H Drop CBD : Sixty Moments

As the festive season gets underway, are you getting enough sleep? Perhaps you’re burning the candle at both ends.  Or maybe you’re lying awake feeling anxious about the spread of the new Covid variant. Well, at The Amazing Blog, we’d like to make a suggestion, to try these rather aptly named ‘Sixty Moments’ from one of our favourite and trusted CBD supplement brands, H DROP.

H Drop is a Dutch family business whose story began in the 19th-century when their great-grandfather Rochus Sliupas started his medical practice fighting cholera and tuberculosis outbreaks. Today, his great-grandson, also named Rochus, continues the family tradition of working in the wellbeing sector. Only this time, it’s with hemp-based full-spectrum THC-free CBD supplements. H Drop’s range currently comprises four CBD oils and two CBD capsules, and they conveniently have a CBD dosage calculator if you’re unsure of the amount to take. H Drop uses only 100% organic hemp, sourced from European fields and extracted in German/UK labs, with an ISO 9001 certification and manufactured under the HACCP  guidelines. This means that they comply with the strictest standards of processing raw materials, quality control, packaging and distribution of the products. Where they have perfected one of the most advanced extraction methods with CO2 chromatography technology. The CO2 extraction means that the CBD is a raw oil and not extracted at high temperatures, ensuring that the enhancing properties of the plant are not damaged. This method also allows them to detect and carefully remove 99.9% of THC molecules from the naturally extracted full-spectrum oil. The H Drop extract still contains all the beneficial cannabinoids (CBN, CBV, CBG, CBC), myrcene, limonene, pinene, humulene, flavonoids (apigenin, quercetin, cannaflavins) and other terpenes which are found in hemp leaves, except for the intoxicating THC. You can also see their laboratory results here. The range is deemed suitable for everyone (although not vegans/vegetarians, as the capsules are made from bovine gelatine!) The packaging is simple and made of recycled cardboard and filled with hemp fibre. There’s also a nice touch with Braille on the sides, translating their motto of Hemp (fully organic), Help (GMP certified) and Health (CO2 extracted).

Sixty Moments’ capsules are a little stronger at 25mg of full-spectrum CBD than the other 10mg Sixty Breath which we reviewed a while back.  Although with the same ingredients, these have been specifically “created for those seeking precise and stronger dosage.” We took these to help improve our sleep patterns – anything to stop those 4 am brain scrambles that poke us awake. These, of course, are made worse at this time of year, with the series of late nights, followed by super-early mornings at our desks. Striving for better quality sleep and balance, these offer a potential solution done by taking some ‘Sixty Moments’ - and mindful moments - stop, breathe and clear the mind. CBD interacts with the serotonin receptors (these play a role in regulating our mood) and is thought to help promote a more positive mental state and a healthy functioning nervous system. The organic hemp oil in each capsule has the bonus of omega 3, 6 and vitamin E. The hemp oil contains cannabinoids that ease anxiety and help to reduce the symptoms of depression. The essential fatty acids, such as omega-3 and omega-6, are also known to improve memory and work to protect the brain and the nervous system and can work as an immune-enhancing supplement if taken regularly. Therefore helping to improve mood and enhance sleep quality

They suggest dividing the dosage evenly with 1, 2 or even 3 times a day. Swallow don’t chew and gradually increase the dose if needed but never exceed 200mg of CBD per day. The bottle contains 60 capsules (1,500mg) which offer approximately a 30 days supply. As they say, the amount of CBD you take will depend on several factors such as body weight and chemistry, the condition you’re treating and the concentration of CBD. For us, it was trying to regulate our sleep patterns, so we took two capsules at night and two during the day (total of 100mg). As we’re old hands, it only took a few days to kick in. It gave us a sense of calm, and so far, to quote H Drop, “no more anxious days and restless nights.” They are a little pricey, but worth it for the quality of the ingredients. To purchase H Drop: Sixty Moments 60 capsules for €89, see here.

Root Minerals : Moisture Infusion Lipstick & IntensifEYE Me Natural Mascara

After a long year stuck inside, there is no better feeling than being able to go out again, and for us at The Amazing Blog, this means putting a little more effort into ourselves and our appearance! That is why we went on the hunt for new and unique beauty products to break us out of our post-pandemic slump. Root Minerals caught our attention with its multitude of natural products. We decided to try the Moisture Infusion Lipstick in the shade Strawberry Kiss and the IntensifEYE Me Natural Mascara. 

Root Minerals is a vegan makeup brand that is “inspired by love.” The company, which is based in the UK, was founded by Jay Baharj in 2016. Jay’s story starts with the love for his wife and a fascination with natural ingredients. When Jay’s wife, Amy, used makeup, her sensitive skin would have a bad reaction, eventually leading her to stop wearing makeup altogether. Jay began to wonder if other people suffered this way and why makeup couldn't benefit the skin. These questions drove Jay to research many different “natural” brands that contained many harmful and unnecessary ingredients. Out of frustration and love for his wife, Jay founded Root Minerals to create makeup products that would be cruelty-free, ethical, and all-natural. Jay now has a well-established makeup line featuring over 60 super pigment eyeshadows, 30 organically infused lipsticks, 36 foundation shades, and more! Root Minerals proudly holds the vegan certification and uses its brand to advocate against animal cruelty. Root Minerals began with a story of love and continues to promote love through its natural and ethical products.

The first product that we tried was the Moisture Infusion Lipstick in the shade Strawberry Kiss.  All of the lipsticks in this collection are infused with organic oils and plant-based waxes, which protect the lips from the sun and provide staying power for all-day colour. Natural oils and waxes are also beneficial due to their moisturising and nourishing power, setting apart the Moisture Infusion Lipstick from others that dry out our lips as the day goes by. Some of the most notable ingredients in these products are castor oil, shea butter, and iron oxide colouring. Castor oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acid ricinoleic acid, which helps retain the skin's moisture by preventing water loss through the outer layer of the skin. When used in lipstick, castor oil keeps the lips hydrated and helps avoid the product's bleeding around the lips. Shea butter is an easily absorbed ingredient that goes to work at treating and preventing chapped lips. The fatty acids and antioxidants found in shea butter help smooth lips and create a soft and supple look. Iron oxide colouring is a natural colourant that comes from the oxidation of sedimentary rocks, leaving us with brilliant shades of silver, red, yellow, brown, and more. Iron oxide is moisture resistant, making it perfect for the gym or summer heatwaves. The shade Strawberry Kiss, a dark metallic orangey-red colour, and is reminiscent of the natural wonders left behind by oxidised rock. The colour is earthy and rich, perfect for a pop of colour and has a fabulous bit of shimmer for this festive period. The application was smooth and felt nourishing even hours after applying. 

The second product that we tried was the IntensifEYE Me Natural Mascara. This cleverly named mascara has a specially designed brush and formula meant to thicken and darken lashes. This multifaceted mascara is waterproof, quick-drying, and perfect for sensitive eyes or contact wearers. The unique formula contains natural plant oils and vegetable waxes for long-lasting wear. One ingredient that stood out to us is oryza sativa bran oil. This bran oil helps to repair dress and brittleness while contributing to hair growth. This oil helps treat and nourish the eyelashes while being worn, making a multi-purposeful product. In addition to healing the lashes, the mascara can be used as an eyeliner due to its creamy texture or used to eliminate white hairs. We liked how the formula was buildable, which meant we could add more or less mascara to create a day or night look without the mascara clumping. Just a few swipes left our lashes fuller and thicker, and the creaminess of the product made for a smooth application. If you are looking to add mineral makeup into your routine, then these natural and ethical products will be for you. To purchase the Moisture Infusion Lipstick for £25, click here. To purchase the IntensifEYE Me Mascara for £25, click here.

CBDila : POLISH, and NOURISH

More and more, hemp-infused and CBD products are being produced here in the UK, and as CBD fans we have a particular interest in trying new topicals and edibles. Today at The Amazing Blog, we’re excited to share with you CBDila a budding (yes, pun intended) CBD skincare range. As regular readers will know, we think that the benefits of the CBD are numerous, which is we love testing out new products.

CBDila is a skincare brand that comes under the CBD Box umbrella. CBD Box is considered one of the leading online retailers of licensed cannabidiol (CBD) products. It is a premium CBD brand created with the mission to produce and sell the highest quality CBD health and wellness products. Currently, they have two brands the CBD Box itself and CBDila. Both brands were recently established by Damon Booth. This was after 2018 when he set up his Malta-based medical cannabis company Melabis. It is a company that researches the cannabis industry, and recently secured over 3k hectares of agricultural land to grow hemp in Uzbekistan. BTW did you know that growing cannabis and/or hemp uses around 10 -15% times less water than cotton production? Hemp is also considered a valuable carbon-sequestering crop together with other commercial crops, such as soybean rice-wheat and sugarcane. We recently saw a comment here quoting that 1 acre of hemp will sequester the same amount of co2 in a year, as an acre of 100-year-old oak trees. As a CBD aficionado, the driving force for Booth is to find the highest grade CBD to create his edibles and topicals for improving both his and his consumers’ lifestyle. Beyond growing and sourcing natural CBD, the sustainability of the packaging and products is also important to Booth. CBDila currently has five THC-free CBD infused skincare products, which we presume are made with CBD isolate (CBD Box please correct us here if we’re wrong!) They are 97% natural, cruelty-free and vegan; and packaged in recyclable glass jars and bottles. 

Let’s start with the first of these two-body products, the CBDila’s POLISH. This they refer to as a “refining body polish for smoother skin.” The subtle fragrance that greets you is an uplifting subtle zest from the lime essential oil. The base oils are sweet almond, olive and coconut. These have gentle and hydrating qualities but are also excellent for deep cleansing pores from impurities. The olive and coconut oils are both full of antioxidants that moisturise and minimise the signs of skin ageing; they are also notably good cleansers for those with dry skin as they revitalise and strengthen the skin's tonicity. The 300mg of THC-free CBD isolate here, is in a refined crystalline form, which is odourless and is also thought to be the purest and most potent form of CBD. Mainly extracted from hemp, the isolate is produced by removing all other compounds found in the plant, including other cannabinoids isolating the CBD. This isolate is thought to be the best type of CBD for use in skincare, as it doesn't clog pores and is packed with skin-rejuvenating antioxidants properties. However, there are a few other ingredients that make this body POLISH that piqued our interest, with the pumice stone and fruit extracts from strawberry and melon. The pumice stone is crushed into a fine powder and acts as a natural exfoliant, as it gently exfoliants to remove dead skin cells and clean pores. The strawberry and melon extracts are also full of potent antioxidants, which are key players in collagen synthesis, promoting the growth of new and healthier skin cells. The POLISH is easy to use, it’s a creamy consistency and when gently massaged into damp skin, there is an exfoliating feel as the pumice powder does its work. Finally, rinse well and pat dry, and you have soft, hydrated skin, and this is then the moment to apply the CBDila NOURISH (see below). 

NOURISH is a CBD infused body oil. This body oil absorbs into the skin to help target any “problem areas” – think dryness, inflammation, cellulite, or stretch marks. It contains 500mg of THC free CBD (see above about isolate), which provides excellent anti-inflammatory relief. The all-natural ingredients also include grapeseed oil for conditioning, avocado oil for repairing and rosehip oil for regenerating the skin. By also combining evening primrose for its moisturising properties and vitamin E for skin conditioning, these ingredients create a well-balanced body oil. There is also the nut oil tamanu which stimulates collagen production in the skin, helping to slow skin ageing, and also reduce the appearance of scar tissue. The sweet orange scent from the sweet orange oil is packed full of monoterpenes to stimulate your senses, relieve stress and uplift mood. NOURISH is a hydrating body oil, with a powerful blend of natural ingredients. Again, it’s is easy to use. A little goes a long way; simply massage a few drops from the pipette onto clean skin to stimulate circulation and blood flow. This was our favourite out of the two products, and we think best used after a shower in the morning, to make you feel ready to take on the day!

To purchase either of these 100ml CBDila products for £35, see here for POLISH and here for NOURISH.

2022 Beauty Shortlist & Wellbeing Awards - Are Now Open for Entry!

Good to grow: 2022 Beauty Shortlist & Wellbeing Awards open for entries with new blue beauty and plantable beauty categories and fresh faces on the judging panel.

Entries have opened for the upcoming Beauty Shortlist Awards which will celebrate the highest-scoring brands and products that celebrate NATURE on Wednesday 2 March 2022.

Honouring the most-loved earth-safe and ocean-safe beauty and wellness products – all tested by experts – the ethical, natural and organic showcase returns with over 40 new categories embracing blue and green beauty, more age-specific skincare and self-care categories, eco-packaging, holistic health, eco innovation, nutrition, aromatherapy, CBD and more.

2022 BEAUTY SHORTLIST & WELLBEING AWARDS ENTRY FORM (ENTRIES CLOSE 29 OCTOBER)

ENTRY FORM

If you had to pick the most stellar month of the year for beauty and the planet, September would be up there: Organic September, a new season with lots of new launches, the Great British Beach Clean, World Car Free Day - and it’s FSC week soon, celebrating & raising awareness of responsible forestry 🌳

Never have we lived through a time when comforts and joys have been more important to our wellbeing - and it’s exactly those that are celebrated every year at the Beauty Shortlist Awards:

You are warmly invited to celebrate the top-scoring beauty, grooming and wellness of the year with the 2022 Beauty Shortlist Awards on Wednesday 2 March.

These independent and 100% sponsor-free global Awards celebrate the highest-scoring ethical brands and products of the year, evaluated by beauty and wellness industry experts:

• natural + organic beauty, personal care

• nutrition, wellness, health supplements, CBD & eco cleaning

• men’s hair, skincare, self-care, body & shower products

Happy September!

Les Parfums de Rosine: Rose Griotte

On these midsummer days like these, we think that there’s nothing better than after the rain, taking a stroll through the garden with the flowers in full bloom and their scent is at its most potent . Today, we bring you another one of our #amazingfinds with Les Parfums de Rosine. Regular readers of The Amazing Blog  will know that at we’ve been fans of Les Parfum de Rosine for quite a while, as we've already reviewed their Ballerina No. 5 and Bois Fuchsia. We’d now like to introduce one of their newest fragrance: Rose Griotte.

Les Parfums de Rosine is a French perfume house founded by Marie-Hélène Rogeon. She comes from a longline of distinguished perfumers, where her great grandfather Louis Panafieu even created an Eau de Cologne for Emperor Napoleon III. Inspired by her illustrious heritage Marie-Hélène immersed herself in the world of perfume, where she’s combined her love of fragrance with her passion for cultivating roses. She has a collection of rose perfumes, each one different, all stemming from two main rose varieties, the fresher Un Zest de Rose to the more sensuous Une Folie de Rose. Marie-Hélène curates collections of rose based aromas which are made with natural essences. These result in a wide range of floral scents that are "immediately understandable and readable."  She also has a keen eye for detail and all bottles are carefully adorned with a silk tassel, hand-wrapped in coloured tissue paper before being delicately place into the luxuriously embossed cardboard boxes.

Rose Griotte is a perfume released in early 2021 under the creative direction of Marie-Hélène and formulated by Nicolas Bonneville. At the age of 14, Nicolas fell in love with the world of perfumes after traveling to Grasse, where he was captivated by its abundant plants and flourishing perfume industry. Similar to Marie-Hélène, he has a passion for scents and travels world-wide to harvest botanicals for his fragrances, and even cultivates a few exclusive floral varieties himself in Paris. They first collaborated in 2015 on the perfume La Cologne De Rosine and they have once again combined their mutual love for flowers to create Rose Griotte. This fragrance is part of the LES SOLIFORES COLLECTION which also includes fragrances such as Mon Amie La Rose, Le Muguet De Rosine, and Le Magnolia De Rosine.

The griotte cherry is one of the most popular cherry varieties in France and blooms every May, where its bloom and fragrance has inspired poets and artists since the beginning of time. Likewise, the griotte cherry’s beauty influenced Marie-Hélène to develop this very special Rose Griotte. The key element of the Eau de Parfum is cherry blossom which represents purity and prosperity, and the cherry fruit itself is synonymous with beauty and softness. Mirroring the plant that inspired it, this is a fresh fragrance that has both "light juicy and fruity inflexions,” balancing the cherry blossom’s delicacy, with the cherry fruit’s tartness, and the sweetness of the rose. The top notes are tangerine essence, nashi pear, bergamot and pink pepper. The middle notes are Sakura flower (Japanese cherry blossom), peony, osmanthus, and sambac jasmine; lastly, the base notes are heliotrope flower, musk, cedar and white amber. All of these notes combine together to create a delightfully light and fruity fragrance that transports you to the middle of a blooming cherry blossom garden. Best of all, Rose Griotte has lasting longevity of an astonishing 10 to 12 hours! We think it is the perfect fresh summer scent and if you'd like to experience this soft, fresh, fruity and floral beauty of Rose Griotte for yourself, you can purchase it here for 108,00€ for 50ml or 140,00€ for 100ml.