SLIXIR - Hand & Polish Cream

We love treating ourselves to an hour of timeout at the nail bar or just putting on the radio and doing a quick home mani pedi. At The Amazing Blog our biggest gripe with regular nail polish is that it always seems to chip after only a few days of wear. That’s why we were thrilled to try the Hand & Polish Cream from SLIXIR that we heard makes nail polish last longer, nourishes cuticles, and acts as an anti-ageing hand cream.

Helen Gilmore founded the British brand after having worked in the nail industry since 2002. She was previously the UK and ROI Head of Marketing for CND (Creative Nail Design, Inc), the company that made the popular gel manicure CND Shellac. Having had experience with consumers all over the world in nails and nail care, Gilmore found that the general feedback and biggest moan was about wanting a long-lasting nail polish. Having seen a niche in the market, she began her journey in creating a unique hand and nail product, Helen commented:  “Each day I focus on creating effective and luxurious ways to make this happen; solutions that fit easily into women’s lives and make great hands and nails a readily understood science.”

What stood out to us about SLIXIR is that it eliminates the need for both a hand cream and a cuticle oil with its unique blend of natural plant oils while improving the appearance of your nails and nail polish. We love multi-taskers! It doesn’t make your hands feel greasy and leaves them feeling heavenly soft. Honestly? Our hands felt smooth and hydrated, almost as though we ‘d put a primer on. For this kind of hydration, the formula includes avocado oil and jojoba oil as well as copper active, which specifically soothes and targets the nail beds. Colloidal oats further protects your hands from dryness and environmental stresses.

We cannot emphasise enough about the importance of giving your hands extra care. This is because the dermal layers are thinner, more exposed to the elements, which in turn reveals ageing faster than the face. SLIXIR is one step ahead and equipped with anti-ageing ingredients. This cream is packed full of  antioxidants and multivitamins which neutralise free radicals, helping to hold back visible age-related changes on your hands such as wrinkles and lack of elasticity. We also like that this cream doesn’t have any parabens, mineral oils, or animal cruelty. You can use it on all skin types and nail polishes and they recommend applying it twice a day, paying careful attention to nails. SLIXIR Hand & Polish Cream (75ml) is available here for £21.95 and offers free shipping within the UK. This all-in-one cream now has pride of place by our desks!

Heathcote & Ivory's Salsa Silks Collection

When you find a product that you love, there’s nothing better than discovering that there is a whole collection too. One that we are loving at the moment, is Salsa Silks by Heathcote and Ivory. We’re no strangers to this brand at The Amazing Blog, having featured their Vintage & Co. Baubles & Belles Festive Bath and Body Tin in our Gifts for Her feature in December. The Salsa Silks collection is vibrant, and contains three scented gifts (for a loved one, or yourself) encased in elegantly decorated packaging, and inspired by the colourful rhythms of salsa. Intrigued? We were too.

As a brand that embraces the world of interior design and the great British outdoors, Heathcote & Ivory are known for their mix of bright colours and floral patterns, in both vintage and modern styles. The Salsa Silks Collection is no exception, containing only the finest essential oils and actives, it is a luxury collection, without a luxury price tag.

The first product that we tried, was the Hand Wash. This vitamin E infused product helps to cleanse and purify, releasing the energising scents of lime, lotus flower and cedarwood. The uplifting essential oils of lemon and sweet orange really make it feel like a spa retreat at home, and the luxurious formula left our hands feeling soft and nourished. We were also pleased to discover that it didn’t leave our hands feeling dry, something we struggle with at this time of the year.

Secondly, we tried the Heart Soap In A Tin. This lovely triple-milled soap is presented in an embossed heart-shaped tin, and is blended with shea butter and glycerine, helping to gently cleanse and soften your skin. Additionally, and thanks to the beautiful packaging, this isn’t only a pleasure for your skin, but also gives your bathroom a touch of design sparkle. Gone are the days of a boring block of soap on the sink.

Finally, we were also pleased to discover that this collection contains a Lip Gloss. Delivered in a smaller heart-shaped tin, this moisturising peach lip gloss is made of beeswax and olive extracts, helping to keep your lips perfectly soft and, most importantly, kissable. The soft peachy smell of the pink glittery gloss is also a highlight, taking away the often chemical smell of other lip glosses on the market. It is also nourishing and less sticky than competitor glosses, something we’re thankful of!

To try this collection for yourself, check out the Heathcote & Ivory website here where you can find the Hand Wash for £9 (320ml), Heart Soap In A Tin for £6 and the Lip Gloss for £5. Perfect for a February birthday or as a treat for yourself.

Friday Favourites - Hand Cream Feature

Working in an office, the team here at The Amazing Blog often struggle with dry hands. Air conditioning and constantly juggling papers parches our mitts to no end, so we’re always keeping an eye out for nourishing and soothing hand care products. Being the beauty junkies that we are, there are a number of hand creams that pass through the office, but we’ve decided to pick out a few of our favourites to share with you.

The most notable thing about Odylique’s new Lemon Butter Hand Smoothie is its sweet and distinctive smell. Needless to say, if you aren’t a lemon lover, this probably isn’t the lotion for you. However, if you are a common user of zingy scents, the lemon and vanilla fusion will keep your senses indulging in lemony bliss. Don’t worry, the smell of the product is strong, but it is effective as well. The combination of cocoa and coconut butter, along with virgin avocado oil, is sure to fully moisturise your hands and keep them from cracking. It is also 100% natural and 93% organic. This product is available online for £12.99.

We usually moisturise our hands with a cream rather than a balm. However, when we heard about the drive behind the company Kahina Giving Beauty, we decided to try their Fez Hand And Body Balm. The founder Katharine L’Heureux uses Organic Argan Oil to protect, nourish and enhance the quality of skin in each product her company produces. Kahina donates a percentage of its profits to support programs that improve the lives of Berber women who extract the Argan Oil used in the products. If that wasn’t enough, she personally ventures to Morocco to pick up the oil to ensure that the women who are extracting it are being treated as they should. To read more about her story and the drive behind this charitable company, visit their website. You can pick up the hand balm for £35 here.

We have featured Touche By Flavien on our blog before, but that’s because we just can’t get enough of the products! Luckily, along with its other great skincare products, the company provides a hand cream as well. The Rosa Rubiginosa & Prickly Pear Regeneration Hand Cream is full of skin conditioning botanics which are sure to help tackle the pesky signs of ageing on your beloved hands. The Rosa Rubiginosa scent is unique in a sense that is has traditionally been referred to as “the fountain of youth.” In our opinion, this fact speaks for itself in the wondrous results it provides. Purchase the product for £38 here.

Here in the office, we find British heritage a fascinating subject, and admire the work of organisations like the National Trust, who work to preserve our national treasures. We were delighted when we discovered that Tisserand Aromatherapy had collaborated with the company, bringing a range of bath oils and lotions carefully created with the National Trust’s ethical and environmental ethos in mind. Their Rose Garden Hand & Body Lotion combines a beautiful blend of Rose Essential Oil and Sandalwood, which evokes scenes from our favourite Jane Austen novels. The floral cream also contains Shea Butter and Jojoba Oil, ideal for nourishing skin, and is perfect for preserving our delicate hands. You can pick up the Hand & Body Lotion here for £8.