Friday Favourites – Bath Salts

When it’s been a long stressful week and then it is finally Friday, what better way to relax than luxuriating in bath salts with steaming water! There is nothing we like more at The Amazing Blog than a good soak while sipping a chilled glass of something nice. This is why today we want to introduce you to some of our top-picks very special bath salts.

Let’s start with Sea Magik Turmeric Serenity Salts. If you’re a regular reader, you ‘ll have probably already read about Sea Magik when we featured their 21 Sea Magik Mist  and Sea Magik Shampoo and Scalp Mud   We really rate their brand’s values and honesty, with their added bonus of being cruelty-free, vegan and beneficial for the planet too.

With the fluctuating change of temperature this November – some of us have been nursing a chill. So, it is rather timely to give the Sea Magik Turmeric Serenity Salts a try. We can report back that after a good soak we felt our energy levels bouncing back. Could this be the healing powers of a blend of 100% natural Dead Sea and Epsom salts which are amazingly restorative? Apart from Turmeric (a.k.a. the wonder spice) which has anti-inflammatory properties, there’s bitter orange and safflower essential oils too. They relax the body while soothing, softening and conditioning your skin with the added bonus of leaving your bathroom smelling divine. Get your 1kg bag here for £8.99, just add 1 cup of salts to warm water and relax in with this home-spa experience.

Next is Björk & Berries, a Swedish brand that puts nature in a bottle. Well, with brands like Björk & Berries, the products they put on their skin encapsulate Swedish traditions, being natural and organic. In this case, the primary ingredient is Birch, the Swedish life giving tree that has endless benefits such as anti-inflammatory, curative, and hydrating properties. If you want to indulge a classic Scandinavian spa experience and prepare your skin for the winter months coming up, the Björk & Berries Birch Ritual is for you. In just ten minutes, with their three-step skincare range, you will improve your circulation, detoxify and hydrate your skin.

Our favourite product of the range is the bath salts. Start off by immersing your body in their Botanical Bath Salts, made from hand-picked flowers and herbs to relax and detox. With lavender, lemon balm and chamomile flowers combined with natural sea salts, spring clean your body by activating your lymphatic system. The gentle aroma will take you to the Swedish forests, purifying your mind and bringing harmony to your atmosphere.  Then you can follow (as we did) with their Scrub and Serum (in a later review) from the Birch range to enjoy all the effects of the integrity of their products. You can purchase your Botanical Bath Salts here for €35.00 and enjoy a Swedish like skincare routine straight from the forest to your bathtub. It is impossible not to enjoy the scent of nature!

Perhaps like us, you’ve had insomnia? Or maybe blocked sinuses? We were recommended to try Verdant Alchemy’s Breathe in Bath Salts. Verdant Alchemy was launched in 2018 by Vivien Leung who like most of us was regularly experiencing high-stress levels. She wanted to create a well-being brand for skin and body care. After exploring all sorts of natural ingredients, she came up with her Breathe in Bath Salts. These have the COSMOS natural certification from the Soil Association.

Mainly composed of Eucalyptus, Lemon and Thyme, these Breathe in Bath Salts exude this powerful combination of natural vapours which have anti-inflammatory and immune boosting qualities, perfect for helping to clear blocked sinuses. Also combined with Epsom and Dead Sea salts they are extremely rich in minerals, helping to nourish the skin and well as supporting muscles and the immune system. To buy the Verdant Alchemy Breathe in Bath Salts 100g pot for £12.00, see here. They will help to clear your mind, just inhale, relax and enjoy.

We suggest lighting a few candles and soaking in on one of these invigorating bath salts to help reset your mind and body; so you’ll be recharged and ready to start the week ahead.

Alchemy Organic Super Blends

Brace yourselves, boys and girls for a stunning range of goodies that The Amazing Blog are offer up to you this week for your delectation in the form of The Alchemy Organic Super Blends - unmissable in their brightly designed packaging as we peruse the shelves of Planet Organic or Wholefoods, and bursting with  essential nutrients to help boost our health from the inside out.

The thinking behind this fabulous brand is not so much about adding supplements to your daily calorie intake, but more with working naturopathically with your body, and understanding the ways in which we process the nutrients we need and those which, in the modern world we should be looking to reduce. The philosophy here is very much more along the lines of boosting the good, and reducing the not so beneficial. Take stevia as an example - many see it as a worthwhile wholly natural alternative to the dreaded sugar, however Alchemy make the very valid point that the foods we eat, taken in their original state should ultimately satisfy our taste buds without the need to sweeten things up at all, because it is those highs and lows which make us crave the mid-morning or afternoon snacks and jolt our systems into nourishing said cravings, rather than allowing our metabolism to control the natural balance, individual to each of us.

As we have evolved, nature has done a spectacular job of keeping our systems responsive to the environment around us, but this was more along the lines of ‘fight or flight’ when our physical survival depended on our bodies converting the calorific intake into ready energy as and when the adrenalin kicked in, warning us of danger. Of course, in most of our daily lives now, the threat of coming across an aggressor is significantly reduced we hope. However, something is making those cortisol levels to rise and thereby increasing our blood sugar levels … and of course many of us unfortunately know the modern-day aggressor to be that insidious invader known as stress. We cannot defeat it by simply taking it head on in conflict, or fleeing from it and thereby burning off those heightened sugar levels, so we have to accept its presence and work around the challenges it brings.

Fortunately for us, we have these delicious sachets from Alchemy Super Blends to arm ourselves with as we go into battle to sustain our equilibrium. There are four blends to choose from: Morning Elixir , Energy Elixir ,  Beauty Elixir and Sport Elixir - we are literally Elixir rich in our choice! The option which made most impact here at The Amazing Blog was the Energy Elixir, but it was a tightly run race, as everyone had their individual favourites, however, we all could agree that the extra boost that the Energy Super Blend gave each of us, was undeniably effective. Available in handy Voyager Packs which contain four servings priced around £15, or the more cost effective 300g packs giving us 30 servings and priced around £40, they have a range which will fit seamlessly into anyone’s daily routine. Get your skates on though, and head to their shop here to enjoy some sale reductions of up to 50% in some cases of the Voyager packs and begin the process of that well-being reboot now!

Ao Skincare's Reverse Longitude PM Serum Shot

Keeping our skin looking healthy and feeling hydrated is often a struggle. Here at The Amazing Blog, we know that environmental influences and a busy lifestyle quickly leave their marks. So naturally, the greatest thing that could be invented, is a reset button for our skin. Can you imagine that? Something to bring back your natural balance. Luckily for us, this is what Ao Skincare aims to create. For Dr Mark Gray (a Harvard trained pathologist and dermatologist), skincare is evolutionary, and should work to find a balance between health and efficiency. We first discovered this brand via 2018 The Beauty Shortlist Awards where they won 3 awards for Editors Choice and we just couldn’t wait to try it!

With expertise that questions standard skincare practices, Ao Skincare’s fresh scientific methods filter nature’s potent energy into products designed to overcome uncertain elements, while defending your skin’s dynamic boundary. The adaptive ingredients protect your skin from the harshest conditions, while the cold processed formulas retain the raw power of every active. Hoping for that “reset-button”, we tried Ao Skincare’s Reverse Longitude PM Serum-Shot. This is an antioxidant-infused retinal, with the use of powerful vitamin-A, a gentle (and more effective) alternative to pure retinol. The ingredient are plant-based like Bakuchio which has the benefits of vitamin A without the typical associated sensitivities. Also containing New Zealand Red Algae one the most powerful natural antioxidant known and 6000x stronger than vitamin C. these all help to protect cells from oxidation and reduces sun damage, wrinkles, age spots and freckles - what more could one ask for?! Our skin was left feeling hydrated, boosted and calm, with noticeable results after just four weeks. The formulation is blended raw, in order not to deactivate any ingredients (a common problem as a result of excessive heating in the production process of skincare). Delivered in a metallic blue bottle, the burnt orange lettering matches the slightly transparent orange of this creamy and hydrating lotion - this is not just a product that does good, but it looks pretty good displayed on our dressing table too. It is also free from all parabens, sulphates, mineral oils, petrochemicals and fragrance.

No need to just take our word for it, in a Dermatest GbmH clinical trial it showed remarkable results as 92% of users reported that their skin felt softer and more supple, with 77% experiencing an improved appearance. Suitable for any skin type and any age, Ao skincare’s products include 95 to 98% natural ingredients and are completely cruelty-free. We really rate this serum with it’s potent cold pressed botanical based ingredients. It is a great investment for anyone looking to improve the texture their complexion, as well as plumping up and hydrating their skin. You can purchase a 30ml bottle for $129.95 here, or check out more of Ao skincare’s evolutionary products here.