Christmas Appeal 2023 “Raise for Resilience”

Wishing all our readers Merry Christmas 🎅🏻 & Happy New Year 🥳

This year, we’re supporting Seed Madagascar & we hope you’ll join us in supporting them, too.

SEED is an award-winning UK-registered charity and a Malagasy NGO. Their name is an acronym for SUSTAINABLE, ENVIRONMENT, EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT.

Having recently returned from #fortdauphinin #madagascar & seen all the great works that they do, we want to help raise their profile for the Christmas Appeal 2023 “Raise for Resilience.”

Southeast Madagascar is a beautiful part of the country with the most incredible and unique wildlife (see photos from my trip above and below ), but it’s also extremely poor. This is where SEED works tirelessly with the local people to implement sustainable development & solutions, conservation and community work.

They also have an Etsy store: “Stitchsainteluce”, where we bought the most beautiful hand-embroidered cushions. Plus there are other embroidered textiles, which include placemats, purses, and many more.

Please see the link on the charity’s Instagram or Facebook @seedmadagascar bio. Or to help support SEED go directly to the link here.

Thank you so much for your support 😘 Even a small donation will help to make a huge difference 🙏🏻

Clarity Blend - Mind Spa Bath & Body Oil

At this time of year, at The Amazing Blog, some of the favourite things we enjoy are aromatherapy based products - especially when we can add them into a long de-stressing hot soak. This is where this multi-tasking Mind Spa Body & Bath Oil from Clarity Blend’s comes to our aid. Also for Christmas gift ideas, we thought we’d kick off with Clarity Blend, and share a few more in the run-up to the big day.

Clarity Blend is a natural aromatherapy brand based in the heart of Berkshire, where they offer well-being and at-home spa products for a more balanced, positive, and healthier lifestyle. Bulgarian born Veronika and Dimitar Vasilev, founders of Clarity Blend, wanted to start a brand that shares their passion for aromatherapy. Their love for essential oils was founded when the couple wanted to reconnect with themselves and nature, helping to give them a calmer way of life. “With happy memories of growing up surrounded by the aromatic meadows of the Bulgarian countryside, we found ourselves craving the feeling of calm that time spent in nature had given us.” Their journey began after a long search for natural, non-toxic and sustainable products, that would fit their remit. So, they started with research combining nature’s best from woods, flowers, resins, and fruit essential oils to create quality products with the help of top clinical aromatherapists, and finally launching their two initial ranges with Sweet Dreams and Energy Boost. Clarity Blend values education and sharing the power of aromatherapy and its many benefits with its loyal customers. “The power of aromatherapy is a wonderful thing, and we’re passionate about sharing its benefits so you can enjoy a more balanced, positive, and healthier lifestyle. We like to call it ‘Nature in a bottle,” and they went on to say, “We source pure essential oils from all over the world and sprinkle a touch of our Bulgarian heritage into our blends. Our aim from the outset was to capture the essence of the meandering meadows and flowery scents of our childhoods and share their natural benefits.” All products are eco-friendly, 100% natural, vegan and free from artificial fragrances, parabens, sulphates, phthalates and SLSs. In addition, they are handmade in the UK under Good Manufacturing Practice using oils sourced from worldwide reliable suppliers. A core value of Clarity Blend is never harming endangered or vulnerable plant species. However, what makes this brand even more noteworthy is its sustainability efforts, where they use glass products, bamboo and rubber-capped glass, and metal roller balls to minimise the use of unnecessary plastic. Even their hampers and delivery boxes are made with kraft boxes, fully recyclable filling or biodegradable peanut pellets. They now have ten collections and within each of these are four different products with Body & Bath Oil, Bath Salts Roll-on and a Diffuser Blend.

The Mind Spa range focuses on relieving stress, anxiety, irritableness, and tension in daily life. Truly an at-home spa experience, filled with four key essential oils eucalyptus, patchouli, bergamot and lemongrass. Eucalyptus eases breathing, giving one a sense of fresh air and the feeling of a deep breath. This fresh and clean smell is one of our favourite oils of all time. Patchouli has antidepressant properties that help the nervous system and emotions become more balanced. It also gives this product a sweet and earthy scent. The Sicilian bergamot is fresh, citrusy with hints of floral, and exudes positive and happy vibes. Lastly, lemongrass helps reduce fatigue and lack of motivation by stimulating the mind and emotions. We’re focusing today on the Body & Bath Oil. This product is a good body oil that nourishes and moisturises the skin while also treating the mind and spirit, particularly when inhaling the aroma. In addition to the essential oils, this Body & Bath Oil also has the carrier oils of jojoba and almond. Both these oils treat dry skin while also reducing the appearance of stretch marks and scars. We were curious to try this product as it recently received the Bronze Award for Best 100% Natural product at the Global Green Beauty Awards 2021 and was a finalist for best body oil at the Natural Health Beauty Awards 2021. We put a few drops in our hands to warm it up. As directed, we applied it directly after shower or bath on warm, dry skin, then massaged it in gentle circular motions towards the heart. We also think that you could add a few drops of this oil to a warm bath for even greater relaxation. We liked how there was no oily greasy residue, and it absorbed quickly and thoroughly into the skin. It made us feel balanced, focused and boosted our end of the week self-care night. Whether you’re a beginner or avid lover of aromatherapy, the brand offers the opportunity to join their Wellness Club where you’ll receive valuable tips for healthy living. Plus, members get a free digital copy of our Wellness Pocket Companion and 10% off on all orders. To purchase Clarity Blend’s 100ml Mind Spa Body & Bath Oil, for £16, see here.

Acqua di Stresa – Roburis Eau de Parfum

If you’re still in a quandary as to what to get him or her for Christmas, then we at The Amazing Blog all agree that fragrance is the way to go. Personal and useful, plus if you know, the genre of fragrance notes that they love – this is a sure way to please. When you get it right, perfume is one of the most memorable presents you can give. As regular readers will know we like to patronise unique artisan brands and Acqua di Stresa is one that we’ve recently uncovered that will help you out on your Christmas mission.

Acqua di Stresa was created in 2002 by Giovanni Castelli (former Fashion designer), and Andrea Patrucco. They wanted to share the scents of the thousands of blossoms from their Castello di Ripa’s garden, that stands on the Lake Maggiore shores, facing the Borromeo’s Islands. After almost 20 years of capturing the lake’s green and floral essences, the brand now has six core Eau de Parfums in their collection. These have also given rise to sets of reed diffusers with an additional three new fragrances, and now a hand sanitiser. With boxes, flacons and caps decorated with their refined wave motif, what we love about Acqua di Stresa is that it exudes both luxury and poise.  

We were sent Roburis Eau de Parfum to try. This is the perfect Christmas fragrance, even with the first spritz it took us on a winter promenade and journey into forests laden with berries and sweet-smelling bark. In fact, ‘Robur’ translates from the Latin as hard timber or oak and ‘Roburis’ is used metaphorically in Latin for ‘strength’. It is a rich and warming fragrance where you can almost imagine the warmth of the sunlight filtering through the leaves onto your skin. This is a robust scent with strong base notes evident with the tonka bean, leather, ambrette, and vanilla that linger giving a slightly musky aroma. That said, it is relatively fresh at the beginning with the top notes of juniper berries, cinnamon and blackcurrant. The fragrance becomes warmer with the middle notes cedar, cloves, myrrh, and then in time when the spices and smokiness mingle, the middle and base notes take the lead. We love its androgynous qualities, which in our view, make it truly gender-neutral and a ‘his and hers’ fragrance to share. You can purchase this 100ml mood-lifting winter fragrance for €78 here, it also comes in 50ml for €58. For further items such as Shower Gel, Body Lotion or Reed Diffuser from the Roburis collection see here. 

Eye of Horus: Sacred Earth Palette

If you’re one of our loyal readers on The Amazing Blog then you’ll know, that if there is one natural cosmetics brand that we love, it’s Eye Of Horus, all the way from Byron Bay. We’ve reviewed several of their eyeliners, eye shadow palettes and mascaras previous here but today we’re featuring a new launch which is their Sacred Earth Palette which we think would make a wonderful gift for any make-up aficionados friends.

Eye Of Horus was born out of a passion for natural ingredients combining ancient Egyptian beauty secrets. They wanted to create make-up products that would perform and bring confidence to all women helping them to look and feel like goddesses! All products are inspired by these same techniques and key raw ingredients that have been tried and tested since ancient times. These include essential oils and natural waxes, where the brand is respectful of nature and the planet. Eye of Horus works hard to be as sustainable and ethical as they can be, with their production processes and by using recycled materials for their packaging. As some of you may know, most of their products are organic and vegan, and never tested on animals. However, just because their make-up is organic, sustainable and cruelty-free, it doesn’t mean that it has to have a limited number of exciting colours or products. This is where Eye Of Horus steps up by offering a new range with lipsticks, glosses, illuminators, cheek colour; adding to their already extensive collection of colourful eye pencils, liquid liners, mascaras and eye shadows. This is one of the reasons why they are a multi-award brand, their hero product the award-winning Goddess Mascara.

The Sacred Earth Palette is part of the new Glow Collection, which is aimed at modern-day Goddesses. Especially those who need performing products that are quick and easy to use and fit into a tight schedule; as co-founder Holly Spiering says: ‘We created the Glow Collection for the busy everyday Goddess in mind. We wanted these palettes to be super versatile, easy to apply, with products that can be used on your face, your eyes, and your cheeks, to give you that really beautiful, youthful look, while still showcasing our EOH signature glow.” This 100% vegan palette is a must-have to create a fresh and sun-kissed everyday look, even in winter! Enriched with desert clay, moringa oil - the oil of Pharaohs – goldenseal and olive leaf extract it’s suitable for even the most sensitive of skins. This all-in-one product features their signature ‘Bronze Ochre’ bronzer and ‘Luxor Light’ highlighter, as well as two beautiful blush powders – ‘Persian Peach’, and ‘Sienna Blush’ – that can also be used as eyeshadows for a beautiful and youthful look. The ‘Persian Peach’ is perfect for a fresh-face look, while it can be used alone, you can also blend it with the ‘Sienna Blush’. This vibrant-looking pink colour has gorgeous gold undertones and therefore complements all skin tones. There are many ways that you can use this complexion palette, but for a simple everyday working Goddess look, here is what Eye Of Horus advises: Start by applying the ‘Bronze Ochre’ to define your cheekbones, nose, and any other feature you want to define. Then apply ‘Sienna Blush’ or ‘Persian peach’, or both blushes to your cheeks, highlight with ‘Luxor Light’ above the blush and anywhere you want to add extra glow. For the eyes, apply ‘Bronze Ochre’ into the crease, add ‘Sienna Blush’ on the lid, and finish off with ‘Luxor Light’ on brow bone, inner corner, and lid. When we used this Sacred Earth Palette, we remembered why we love this brand so much; all the colours complement each other to create a natural look, the colours are easy to apply, blend well and last all day long! Once again, well-done Eye Of Horus, with this Sacred Earth Palette. Want to bring out your inner Goddess for Christmas? Then purchase this complexion palette here for £48.

Nay Luxury CBD Skincare: Moonlight Massage Candle & Wanderlust Face Serum

As we’re rounding the corner on this unusual year, here at The Amazing Blog we’ve been collating gift ideas for friends and family. As CBD is one of our favourite things, it’s great to be able to give them a gentle introduction with some of the new products from Nay Luxury CBD Skincare.

After finding out that the soothing properties of CBD, Sophie Taylor and Nicole Levy Wogman teamed up to launch Nay Luxury CBD Skincare. Their journey began when they started to use CBD products to treat both stretch marks and acne after pregnancy. Thrilled with the results, they decided to combine their two passions of skincare and CBD and launch the brand earlier this year. They have sourced the highest quality of CBD isolate, which is typically used in food and skincare due to it having no smell or flavour. The products are formulated by CBD specialist Taylor Mammon, where the CBD has been infused into four botanical-based products for a natural plant-based range of skincare.

We received two products from Nay Skincare the first was the Wanderlust Face Serum which they call a ‘CBD Facial Gel Serum’ it nourishes the skin and has anti-ageing properties. The packaging is sleek, with the white opaque glass bottle and gold twist dropper.  The key ingredients are simple, 300mg of CBD isolate in 30ml, which is infused with hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and retinol, all of which give excellent results and keep dark circles and wrinkles at bay. It is suitable for all skin types and we found it easy to apply, cooling on the skin and super-quick to absorb. We wonder if Nay Skincare has a further range of skincare in the wings to launch with this…? You can purchase your Wanderlust Face Serum here for £24.99.

Next to we tried the Moonlight Massage Candle which we think makes a fantastic gift. This candle is infused with 300mg of CBD isolate in a 30cl white ceramic pot with pouring lip and lid. We think this takes relaxation to another level as a three-in-one; candle, massage oil and body moisturiser. You can even drizzle the candle’s warm fragrant oil into the bath while it’s filling up, all for a more relaxing soak. The base is soya wax with coconut, Argan, avocado and peach kernel oils, which all help rejuvenate and repair damaged skin. At the same time, the essential oils soothing the mind with three of the calming oils lavender, jasmine and sandalwood. We love that by lighting the wick, you can have a scented candle, and a hydrating oil as the wax melts. What better gift to give a loved one who needs a little bit of TLC, after the year we’ve all had. To purchase the Moonlight Massage Candle see here for £29.99.