Introducing Amala Beauty :: Luxuriously Pure Certified Organic Spa Skin + Body Care {REVIEW + GIVEAWAY Valued @ $152 *CONTEST HAS ENDED*}

It seems Germany has always been ahead of us in terms of placing value on the natural and the pure. Its not a fad, phase or new concept for them its simply their way of life. So it comes as no surprise that some of the great organic skin care geniuses have come from Germany and I'm genuinely excited to introduce you to yet another.

Amala (ah-mah-la) translates to "most pure" in Sanskrit, "revered mother" in Tibetan and "love her" in Spanish. This exclusive collection is for those seeking an intersection of luxury and purity. Ute Leube, creator and founder behind this pampering brand knows her ingredients, inside and out, backwards, forwards, up and down and has strong convictions about what is "responsible skin care". She and business partner, Kurt L. Nübling are some of the world's experts in the cultivation of organic botanicals and have been for the past 20+ years. Up until now, they've been known for their extensive and popular organic essential oil line (and anti-aging skin care), Primavera Life; which can be found throughout Europe in most drugstores and health food markets and scarcely available online in the U.S. This past May, Amala made its world debut in Singapore with great success and is currently only available in America in select upscale spas and online. While many high-end "organic" skin care brands deliver high-end packaging and strategically executed marketing the majority lack true ingredient integrity. Using high quality ingredients is commendable, yet once suspect (or downright toxic) ingredients are mixed in, the line's reputation is tainted for me personally. This is where Amala sets itself apart. Although the line is certified by Eco Cert I was pleased to learn the line goes way beyond Eco Cert's lax minimum criteria, containing 80-99% organic content in their products (compared to Eco Cert's 10% organic content minimum). Though no small feat, Amala insists on only using food grade, organic emulsifiers, which is quite rare to find even in an organic line.

This past month I had the pleasure of sampling a good portion of all three collections. While the Purify product descriptions resonated most with me (I'm sure it would be my humid-weather preference), it turns out my skin craves the two others this time of year. Purify is great for oily types and I'm still in awe at how effective their Mattifier is (I've found/used nothing like it before) and the Purifying Moisturizer is sure to banish oil slicks. Because my skin has seemingly turned from combo to dry overnight (thanks to the 30 and below temps), I amped up my hydration anty by alternating between a mixture of Hydrating Face Cream and Cocoa Treatment Oil or Rejuvenating Face Cream over Rejuvenating Serum (more like a gel than a serum). I'm also smitten with the Hydrating Eye Treatment as it makes tired eyes look bright and revitalized. The Detoxifying Body Polish is another of my faves as it works well to gently erase "bacne" overnight. They all emit fresh, pure aromas and feel beautiful on the skin.

Here is a concise overview of each of the lines:

Purify :: helps control excess oil and shine, clears pores while helping heal and prevent blemishes and blackheads.

Hydrate :: restores moisture to lackluster & dehyrated skin while soothing chapped or sensitive skin, smoothes dry and uneven types.

Rejuvenate :: helps firm sagging skin, smoothes the look of lines and wrinkles, addresses lack of elasticity.

THE GIVEAWAY

{What You'll Get}Grand Prize: One lucky person will win one Rejuvenating Travel Kit (a $152 value) currently only available in spa boutiques. The kit contains: 50 ml Rejuvenating Cleansing Milk, 50 ml Rejuvenating Toner, 30ml Rejuvenating Face Cream and 5ml Rejuvenating Collagen Mask all wrapped up in an organic cotton travel roll.

{How To Win} *CONTEST HAS ENDED*

1). Visit: AmalaBeauty.com, return here and leave a comment on this post about what you'd love (or need) for yourself and whether or not you'll keep the Kit or give as a gift if you win. That's it, your name is in the hat! (But please read the "Details" section below).

For additional chances to win:

2). Subscribe: Sign up for our email updates or our RSS feed (in the right column). If you signed up for emails, you do not need to let us know you did (we know), but you will need to confirm your subscription to make it active (you'll get a confirmation email from Feedburner). If you signed up for our RSS feed, please let us know in the comments section. This will give you a second entry into the contest. *New subscribers only*

3). Share:

a). For a third chance to win, blog about our contest and include the link in the comments.

AND/OR

b). Stumble or fave any post on http://www.figandsage.com/ via StumbleUpon and post a link to your profile so we can verify it AND/OR add Fig+Sage to your favorites on Technorati and include the link to your profile in your comment AND/OR submit one {or many} of our blog posts to Kirtsy. If you do any of these, you must let us know in the comments and provide the link or your user profile so that we can verify it.

AND/OR

c). Do all of the above and receive an additional entry for each. Please let us know you did so in the comments and provide the link to each.

{Details}

Contest ends at 5:00 p.m. PST on Wednesday, 12/10/08. The winner will be randomly selected via Random.org and will be announced on Thursday, 12/11/08. Please do not leave your email address in your comment (even if you disguise it with unconventional formatting). Instead please insert your first name and last initial (or a clever made up name); something to uniquely identify you so we can differentiate the winner. (Note: "Anonymous" comments will not be entered into the contest because we have no way of knowing which "Anonymous" person you are if you win). Be sure to check back here on Thursday, 12/11/08 to find out if you're the lucky winner (or subscribe to our emails). If you win, please get in touch with us at hello {at} figandsage {dot} com. We will not ask for your mailing address, we'll just need your email address which we'll pass along to the lovely folks at Amala so they can ship the goods to you directly. If you do not reply within 72 hours, we will draw straws again and your prize will be forfeited (sorry). *U.S. residents only*

Let the comments begin...

P.S. If you just can't wait to get your hands on some Amala, get $10 off any order of $100 or more with discount code AMALABLOG.

12/4/08 Update: Now through 12/15/08 get 30% off your entire order with coupon code FREUNDE1.