Clockface Beauty – Beard Oil Ho Leaf & Bergamot

They say ‘time is measured in days, weeks and beards’ and with this yo-yo-ing lockdown, it feels like I’ve been cultivating one for months! Yet again, this presents another perfect opportunity to put those girls at The Amazing Blog through their paces, to search out a natural, super-gentle and great smelling beard oil for me. Not an easy task as my skin is quite sensitive and when washing my face, which is now quite often, it becomes a little sore and sensitive. This time, they introduced me to one of their favourite organic skincare brands Clockface Beauty who has created a fantastic grooming range from cleanser, masks to shave balms and oils. They kindly sent us their award-winning Ho Leaf & Bergamot Beard Oil which I couldn’t wait to try. If the brand sounds familiar to you, it probably because you’ve read our feature on their Foot & Leg Scrub and Balm here.

Sarah Thomas founded Clockface Beauty with the help of her mother, Karen. During her pregnancy, Sarah found there to be a noticeable lack of transparency on beauty product labelling. So this is where the Clockface Beauty story began where she and her mother decided to create their brand of natural, organic, cruelty-free and vegan skincare. This luxurious and natural skincare also offers products without artificial chemicals or synthetic fragrances.

As with so many of their products, the Ho Leaf & Bergamot Beard Oil has ingredients that are 99% organic. I used this Beard Oil first thing on my freshly washed beard, massaging it in to help nurture not only my hair follicles but skin too. The result was that my whiskers felt softer and my skin soothed and hydrated. A few drops of this Beard Oil go a long way, it absorbed quickly leaving me with a very pleasant fresh and subtle aroma. Light in consistency, it’s versatile enough to use on all beard lengths and skin types. The key ingredients of bergamot have antibacterial benefits helping to reduce skin irritation, oiliness, acne, psoriasis and eczema. Whereas the frankincense here has anti-ageing properties that protect the skin cells while reducing the blemishes and shrinking the pores. The carrier oils are jojoba which stimulates the hair growth and apricot kernel gives a toning and slight tightening effect to the skin. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn that the ho leaf here is mildly antiseptic, stimulating and known to also be an aphrodisiac! All in all, this Beard Oil feels cooling and healing, so if you too have a newly acquired beard that is giving you some grief, look no further. To purchase the 30ml Clockface Beard Oil for £22 here.

Cochine: Tuberose and Wild Fig Reed Diffuser

Still feeling a bit housebound? Then what a better way to enhance your mood than by an uplifting fragrant reed diffuser and we at The Amazing Blog can guarantee that you’ll love this one! We’ve been itching to try the reed diffusers from Cochine since we first discovered the brand as winners on global The Beauty Shortlist Awards.

Cochine is a luxurious and sustainable brand, launched in 2008. Its founder Kate Crofton-Atkins, took her inspiration to create her range of special fragrances from the charming hidden Saigon streets, overflowing with jasmine against the stylish backdrop of French architecture, that she encountered on her move there. The name of the brand is derived from La Cochinchine, the name given to Southern Vietnam by the French. In the beginning, Kate spent a year working with essential oils, and then partnered with a New York-based fragrance house to launch Cochine in Hong Kong. Today there is a range of over ten different fragranced perfumes, reed diffusers, candles and skincare products for bath and body. This brand has now found global recognition and is in select boutique and five-star hotels around the world. These high-end products reflect elegance from the actual scents through to the beautiful presentation and packaging.  Today we’re excited to be reviewing one of their unique reed diffusers that have been filling the office here with it’s intoxicating scent, Tuberose & Wild Fig, Kate said: “It’s inspired by my favourite time of day in Saigon -dusk - where the warm air carries the really rich and romantic scent of jasmine and tuberose, and that’s what I wanted to bottle.”

With this Tuberose and Wild Fig reed diffuser, let’s talk about the key scent notes found here. The tuberose, unlike the name suggests, is not a rose. It is, in fact, a member of the agave family (which gives us tequila!) it provides a powerful floral and heady nose with an olfactive spectrum, the smell of tuberose is like an explosive bouquet of white flowers.  Studies have shown that the tuberose scent when inhaled can help reduce stress, and help fight insomnia The inclusion of the warm night-flower jasmine is known to improve balance, restore, and revitalise energy giving an uplifting feeling of joy and relaxation. The ripe, fruity and earthy wild fig lingers here as the base note, cocooning and embracing with its softness. Finally, there also gentle burst of freshness from the citrusy bergamot.  What we love about reed diffusers is that they can be left unattended or you can remove the reeds and replace the stopper for occasional use. Also Inverting the reeds or increasing the number of reeds will strengthen the fragrance. You can find the reed diffuser here for £60.

Les Parfums de Rosine - Ballerina No 5

As spring has sprung, the birds are chirping and we at The Amazing Blog cannot resist spring’s bucolic charms. With brighter skies and our gardens radiating colour - it’s hope! When this frustrating #stayathome self-isolation is lifted, we hope it will be perfect timing for us to spend more time outside to enjoy the sunshine. Which brings us swiftly on to thinking about changing our winter fragrance for something lighter that will suit the spring mood. We were kindly got sent a new scent launch from the French perfume house Les Parfums de Rosine with their Ballerina N°5.

We’re been fans of the brand and have previously written about their Bois Fuchsia here. The founder and creator of Les Parfums de Rosine is Marie-Helen Rogeon who was born into a family of perfumers, with her great grandfather Louis Panafieu creating Eau de Cologne for Emperor Napoleon III. Her inspiration for her collections comes from her garden, from which she has developed a collection of perfumes around the rose, this ‘queen of flowers’. From bush to shrub, the rose has many varieties as well as unique subtle variants in fragrance. The Ballerina collection stems from the special variety ‘Rosier Ballerina’ whose small hydrangea-like flowerheads Rogeon compares to a delicate tutu of a young ballerina. With five individual fragrances in the Ballerina collection, each relates to a particular story i.e. “she is an enigmatic woman…” or “she is a desirable woman… both pure and innocent”. 

it is Ballerina N°5, from the range we are talking about today. Inspired by the famous ballet La Bayadère, which recounts the frustrated loves of the sacred Hindu dancer Nikiya. This fresh and delicate perfume works so well for the spring. It is feminine and exotic and seduces us with its heady and warm notes. This Ballerina N°5 has got a slight sweetness with a floral and wood finish. The top notes are from the rose, tangerine, Indian fig and orange blossom. The heart (or middle) notes are from Turkish rose essence, crystallized violet, lychee, almond blossom and heliotrope. Finishing with the base notes of sandalwood, tonka bean, patchouli and cedarwood. Despite the depth of its woodiness, it’s light and subtle and gives sensual and captivating aromas of the orient. We also love the pretty gold bottle with its very own organza tutu adorning the bottle’s neck.  Why not let yourself be tempted by the subtle and irresistible charm of Ballerina N°5, to purchase see here for the 100ml at 140€ or the 50ml bottle at 108€.

Sanda – Rose & Cardamom Aromatherapy Eye Pillow

Sometimes with this ever-changing world in which we live, it’s hard to remember to stop, take a moment, be mindful and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. Today at The Amazing Blog we’re excited to introduce you to something new with the Sanda Aromatherapy Eye Pillow. These therapeutic and calming eye pillows focus on evoking feelings through their scent. The calming and uplifting scents produced help to relieve stress and anxiety, perfect for this #stayathome moment and their Aromatherapy Eye Pillows are also very eco-friendly. 

Jo Bennett, the founder and designer behind Sanda, started the company after working in the textile industry and becoming a certified yoga instructor. This is when she had a light-bulb moment, deciding to merge her two passions, thus creating her Aromatherapy Eye Pillow. Launched this year, Sanda Aromatherapy Eye Pillows serve as a reminder to everyone to take time out of their day to decompress. We love that they’re handmade here in the UK in 100% organic linen, dyed botanically and contain only natural plant ingredients. Let’s not forget to mention too that their eye pillow sleeve is made from 100% recycled paper with vegetable printed inks. While the Eye Pillows are her primary product, Sanda also sells tote bags to store your eye pillow in or take to yoga class. Based on your preference, the pillows can be heated or cooled. To use warm - put the pillow in the microwave and heat for 20-30 seconds, and to use cold- let it cool in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. The pillows come in seven different scents such as the uplifting Orange & Cinnamon, Pine & Sage or Eucalyptus & Peppermint; or a relaxing Rose & Chamomile, Lavender & Rose, or Lavender & Chamomile.

We were sent the calming Rose & Cardamom eye pillow, and love its delicious smell of roses, which soothes and helps relieve anxiety. The cardamom helps to calm and promote emotional balance – which is rather timely for us at the moment! Upon touch, the pillow is incredibly soft and made up of only three ingredients: Flaxseeds, rose and cardamom. The linen cover is naturally dyed with madder root to give it a beautiful pale pink. Together these perfectly contour to the face and around the eyes, thus relieving tension and aiding relaxation. The pillow also stimulates meditation and peaceful sleep. There are both cosmetic and health benefits with the cooling technique as it helps reduce headaches and puffy eyes. We recommend adding this eye pillow, to help your relaxation technique during your day. Visit the Sanda to choose from one of their seven heavenly scented eye pillows. Or you can buy the Rose & Cardamom Aromatherapy Eye Pillow here for £22.00.

Gloh - Beauty Powder

What’s the secret to achieving glowing skin? We think a good place to start is from the inside out and here at The Amazing Blog, we love skincare that is made simple. Meet  Gloh who have a Beauty Powder targeted to bridge the gap between skincare and supplements, and which aims to help maintain a youthful appearance.

Gloh is a new Scottish supplement brand launching with its hero product ‘Beauty Powder’; which in simple terms, is a drinkable skincare product. ‘Gloh’ is an interesting play on words, promising to give a ‘glow’ and to be a real game-changer for anyone wanting to up their skincare regime. It’s a powder that comes individually wrapped in branded paper sachets, all presented in comment-worthy and elegantly styled peachy-pink box, making it very pleasing to the eye. This digestible skincare has key ingredients of hydrolysed marine collagen peptides (therefore not suitable for those who have fish allergies) and hyaluronic acid. The other goodies included are vitamins like B7 (D Biotin), B2 (riboflavin) B12 (cyanocobalamin), B6 (pyridoxine) and A (retinol). These combine with citric acid, natural peach aroma, beta-carotene and steviol glycosides. 

As regular readers will know we’re fans of all things collagen, not only for our skin but also for our joints and bone function; so this product certainly piqued our interest. Gloh claims to have ingredients to support the skin giving it an appearance of being more firm and plump with a collagen boost that hydrates and supports cell health. To start, mix one packet daily into a glass of water, it tastes like sugary peach water and can be drunk alone or added to juices and smoothies. We experimented by adding this packet to a plant-based banana smoothie which gave an added burst of fruit. It doesn’t matter if your skin is oily or dry, the powder is ideal for all skin types. The Gloh box contains 28 sachets for a 28-day supply. Suitable for almost everyone (with the exceptions in FAQ here ) and yes we’d recommend this, although with only a 28 day supply to try, it’s difficult to say if we saw a difference. We think that you probably need three months-worth of the product to see proper results.  Why not treat yourself and get your skin ‘Gloh-ing’, available here for £24.99. If you hurry, as of today they have 20% discount!