Mothers’ Day products
Laura Mercier’s big honey-pots of bath emulsion are my favourite things to gift. They look like apothecary jars and inspire a Cleopatra-style devotion to bathing. Warm, sweet Ambre Vanillé is the newest and nicest addition to the collection. One twirl of the dipper creates a full-on bubble bath laced with moisturising shea butter and vanilla extract, so it lasts for ages. Sweet almond and oat proteins, hydrolyzed rice and pro-vitamin B-5 balance and protect the skin. The corresponding Body Soufflé, €54, is equally fabulous.
Perfume seems a rather uninspired present but no woman turns her nose up at a bottle of Guerlain. Almost two centuries before the fragrance market was flooded with eau de every pop-star and WAG (Guilty Pleasure by Steps? Really?) the French house perfected perfume-making as an art form. Each of their scents is a valentine to a muse, in this case the perfect little black dress. The feminine blend of vanilla, liquorice, smoked lapsang and Turkish rose is hard to resist. Released in limited-edition packaging for Mother’s Day, the elegant flacon design echoes those of L’Heure Bleue and Mitsuoko, two of the brand’s classic scents.
Aromatherapy Associates founder Geraldine Howard created this bathing oil during a particularly dark moment in her battle with cancer. She felt the combination of uplifting sage, calming frankincense, stimulating geranium and healing rose helped to fortify her and could comfort others in stressful situations. Ten per cent of the proceeds from each sale of this product go to the Dutch anti-cancer charity Foundation ATK.
MooGoo, a dairy-inspired Aussie brand specialising in organic, comforting skincare, offers a darling gift-box for new mums and their little ones. The pack contains scalp cream, nappy balm and a cuddly cow for baby. For mum, there’s nourishing face cream, lip balm, body wash and the brand’s best-selling Mudder Udder balm for breast-feeding mothers.
Most women appreciate a fine Bordeaux but know it won’t do their skin the power of good. Or will it? Caudalie calls the vine “an inexhaustible inspiration” and uses ingredients from it for this luxurious, 91% natural face cream. Resveratrol stimulates collagen, viniferine corrects and prevents age spots and a hefty dose of grape-seed polyphenols protects against free radicals. The blend is delicately scented with vine rose. At last, in vino bellus. There are no hideous anti-aging buzz-words on the caramel-gold packaging, making it a pretty gift.
Estée has come over all 60s this season with an homage to our favourite US drama. Timed to launch as the programme returns for season 6, this is a new-season lipstick, nail polish and powder-blush collection in retro packaging replicated from the brand’s archives. These will be tough gifts for any daughter to hand over. Estée Lauder’s original blue, white and yellow floral print appears on the shimmery-pink See Thru Blush compact, €58. The gold, fluted lipstick tube resembles something your mother might have spotted on your grandmother’s dressing table.
I’m not a working mother but I imagine that perfecting this season’s “no make-up” eye look is scrawled low on such ladies’ priority lists. Benefit’s new World Famous Neutrals kit in ‘Easiest Nudes Ever’ makes it easy as pie. Illustrated instructions for day and evening looks tell you which of the six shades (two cream shadows, four powders) to put where and how. A great gift for a supermum — they won’t know how she does it.
For those uncertain of their mother’s beauty needs, here’s something she’ll definitely want. This gorgeous make-up bag is made from butter-soft velvet calfskin and embellished with heart-shaped studs, the Anya Hindmarch bow and a tassel zip-pull. Available at Brown Thomas Dublin and anyahindmarch.com.
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