Juliette Wills
Baby Love
I'm not a baby, nor a mum, but that doesn't stop me using products formulated for mums and babies
Last time I was going on and on about shea butter and its super powers, and I'm STILL going on about it. I’d like to introduce another skin saviour - a luxurious body butter which was formulated by massage and nutritional therapist, Jayne Russell, for mums-to-be to help sort out their stretch marks during and after pregnancy. I was mooching about the Hastings Makers Market last summer when I met Jayne; there she was with her lovely blonde curls, talking to ladies who were having babies (not there and then, I mean at some point in the near future) about her products. I said: 'Hello, I'm not a baby and I'm not a mum, what should I do?' and Jayne (a little taken aback by my direct approach) gave me a little go on some of her products. We had a chat and off I went, my hands all soft and smelling lovely for the rest of the day (until I spilt a bit of tuna on one of them as I was feeding my cat). Well, I’m still not pregnant and I don’t have stretch marks (show off!) but that doesn’t mean I'm not finding a use for Nom Nom Skincare’s Stretch Butter with Camellia and Vanilla (£23.00), which won a Free From Skincare Award and reached the heady heights of the Mama & Baby Awards Beauty Shortlist Finals. In short, you don't have to be wearing one of those really annoying 'Mother' sweatshirts to enjoy these fabulous products.

Combining oils of camellia, almond, baobab and evening primrose with shea and cocoa butters, this stuff does the business in keeping my skin ready to be ravaged by a handsome suitor (one can but hope, right?) but in the meantime, it's just me going 'Ooh, that feels lovely'. I’ve used it all over as a body butter, and it’s just divine.
I've used it on my face (and lips) and woken up the next morning wondering how I got a facial as I slept. I’ve got another pot on my desk that I dip into and it’s really helping my hands and infuriatingly dry cuticles look and feel loads better. There’s no overpowering fragrance, but rather a gentle, lingering hint of vanilla. Even my cat likes it and tries to lick it off my hands. This is a product that, similarly to coconut oil, melts with your body heat and absorbs really well. Also, a little really does go a long way – I’ve had my bathroom pot on the go for weeks so it’s great value. Nom Nom products are formulated and handmade in small batches in the UK, so they sell out fast. If your skin is crying out for some TLC, don't dilly-dally.

Alongside the body butter are several other lovely products formulated to be gentle enough to use on a baby, and that means gentle enough for you. I recommend pretending you’re a baby and bathing in the Aloe Vera & Orange Blossom Baby Bath (£11) because it’s 100% heavenly. The Calendula & Evening Primrose Baby Butter (£15) made a great birthday present for my friend, and my friend is not a baby, nor does my friend have a baby (you get the idea by now). My friend does like skincare that’s gentle enough for a baby, though, and this is now one of her favourite products. It's likely that Nom Nom will rebrand at some stage to appeal to a wider audience (ie. not just baby-based) but you can get in there now – baby or not. Tell Jayne I sent you.
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