In focus: Hand Balm Trio by The Body Shop, Good Girl perfume by Carolina Herrera and other things we loved

Looking for a treat to spoil your mum, bestie or sister? Have a look at this box of three 30ml tubes of hand balms – Almond Milk, Avocado and Shea – and you’ll see that these handbag-sized heavenly hand treats would make the perfect gift.

And this gift won’t just love your hands. It supports The Body Shop’s Community Fair Trade partners in Ghana and helps provide financial independence to over 600 women across 11 villages. Today, over 49,000 people benefit from the premium fund which assists with healthcare, sanitation and educational projects.

With all the hand washing that’s going on these days, you’ll find the balms nourish and hydrate your skin and work wonders on your dry cuticles too. The balms are very lightly scented – nothing overpowering or lingering – and you only need a small amount to get results. It’s absorbed into the skin quickly, so no lingering greasiness, and you’ll find your skin responds beautifully to the extra pampering.

I’m sure many of you have tried Rosehip Oil and had good results? Well this is Rosehip Oil +Plus which means other beneficial ingredients have been added – such as Vitamin C and Beracare BBA™ – to give amazing results. 

Rosehip seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants which nourishes, restores and helps reduce the appearance of scars, fine lines and wrinkles. The Beracare BBA™ increases the hyaluronic acid levels which hydrate the skin, and the Vitamin C evens out skin tone for a brighter, more healthy-looking complexion. It’s perfect for these cold wintery days – just makes your skin look less stressed.

The 20ml bottle comes with an eye dropper so dispensing the contents is easy. Massage gently into your cleansed face and neck area, morning and night. Then add your moisturiser to give your skin a beautiful ‘plumped up’ look. 

Glow Lab is an affordable New Zealand-made supermarket brand that contains no nasties. 

With our current bottles of perfume running out, my Mum and I decided to try out some perfumes in farmers. What a beautiful selection and how difficult to whittle down the choices to just a few.

Whilst my Mum opted for Daisy by Marc Jacobs, I was entranced with two of Carolina Herrera’s perfumes – Good Girl and Very Good Girl – which are now top of my wish list. I’ll need to go in again to confirm which one wins the day and gets purchased as a gift for me, from me ☺

My Mum felt the stiletto-shaped bottle was a bit ‘tarty looking’ and wouldn’t look good on her dresser. I, on the other hand, loved the sexiness of the shiny gold heel – “Give a girl the right pair of shoes, and she can conquer the world,” reads Carolina Herrera’s promotional material. 

As I’m mostly working from home these days, I don’t often dress up but I think this perfume will encourage me to don some fine clothes and take my husband out for dinner.

The perfumes are inspired by Carolina’s unique vision of the duality of the modern woman: audacious and sexy, elegant and enigmatic, good and bad.