Kalahari – Mafura Body Balm & Manipedi Hand & Body Moisturiser

The changes of seasons and central heating always makes our skin dry, flaky and dehydrated. As the skin is the largest organ of the body, it’s probably the one that is most forgotten about, hidden under layers of clothing during these cold months.  At The Amazing Blog we take winter skincare very seriously, which is why today we wanted to bring you our latest #amazingfinds with the South African based salon brand Kalahari Lifestyle We initially met Kalahari Lifestyle at a London trade show and found ourselves intrigued by their products. They very kindly gave us the Kalahari’s Mafura Body Balm and Manipedi Hand & Body Moisturiser to review.

Carina Franck, Founder and Director of Kalahari Lifestyle had always shown an interest in nature and through exploring ancient formulas and secrets for natural health from the Kalahari Desert, she built up a strong connection with the local Khoi San families. Their lifestyle and secret remedies inspired her to create a range of natural skincare and body products that would encapsulate the African itself with harvested authentic botanical ingredients. These are plant oils and extracts, from reputable Phytotrade organisations and certified sustainable resources, with stringent eco-awareness protocols ensure the safety of the vulnerable African ecosystems.

Let’s start with Kalahari’s Mafura Body Balm which is an ultra-moisturising balm with mafura seed butter, shea butter and baobab seed oil. These exclusive blends of African key ingredients help to reduce signs of premature ageing as they contain an enzyme that exfoliates, and a complex of vitamins A, D, E, F and other multiple antioxidants to deeply nourish the body. These natural ingredients will make your skin look much brighter leaving you with a delicious subtle sweet and fruity fragrance. Kalahari Lifestyle suggests applying it after using your shower gel paying extra attention to those drier areas like elbow and knees. We found that this Body Balm to be very long-lasting (all day!) effective and intensely replenishing. We’ll be buying more!

Now let’s talk about their Manipedi Hand & Body Moisturiser, this comes in a smaller tube making it ideal to carry with you and applying on the go. This moisturiser contains grapeseed oil, which is high in Omega-6 and linoleic acid that helps to unclog pores and has both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Also containing guna beans and ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, these seeds contain between 40% and 60% oil that is rich in triglycerides mainly ricinolein acid; the combination of which makes it an excellent skin hydrator. We enjoyed using the Hand & Body Moisturiser with its gentle illuminating shimmer (from the mica and titanium dioxide) on our décolleté and shoulders which gave us an even more of a radiant glow.

If you too want to give your body a little love this winter, get your Kalahari Lifestyle products in select salons. Or purchase the 200ml Mafura Body Balm for €43 here and the 50 ml Manipedi Hand & Body Moisturiser for €19.90 here .

Smoothing Toning Mist By Novexpert

Our favourite products, here at The Amazing Blog, are multi-use products, where one product can perform a multitude of functions. The Smoothing and Toning Mist does just this.

The Smoothing Toning Mist by Novexpert is a marvellous multi-use spray, as it tackles a range of problems. It has an anti-ageing effect, a moisturising effect and an anti-pollution effect. Novexpert recommend it for all skin types, but especially for those with dehydrated ‘tired’ skin who need a rejuvenating boost and for showing signs of ageing. It is a lovely little product to provide a pick-me-up for the skin, especially in temperamental weather conditions, whether that be extremely dry, hot, or cold climates. It is also great to provide some much-needed moisture and protection in air conditioning.

For the moisturising properties, Novexpert have included hyaluronic acid, moisturising probiotic and aloe vera gel. Amino acids, phytic acid, anti-free radicals and monosaccharide biotech sugar give the mist its wonderful anti-ageing properties. A few special ingredients, including oxygenating phytic acid and metals catcher, aid in anti-pollution.

It is a delightfully convenient product, as all you need to do is spray a few times on the face, leave for 10 seconds to dry and be on your way! You can use the spray as many times during the day as you like, but we love it before applying our skincare for hydration and after applying our makeup to set it beautifully. Our favourite aspect is that it is 100ml which means we can take in on the plane with us, to keep our skin supple and happy during those dehydrating flights.  

Purchase the Smoothing Toning Mist here for around £20

Vital C Hydrating Facial Oil - Image Skincare

For a clear and bright complexion to be achieved, it is necessary to feed your skin the nutrients and vitamins needed for it to remain healthy and nourished. So when The Amazing Blog had the chance to sample Image Skincare’s wonderful Vital C Hydrating Facial Oil we were thrilled,  as it’s the perfect product to revitalise skin and feed it those all-important necessities.

We personally think that this oil is one of the best we have tried. Containing Moringa, Sea Buckthorn and Grapeseed oil along with a trove of antioxidants, this oil instantly perks skin up, brightening and refreshing it. The ingredients work together to rejuvenate ageing skin and work as an anti-inflammatory keeping puffiness under control. What’s more, the oil is also paraben and mineral oil free, so you know that while what your putting on your skin is powerful it will do no damage. This is the perfect oil for those with dry, dehydrated and sensitive skins as the oil is rich but gentle.

Purchase the oil here for £65.00

Bodhi Desert Rose Rejuvenating Facial Oil

As beauty junkies, at The Amazing Blog we have jumped on the bandwagon of treatment oils and we just can't get enough of them - no matter if we use them on our hair, our body or we add them to our skincare routine, the results always seem to be fantastic. A few months ago we featured on The Amazing Blog the Ylang Ylang Incensa Sensual Body Moisturizer and the Bath & Shower Therapy by Bodhi, and today it's the turn of their Desert Rose Rejuvenating Facial Oil. This exquisite face oil claims to improve the skin tone, refine skin and diminish fine lines leaving the skin radiant, feeling softer and looking youthful.

Rich in essential vitamins, antioxidants and fatty-acids, this oil is created to intensely hydrate the skin, helping stimulate skin cell rejuvenation and increasing cell regeneration. The key active ingredients are: Bulgarian Damask Rose Otto (great emollient and radiance boosting), Organic Moroccan Argan Oil (very rich in fatty acids and cell integrity preserver), Rosehip Seed Oil (helps diminishing the signs of aging and restores the moisture balance), Tunisian Neroli Oil (improves skin's elasticity), Kukui Nut Oil (rich in antioxidants for younger-looking skin), Strawberry Seed Oil (improves skin tone and protects the skin from free radicals), Evening Primrose Oil (revitalises tired and mature skin) and Vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant that helps premature aging). Each 30 ml bottle oil contains approximately 320 fresh roses, as it takes about a million roses to produce 1kg of oil. The final result is an ultra-fine and luxurious feeling oil and leaves your skin juicy and plumpier.

Even though I'm in my mid-twenties and I don't suffer from fine lines, I do have dehydrated skin and I've found that the Bodhi Desert Rose Rejuvenating Facial Oil has helped me improving the condition of my skin, leaving it supple, hydrated and glowy.

Bodhi Desert Rose Rejuvenating Face Oil 30 ml launched at an introductory price of £46 at participating stockists. This offer lasts until the end of September 2012. Therefater, it will retail at £56. To see the full list of stockists or to purchase any of their fabulous products, visit their website.