Bescher: Sea Cucumber Collagen Regeneration Serum & Sea Cucumber Collagen Anti-Ageing Cream

At The Amazing Blog  we know how important skincare is!  And as we like to support smaller and more natural brands today, we’re featuring the Australian skincare Bescher which has a very unique key ingredient of sea cucumber collagen in their range of three products.  

Bescher is a natural skincare brand founded in 2019 by Renee Alyce. Before developing Bescher, Renee had many skin issues, including fair and sensitive skin, pigmentation, redness, and pimples. Renee lived on a secluded island in the Pacific for six years, and this is where she discovered all of the benefits of the sea cucumber. On the island, she noticed villagers applying sea cucumber collagen to minor wounds, infections, and other skin conditions. This is when Renee researched sea cucumbers and found that they possess extraordinary regenerative and healing properties and even help to regenerate themselves. This was enough to convince her to try sea cucumber collagen extract on her face, and after a week of application, she felt like her skin was ‘reborn’. Renee recently said in an interview, “Sea cucumber collagen changed my skin and the way I felt about myself, and I just knew from that moment if it had the power to make me feel better and to help heal my skin, maybe other people could feel the benefits too.” When Renee returned to Australia, she worked with a leading laboratory to help her formulate the skincare line. Using her products has made Renee feel empowered and confident in fact, so much so, with the improvement in her complexion she’s stop wearing foundation. The base of every Bescher product is sea cucumber collagen, which contains benefits that far outweigh terrestrial mammalian. For a long time, people have eaten sea cucumbers to gain health benefits, and Bescher is the first skincare brand to put sea cucumber collagen into a skincare. The sea cucumbers are sustainably sourced from a specialist in research and development for marine biotechnology. These are harvested from unaltered marine ecosystems, where they are all about preserving the marine environment and working with local communities to return young sea cucumbers to their habitat for further growth. Bescher, a natural skincare, promises its products are clean and free from all nasties. They are fragrance-free and suitable for sensitive skin, contain sustainable ingredients and come from small-batch production. They are completely recyclable, with two products in glass jars, and the plastic serum bottle with pouch can both be disposed of safely, each in its proper recycling chain.

Bescher’s Sea Cucumber Collagen Regeneration Serum is an ultra-concentrated serum that rapidly influences collagen production and boosts skin cell turnover. This serum helps delay visible signs of ageing, gives the skin radiance and luminosity, and reduces scarring, redness, and ageing. The main ingredients in the serum include sea cucumber collagen, orange stem cells, matrixyl 3000 TM, and hyaluronic acid. Sea cucumber collagen is the star ingredient — it repairs skin collagen and elastin protein fibres, generates a protective layer on the outer skin surface, and enhances the homogeneous distribution of collagen fibres. Orange stem cells protect the protein and nucleic acids in our skin from oxidants, enabling cells to excrete free radicals to avoid UV oxidisation, genetic mutation, pigmentation, and wrinkles. Matrixyl 3000 TM transforms your skin through increased collagen production, rapid skin cell turnover and renewal, anti-inflammation, skin pigmentation reduction, UV protection, and increased blood flow to the skin. Hyaluronic acid encourages skin cell growth and renewal, provides anti-inflammatory benefits and free radical protection. We used it morning and night to clean, dry skin. It’s a clear, viscous liquid that’s fragrance-free and absorbs quickly and gives a feeling of slightly tightening the skin. We then followed this with the Sea Cucumber Collagen Cream (which we’ll discuss below). Our favourite area of use this was around the eye area, where we found that the serum worked well to brighten and soothe dry, tired eyes and reduce fine lines and under-eye circles. You can find the Sea Cucumber Collagen Anti-Ageing Cream herefor £63.75.

The  Sea Cucumber Collagen Anti-Ageing Cream regenerates the skin’s tone, texture, and luminosity and reveals younger, brighter, and they claim it will revitalise skin from the first application. This cream leaves the skin looking and feeling renewed and minimises lines, wrinkles, and signs of sun damage. The main ingredients in the cream include sea cucumber collagen, munapsys, squalane, kakadu plum, and hyaluronic acid. Sea cucumber collagen is again the star ingredient — it repairs skin collagen and elastin protein fibres, generates a protective layer on the outer skin surface, and enhances the homogeneous distribution of collagen fibres. Munapsys is a ground-breaking anti-age ingredient that flattens wrinkles, elasticises tired skin, and dramatically improves the appearance of skin texture. Squalane hydrates and moisturises skin and is a detoxifier, natural booster of collagen, and anti-bacterial. Kakadu plum brightens dull skin, antioxidises to prevent free-radical damage, protects from carcinogens, banishes fine lines and wrinkles, soothes inflammation, and heals hyperpigmentation and busting acne. Hyaluronic acid encourages skin cell growth and renewal, provides anti-inflammatory and supports collagen production. This was our favourite out of the two. Again fragrance-free, in an almost opaque gel x cream consistency - we found that a little goes a long way, making it perfect for our dry and sensitive skins. It was a joy to use as it hydrated and plumped up the skin creating the perfect canvas for foundation or makeup. Yes, another one of our #amazingfinds! You can purchase the Sea Cucumber Collagen Regeneration Serum here for £68.67.

Skin Beautiful Organics: Gold Luxe Clean Oil & Matcha Rose Antioxidant Toner

There is something about all-natural skincare which has all of us at The Amazing Blog coming back for more. That is why we are revisiting Skin Beautiful Organics, which you may remember we have reviewed before here. Today, we had the opportunity to try two more of their luxury skincare products, this time with their cleansing duo the Gold Luxe Clean Oil and the Matcha Rose Antioxidant Toner. 

Skin Beautiful Organics, founded by Ethel Emmons, is a newly launched luxury skincare brand based in the USA. Ethel, a digital strategist and entrepreneur, searched in vain to find skincare products that were gentle, natural, and chemical-free for her sensitive skin. She felt as though she was in an uphill battle with her skin, struggling to ward off swollen, red, and itchy skin that came as a result of using her favourite face creams. This struggle led her to experiment with creating homemade, natural skincare remedies to soothe and protect her skin using various ingredients, such as whole fruits, hydrosols, herbs, and essential oils. With this, she found her passion and decided to pursue formal studies at the UK International School of Natural Skincare, where she received her Certificate of Natural Skincare Formulation. After finishing her studies, Ethel created Skin Beautiful Organics to help others find their perfect skin care match. Skin Beautiful Organics consists of an extensive range of cleansers, serums, creams, scrubs, toners, and masks, all made with the latest and most innovative natural science techniques. All products are manufactured in an FDA-registered and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) compliant facility powered by 100% renewable wind energy. To maintain the freshness of their ingredients, all products are handcrafted in small batches. Organic and locally sourced ingredients are used whenever possible. Skin Beautiful Organics is proud to announce that their formulas have met or exceeded the Whole Foods Premium Standards for Personal Care Products .

The first step for of the cleansing was the Gold Luxe Clean Oil. This deep cleansing facial oil aims to clean the skin and melt away impurities without stripping the skin of its natural oil balance. The oil nourishes the skin and combats inflammation, all whilst removing makeup and leaving the skin feeling soft and supple. The organic facial oil also focuses on restoring skin through its anti-ageing formula with the help of fourteen high-performance ingredients. A few key ingredients include organic rosehip seed oil, raspberry seed oil, and tamanu seed oil. Organic rosehip seed oil is responsible for depleting dark spots and sun damage through its abundance of omegas (3, 6, and 9) and vitamins (A, C, D, and E). The rosehip seed oil actively rejuvenates the skin to create a smooth and flawless look. Another contributor of the antioxidant vitamin E is the raspberry seed oil, which is added to prevent damage leading to premature skin ageing, leaving the skin plump and firm. The vitamin E found in these natural ingredients help to protect the skin from UV damage and other free radicals. The tamanu seed oil, also known as green gold, is a natural non-steroid anti-inflammatory agent that prevents the skin from becoming irritated or red. The multi-faceted facial oil contains many other ingredients that contribute to its nourishing and cleaning properties that leave the skin feeling refreshed, smoothed, and nourished. The application is simple: use your hands, washcloth, sponge, or cotton pad to massage the oil on your face until the makeup or impurities are removed. Finally, rinse off with lukewarm water and enjoy freshly cleansed skin. 

The second step is the Matcha Rose Antioxidant Toner. This toner contains award-winning plant-based antioxidants and the highest possible concentration of botanical actives to deliver remarkable results. The toner aims to remove any last traces of impurities following the cleansing oil and also prepares the thoroughly clean skin for a serum and/or moisturiser. There are twenty-five (yes, twenty-five!) high-performance ingredients found in this toner. A notable few include one of our favourites sea buckthorn oil (which we have written about when found Scandinavian skincare brands), organic green tea, and bayberry. Sea buckthorn oil is well known for its complex lipids and sterols that help keep the skin hydrated, improving skin elasticity and firmness. Organic green tea has anti-inflammatory properties that reduce redness and irritation, making it a perfect post-cleansing ingredient. Bayberry is an all-natural ingredient that helps to remove excess oil that may stick to the skin after cleansing. There are a remarkable amount of other ingredients that enhance the power of this toner and boost cellular regeneration. The toner can be easily applied with a cotton pad and gives off a light matcha green tea and rose scent. We found that they work perfectly as a set, starting with the gentle cleansing of the facial oil, followed by the toner to ensure that all impurities were removed, and finished with a serum and cream. The oil and toner gently removed all makeup and left our skin with a refreshing and smooth finish. If you are looking to deeply cleanse, protect, and nourish your skin using all-natural ingredients, these products might be the perfect addition to your skincare routine. Apart from the ingredients that we love, we also like the elegant long line frosted glass bottles that are chic enough to complement any dressing table or bathroom shelf. You can purchase the 120ml Gold Luxe Clean Oil here for £74.00 and the 120ml Matcha Rose Antioxidant Toner here  for £65.00.

Corpo Sancto: Botanical Perfume Oil Collection

At The Amazing Blog, we love to try new fragrances, especially those that transport us to a different place or time, and with the Corpo Sancto’s newly launched Botanical Perfume Collection, we can wistfully imagine ourselves somewhere far, far away. This Botanical Perfume Collection takes us on a fascinating olfactory journey with their five unusually named perfume oils: Going To California, Marrakesh Express, Norwegian Wood, This Bird Has Flown, Gold Dust Woman, and Where The Wild Roses Grow.

Corpo Sancto is an Anglo-Scandinavian brand based in fashionable Brighton, which sells perfume oils, scented room diffusers, biodegradable luxury rapeseed wax candles, and a range of other home-related products made from reclaimed goods. Their perfume oils are made in small batches, vegan, and use only natural ingredients. Sustainability is at the heart of the brand, and wherever possible, their suppliers are UK-based and their packaging is made from recycled materials. Corpo Sancto is run by Chris and Annelie Bystrom-Turner, who are a husband and wife duo. In addition to being co-owners of Corpo Sancto, Chris is the drummer in Orange Goblin, and Annelie is a well-known makeup artist. Corpo Sancto’s mission is to be as eco-friendly as possible, carbon-neutral, with biodegradable products that are paraben-free and all without compromising on style or quality.

The Botanical Perfume Collection has a base of jojoba oil, and each perfume oil is then blended with a unique combination of scents. We’ve heard that the process of creating these fragrances is a highly guarded secret that involves weeks of sampling and testing to get it right. When asked about this new launch, Corpo Sancto said that they were tired of the misleading descriptions for traditional scents, and that’s why they deliberately chose obvious ingredient explanations here for each of their aromas. Which by the way, if you hadn’t already guessed, the five perfume oils are named after a rock or pop anthem (look them up!) - this is where lyrics, melodies, and scents meet.

Here are the perfume oils in the Botanical Perfume Oil Collection: Going To California which they describe as “Thumbin’ a ride to Laurel Canyon” with warm citrus notes of neroli and grapefruit mixed with coriander and spicy black pepper on a base of frankincense and myrrh. Marrakesh Express is of “Memories of Morocco through the haze of hashish smoke” with woody and warm amber fragrance notes blended with black pepper, tobacco, vanilla, sandalwood, tolu balsam and smoke. The Norwegian Wood – This Bird Has Flown is “A stroll through a Scandinavian forest on winter solstice” with fresh, woody notes of pine, cedar, rosewood and opoponax on an earthy base of patchouli and oakmoss. Gold Dust Woman is “A fragrance for the dark” with notes of Middle Eastern spices, rose and jasmine on a warm base of frankincense, myrrh and sandalwood. And finally, Where The Wild Roses Grow is described as “Petals crushed underfoot as you journey through the woods” with a hint of clary sage blended with rose, orris and labdanum on an earthy base of oakmoss, patchouli, and sandalwood. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but if we had to, it’d be neck and neck with Where The Wild Roses Grown and Gold Dust Woman.

Given the choice of wearing perfume oils or an Eau de Parfum, it’d be perfume oil every time for us. Why? Did you know that a perfume oil is more concentrated? With over 20% of fragrance concentration in the oil, this gives the wearer up to eight hours of scent, and even then, it still deliciously lingers. Whereas Eau de Parfum (EDP) contains about 12% fragrance concentration in alcohol, which evaporates after approximately four hours, leaving the wearer in need of reapplication. When using these perfume oils, we suggest anointing the pulse points, especially the wrists, rub a little to warm up the oil, and then take deep breaths; it helps to soothe the mind, uplifts the spirits and gives us our own little piece of calm throughout the day. We used these alone, but you could combine one or two from the collection to create an individual scent that resonates with your given mood. These are another of our #amazingfinds and we highly recommend experiencing these exceptional perfume oils; you can buy them individually at 10ml for £30.00, and 2ml for £5.00, or for the set of five in the Botanical Perfume Collection see here at £120.00.

Skin Beautiful Organics: Intelligent Skin Recovery Hyper-Serum & Bio-Resurfacing Enzyme Cream

Today, we’re going stateside, and want to introduce a new luxury skincare that we’ve had our eye on, ever since their pre-launch on Instagram. As regular readers will know, at The Amazing Blog    we like to champion new high-performance natural skincare brands, especially those with slightly more unusual ingredients. Meet Skin Beautiful Organics, who we hope will launch here soon in the UK.

As mentioned above, Skin Beautiful Organics is a new launch of luxury botanical-based skincare from the USA, and their founder is Ethel Emmons, who is a business technologist and digital strategist and entrepreneur. The brand story began when Ethel searched in vain to find  gentle, natural and chemical-free skincare to replace her favourite face creams - which occasionally gave her hypersensitivity and led to swollen, red and itchy skin. Back as far as 2007, unable to find any suitable alternatives, Ethel experimented with creating homemade natural skincare remedies to soothe and protect her skin using a variety of ingredients from whole fruits, hydrosols and herbs to carrier and essential oils, all to help soothe and protect her skin. However, it wasn’t until 2020, after completing her studies at the UK International School of Natural Skincare and Formula Botanical, that she decided to launch her own plant-based skincare. Thus, Skin Beautiful Organics was born with 14 clean, natural and effective products, which are a wide range of cleansers, toner, essence, serums, creams, mask and scrubs. All products are made with the latest and most innovative natural science techniques to extract healthy nutrients from plants in a highly bioavailable format. These are manufactured in an FDA-registered and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) compliant facility powered by 100% renewable wind energy. To maintain the freshness of their ingredients, all products are handcrafted in small batches. Organic ingredients are used wherever possible, and Skin Beautiful Organics are proud to announce that their formulas have met or exceeded the Whole Foods Premium Standards for Personal Care Products.

We were excited to try two of their new products. The first was one of their best-seller, the Intelligent Skin Recovery Hyper-Serum  It is a hyper-serum aimed at helping ageing/mature skin, fine lines, dry and dull skin, or loss of skin elasticity and firmness. The Serum acts to strengthen the skin matrix, stimulate collagen and elastin fibroblast, and provide skin resilience and firmness through feeding the skin with its abundance of nutrition. Yes, and it is ‘abundance’ with over 40 high-performance actives in the Serum; one thing is for sure, Skin Beautiful Organics hasn’t skimped on their ingredients here. There are far too many to explain, so we’ll talk about a few key ones, which include; globularia cordifolia callus culture extract, this plant grows in the mountains of central and southern Europe, which supports cell renewal, cell longevity and eliminates damaged proteins and environmental toxins. You can also find sandalwood hydrosol from the santalum album tree – used as incense in spiritual ceremonies for centuries – It soothes irritated skin and reduces inflammation. One of our favourites is niacinamide (vitamin B3), which has many benefits supporting the skin barrier, increasing its resiliency, and improves texture by making pores look smaller.  Another essential active is the Irish moss (or red algae) with its high level of nutrients, including antioxidants and it very importantly offers protection from the visible effects of blue light exposure. Finally, the sunflower seed oil (which is in both the products) is an excellent source of vitamin E, rich in nutrients and antioxidants, effectively for combatting inflammation, eczema and general redness or skin irritation. Our experience was a positive one, the fragrance is a warm, gentle and not intrusive, it’s a mix of sandalwood and rose. It absorbed well and helped plump up the skin, and even left us with a soft sheen that really made our complexion glow… With this Serum’s plethora of ingredients, I’d even go so far as to say, that using this alone, could be enough even for those like us, with a dry or sensitive skin.  They advise using night and day before applying a day cream (for extra protection) or alone under makeup. You can purchase the 30ml Intelligent Skin Recovery Hyper-Serum for €93.00 here.

Next, we tried the Bio-Resurfacing Enzyme Cream again, this cream is more for ageing, mature or dry skin, and for those with an uneven skin tone. It has an elite collection of bio-actives and enzymes that make up the 31 high-performance Ingredients. This Bio-Resurfacing Enzyme cream is mainly for night-time use to regenerate and boost cell renewal, so as to give a brighter and smoother skin. The hero ingredients here are pomegranate, with its powerful antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals which brighten and exfoliate. The papaya extract is high in vitamin C and E, enzymes and alpha hydroxy acids. This helps to get rid of dead skin cells and unclogs pores to combat spots and acne. It also balances the elastic fibres and collagen of the dermis. Another ingredient that keeps collagen strong is the wakame seaweed bio-ferment, which delivers anti-ageing effects to minimises damage at the cellular level by detoxifying the skin thanks to vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, and B12, and fatty acids. It also contains geranium, which also fights against ageing by minimising fine lines and improving skin elasticity and firmness. There’s also plant stem cells with daisy for cell protection, and organic dandelion, rosehip seed and sunflower seed oils, all to boost the skin with antioxidants for protection and rejuvenation. It’s wonderful to find a rich and intense cream that works, and with it’s luxurious whipped finish, it didn’t disappoint. We could identify three of our favourite essential oils with the subtle mix of geranium, neroli and bergamot in the fragrance, making it even more of a pleasure to use. For us, it was better at night as we felt it had an undisturbed time to penetrate the dermis and ‘feed’ the skin. However, we also used a small amount over the Serum during the day, as it helped to protect our skin in the inclement UK weather (it’s May and still a chilly 10 degrees!) If your skin is looking lacklustre or dry, this is the skincare for you. We’re going to keep a close eye on Skin Beautiful Organics, and can’t to try more from the range. Yes, it’s our #amazingfinds for this week’s skincare. You can buy 50ml Bio-Resurfacing Enzyme Cream for €93.00 here . 

Chic & Raw: Rose Quartz Heart Chakra Crystal Candle

Who doesn’t love to burn a beautifully fragranced candle in the evening? At The Amazing Blog, we love how with its flickering ambient light it helps make a house feel like a home. This is another of our #amazingfinds, more than just a candle; this  Rose Quartz Heart Chakra Crystal Candle from Chic & Raw  combines the positive energies of crystal healing, natural soy wax and a relaxing spa-like fragrance.

Binanti Cuzner and her husband Darren created Chic & Raw in 2019. The brand started as a creative outlet to help them get away from their busy and stressful work lives. With Binanti’s love of yoga, meditation and chakra healing (focal points in ancient meditative practices), she wanted to share her knowledge and beliefs to help others through her brand. Chic & Raw dedicates itself to providing holistic and luxury products beneficial for the mind, body and soul. These are mainly candles, "I wanted to create a sense of joy and harmony with these candles," said Binanti. She studied chakras and crystal healing, matching them for an optimum release in her candles for healing crystal vibration.  She wants to combine beauty with harmony to make every home beautiful by releasing uplifting scents and integrating this with the unique crystals. Binanti believes that a harmonised home, relates to peace of mind. Chic & Raw is committed to working with a few trusted suppliers, and wherever possible, sources local ingredients from UK businesses. The cotton wicks are organic, the soy wax is natural and the fragrances are a mix of essential oils or luxury fragrances from the French perfume house, Drom. We applaud the brand their giving-back policy where they recently partnered with Ecologi to plant a tree for every product sold on Earth Day. Their current candles are themed as Crystal, Tinned and Colour Therapy. Plus, they have other lifestyle products and a new skincare Honeyzen, which for now, has only one face oil. 

As mentioned, we tried was the Rose Quartz Heart Chakra Crystal Candle, presented in a solid luxury cardboard rose gold foiled box. The candle itself comes in an elegant electroplated rose gold and etched glass container (which we later repurposed for storage). Incorporated in this candle are two rose quartz crystals positioned at opposite edges; these are ethically sourced from Madagascar. Rose quartz is known to enhance the heart chakra, boosting feelings of peace, calm and love. It is often used during meditation to help open the mind and heal the heart. It’s also possible to remove these crystals as the wax melts, placing them in your hands, or on the heart chakra to activate the rose quartz while meditating. The candle is made with natural soy wax, a non-toxic alternative to paraffin. Indeed, soy wax is biodegradable, releases less soot while burning, more sustainable and burns 50% longer than paraffin. The organic cotton wick makes it easier to continuously relight the candle, where it can last up to approximately 40 hours. The soy wax contains white tea essential oil, which is known to promote a general sense of wellbeing and helps to alleviate symptoms of anxiety, insomnia and depression. This is a light and clean scent with subtle notes of citrus, basil, peony and amber. This mingles sensuously with the warm and spicy ginger oil, known for its stimulating and warming qualities. We lit this candle during those bleak February #lockdown days, using it to enhance our affirmations and offer thanks for keeping our loved ones safe. It's a candle we'd recommend lighting during meditation to uplift spirits and to help deal with any emotional pain. There are three other Crystal Candles in the range with Ruby, Amethyst and Aventurine, each one offering a different purpose. They also provide a fascinating insight on how to ‘active’ or ‘recharge’ your crystals here. As Binanti says: “Burning Chic & Raw Crystal Chakra Candles releases both the energy of the crystal and the soothing fragrances that relieves stress and helps to balance your mind and body.” Something we could all benefit from at this time. This luxurious Rose Quartz Heart Chakra Candle is available for £36 here.