Friday Favourites – Christmas Gift Sets from Heathcote & Ivory

As regular reader may have gathered from our week of reviewing gift sets, at The Amazing Blog we’re now really getting into the Christmas spirit.  Since one gift doesn’t always work for everyone, we have gathered a selection for our gift set finale, with a trio from one of our favourite brand Heathcote & Ivory

Founded in 2000, this quintessentially British brand Heathcote & Ivory has successfully established itself as a lifestyle brand spread across over 35 countries, with its most unique and recognisable hallmark of bright and floral patterns on all its designs and collections. With an extensive variety of products from home fragrances to bath and body care, there is always something for everyone. If you’re new to The Amazing Blog then see here for some of our other #amazingfinds from this company.

The first item we’re going to talk about today is their Sweet Pea & Honeysuckle Floral Hands & Perfume Pair. This adorable Christmas-themed packaging contains a roll-on perfume gel and hand cream. The 10ml pink flacon of perfume gel is alcohol–free, and the smell is soft and floral with notes of fresh sweet peas and honeysuckle. The 30ml hand and nail cream has an identical scent and is enriched with shea butter, vitamin E, glycerin and pro-vitamin B5 to help keep hands soft, smooth and moisturised during this chilly season. Both products are small and will fit beautifully into a small clutch or travel bag, so if you know anyone who loves travelling this would be the ideal gift. It has a retail price of £8 here.

Next up is the gift set styled as a set of classic Christmas crackers. Young or old, everyone loves opening crackers to see what’s inside. We know that we do. Vintage & Co Grand Circus Let’s Go Cracker Set has themed carton crackers with all the fun of the circus,  each contains a three 30ml tube of hand cream. We love that it’s full of long-lasting festive fragrance notes of pomegranates, ripened red berries, eggnog, mulled wine, vanilla frostings and sweet orange swirls. Each tube contains shea butter, vitamin E and sweet orange essential oil as part of their key ingredients to help keep hands soft and smooth. The texture is thick and creamy, and a little goes a long way. We must quickly point out that the crackers contain three identical hand creams, so no swapsies here. Instead spread the love and make three people very happy with just one purchase here. All for the princely sum of £10!

Finally, we’ve saved the best till last. The Enchanted Forest Beauty Trilogy, with its majestic look, this elegant body care collection opens like a book and weights like a treasure chest. We took a peek and found 150g Bath Salts, 200ml Body Lotion and 100ml Hand Cream. The Bath Salts, have the enchanting scents of forest greens, with relaxing chamomile, bluebells, jasmine and rose; with subtle base notes of sandalwood, cedarwood and sweet vanilla. The Body Lotion quickly absorbs into skin, making it soft to the touch and locks in the shared fragrance. The Hand Cream is the same but enriched with shea butter and vitamin E. Its light non-oily texture leaves hands feeling soft and moisturised. Best of all we love that this Beauty Trilogy box can be reused to store papers, photos and memories – what a gift! If you wish to treat someone you love we recommend you buy this gift set here for only £18. We love the originality and affordability of the Heathcote & Ivory gift sets – they never fail to disappoint!

Friday Favourites: Body Care Products

When The Amazing Blog did a quick beauty poll amongst some friends, it seems that body care products are something frequently overlooked. We all take great care to moisturise our faces, but what about our poor hard-working bodies? Today we have reviewed some of our #amazingfinds for the body, which we hope will tempt even the most sceptical or lackadaisical among you.

Let’s begin with Lavera, a brand that we know and love (see here for more). Lavera never fails to live up to our expectations with their 100% certified organic ingredients, all of which are dermatologically proven, vegan and with all the free-froms. We like a good multi-tasker and with their Firming Body Milk we have found just that. Not only does it help to moisturise, but it also works to firm up the skin too. Lavera claims that when used every day, there will be a noticeable difference in your skin texture within two weeks – quite a claim, but one we can justify! Gently fragranced, the use of key ingredients, organic green coffee bean and green tea, help to stimulate the skin, for a soft and smooth finish. On the other hand, the use of rosemary and grape help to leave skin feeling silky-soft. It is lightweight to use and absorbs quickly, thankfully leaving no sticky residue. They suggest exfoliating first (Lavera has a rather lovely Smoothing Body Scrub) and applying daily. Whether you’re looking for body firming or not, we really liked the fragrance, feel and texture. Sensibly priced at £10.95 for a 200ml tube , it is available here.

Next, we have CeraVe’s Moisturising Cream, an impressive hyaluronic acid and ceramide based barrier cream, suitable for use on both the body and face, and gentle enough for eczema-prone skin. What are ceramides, I hear you ask; they are lipids that not only help to form the skin’s barrier and retain moisture but also protect against environmental pollution. This body moisturiser is particularly suitable for anyone with dry or very dry sensitive skin. CeraVe is a US brand developed in tandem with dermatologists, they have over 70 products to offer and what makes their product unique is their revolutionary delivery system: MultiVesicular Emulsion Technology (MVE). This technology releases moisturising ingredients over a 24 hour period, layer by layer, to help keep skin soft all day long. Ingredients are not natural, but they are fragrance free, non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic. CeraVe are also quick to point out that they have received more Seal of Acceptance awards from the National Eczema Association than any other brand, which makes them a very tried and tested brand. Available from Boots or Superdrug, this is an economical product, £8.50 for 177ml.

Our third body moisturiser is from the award-winning British brand PHB (Pure Handmade British) Ethical Beauty which is stuffed to the gunnels with delicious superfoods. This 2-in-1 Hand & Body Moisturiser has had us all cooing and oohing. We’ve been long-standing fans of PHB Ethical Beauty and have reviewed several of their products (and we hope many more) - see here. So when given the opportunity to try their new Hand & Body Moisturiser – we leapt at the chance! This brand is very special with 20% of their profits going to The OneLove Foundation (founded by PHB Ethical Beauty in 2015). All their products are made with ethically harvested and responsibly sourced ingredients that are 100% natural, vegan, cruelty-free and alcohol-free (Halal certified). They call this a “no-nonsense moisturiser” and we couldn’t agree more. It absorbs quickly and comes with a list of simple, natural and certified organic ingredients that perform; it feeds the skin with a pure and powerful blend of mango, shea butter, apricot and pumpkin seeds – we love both the fragrance and simplicity. It is available on the PHB website here for £16.60, in a 150ml recyclable tube.

Our final discovery are Liquid Body Washes from Fil Blanc (meaning “white thread” in French), perhaps best known for their high-quality Hammam Turkish cotton towelling (we have our eye on their multi-coloured hand woven bath robe). The brand’s inspiration is taken from Mediterranean luxury living, with a touch of bohemia thrown in. Fil Blanc is based in historical St. Nicholas Market at the Exchange Hall, Bristol where they started three years ago. All products are sourced or designed by the founder Gulsum Gok. She very kindly sent us two of their body washes Relaxing and Orange & Jasmine. All body washes are 99% natural with a 81.98 % organic base, also vegan, cruelty and paraben free. Again they come with a very simple list of ingredients: Relaxing is made with essential oils of geranium, lavender, orange and ylang-ylang; whereas Orange & Jasmine has only these. Both contain honey and aloe vera with an Argan oil base. At a reasonably priced £12 for 259ml you can purchase both here, or alternatively make a visit to their Bristol HQ.

Now there is no excuse not to implement a little body pampering!

Tiare Botanicals

The question that we keep asking ourselves, is why do people use skincare products loaded with chemicals, when they have the opportunity to price-match with natural and organic ones? Out of habit we at The Amazing Blog always read the ingredient labels to decipher what we’re about to put on (and in) our bodies. That’s why we were thrilled to discovered a new UK based natural skincare brand Tiare Botanicals. Their products are affordable and made up of only fresh, paraben free and natural ingredients; thus making them an easy alternative to the mainstream and chemically enhanced products that you find in the high street.

We had the opportunity to test four of their products. The first was their Honey Body Milk which has a citrus floral blend and is handmade only in small batches, this is what helps with superiority and quality control of products. It’s made with manuka honey, orange, bergamot, and lavender essential oils, glycerine, water, and emulsifying wax. These natural ingredients provide the body milk with plenty of benefits. For example, Manuka honey helps to soften and soothe, also protecting the skin from dehydration; and the avocado oil is full of antioxidants, essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. The moisturising properties also come from the use of jojoba and coconut oils. The Honey Body Milk 100ml can be purchased for £11 here.

If you’re in the mood for a relaxing face mask, they we recommend their Clay Face Mask. We tried the aloe and rose scent, which is made from white kaolin clay, rosa damascena flower, and aloe leaf powder. Don’t panic if you have oily skin because this mask is good for all skin types. Also as one of the mildest clays, white kaolin clay doesn’t remove too much oil to risk sensitivity. Rose powder moisturises the skin, and aloe powder is wonderful for irritated, red skin. You can purchase the Clay Face Mask 60ml, which comes with a wooden spoon for easy application, for £9 here.

We don’t know about you, but lip balm is an essential item always to keep in our bags. Tiare Botanicals has a lovely Natural Cocoa Lip Balm. It contains beeswax, cacao seed butter, shea butter, and infused lavender and apricot oil. The lavender-cocoa scent is an unusual pairing; however, we found it to be calming and soothing. Purchase the Natural Cocoa Lip Balm 5.5ml £2.99 here.

Finally, their Floral Aroma Body Scrub is a gentle exfoliant comprised of coconut palm sugar, brown sugar, chamomile flower, hibiscus flower, rose flower, and vanilla pod. It also contains coconut and jojoba oils, which are rich in vitamin E. Our favourite part of this scrub was the sweet floral scent. Everyone can use this scrub, even those with sensitive skin because it’s made from all natural ingredients. If you’d like to give Tiare Botanicals’ Floral Aroma Body Scrub 200ml a go, you can purchase it for £13 here.

NB: This is a niche and small skincare brand, so don’t be surprised when you click on these links, as they take you to their Etsy shop.

Friday Feature: Bodycare

We at The Amazing Blog are here to bring you some body products that incorporate the best that nature has to offer. Whether you fancy some donkey’s milk, some aloe vera, nut oils or shea butter, we have something for you. You only get given one body in your life, so treat it with care!

The first treat for your skin is Mathilde B’s Donkey’s Milk Shower Gel. Mathilde B is a cosmetics company with a unique star ingredient; donkey’s milk. With products ranging from shampoos, face creams, hand and feet creams and body lotion, your entire body can be pampered with some donkey’s milk. We were lucky enough to receive the shower gel.

Mrs Léon was inspired by Cleopatra’s beauty rituals, in which the notorious queen famously bathed in donkey’s milk. Bringing this historical trend back, Mathilde B’s Donkey Milk range is soothing and softening on the skin. Donkey milk is famous for its regenerative powers, and is extremely gentle on the skin, even for those with particularly sensitive skin. This is because donkey’s milk is close to breast milk and is therefore tolerated by sensitive skins. This star ingredient is packed with vitamins, including A, B1, B2, B6, C, D and E. Vitamin A and C both help to nourish the skin and prevent wrinkles, vitamin B softens the skin while D is extremely effective against eczema and dry skin and vitamin E protects the skin from harmful external factors.

What is especially impressive to us, is that the milk comes from Mathilde B’s local production, and is therefore guaranteed to be pure and of high quality. The products are not tested on animals, and are free-from parabens and GMOs. Mathilde B, a French brand, based near the Pays Basque renowned for their unique black cherries incorporates this ingredient into all of Mathilde B’s products for a fruity and sensual scent.

Mathilde B only sells via their French website, but you can order the Shower Gel (Gel Douche) here for around £7.

If you are concerned about a spot of cellulite here and there, we’ve got you. GÍÍLinea-Bio’s Cellulite Creme tackles this issue but in an organic way. GÍÍLinea-Bio takes the utmost pride and care in the sourcing of their ingredients, using only active ingredients, such as 100% pure Aloe Vera Gel, which is hand-harvested and processed immediately afterwards. It is these preserved vitamins and minerals that have such an impact on your skin, making it appear vibrant and healthy.

Their Cellulite Creme harnesses a host of active ingredients to improve the appearance of skin, helping to make it smooth. The product only contains natural active ingredients including Aloe Vera, Ant Tree peel extract, Tiger Weed extract, Buckeye Extract, Common Ivy, Algae Extract, and Peppermint. Although it has simple ingredients, when combined they create a miracle-formula to eliminate the appearance of skin imperfections.

Purchase the Cellulite Creme here for £27

We love a multi-use oil here, as nothing is more convenient. What’s perfect, is that Tan Organic’s Moisturising Multi-Use Dry Oil is vegan, contains 100% plant and nut oil, has a fresh citrus scent, and has an incredibly weightless formula. It combats surface hydration while locking in moisture. The oil has many uses – it could be used for intense hydration, as an after-sun, a non-greasy cuticle oil, a hair treatment oil or to give a glowy and dewy finish to your foundation. It also prolongs a tan, whether real or fake!

Tan Organic is a cruelty-free brand, and their products are made with high-quality ingredients. As Noelle O’Connor, Tan Organic creator puts it; ‘I only want to use the highest quality, natural and organic ingredients'. Tan Organic has been officially certified by EcoCert, The Ethical Company Organisation and PETA.

Purchase the Multi-Use Dry Oil here for £26.20.

If you suffer from chronically dry skin, a rich cream is what you’re after. Lavera’s Basis All Round Cream is a rich moisturising cream in a handy little (recyclable) tin, ideal for on-the-go. This cream is perfect for particularly dry areas of the body such as cracked heels, elbows and knees, but can be used all over the body if you so wish! The organic shea butter and almond leave skin intensely nourished and protected. This multi-use product can be used on all skin types and for the whole family, including those with especially sensitive skin. Although it is ultra-moisturising, it is easily absorbed into the skin, which is a bonus for us as we're not fond of that slippery feeling when your moisturiser just won't sink in. Creamy but non-greasy is the ultimate pairing.

This cream is vegan and is not tested on animals.

Purchase the All Round Cream here for £5.90.

This great range of bodycare products will allow you to pamper your skin in the most effective way. After all, isn't applying natural and beautifully scented moisturiser the simplest way to take care of your skin.

Dudu - Osun African Black Soap

Contemporary life means a career to follow, hundreds of places to be in the same day and no time for taking care of our skin; but at The Amazing Blog we have the right to say that’s not true anymore thanks to the new Dudu – Osun African Black Soap.

Forget early mornings, you’ll have all the time you need for cleansing and moisturising in one with this product.  Let’s put it this way, African princes and princesses a long ago were very enthusiastic about natural ingredients and Africa is a country where you can get the most from nature; this is the main reason why Dudu-Osun has been created.
As its name says, this soap is black because of the Cocoa Pod Ashes which is mixed with kernel oil, aloe vera, honey, shea butter and natural glycerine creates a product perfect not only for face, but even hair and body and it suits both men and women.
What all these incredible ingredients do is something we’ve never seen before. This soap provides a perfect cleansing and moisturising action at the same time but also can help if you have eczema or acne. Beside it can be found in a slightly scented version, with sandalwood and camwood, or parfume-free.

No matter which one you’ll go for, black soap will always be the best choice. Get both of the versions here, full size at £5 and travel size at £1.75.