Sarah's Christmas Wish List

It’s the most wonderful time of the year here at The Amazing Blog and I for one am having a fantastic time putting together Christmas lists for myself and my loved ones. Aside from the mouth watering food, gift giving is my favourite part of the holiday season. I love the feeling that finding the perfect present brings, and the excitement of handing it over to be opened on Christmas Day! With this in mind, here’s my list of the best gifts for friends and family this Christmas.

As soon as I set eyes on Nanshy's beautiful make-up brush collection, they shot straight to the top of my Christmas list. My particular favourite was the Large Shader Brush. Densly packed bristles make it easy to pile on the pigment, giving the power to create effortless shadow looks. I’m a huge fan of a smoky eye, so I praise any tool that will make the job easier. The PETA approved brushes have super soft synthetic bristles that feel like heaven on your skin!  The brushes are available to buy here, along with the rest of the wonderful brush range, with the shader brush costing £5.95. They would make the perfect gift for any make-up lover this Christmas.

If make-up isn’t your cup of tea, then maybe skincare will be at the top of your list. Sensational skincare brand Spiezia Organics has a great range of products, and I think that skincare fanatics would be super pleased to see their Body Softening Oil tucked under the Christmas tree. The beautiful blend of almond oil, Mandarin and Geranium essential oils is certainly a great way to maintain velvety, glowing skin come Christmas Day. Spiezia Organics also recommends this as a massage oil, perfect for relaxing over the holiday break! You can buy the oil here for £23.95.

Less about under the Christmas tree, and more about the beauty buys amongst its branches. I love the recent trend for tree trinkets from well known beauty brands. Decorating your tree with all manner of beauty products seems like a wonderful idea to me, with the added bonus of a few little treats when it’s time for the tree to come down! As fragrance is always a fail-safe gift, one of my favourite decorative presents this year is this adorable selection of perfumes from Ted Baker. The collection of mini fragrances includes 960, W, Woman and K20. All the beautiful scents look delightful on the tree, and are great for popping in your handbag for freshening up on the go once Christmas is over. The Hanging Treats are available to buy here for £23.

Of course, chocolate is always a welcome treat come Christmas time, and The Chicken Shed offer a scrumptious range of raw chocolate treats, the perfect snack to peck at during the season of overindulgence. Organic, and with no added sugar (it’s sweetened with raw forest honey), it’s a healthy alternative to your Cadbury’s morsels, taking away a little of the Christmas guilt! The flavour we really loved was Persian Blue Salt; the perfect blend of sweet and salty, but I’d be delighted if the Double Orange flavour turned up in my Christmas stocking. You can buy the bars here for £3.25, or from their high street stockists here.   

Lara's Christmas Wish List

Christmas is just around the corner, and if you’re still sorting out your Christmas shopping, fear not, as I have a few suggestions sure to please over the festive season. From perfume to chocolate, we here at The Amazing Blog have a few ideas for everyone.

Perfume is such a thoughtful gift for friends or family, and I really love those fresh, universal scents that suit any personality. One that I’d be thrilled to see in my stocking is St Kitts Herbery’s new Bergamot Perfume. The musky scent contains base notes of patchouli and amber, as well as orange and, of course, bergamot. The beautiful fragrance actually makes a great unisex aroma, one that I’d happily gift to someone special, whether male or female. The perfume is available to buy here for £24.95.

It’s also the time of year to immerse yourself in gift sets, and Korres offer some great selections. In particular, their Wild Rose Brightening Collection is a great introduction to the brand, and a wonderful present for any budding skincare enthusiasts. Consisting of the brand’s signature Wild Rose 24H Moisturising & Brightening Cream, and the new Wild Rose Advanced Repair Sleeping Facial, this limited edition set smells divine, and is great for keeping your face moisturised during the colder months. The set is available to buy here for only £10, making it a fantastic stocking filler.

Of course, everyone loves tasty treats, and InSpiral have just the thing to keep your friends and family happy this Christmas. Their Goji & Purple Corn Raw Superfood Truffles are absolutely delicious, with their melt in the mouth texture being just like a decadent chocolate brownie, only with a lot more health benefits. The raw vegan treats contain cashews and are coated in wonderful coconut flakes, ideal for sharing with your loved ones, although I found it difficult not to eat the lot myself! You can buy them in packs of 4 here for £3.95. We only wish they came in a bigger size!

There's nothing better than curling up and keeping warm after a long day. And Christmas is the perfect time to sit around family and friends, sipping on a hot drink or two. The East India Company offer a wonderful selection of winter beverages, perfect for buying to share this Christmas, or for gifting to someone who loves a good cuppa. The brand offers a wide selection of Christmas drinks, including Spiced Chai Drinking Chocolate and Christmas Tea. My personal favourite was Christmas Coffee; a delicious blend of hazelnut, chocolate and cinnamon, I'd be happy to sip on this seasonal delight all year round. The Christmas Coffee is available to buy here for £12.95, as well as the rest of the brand's festive infusions.

Hopefully, you'll find something to suit all in this festive gift guide. Happy shopping, and Merry Christmas.

Neom Organics' Happiness Room Spray and Pillow Mist

It’s time to start freshening up your home in time for the holidays, but are you really in the mood? What if we told you that we at The Amazing Blog discovered a product that can fix that? Say hello to Neom Organics’ Happiness Room Spray and Pillow Mist!

Neom Organics believes that its products should have a therapeutic benefit, containing the most potent oils that have been used since the 17th century and by aromatherapy experts to balance emotions, promote positivity and shed any unnecessary worries.

Its room sprays are made with the finest, 100% natural ingredients and pure essential oils.

The Happiness Room Spray is designed with 8 essential oils, including White Neroli, Mimosa and Lemon that not only leave a fresh scent throughout your house, but also uplift your spirits and boost positivity. 

Turn that frown upside down and purchase Happiness Room Spray here for £18.00.

Spray and watch all of your worries go away!

Friday Favourites - Home Fragrance Feature

Here at The Amazing Blog we know how much of an impact the smell of a room can have on the overall atmosphere it provides. Whether it be a candle, a spray or a diffuser, we feel that the way a space smells directly affects the attitudes of the people in it. That being said, to assist you in creating the perfect atmosphere for your space, we have complied a list of some of our top three home fragrances. After hours spent drifting away into a fragrance induced trance, we’ve decided True Grace Room Sprays, Gli Oli and Illumens are the prefect brands that will keep your home and office smelling just delightful.

First, we tried out two sprays from True Grace. The Seashore – No.26 spray is a very light and fresh fragrance. Seashore, as the name suggests, is designed to provoke happy memories of the seaside. With Moss and Amber base notes, the earthy scent is easily detected but is then balanced with geranium and neroli top notes. In complete contrast, the company also provides the scent of Black Lilly – No. 31. This product will give off more of a dark, heady fragrance, rich in ingredients such as Vanilla, Amber, White Pepper and Jasmine. Although this may seem like an unusual mix, it makes the scent diverse and perfect for cosy nights during the colder months.

Made in the UK, True Grace room sprays are unusual and diverse, and here at The Amazing Blog we can’t get enough.

Both Black Lily – No. 31 and Seashore – No. 26 are available for purchase here. 

Next on our list is a company that has truly perfected the art of scent. Gli Oli sent us their Patchouli diffuser, providing our office with a gorgeous blend of Patchouli, Frankinscense, Ylang – Ylang, Cypress and Sweet Orange. Traditionally used in Asia, this heady fragrance has a sweet yet musky aroma which is ultimately cosy, giving the scent warmth and making it ideal for the winter as well. Though the key note within the diffuser is patchouli (as the name suggests), the ylang-ylang acts as a bridge between the spicy and strong mixed fragrances that the diffuser contains, creating a refreshing, fruity, and spicy scent. What an excellent combination!

You can purchase the Patchouli diffuser here for £45. Other Gli Oli products are offered in a large selection of various scents here as well.

Not as familiar with the spray or diffuser fragrance techniques? Not to worry, because we received a candle from the Illumens Winter Collection, and needless to say…it was indeed like Christmas in October!

We burned the Juniper & Spruce candle in our office for about six hours, and the smell never faded. Each time we re-entered the room, we were reminded of how blissful the experience of burning a Illumens candle can truly be.

Though we received the Juniper & Spruce candle, Illumens also offers the Votive Candle Set, complete with Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Fig and Ginger. No matter what kind of scent you are looking for, this package will provide endless fragrance opportunities for your space.

Visit the Illumens website here and browse their delightful collection!

Jul Et Mad - Aqua Sextius

We here at The Amazing Blog know how hard finding the perfect fragrance can be. So when something new like Jul Et Mad’s Aqua Sextius came along, one can only imagine how excited we were to expand our assortment of scents and give it a try. Needless to say, we were absolutely thrilled with the product.

The first thing that caught our eye about Jul Et Mad’s Aqua Sextius was that the liquid is a peculiar light green hue, reminding us of a breath of fresh air. Aside from being fascinated by the colour, the fragrance had a distinctive ability to provide dual sensations after being sprayed. The initial scent is a combination of citrus, bergamot, mandarin, orange and grapefruit, making us feel like we we’re enjoying a sunny day at the beach. We then instantly cooled down and enjoyed the blend of tea notes, powdery mimosa blossom, white flowers, and fig and pine tree resin. The array of ingredients in this product allows the fragrance to create an all around fresh and light summery atmosphere.

Jul et Mad Aqua Sextius comes in a beautiful 50ml bottle. The company also introduced special 20 ml travel packaging named Le Compagnon, ideal for those who want to test the fragrance before purchasing a large bottle. Each comes in a box made of grey leather and contains the product along with an additional 7ml travel bottle, giving customers the option to refill. For those who love miniatures there is also a LOVE DOSE 5ml bottle available with all four perfumes.

If you feel the need to drift away and get lost with Jul et Mad Sexitus Aqua, the product is avaliable for purchase here.