Jones & Modha: no. 1 Eau de Parfum

It’s December already – time really does fly by at The Amazing Blog, and we’ll all be happy to see the back of this terrible year... As we come in and out and in again with the lockdown.  To our horror, we’ve suddenly realised that there’s very little time left to find our Christmas presents. So for December, we’ll be giving you some great gifting ideas starting with today’s natural plant alchemy fragrance from Jones & Modha, which we think is just perfect for helping make life a little more fragrant!

The brand Jones & Modha are all about returning to natural plant alchemy, the ancient ways of perfume making. This is done very simply by blending only the purest essential oils from plants, without any synthetic or animal substances. Co-founders and friends Catrin MacDonnell and Hemali Modha who recently launched the brand said: “For too long there has been so little choice for anyone who loves our planet. Things are changing and more of us are searching for eco-harmony and integrity within the health and beauty industry. We wanted a natural scent that is not tested on animals, does not use any animal-derived ingredients.” With very little of this available, they decided to create their own with Jones & Modha. Their aim with this range is to offer the world unique scents that are mindful of people, animals and the planet all without compromise. Their fragrances are designed and crafted using exclusively natural essential oils, leaving out all chemical and animal-derivatives that are usually found in commercially manufactured perfumes. As sustainability is important to the brand they also paid much attention to the packaging, ensuring that no extra plastic or cellophane is ever used. Each component is recyclable or has a low carbon footprint by minimising travel and the use of fossil resources. We love that they also donate 2.5% of their profits to environmental charities. Something else that convinced us to try their fragrance, is that this perfume is gender-neutral, and so we agree with Catrin and Hemali who say: “Why should anyone be allowed to tell us which perfume we should buy based on gender?”

For its first perfume launch, the Jones & Modha No.1, brings us a fresh, uplifting and comforting sunny fragrance; we think it’s perfect for any city dwellers dreaming of an escape to the country. At first, it has citrusy top notes like lemon myrtle and bergamot giving a very fresh and elevating feel, but shortly afterwards these become less citrus and more spicy/floral with the middle notes of rose geranium, linden, ginger, and coriander in the blend; finishing with the woody base notes of cedarwood and rock rose, balancing the fragrance. This scent is quite long-lasting, and even though Jones & Modha only offer this one fragrance, for now, this certainly has a bigger enough scent personality to be a staring standalone. Each of us who tried the scent found it unique and different, meaning that it didn’t smell identical on any one of us. This complex blend combined with an individual’s skin scent created a unique and personal fresh fragrance that we all loved! This 50ml planet-friendly fragrance comes in an elegant but minimalist and completely recyclable packaging designed by artist Judith Archer, and is available for £69.00 here. What could be a more perfect and individual present, than to give this to your loved one?

Cheerful Buddha: Naturally Flavoured CBD Drops

As we at The Amazing PR  are fervent supporters of CBD, we thought we’d share with you some more THC-free products that we’ve recently tried. Taking CBD oil sublingually is one of our favourite ways to ingest it because it’s a fast and easy way for the body to absorb all the goodness. The Cheerful Buddha CBD drops that we’re featuring today, taste absolutely delicious with naturally flavoured Peppermint or Chocolate & Hazelnut. We had to keep reminding ourselves not to overdose!

Cheerful Buddha was recently founded in 2019, and is one of the few UK based CBD companies offering home produced, manufactured and tested products. The hemp is grown by one of the country’s rare Home Office licensed Sativa growers. The founder and CEO of the company, Claudia Marcela Guevara Gonzalez explained more about the brand in an interview for Natural Products online: “We have worked tirelessly to create a stylish and superior product that steps above the hippy stereotypes of the cannabis plant. Cheerful Buddha embodies the scientifically proven health and wellbeing benefits that CBD naturally brings.” Being able to spread positivity and promote feelings of well-being, and inner peace is what motivates Claudia, who by her own admission is a quite spiritual person who identifies with the Buddhist principles of peace, love, and positive existence. The brand carries a whole range of CBD-infused coffee, drops, and chocolates, so it’s easy to find a CBD product that suits. All of these are broad-spectrum and offer the entourage effect with their terpenes, flavonoids, and waxes, but THC free nevertheless. The cannabidiol is extracted through a high standard critical CO2 extraction and of course, to guarantee top quality and respect of dosage restrictions, all batches are third-party laboratory tested here in the UK, and the results are made available directly on Cheerful Buddha’s website here. The hemp-derived CBD oils are also all gluten-free, non-GMO, organic and lactose-free. We think that transparency is key when purchasing any CBD products.

In the Cheerful Buddha Naturally Flavoured CBD Drops, the carrier oil is MCT oil, which is the best carrier for cannabidiol, as it is sustainable – no deforestation required like that of palm oil. Also, more importantly, it allows faster absorption of the product and does not affect the amount of CBD ingested. This allows the body to fully benefit from the percentage of CBD present in the oil, which is about 500mg per 10ml bottle. These oils not only contain cannabinoids including CBD, CBN, CBL, and CBCVA, but also the aromatic cannabis terpenes like pinene and limonene. In addition, they contain a wide variety of other healthy constituents such as the vitamins B1, B2 and D, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, trace minerals zinc, calcium and magnesium. The best part is, that for those of you who want to benefit from CBD’s many positive effects but cannot stand the hemp taste, these drops are available both in Peppermint, and Chocolate & Hazelnut flavours. The flavours and sensations are different: The Chocolate & Hazelnut tastes chocolatey, sweet, well-rounded and absolutely de-li-cious! While the Peppermint one has a creamy smooth mild minty taste which leaves a freshness. Overall we found that these two oils did their job, and helped to take the edge off the day with their dose 500g of CBD in 10ml. We loved both but we’d have to say that we did have a preference for the yummy taste of the Chocolate & Hazelnut drops. Why not try these to help you find your inner calm with either of these two Naturally Flavoured CBD Drops which are available for £34.95 right here.

A.T. Antao: Beautifying BB Cushion (Pearl)

With everyone getting into the mood for the Christmas season, we at The Amazing Blog knows how important it is to keep up appearances.  Remember when we were all applying our makeup daily? I know that for many of us, it may seem like a distant memory (except for the odd zoom call!) but it’s time to brush up (excuse the pun) and put our face back on! Today we’re reviewing Beautifying BB Cushion (Pearl) from A.T. Antao which has been a welcome addition to our makeup bag. It’s a foundation type that has proved popular our friends in the Far East for a quite while now, as it offers a light, flawless and super long-lasting coverage.

After living in London and working in the beauty industry for more than a decade, the brand founder Teniya Tao decided to develop skincare and makeup with A.T. Antao in 2014. A.T. Antao is considered a luxury brand with a loyal following throughout Asia and is now here in Europe. With their partnerships with top European labs, they provide the brand with premium quality ingredients. The brand has a range of twenty-five products from skincare to cosmetics, and Tao and A.T. want to empower women by helping them realise their potential. We like the brand motto which translates as: “Be your own queen”.

The Beautifying BB Cushion (Pearl) is in a sleek, elegant gold and black casing. We found it quick and convenient to use and a compact to feel proud of when pulling out of our bag for touch-ups.  The definition of a cushion foundation is a liquid formula in a sponge-like cushion housed in a compact. The cushion is sealed with a lid and on top is the black puff for easy application.  It’s a light formulation that offers an even semi-matte coverage, which is buildable depending on the desired effect wanted. A.T. Antao has two different types, Natural (which launched in 2018 and comes with a free refill) and  Pearl which we found to be slightly more hydrating and longer-lasting than Natural. Plus Pearl also offered more of a flawless finish on the skin. Both are suitable for all skin types; however, they only come in one shade which is good for most skin tones except for darker complexions, where the user may find these too pale. A.T Antao site YSL Fusion Cushion as a benchmark to their BB Cushion products, with its similar formula and compact. Although the YSL’s version comes with an SPF 18, eleven different shades and costs twice the price! We applied the BB Cushion onto moisturised skin pressing the black puff into the moist foundation sponge, then gently patting it directly onto the face and neck. We noticed a good even coverage minimising the pores and giving us a more radiant and brighter glow. This is our favourite product so far from the brand (and we’ve reviewed a few, see here) this BB Cushion couldn’t be more timely with winter now fast approaching, where our complexions are in need of further protection and hydration. To purchase your Beautifying BB Cushion (Pearl) visit the A.T. here for the 12g  for only £22.90.

Setunea – Dead Sea Mud Body Wash & Honey Infusion Soap

Finding natural, clean and simple artisan soaps has been our recent mission at The Amazing Blog trying to declutter the bathroom and find good multitaskers. Today we’d like to introduce you to Setunea who use ingredients and methods dating back to the biblical times with their olive oil-based soaps and body washes. 

Founder of Setunea, Waleed Kamhieh was curious about how the market would receive sustainable, all-natural, and organic soaps. “Setunea was born out of an idea of introducing a centuries-old olive oil soap recipe to the modern consumer and try to meet the growing global demand for chemical-free organic products.” He decided to launch the brand at a Natural Products Global Exhibition in London during 2018. Seeing that their 100% chemical-free products were a hit, especially with people looking for sensitive skin-friendly products, they decided to carry on sharing the wonders of olive oil from Nablus, a city located between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal near the Dead Sea. This is where olive farming and manufacturing has been part of the local heritage for almost a millennium. All of Setunea’s products are sustainably farmed and manufactured, as the olive oil is directly sourced from family-run farms where products are handcrafted by a family business that has continuously produced olive oil soap since 1611. The pure extra-virgin, cold-pressed olive oil constitutes 80% of the soaps. This olive oil is packed with nutrients and super-antioxidants and the skin will never feel tight or dry after using a Setunea soap no matter how sensitive it is. And if it does, Setunea promises to refund you under 30 days. Best of all their products are vegan, cruelty-free and formulated without any other chemicals, and their packaging is made from recyclable paper-based materials.

Let’s start with the initial product that caught our eye their Dead Sea Mud Body Wash. A rare blend of Dead Sea mud and olive oil, this unique two-in-one cleanses and heals the skin. Dead Sea mud has been used for healing the skin since biblical times; it has an extraordinary calming result on highly sensitive and problem skin with conditions like psoriasis, eczema, or keratitis. This minimalist formula has only four ingredients: Olive oil, food-grade lye (soda), water, and Dead Sea mud. The salt minerals work together here with the purest olive oil to gently cleanse the body restoring the skin’s PH balance and effectively hydrating and fortifying the dermis. If you have trouble coping with one of the skin conditions (mentioned above), we recommend this as your next go-to gentle body wash. This formula comes in a recyclable plastic 250ml bottle. It has slightly vanilla/nutty fragrance and is a translucent pale brown-olive greenish and lathers up well. To use, put a small amount on damp skin and massage in, then rinse off. We found that our skin felt cleansed and incredibly soft after use - its another one of our #amazingfinds. This gentle 2-in-1 is available for purchase at 250ml with a price of £9.00 here.

The next product that we tried is from their traditionally hand-crafted collection of Natural Olive Oil Soap. The Honey Infusion Soap bar is also clean in composition with simple ingredients of olive oil, honey, coconut oil, glycerin, food-grade lye (soda), and water.  The making these soaps are by a century’s old method, where the saponification process takes place in a large heated vat where the olive oil, lye and water are carefully combined for several hours before the mixture is laid out on a horizontal surface in a flat layer. Once the soap is hard enough, individual squares are marked out, hand-cut by an artisan who then expertly carves out each bar of soap. Finally, the soap bars are stacked in drying towers. Because this manufacturing process includes drying the soaps for five months, the bars do not reduce or turn to mush like industrial soap bars – so well worth the extra price point! This lightly honey-scented soap lathers nicely on the skin, leaving it smooth and thoroughly hydrated, even several hours after drying. Like the Dead Sea Mud Body wash, this Honey Infusion soap bar is excellent for dry, damaged, and sensitive skins. Note that being a soap with a clean formula, it can be used for the whole body: hair, hands, and body wash, just like the full range of Setunea’s Natural Olive Oil Soap bars. It is 100g wrapped in recyclable packaging, where you can purchase this highly nourishing soap for £5.00 here or a choice of their two full collections of six bars for £25 here.

Vedic Botanicals – Alk-Align Toning Mists

During these colder months, skin hydration is more important than ever. Going between the extremes of the chilly outside world and central heating plays havoc with our skin. This is where for us at The Amazing Blog we’ve been regularly ‘spritzing’ our faces with these Alk-Align Toning Mists from Vedic Botanicals, best of all, we’ve found that they’re stopped our skin from feeling tight and dehydrated. 

The Vedic Botanical’s founder Rachel Warnock has always had a desire to do what’s right by the environment and the people around her. After gaining a master’s in Vedic Science and Ayurvedic Medicine, the global 2008 economic crisis happened… Unsure of what to do, or where to go, she started working mediocre jobs to get by. However, dissatisfied with what she was doing, she decided to follow her passion by making her own products and thus started the brand with the motto of: “From soil to skin, only goodness goes in!”. Vedic Botanicals has created a variety of organic Ayurvedic body and skin care, hair serums and mists. Warnock is committed to using environmentally friendly practices where her products are certified organic and cruelty-free. Their packaging is reusable and is made from compostable plant-based plastic. They use eco-friendly practices wherever possible and compost any products past their sell-by date and have a workshop which is 100% solar powered. One of the more unique aspects of this company is their ‘empty jar guarantee’. If at the end of using one of their products you’re unhappy, you can simply return the empty to them and receive a full refund! We applaud Vedic Botanicals for their ethos and have quoted here from an interview with Warnock and Conversations with Kim: “We believe that profit made at the expense of the Mother Earth is not worth making. It only robs future generations along with the other species sharing this planet with us.  We vet the companies we source our herbs, oils, and packaging materials from choosing companies with eco-friendly practices to maintain sustainability top to bottom.” 

These are now some of our go-to winter products, the Alk-Align Toning Mists which come in two different blends has alkaline water and are one of the first toning mists to have a pH level of 9 (see the recent feature here where we talk about pH levels in the skin) There is the Ourika or the Kamogawa blend, both of these mists are created as multi-taskers they can hydrate, balance, cleanse, or tone the skin. We’ve been using these by spritzing onto our face and letting it absorb on makeup-free skin (at home in lockdown!) or as a cleanser/toner using these either end of the day.  Both mists contain oxygenated water which promotes hydration, detoxification and blood circulation. The Ourika mist, which is named after the Ourika river in Morocco, is created to help with your dry or oily skin with a spring-like floral scent. The key ingredient here is the frankincense which is known to help hydrate dry skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Whereas the Kamogawa mist, which is named after Duck River in Kyoto, it addresses uneven skin tone and has a more autumnal earthy scent. The white rose hydrosol here is a popular toner often formulated for dry skin. The helichrysum hydrosol is good for calming and correcting redness or dryness helping to balance the skin. We like how both these are pocket-sized at 30ml – making them easy to keep with you to spritz on the skin throughout the day.  Keep your skin nice and hydrated throughout these cold weeks and purchase your Alk-Align Toning Mists for the Vedic Botanicals here for $18.47 each.