Debra Brock rounds up the best of this year’s beauty gifts for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is fast approaching (Sunday 26th March in the UK) and I’ve been having a truffle through the latest beauty gifts to find some gems. To be honest, nothing will ever top a wonky hand made card from a Reception aged child, but as I’m guessing they won’t be making many of those in my son’s A Level History class this year here’s some other ideas.

Perennial favourites for Mother’s Day are a nice bath oil and a lovely hand cream. If you’ve got a premium budget, you absolutely couldn’t go wrong with any of the Aromatherapy Associates bath oils (£45, 55ml), and if you’re feeling especially flush they can now engrave the bottle with a message for an extra £15. However, I’ve recently come across the very relaxing Indulgence bath oil – a mix of lavender and ylang-ylang – from Bloom and Blossom (£18, 100ml) which is excellent value.  For those that would prefer a choice of scent depending on their mood, Elemental Herbology have a set of five bath and shower oils (£36.50 for 5 x 30ml), packaged in a pleasingly non-twee pink box.

For hand cream gifts, Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment cream (£21, 100ml) is a luxe option that’s an absolute fail-safe. However I’m now also totally in love with Sanderson’s Chelsea 1960 Hand Cream (£8, 100ml) which not only smells delicious, but looks far more expensive than it actually is. I recently tested and liked Kind Natured’s Moisturising Coconut & Monoi Hand Cream (£3.33, 100ml) which again feels to me like a more expensive product (the body lotion is nice too, and the full range is available at Boots). For citrus fans, I’ve just come across 100 Acres Hand Cream (£14, 300ml pump) which has a gorgeous slightly fizzy, sherberty grapefruit scent.

There’s nothing nicer than wandering round the soap and candle sections in a department store, and this Trio Set of Bergamot, Lemon and Fig Soaps (£20) caught my eye at Liberty. There’s much pleasure to be had in choosing the kind of thing one never buys for oneself, so I highly recommend a trip out to sniff the products and stroke the packaging (just me?).  A lovely luxe candle gift is Cochine’s Vietnamese Rose and Delentii candle (a fabulous subtle rose and bergamot scent, £45, 230g), and for excellent value I’d recommend checking out Marmalade of London candles, (from £6.99 for a small tin, I’ve just finished the last in my stash).

I’m slightly wary of recommending beauty treatments as gifts (no mum needs to be told they need a ‘firming treatment’, thanks), but I really do think a medical pedicure from Margaret Dabbs would be a massively treaty (and effective) thing to receive. Various gift packages are available here, including a Mother’s Day package of manicure and pedicure at £135. They’re offering complimentary champagne to all of their customers that come in to their clinics and have a treatment on Saturday 25^th March 2017 and Sunday 26^th March 2017.

Bridie Hall’s Alphabet Brush Pots (£40 each)  look amazing on a dressing table. They’d be perfect for someone who has or is aspiring to have a make-up brush collection.

Finally, for the most lavish of budgets, Jo Malone are offering a stunning floral box containing a 100ml glass bottle of your choice of fragrance on a bed of blooms. Only available at Selfridges and Jo Malone London’s Regent Street Boutique, it’s £130.

Debra Brock

Debra Brock is co-founder of salihughesbeauty.com and a contributing writer.

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