Codex Beauty – Bia Skin Superfood

Here at The Amazing Blog we’re always on the search for new and innovative products, particularly ones that will hopefully live up to our high expectations! One of our recent #amazingfinds is the Irish brand Codex Beauty, which has a collection of organic skincare that combines both science and nature.

Created by Irish herbal scientist, Tracey Ryan, who has combined Irish botanicals free from harmful chemicals with her latest cutting edge scientific technology. With Ireland’s small population and low level of pollution, a little known fact is that it has the highest proportion of natural vegetation in Europe, where plants grow rich and robust ready to use in Codex’s ingredients. What impressed us is that Codex are mindful of sustainability as well as what materials they use with their COSMOS-certified formulas.  So it’s good to know that their tubes made from plant-based polyethylene  (PE) materials; paper is sourced from sustainably managed forests for their cartons, which have renewable fibre certified by the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

Knowing all this, we were excited to try their hero product Bia Skin Superfood. This organic plant-based product that has undergone pharmaceutical grade processing made with their BiaComplex™ and has already been through lots of efficiency trials too. Bia Skin Superfood is recommended for face, hands and body cream targets dry, flakey or any area which has irritation. Key ingredients are calendula and immortelle botanicals which both have incredible anti-inflammatory properties to help firm, soothe and protect the gentle layer of skin. The other ingredients are marshmallow, heart’s ease and comfrey which moisturise, offer protection and help to rejuvenate the dermis.

Unusually fragranced with the herbaceous immortelle (a subtly sweet and honey-like fragrance) what we particularly like is that this cream is gentle enough to be used on skin conditions such as rosacea, eczema psoriasis or sunburn. So, if you’re travelling and only have room for one cream – make it this one,  at 75ml it will fit snuggly into your clear plastic bag for carry-on.  It’s also vegan and cruelty-free cream comes in an elegant green tube at the retail price of £48 here.

SOS Serum

Alas, skin problems affect everyone at some stage, and at The Amazing Blog we’re definitely not fans of any unexpected inflammation or itchiness. That is why today’s #amazingfinds is a product that has a special formula to cool, heal and repair - meet the all-on-one rescuer, SOS Serum.  

Founder Bruce Green, is a chartered scientist, a chartered chemist, and a fellow of The Royal Society of Chemistry. He is a man with great expertise who understood the need for such a product as one skin issue still dominates – that is sensitivity. After many years of working in the industry, Bruce noted that from children to pensioners, everyone at some stage experiences skin dryness and itchiness. That is why he developed this unique advanced formulation that brings relief to most conditions. It can also be used to help eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, bites, wind-chapped and sun-damaged skin or allergic flare-ups.

The SOS Serum consists of only 12 active ingredients – rich in wasabi and burdock leaf extracts, these plant extracts are known for their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. Hyaluronic acid alleviates dry skin and speeds up wound healing, whereas peppermint provides soothing and cooling abilities that freshen and leave that pleasant ‘ice cube’ sensation to the skin. There are also two other products in the SOS range – SOS H2O Day Serum with anti-ageing properties and SOS SPF 50 skin protection. All three products are vegan, cruelty-free, with no parabens, SLS, mineral oil or fragrance and are proudly manufactured here in the UK.

We think the SOS Serum is a must-have it’s so gentle and even suitable for babies over one-month-old. Regular application of a small amount of gel-textured skincare will treat the skin issue swiftly. We found that the recyclable airless pump dispenser is easy to use and perfect in size for keeping in a handbag for regular application. The retail price of the SOS Serum is £15 for 50ml and can be purchased here.

Vilana - Mint Hair Conditioner

One of our missions this month has been to find a completely natural hair conditioner that won’t irritate an itchy or sensitive scalp. Not an easy task!  At The Amazing Blog, we’ve searched high and low and were recommended to try a brand called Vilana Natural Beauty, who are famed for their gentle hair care products and advice on hair loss.

Founded by Vilana Bagdone, a wife and mother of three who has a light bulb moment when one day she caught sight of her ‘dull, drawn and pale skin’. Despite using countless bottles of high street creams and serum, nothing seemed to help. It was only then that she realised she needed to return back to basics to harness the true power of nature and natural products. Today Vilana Natural Beauty uses a selection of top-quality essential oils to ensure she has the best to create her effective skin and hair care solutions. We’re excited to report that the brand has recently been nominated for The Scottish Business Awards which will be held on 23 February.

We tried the Vilana Natural Beauty Mint Hair Conditioner which is their hero product from the hair care collection. Looking at the key ingredients, it’s no surprise it is a bestseller. The conditioner is enriched with apple vinegar that leaves the hair feeling soft, shiny and smooth and peppermint essential oils which help to promote hair growth. Peppermint has antimicrobial and antifungal properties which help to tackle dandruff and other scalp issues. The shea butter and honey also add moisture for more luscious and thicker-looking hair. We’ve used this several times and noticed that it helped to restore, nourish and soften the hair effortlessly. They advise that you leave the product on the scalp for up to five minutes, in order to let the conditioner soothe and sink into the scalp, then rinse away. We were left with a refreshing scent of mint and very shiny hair. The added bonus is that it can be used as a hair mask as well.  There are no sulphates or parabens, and they even offer a full ingredient list with an explanation here. This one of our #amazingfinds of the week; you too can purchase a 200ml pot of Vilana Natural Beauty Mint Hair Conditioner for £12.50 here.

Luxju Natural Hair Care Products

We keep seeing the motto: ‘Happiness is a good hair day’ pop up on Pinterest, and some of us here at The Amazing Blog couldn’t agree more! So, finding a completely natural hair care and styling brand that offers a solution for those of us with fine and frizzy hair – is a joy. Let us introduce you to Luxju Natural Hair Products who we met at a trade show late last year. Their founder set us a challenge, to see if her styling products made any real difference to our hair.

The name Luxju comes from the word luxurious, and most certainly these products feel just that. From her own experience, the founder Veronica J is only too aware of the struggle that some women face with either textured hair that has coils, curls or has been chemically processed.  Her frustration was that she couldn’t find any effective ‘natural’ products to use on her own hair. That’s when she had a light-bulb moment. Working closely with specialist labs, she went on to develop unique formulations that only have the highest quality natural and organic ingredients. They are also vegan and free from parabens, mineral oils, petroleum; plus they are cruelty, gluten, colour and fragrance-free. All of the products help to soften, nourish, hydrate the hair and define curls. For those of us here with frizzy, curly and unruly locks, this sounded like a recipe for true happiness.

Veronica very kindly gave us the trio from the range to try. The very first product we used was the Luxju Nourishing Hair Mist.  It is specially designed to moisturise the scalp and keep hair healthy, soft and conditioned. The mist is super-light with purified water that’s enriched with aloe vera to help repair dead skin cells on the scalp and leave the hair smooth and shiny; the green tea extract helps fight scalp dryness or dandruff and amla fruit that helps to thicken the hair. We used this spray as the first item from the trio, by spraying it onto our scalp and dry hair. It felt fresh and cool, and helped to ‘refresh the hair’ leaving it feeling more hydrated; and although this is fragrance-free, there was a delicious hint of a green tea/coconut combo.

Next, we used the Luxju Nourishing Hair Crème. This product aims to bring strength, curl definition and moisture to the hair. We loved how rich and buttery the texture felt when applied, and it melted beautifully into our damp hair before styling.  We also liked the key ingredients (similar to above) plus aloe vera, baobab and neem seed and coconut oil all of which are famed for moisturising dry hair and adding shine and softness.

For the finishing touch, we used Luxju Nourishing Frizz Control Oil. What we liked about this special Oil is that you can control frizz, flyaway hair days, plus keep your hair from being dry and brittle. The combination of key ingredients like castor, sesame, broccoli and camellia seeds help to seal in moisture like no other – without leaving the hair lank and greasy. Castor seed oil thickens hair and reduces split ends and the sesame seed oil nourishes and strengthens hair from the roots. Top tip from us, make sure to use this product on dry or damp hair from roots to tip to achieve optimum results.

Conclusion? Well, we took the challenge and Veronika we think you have some winning products here because they really do work! Please can you develop a shampoo and conditioner for us too? Regardless of your hair type, we think that these three products can be used every day to rock gorgeous hair! You can purchase items individually starting from £41 each here

Nakin Natural Anti-Ageing: Eye Cream Complex & Performance Face Serum

As they say ‘the eyes are the window to the soul’ and we think that having good skin is a reflection of a healthy lifestyle. As regular readers will know, at The Amazing Blog we’re always searching for great products that help to defy the ageing process. Today’s #amazingfinds are Nakin Performance Face Serum and Nakin Eye Cream Complex. As some of you may remember, we’ve already reviewed some of Nakin skincare products before (see here ) so it’ll come as no surprise we were really excited to try these two.

The founder Cris Beetham has been a pioneer of natural skincare for the past 20+ years with expertise in the anti-ageing and natural cosmetics sectors, thus making her brand one of the first innovative British skincare brands. This award-winning range of skincare offers a luxurious skincare system of cleansers, moisturisers and treatments. Their carefully selected natural ingredients not only target ageing skin, but also a multitude of other skin issues like sensitivity and skin repair.

Nakin Performance Face Serum is perfect for aiding sun-damaged or dull-looking skin and helping to restore one’s complexion back to its former glory. It is rich in anti-oxidant oils and extracts which prevent damage from skin stressors. Enriched with hydrolyzed hibiscus extract and hyaluronic acid these both help to boost hydration and skin elasticity. The pomegranate extract helps to reverse the sun’s damage, and best of all their products are suitable for all skin types. It’s recommended to apply the Serum to a cleansed face before moisturising to achieve optimum results. It quickly absorbs, leaving the skin feeling incredibly soft and silky. Due to its wonderful hydrating qualities, we think that it would also make the ideal primer under a tinted moisturiser or mineral makeup.

Nakin Eye Cream Complex is a light eye cream designed to reduce the appearance of fine lines, puffy eyes and dark circles. Again, it is enriched with hydrolyzed hibiscus extract, hyaluronic acid and pomegranate that help to rejuvenate the skin. It also has caffeine, green tea and seaweed extracts which compress the blood vessels and reduces eye puffiness. The cholera vulgaris here helps to improve your blood circulation for the removal of dark circles. Just apply a small amount of the cream with your finger and carefully dab around your eye area both morning and evening. We love that it absorbs easily and has a delicate fragrance.

These are tried and tested products, and we whole-heartedly recommend Nakin skincare which is also vegetarian, cruelty-free and has no nasties. You can purchase a 50ml Nakin Performance Face Serum at £25 here, and a 15ml bottle Nakin Eye Cream Complex at £18 here.