I realised last week that I didn’t ever properly finish my round-up of the best pregnancy and new-Mum beauty products. I did some quite extensive testing of various stretch-mark oils and creams and the results can be found here (best budget) and here (best of the rest) but I must do a summary of my favourite pregnancy skincare and makeup when I get a chance. Perhaps after Christmas when I’m not knee-deep in cinnamon-orange candles and sparkly tree decorations!

But the Neal’s Yard Remedies Mother Organic Collection (here) gets bumped up the list because I think that it’s a brilliant present for Mums-to-be. This was one of my favourite body sets when I was pregnant – I found the bath oil truly relaxing, the body balm great for when I wanted something to do a bit of a lengthier massage with and the massage oil – oh, the massage oil! It contains neroli essential oil, which takes me to my happy place, and has a beautiful texture that keeps skin soft and supple. I’d use it still if I hadn’t ploughed through the bottle so quickly – there’s no reason to stop using it post-partum, I just had loads of other bits and pieces to write about.

My pregnancy posts on The Uphill…

The products in the Mother Organic Collection have been very carefully formulated to be suitable for pregnant women. I avoided many of my usual pampering products as I tend to go for some quite full-on aromatherapy stuff; the Neal’s Yard Remedies products are gentle, non-nauseating but still manage to do the trick on the “calming and relaxing” front. If you’re looking for a box-set to buy a Mum-to-be this Christmas then you can’t go far wrong with this one…

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Just a bit of fun: a trawl through the contents of my handbag. Or should I say “holiday bag”; I was on my way to Athens airport, so my bag was full of bits and pieces to see me through the flight. If you’d like to see a little of what I got up to on holiday then please take a look at my beach vlog and if you’re interested in where I stayed, there’s a hotel review here. Favourite stuff from my travel bag? I’d have to say the Lolly Wallet, which was from my friend’s shop, Sisi and May, and also my Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist. It’s like a portable sanctuary, that spray – I used it on the plane because a woman kept coughing and sneezing next to me, and it made me feel slightly less pessimistic about things. (It has no antibacterial properties or anything like that, it’s all completely in my mind! But hey – no cough or cold yet, so maybe it does work some kind of magic. At the very least it makes me quite calm and refreshed – must be the orange flower water.)

Here’s the video – there’s a little bag contents list underneath so you can cross-check anything you like the look of, but I do have to warn you that lots of my bag items have been travelling around with me for nearly a decade! I’m a definite creature of habit when it comes to travel; always a Kindle, always my Louis Vuitton organiser and my pink passport holder…

Contents:

Sunhat (bought in Greece years ago)

Scarf (Warehouse, 2012)

Wallet, Sisi and May: http://www.sisiandmay.com/collections…

Smythson Passport Cover

Kindle Prototype, made in the Victorian Times.

Louis Vuitton Organiser (bought 2004)

My Little Box subscription service: http://www.mylittlebox.co.uk/home

Eyeko Mascara Removing Wipes

Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist

Dior BB Cream Eyes

Sisley Black Rose Face Mask

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