February Favourites | Green Beauty

Over the last month I've found myself out of the swing of things. I have been staying at my Mums for moral support during my final trimester and my routine has pretty much gone out of the window. I'm lucky to splash some warm water on my face and brush my teeth most days and my pjs have become my best friend. Everything is hard work. Getting in the bath, preparing lunch and forget wearing socks - I haven't touched my feet for weeks. Having said that, there have been a few products I couldn't have lived with out last month so I thought I would share a - slightly late - February Favourites with you.

First things first, have you noticed that spring has sprung almost from nowhere this year? The lambs are already frolicking in the fields and the change is temperature has made a huge change to my skin. I've been reaching for less intensive moisturisers and mask and opting for balms and hydrating mists. My evening routine hasn't really changed much but I've introduced a few items based on recommendations.

Let's start with my hands. The third trimester of pregnancy is blooming delightful. Not only do you feel as full as an egg, everything starts to swell and puff up and every morning I wake up with big old sausage fingers. After I've showered and performed my morning skincare ritual, I have been treating myself to a rather relaxing hand massage. Loosening all the tension and attempting to reduce the swelling. I have a few hand creams from Burt's Bee's but the Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream is thick and really nourishing and works well to calm everything down.
I've always been a bit rubbish at applying a body cream, even though I know I need it! My skin has always been on the dry/flaky side - even in the summer - but I'm lazy and find slathering myself head to toe so tedious at times. So when I you find an 'ultra nourishing' product you know you're onto a winner. I'm a huge fan of the range of Body Butters from The Body Shop and have plenty to last me until 2020. However I wanted to try something different, change it up a bit and after using a few hydrating face products from Antipodes I thought I'd give their Jubilation | Ultra Nourishing Hand & Body Cream a go. A little goes a long way with this product which is great news for those on a budget, as it doesn't come cheap. But it really works!

I'm not sure I should tell you what I've been using the UltraBalm, for as some of you may find it a bit gross. But here goes, we've all got the same bits and if you've ever had a baby then you'll know during pregnancy your boobs expand - rapidly - which means your nipples also change. They get so dry and itchy somedays it's so uncomfortable that even wearing a bra proves difficult, even the sexy organic cotton ones I've been sporting throughout my pregnancy. I was surprised how quickly this stuff worked, it's similar to the Egyptian Magic Balm I featured way back in November, in that it doesn't really smell of anything and can be used for almost anything. And the lovely lady in Lush informed me it's also great for nappy rash so a great all rounder.

With pregnancy comes aversions and one that I've hated the most is finding almost any scent over baring. My regular perfumes haven't been touched since the summer and I really miss sprucing myself up with a splash of Chloe or spritz of Chanel. Then one afternoon in Lush I thought I'd try my luck and picked up a few scents. I felt like Goldilocks, 'too sweet', 'too strong', 'hmmmm just right.' Lush do a whole range of Dirty products including a deodorant and the scent is so fresh and crisp it reminded me of summer.

Another new addition has been the Rosewater Hydrating Mist for Jurlique. It has definitely taken a lot of getting used to but now I'm passed the initial disgust of spraying something onto my face, I find it rather pleasant. It's so refreshing when you need an afternoon boost. It wakes me up and livens up my make up if you've had it on most of the day. I'm a sucker for anything rose scented too.

One of best things about being pregnant is having an excuse to sleep whenever, wherever. I've been taking lots of naps during the day to keep up my energy, just in case I go into labour. But every night, after my bath I spray my pillow with the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray by Thisworks and settle down with my Kindle. The scent is so calming and helps me relax. Even though I'm up and down most of the night, I feel more relaxed and find falling back to sleep a lot easier.

What have been your favourite products this month?

Laurie Rose