Berrichi - Day Age Defence & Night Power Defence

We think it’s important to use different types of skincare for day and night and at The Amazing Blog, we’ve discovered a great natural skincare brand Berrichi with their Day Age Defence and Night Power Age Defence, both of which contain very special extracts from green and red microalgae. Berrichi firmly believes in the philosophy that clean and natural is best for the skin, which is a philosophy that we can certainly get behind!

Berrichi is a brand that hails all the way from Estonia, it was founded by Berit Joosep, whose struggle with dry skin and inflammation prompted her to look for natural alternatives. Thus Berrichi was born where it started life made small batches in Joosep’s kitchen, where she drew inspiration from books on herbal culture and ancient beauty techniques. Today Berrichi is a multi-award-winning skincare brand, exporting globally and recognised for leading the way with ‘clean beauty’ and its unique botanicals.

The two products that we reviewed were their Day Age and Night Power Defence creams, both which are recommended to be used together. They feature some of nature’s strongest antioxidants, with their unique microalgae-based astaxanthine an extract derived from the green algae haematococcus pluvialis, the carotenoids contained in the astaxanthin protects the cells from free radicals (a natural antioxidant 500 x more powerful than vitamin E. and 800 x more effective than CoQ10). The red algae furcellaria which is found in the Baltic sea is a strong neutraliser of free radicals, anti-pollution and removes toxins. These are blended with other ingredients of cacay, avocado, apricot, jojoba and kukui oils, all of which help the skin to bloom. You may be questioning the ingredient of algae; well we learned that it has long been a hero ingredient for centuries in Asian beauty with its moisturising, calming and anti-ageing properties. This powerful combination of botanical ingredients penetrates the dermis to give the skin an even texture, aiding skin tone and supporting elasticity and immunity.

Let’s begin with The Day Age Difference, which won Editor’s Choice at The Beauty Shortlist Awards in 2018. It offers 24-hour hydration for a soft, youthful glow while calming irritated, inflamed or hypoallergic skin. The Day Cream is light and absorbs quickly, making it ideal to use alone or as a makeup base. It retails for 36€ for 50 ml here.  Then there is The Night Power Defence, which has a thicker formulation for slower, deeper overnight absorption. The Night Power Defence cream provides deep nourishment, hydration and regeneration, leaving the skin firm and balanced. It helps to slow down the signs of ageing while improving collagen production and the removal of toxins. It can be purchased for 39€ for 50ml here.  

Both products are free from parabens, sulphates and vegan, organic and cruelty-free. We think that they make a perfect combination for city living protecting us from pollution, whilst also delivering long-lasting hydration. Keep an eye out for Simon’s review of their Smoothing Age Defence which will appear shortly. We can’t wait to try more from Berrichi and they certainly get the thumbs up from us!

Therapie by Roques O'Neil - Inner Light Sleep Drops

If you are keeping up on The Amazing Blog you will know how much we rate Michelle Roques-O’Neil’s Therapie aromatherapy products. We were lucky to have used their Restore Aura Spray as well as their Himalayan Detox Bath Salts and Cherish Skin Repair Body Serum in the past. Always being busy and on-the-go we know how important it is to relax at the end of the day – but we also know it can be hard to unwind sometimes. That’s why we wanted to review the Therapie Inner Light Sleep Drops today, which have helped us get a much deeper and more blissful sleep.

The Sleep Drops contain a fantastic mix of oils for example passionflower, frankincense, sandalwood, lavender and many more.  All those ingredients work to calm and soothe your mind as well as effectively strike overextended nerves so you can fall into a deep and nourishing slumber. Overnight your body and mind can restore and rebuild thanks to these Sleep Drops. What we love about the Inner Light Sleep Drops is how versatile they are. You can put 30 drops in a hot bath and soak for 20 minutes, have a foot bath or use them on a cotton wool pad under your pillow. We enjoyed soaking a cloth with warm water that was infused with the drops and then putting it on our face for 30 seconds breathing deeply.

The small bottle is great for travelling and perfect for taking on those stressful business trips. It’s also a go-to product when you feel the need to unwind and slow down your hectic pace of life. You can buy the Inner Light Sleep Drops on their own for £48 here or you can purchase them with a The Colourful Dot Rose-Quartz for £58 here.

Friday Favourites: Face Masks

There is nothing better for your body and mind than the occasional pamper day. It is utterly imperative to take the time to give your face and body the attention it needs. We at The Amazing Blog follow a strict rule of giving ourselves a full-blown pamper session at least once a month because it helps us take a moment to breathe, reflect and slow down. Today we've featured a wide range of faces masks so whatever you skin type or budget we think we've got it covered!

If you are like us, then you’re in need of some interstellar relaxation, and the only brand that can meet such space-age promises is Spacemasks. We love that each mask has a stylish star-studded cover so you could literally use it anywhere; at home or on the go. Each box contains five masks guaranteed to whisk you to a world of peace. 

These masks are the perfect way to get your well-deserved beauty rest. Scented with jasmine essence, these masks are incredibly soothing. Added bonus? They heat up when opened, which left us feeling warm and cosy. It was a fantastic way to literally melt away all the stress of the day and drift off to a more beautiful world as we slept.  It is so easy to use this product, just open the pouch and unfold the mask. Then gently place it over your eyes and fit the loops over your ears.  The mask will start heating up pretty quickly as the oxygen reacts with the iron particles in the product. Leave it on for 15 minutes as you drift off to a space far away from Earthly stresses. 

For a better night’s sleep, reduce eye strain and relieve tiredness you can purchase your pack of 5 masks here for £15.00.

The second mask for your next pamper day that we would recommend is the Retexturing Radiance Mask from Lucia Magnani Skincare. One of most luxurious range of skincare that we've seen in a while, we all fell in love with this beautiful faux tortoise shell pot. This brand has a fundamental philosophy that helps them develop all of their products. They believe that their products should help bring out everyone's inner beauty to equip you with a natural radiance and a confident glow. 

This mask has a unique formula based on the individual properties found in the waters and mud of Castrocaro Terme in Italy. It is enriched with antioxidants CoQ10, Alpha-Lipoic Acid and Vitamin E. The combination of these ingredients helps the mask to regenerate, strengthen and preserves the skin's structure. The mask works to keep skin looking youthful and radiant. The presence of minerals and other key ingredients with an astringent effect reduces the size of pores, signs of redness and skin irregularities. We found that our skin was looking brighter and more radiant after use, making it the perfect product to lift you when you’re feeling a bit worse for wear. 

The product is the most effective when used 2-4 times a week. Just massage directly onto cleansed skin and leave to dry for around 5-20 minutes before rinsing off. We'd certainly like to try more products from this skincare range. You can purchase the face mask here as part of their 6 part Ben Essere skincare set for £590 which contains all the brands signature products.

The next mask we wanted to introduce you to is the steinEY from Soley.  Containing Wild Icelandic Herbs and Volcanic Ash, this face mask will make you feel Scandi chic in 10 minutes.

The face mask contains minerals that regulate and balance skin, stimulate cellular metabolism and strengthen skin tissues while also reducing the signs of ageing. Packing in an exfoliating effect, the mask will also help to even out skin texture by removing dead skin cells, toxins and other impurities. The rich volcanic clay from Eyjafjallajökull and the Wild Icelandic birch promote the skin’s natural equilibrium, meaning you will be looking like your best self in no time. Mix ½ a teaspoon of the mask with ½ a teaspoon of water and apply evenly to clean skin with fingertips once a week. Leave it on until it dries and turns a light grey, which should take roughly 10 minutes. You can purchase the mask here for £38

Last, but by no means least, we wanted to introduce you to the Chlorella-Algae Mask from one of our favourite brands, ISUN.

This mask is suitable for all skin types and is ideal for people looking for a calming and hydrating gel mask. The mask contains superfood ingredients such as Chlorella-algae and Aloe Vera, which calms, nourishes, soothes and firms the skin. The lavender and rosemary oils in the mask help to enhance the skin-soothing properties and make this a sensory experience as well as a rejuvenating one. We think that this mask is particularly good for those with sensitive skins and the co-owner Tracey Annette suggested: "Chlorella Algae Mask mixed with plain Natural Yoghurt is also excellent for hyper-sensitive skin conditions such as Rosacea." We're already fans for iSuncare skincare and have to say that this mask left our skin feeling more toned and hydrated and we also liked how fresh-faced we felt all day long. You can purchase the ISUN mask here for £52.00

No pampering session is complete without a face mask and we hope you enjoy trying our favourites too. Make your next ‘me time’ all that bit more special.

EE Express Effect by Karin Herzog

At The Amazing Blog, we love skin care brands with high ethics and philosophies, especially if these beliefs are founded in hard-hitting scientific facts; this is exactly what you get with the Swiss skincare brand Karin Herzog. After ten years of meticulous research, Dr Paul Herzog, Nobel Honoree, discovered the family’s secret formula for their miracle skin care products. With all this history and science behind the brand we were more than just a little excited to test out some of their products, and they very kindly sent us a sample of their smoothing face cream called EE Express Effect.

Inspired by the anti-sceptic and hydrating properties of oxygen, the Herzog brand developed a unique formula used in all their products that stabilises active oxygen into the cream. The EE Express Effect Cream removes tiredness and gives skin an instant boost of radiance. The use of both rose and orange water with essential oils, work together to leave skin looking instantly smoothed and visibly calm. We found that the product left our skin looking enviously radiant. This was due to the mix of ingredients in the product that work to even out the skin’s tone and texture. The kaolin mattifies the skin while the hyaluronic acid plumps it, leaving skin glowing and youthful. What’s more this amazing little cream helped to de-stress our skin. The Arnica Montana in the cream reduces signs of stress on the skin, while the sodium bicarbonate purifies the appearance of the skin.

With all this, you’d think it would be near impossible to like the brand and their marvellous products any more than you already do. Well, you would be wrong as they have remarkably high and strong ethics which help govern how they operate. As an independent brand they value the importance of quality ingredients, they are paraben free, vegan-friendly, dairy free, gluten free and cruelty-free. Meaning this brand is for everyone, and can be used by anyone. The products are gentle on skin and still provide visible and lasting effects.

If this sounds like the brand for you, then you can purchase your very own EE Express Effect Karin Herzog Face Cream here for £79.

Bodhi - Flora Paradiso De-Stress Massage & Body Oil

As everyone will know by now, one beauty product that I can't live without is body moisturiser; I need to feel my skin properly nourished 24/7. My skin is naturally quite dry, and these sudden temperature changes (ehem… anyone said Summer?) are making my skin feel dehydrated and quite tight. That is why I have put my tubs of body moisturiser and butters aside, and have gone for something richer and more concentrated to treat my thirsty skin. Their Flora Paradiso De-Stress Massage and Body Oil is a beautiful blend of sumptuous Ylang Ylang, High-Altitude Lavender and grounding Atlas Cedarwood. This oil is designed to help alleviating physical and mental stresses, having ancient massage rituals from the Balinese and Indonesia in mind. The great thing about Bodhi’s Flora Paradiso Oil is that its nourishing effect is super long-lasting; even if I apply in the evening, I can still feel my skin supple and deeply hydrated the morning after. Another good aspect of this oil is that is fast-absorbed by the skin and does not leave, to our surprise, that uncomfortable greasy residue on the skin. And its scent… is stunning: very relaxing and calming too.

As our fellow readers of The Amazing Blog will know by now, the girls and myself love the brand Bodhi. We have been lucky enough to try almost all of their products, and Elijah Choo’s (founder of Bodhi and the man behind the brand's beautiful blends) exquisite formulas have never let us down. Bodhi’s Flora Paradiso De-Stress Massage and Body Oil ticks all the boxes of what I look in a nourishing body product. Elijah, you never let us down.

Bodhi’s Flora Paradiso De-Stress massage and Body Oil can be purchased from their website and retails at £38.