Thursday 18 June 2015

Amanzi Tea - not quite the tea you imagined!

A few days ago I was very lucky to go to Amanzi Tea, a stunning tea-house here in London to take part in a session of tea tasting.  Tea has become quite popular over the past few years with more blends and flavours becoming available and I am sure it won't be too long until tea-houses are more popular than coffee shops.

Amanzi Tea is just stunning.  It has lovely bright colourful decor and whist I was there the footfall of people coming in, sitting down and ordering drinks was plentiful and the whole time, the ambiance being so friendly, warm and welcoming that it is the perfect place to sit with friends and discover new tea loves and Amanzi Tea state:

"We aim to make people passionate about the world of tea by showcasing its possibilities and creating unique drinks and blends impossible to find anywhere else. With 150 different types of premium loose-leaf tea, as well as tea cocktails, chais, lattes and frappés, the possibilities are endless and we have something for everyone".
Amanzi Tea

I am thankful that the lovely girls of Halpen PR invited me along for a tea tasting session which was a whole new experience for me and one I would gladly repeat.  I love tea and I used to be a Tetley tea kind of girl, anything else was a no no.  Then I gave up caffeine having decided that I relied on it far too much and now can happily go without tea or coffee.  Now tea is more than just Tetley or PG Tips, there is a whole plethora of teas out there, some with medicinal benefits and some that are just meant to be enjoyed.

We started off our little taster session with by picking a choice of drink from the menu.  This menu has a lot of options, over 150 to be precise and I found it really hard to decide what to have, that was until someone mentioned Nutella! 

So I had a Nutella Frappe which was absolutely wow and just when I didn't think life could get any better I was introduced to white tea, cinnamon tea, vanilla chai latte tea, something I never thought I would like but actually loved, black tea, bubbletea (high up on my list of tea loves), Almond Tea and cocktail tea which was the absolute highlight of the entire session, I mean who wouldn't want a Mojito Tea?  All the while not once ounce of alcohol was consumed and in total we tried and tasted over 20 different teas.

Amanzi Tea
Amanzi Tea
Amanzi Tea
Amanzi Tea

As you can see, we made short work of all the tasters we were given and there was one tea which the three of us liked the most and as a treat, we were kindly given a full sized cup to take away with us.

Having now had this experience, I wish I had got one of the tea pots (shown below) and some of the tea to try at home because there is still so many flavours I would love to try, some I want to have again and when you look at the tea, who wouldn't want to make some using these items:

Amanzi Tea
Amanzi Tea

Amanzi Tea
Photo Credit - Amanzi Tea (the teapot I want and need in my life)

If you are looking for somewhere new to go for an afternoon with friends for a catch up or some quiet time, love tea as much as I do and want to discover something new, then I cannot recommend Amanzi Teashop enough. The drinks are so reasonably priced at around £1.99 for regular teas, £2.95 for chai and tea lattes and then around £3.75 for bubble teas.


You can find Amanzi tea at: 24 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 8TX and it is open Monday-Friday (7.30am- 7pm), Saturday (10am- 7pm) and Sunday (10am- 6pm)

Wednesday 17 June 2015

Detox Diva by Maskeraide

I have become a huge fan of sheet masks and my latest choice of mask comes from Maskeraide** which you can find in Selfridges. Now for me the first thing which stands out is the packaging, I absolutely love it, not only is it bright and eye-catching, it just grabs my attention.

The Detox Diva mask is filled with really good nutrients such as Green Tea Leaf Extracts, Geranium Oil and Seaweed all of which work together to minimise pores, absorb impurities. There is also Chinese Plum, Strawberry and Lemon Fruit Extracts which work to gently exfoliate and lift dead skin cells revealing clear luminous skin.  The face sheet is also Argan Oil based to help keep skin hydrated.
The MaskerAide beauty mask sheet is specially cut to fit the contours of your face, though slightly on the larger side which leaves enough room for you to tuck it around the underside of your face to ensure it snugly fits. Once the sachet is open, the sheet is visibly soaked with what are referred to as antioxidants and they act as an incubator blocking the air from your skin to allow your pores to open and fully absorb the masks full beauty benefits. It smells absolutely incredible, really fruity and fresh scented.

Detox Diva by Maskeraide
Detox Diva by Maskeraide
Detox Diva by Maskeraide
Detox Diva by Maskeraide
Detox Diva by Maskeraide

As soon as the mask is on the face, there is an immediate cooling feeling which is really relaxing and it works to stimulate blood flow and awakens your skin. The instructions state to leave the mask on your face to work its magic for 15-20 minutes and then simply remove, lightly rinse your face and pat skin dry.

To add to the list of nutrients, MaskerAide masks are free of:
  • Parabens 
  • Harsh Dyes & Pigments 
  • Mineral Oils 
  • Artificial Fragrances 
  • Benzophenone 
  • Glycerins
My skin absolutely loved this mask.  Not only did my skin feel incredibly refreshed and hydrated but also soft and smooth to the touch.  Long gone is the dryness feeling and left in its place is glowing skin.  Since using this mask, I would be more than happy to try others from the same range, there are six in total to try and each sachet contains one mask.

Have you tried any of the masks from Maskeraide?

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