New Collagen Supplement Drink by Calla-Coll

At The Amazing Blog we believe in the saying: “When you put good in, you get good out," so when we received the new collagen supplement drink Calla-Coll that contains peptides and hyaluronic acid too, we were interested to put it to the test. Skincare professional, Lynne Baker from Calla Salon, has worked hard for the past five years to create this high-potency drink with the help of a specialist lab in Sweden using bovine collagen. 

As we age, our body naturally slows down its production of collagen. Soon enough we begin to see fine lines on our skin and start to feel achy in our joints and that’s when we know we need to take action. Calla-Coll is expertly formulated using the best ingredients to ensure our nails, skin, hair, joints and our overall body is functioning as it should be. The formula is also enriched with essential vitamins C, B5, B6, B7 and B12 and the key ingredient: Type I and Type II bovine collagen, which is sourced from organic, free-range, grass fed and non-GMO cattle in Brazil. Together, these ingredients rejuvenate your body from the inside; giving you the energy you need to work through your busy day. The liquid formula makes it simple to take before you head out the door in comparison to most powder formulas that are difficult to fully mix.

The sweet berry flavour makes it enjoyable to take a shot on its own, but it can always be added to your favourite fruit smoothie. We added it to our banana and vanilla protein drink in the morning. We think that you need to take this supplement for three months before seeing visible results, we only had twenty days supply, although our executive editor did notice a little more mobility in her joints. This supplement comes in a neat 500ml plastic bottle with a separate small measuring cap. All you need is 25ml a day to help keep your body looking and feeling younger. Calla-Coll is available for purchase here for £45.

Cura Oil – Infinatura

Here at The Amazing Blog, we recognize true luxury when we see it. When we opened a box and saw the stunning iridescent packaging of the Infinatura Cura Oil, we knew we were in for a treat.

This product relies on nature’s own ability to heal the skin, hair, and nails. A fusion of 8 natural oils, the Cura Oil is the perfect way to pamper yourself after a stressful day. The hand-selected blend of Sunflower, Bergamot, Geranium, Red Mandarin, Vitamin E, Camellia, Argan, Soya Wax, and Crambe abyssinica oils works to prevent aging, relieve common skin conditions, and nourish the skin, hair, and nails. The multi-purpose product is a great addition to any beauty cabinet, and will improve your sense of wellbeing.

Purchase it in select salons nationwide or here for £35. 

Friday Favourites - Nails for Spring

At The Amazing Blog, we can never have enough nail polishes to share in the office! Whether it’s to coordinate with our latest outfits or to pack into our travel bags for a holidays, we cannot resist adding yet another polish to our collection. So today we thought we would share some of our favourite colours and brands for this season.

Starting with Only Fingers and Toes ‘Understated Chic’ Trilogy Set. When these arrived,  we instantly fell in love with the elegantly embossed recyclable packaging that sets off the nail polishes, giving a very luxurious feel. Inside there are three gorgeous shades that are on-trend but also versatile enough to be worn all year round. The polishes are all DBP, Toluene, formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin, camphor and ophthalmic acid free;  and what we particularly like is the Only Fingers and Toes supports charity ventures like Dollis Hill Dolls Nail Bar (London) Polished Girlz (US) and Shine Nail Bar (Leeds).

‘Sweet like Candy’ a pale pink shade which made the nails look glossy, perfect for daytime wear. ‘Manganese’ a khaki colour, perfect for the up and coming military trend. Our favourite of the collection was ‘Ciao’ is a pastel purple shade gorgeous for the upcoming spring season. If you want to have gorgeous and chic nails grab your Trilogy Set here for £42.

One nail polish brand you cannot go wrong with the fashion-led FNUG and we were so excited to get our hands on these.  FNUG uses the holographic nail lacquer to get your nails looking sparkly as ever. Starting off with a Aqua fix base coat, apply one layer and let it dry to enhance the holographic effect. We were sent 'Fnuglista', a pink shade that sparkles, great for a girly night out and for our futuristic fashionistas, 'Futurista' a blue sparkly shade, whilst moving ours fingers it gave a prism effect of light reflecting peacock shades. Both delicious shades for that Balmain style. Get all 'Psychedelic' with their silver holographic nail polish, giving the wearer a playful and ice cool style. These cool and vibrant trio of nail polishes are great for creating a dramatic effect. We rocked the 'Futurista' blue polish - our favourite, which worked well with both denim and our little black dresses.  

If the holographic nails aren’t your thing, then FNUG also has a coral ‘A Lister' and deep purple ‘After Party’ in regular nail polish, letting you create a more subtle look for the upcoming spring season. Get the nail polishes individually here for £12.00 each.

We couldn’t contain our excitement when Kiss sent us some of their 'Everlasting Range' which included an LED Gel Lamp, French Manicure Everlasting Gel; plus three great shades of gel polish.  'Sweet', a sea green colour which is lovely for the spring months ahead, 'Smoky', a dark grey shade which complements your smokey eye look for nights on the town and 'Lush', a bright shade of pink which is bursting full of vibrant colour.

The 'French Manicure Everlasting Gel Polish' includes french wraps, brush-on gel glue, colour gel 'Petal', base gel, top gel, gel cleanser, lint-free wipes, a buff block, manicure stick , a mini file and an instruction sheet to help you along the way. This kit provides you with everything you need for a really professional looking French Manicure.

Accompanying both kits, is the LED Gel Lamp to cure the gel evenly for chip free nails with a high gloss effect. Only 30 second drying time so perfect for when we are in a rush. When we tested out the 'Everlasting Gel Polish' we were pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of the application.  For everlasting and beautiful nails get your kit here ranging from £14.99 to £38.99.

Deborah Lippman is a celebrity and fashion manicurist who has designed opulent nail polishes for top celebs like Lady GaGa, Scarlett Johansson, Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow, Just to name a few, and we were pleased to find out that Deborah has now graced us with her new limited edition spring collection of 8ml mini bottles, ‘Sweets for My Sweets’ which include six pastel shades from soft yellow to baby pink and we just couldn't wait to give them all a try.

Our favourite nail polish was ‘Sugar Sugar’ a pastel baby pink, an effortlessly chic shade which matches any outfit of your choice. The formula of the polish allows you to apply thinly onto your nail for a long lasting colour effect topped with a high gloss finish, completely gloop free. Like the above two brands FNUG and Only Fingers and Toes, Deborah Lippman is a 'five free' polish and is also not tested on animals.

Presented in a colourful gift box, these sets of polishes will make the perfect treat for you or your nail enthuastic pals. Add a splash of pastel to your hands with Deborah Lippman’s must-have shades for the spring here for only £27.

Soigne Nails - Barbe A Papa Range

Bright colours are perfect for this time of year. Whether you’re on the beach, or strutting around the city, we’re firm believers in making a statement with our bold beauty choices. The girls at The Amazing Blog are big fans of Soigne polishes, and their Barbe a Papa range of summer colours are perfectly in keeping with our bold and beautiful ethos.

With a large range of luxurious colours in their core collection, the French brand has introduced three new shades for summer 2015. Of the trio, we were excited to try the Framboise Bleue shade. A tropical greeny blue, the hue would look wonderful on an island getaway – what better to coordinate with than the crystal ocean waters? As we’re not currently on a tropical island escape, we’ve had to settle for jazzing up our typing hands in the office. Still, the shade adds a wonderful pop of colour, and looks fabulous with the light, cream clothes that we often sport at work.

Paired with their Oxygen Base Coat and Gel Effect Top Coat, we were left with fabulously glossy nails that looked professional even after our shoddy paint job. Housed in the ultimate opulent packaging, the indulgent polishes are free from carcinogens, as well as containing 85% plant-sourced raw ingredients.  Chic and environmentally friendly, we can’t think of anything more we’d want from a manicure.

Add some Parisian sophistication to your manicure with the Soigne summer collection. Pick up the beautiful Framboise Bleue shade here for £11, as well as the Oxygen Base and Gel Effect Top Coat here for £13 each. 

MICRO Nail

Here at The Amazing Blog we love treating ourselves to a manicure every once in a while, but let’s be honest, who can afford to keep their nails looking professionally done all of the time? Thanks to MICRO Nail, we can have salon perfect nails in a matter of seconds without spending too much money.

MICRO Nail is an electric nail polisher that buffs, smoothes and shines nails in seconds so you can have great, natural looking nails every day without having to head on over to the salon or use those time consuming manual nail buffers.

The MICRO Nail kit includes 2 MICRO Smooth Rollers that smooth away the top layer of ridges and 2 MICRO Shine Rollers that buff your nails. These rollers come in a handy-dandy drawstring pouch along with 2 AA batteries and an instruction booklet. The electric buffer even has pressure resistance control to ensure that if you do press too hard, the roller will simply stop rotating. That was my main worry with the gadget, so I'm pleased to discover that I will never damage my nails with it.

Although your original purchase will be £39.99, you only need to use the smoothing rollers once every two weeks, if that, and you can use the shine rollers whenever you please. After you've worn out the original attachments, which we're sure will take a while, replacement rollers are available to buy for £9.99 here.  We think it’s worth the initial investment, so head on over to the website and get started making your nails look sensational.