To purchase the Night Ranger - Overnight Renewal Mask for £65 see here.

Last but not least, the fourth product we used was the Twilight Zone - Tahitian Detox Mask.  They describe this as a ‘reset button’; ingredients include vitamin C from the Grapefruit /Orange Peel (see above with Woke Bae) and bamboo charcoal powder known for its ability to remove dirt and toxins from the skin. It also has the more unusual Tahitian black pearl powder which when massaged in, very gently resurfaces the skin giving it an immediate radiance. This black pearl powder will also help to undo sun damage and hyperpigmentation. This dark creamy mask warms up when applied, and with its botanical blends, it hydrates and restores the moisture balance, giving the complexion-boosting brilliance, while also deeply cleansing. Apply a thin layer of this foaming mask, then massage in for 1-2 minutes to let the black pearl powder activate. Leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse it with warm water. To purchase the Twilight Zone - Tahitian Detox Mask for £55 see here.

Which was our favourite? After much consideration, we’d have to say the Twilight Zone, as living in a polluted city, we found that this mask really did help to unclog our skin, leaving it hydrated and super-squeaky clean!

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. 

Inspira: Med Anti Ageing Sun Protection

Who’s wearing sunscreen today? We hope that it’s all of you! We at The Amazing Blog are very sun leery, particularly with this unpredictable UK summer weather. You can leave home in the morning when it’s overcast and then find yourself stranded at midday in full sun with no SPF and very little shade! That’s why today we want to bring you one of our #amazingfinds with a favourite solution-based skincare brand and their reliable SPF (and after-sun) for face or body. Say hello again to Inspira Cosmetics with their Med Anti Aging Sun Protection. We couldn’t resist trying this range after hearing that they won the LuxLife 2019 Health Beauty & Wellbeing Award here for this Anti Ageing Sun Protection range.

Inspira Cosmetics are based in Aachen and were founded in 2000. They’re known for their solution-based skincare and have a special motto of ‘maximum effect, but as natural as possible’. True trailblazers in the world of skincare, they are leaders in skin technology with natural and biotech active ingredients. As regular readers will know, we’ve already shared with you some of our favourite products here.

They kindly sent us both the Anti-Aging Sun Guard Spray SPF30  and Anti-Aging Sun Guard Spray SPF50. These SPF Sprays are quickly absorbed, with no white residue, non-greasy and have the added bonus of being water-repellent. The key ingredient in their suncare range is the natural active called Ectoin®. This active is obtained from microorganisms that live in extreme environments (e.g. in geysers, salt lakes or the Arctic). This ingredient increases the barrier effect on the skin as it protects it from the damaging effects of the sun and stressful environmental factors related to UV light or pollutants thanks to its antioxidant ability. It also serves as an emollient on the skin and in cosmetic formulas. We found that these two SPF Sprays work as excellent primers under make-up as well as a solo moisturiser/sun protection. We cannot stress enough the importance of wearing a strong SPF. The Ectoin® here contains anti-inflammatory properties and stabilises the skin cells, protecting them from UVA and UVB radiation. If you want an advanced SPF all-in-one moisturiser/primer/sun cream, then these Anti-Aging Sun Guard Sprays in SPF30 or SPF50 are for you! These Sun Guard Sprays contain karanja oil (AKA as pongamia oil) which is obtained from the Indian beech tree. This has soothing properties which also help to slow down the premature ageing process and shields the skin from the sun with its high UV absorption. Like us, you may wish to apply this Sun Guard Spray first thing in the morning under your make up. However, we do strongly recommend reapplying repeatedly if you are exposed directly to sunlight or on a beach or swimming.  We love the clean and subtle floral scent and can guarantee, that if your skin is anything like ours, then it’ll remain dewy and protected throughout the day. Both are 150ml the SPF30 retails at 28.76 Euros here and the SPF50 retails at 32.17 Euros here.

Finally, let’s move onto their After Sun. They kindly sent us the Immediate Soothing After Sun Foam which is mild creamy and crafted specifically for soothing over-exposed or sun-damaged skin. It immediately calms irritated skin thanks to the Ectoin®, panthenol, pumpkin seed extract and, seawater. The panthenol also called provitamin B5 which has a calming effect on the skin – again it increases skin hydration and creates a protective barrier. The pumpkin seed extract is rich in fatty acids such as omega 3 and 6 and also vitamin E, zinc, and other antioxidants that help to keep the skin moisturised for a more youthful appearance. We all know how vital water is for humans, being the most important molecule for the body and skin. What better way to include this ingredient, than by using seawater. Used since ancient times it holds therapeutic qualities and gives a regenerative and mineralising effect to the skin. This gentle foam also contains glycerine the famous water magnet and last but not least aloe vera, which relieves burns and itching thanks to the cooling effect - like a breath of cold air on the skin. This can be bought in 150ml here for 28.76 Euros.

All the range can be used on the face and body and we consider them to be an everyday essential, not just as a one-off holiday wonder. So, if you are still self-isolating or on lockdown at home, you might have forgotten just how intense the sun can be in the park, on your balcony or in the garden. By applying either of these SPF products daily will certainly ensure no more red faces!

Bao-Med UK - Pure Skin, Scalp & Hair Oil and Food Supplements: Hair Skin & Nails

They say that hair is a woman’s ‘crowning glory’ (a phrase that dates back to Biblical times) and we at The Amazing Blog couldn’t agree more.  After all, when you have a full head of shiny and voluminous hair, it makes you feel glamorous and feminine. Today we’re going to introduce you to two products that will help to put that va va voom right back into your hair with the main ingredient focus being from the baobab fruit.  Meet The Pure Skin, Scalp & Hair Oil, and the Food Supplement: Hair, Skin & Nails from Bao-Med, they both work well alone or when used in tandem.

We have introduced Bao-Med previously on in our features here, where we have written about their Pure Soap and Pure Oil Bodywash. So, we were excited to try out more from this brand again. Bao-Med offers natural products with baobab fruit as its key ingredient. Baobab is known as a ‘superfood’ because of its highly nutritious values. The baobab powder is very rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin C, making it an ideal choice for your hair health. The baobab tree can live for up to 3000 years and Bao-Med practices sustainability by only collecting the fruit that has already fallen on the ground, thus not damaging the tree. By doing this, the tree will continue to be a great source of the fruits for many years to come. Bao-Meds’ Pure Skin, Scalp & Hair Oil recently won an award in The Beauty Shortlist Award in 2020. What we particularly like about this brand is that all their products are organic and come with international certification. As mentioned previously, Bao-Med's products are made from pure baobab seed oil and vitamin and mineral-rich white powder from the fruit which is used in their Food Supplements. The oil from the nut of this fruit has softening, protective and restructuring properties and which are excellent for skin and hair, often used for stretch marks or dry and damaged hair. This brand’s products have been created to help promote healthy skin, scalp, hair and nails; as the baobab seed oil is renowned for its hydrating and healing properties.

Let’s start with the Pure Skin, Scalp & Hair Oil which is extracted as a cold-pressed oil from the baobab seed. Golden in colour, with the addition of a light fig fragrance, it’s made up of 99.8% baobab and 0.2% of natural fig perfume.  They tell us that 33% of the baobab seed consists of oleic and linoleic acids to soothe and protect.  We found it to be a bit of a ‘wonder oil’ where it protects, heals and repairs with its multipurpose use. Apart from scalp and hair (where it did very efficiently come to our aid of split ends and itchy scalps) it’s also great for skin, nails and lips; where we found it relieved dry skin and quickly absorbed leaving it deeply moisturised.  The oil is rich in omega 3, 6 & 9 and it has the added bonus of these great anti-ageing properties. We loved using it to rehydrate dry and frizzy hair working it into the ends after washing, and lightly massaging into the scalp to help reduce itchiness. You can purchase your Pure Skin, Scalp & Hair Oil, which comes in a 30ml bottle here for only £ 25.00.

Then we have the Food Supplements: Hair Skin & Nails, which helps to maintain a balanced body. The key ingredient again is the baobab powder which is combined with other ingredients such as biotin, zinc and, folic acid, making it the ideal supplement for healthier hair. Biotin, in particular, is critical to healthier hair growth, keeping it strong and shiny. This Supplement is rich in prebiotics too, which helps with gut health and supports a good digestion. Did you know that the baobab powder has four times vitamin C than oranges? Which when you put all this together with potassium and calcium for the wellbeing of kidneys and bones, plus the magnesium which balances the metabolism and prevent diabetes and osteoporosis; by taking just two capsules a day with food - you get full body benefit with just one supplement! You can buy the 60 capsules of this Food Supplements: Hair Skin & Nails here for only £ 25.00.