Clearly Mother’s Day is going to be a slightly different affair this year, with lockdown still in place as I type this, it’s inspired me to look at some of the wonderful independent brands that will deliver to your mother’s door if you can’t (socially distance obviously) visit her with a gift yourself. So, if you are looking for something a little different to the usual daffodils and chocolates we have got you covered.
On a bit of a Covid friendly theme to begin with; Purdy & Figg are launching their latest hand balm at the end of February. The all-natural product combines Shea Butter, 70% pharmaceutical grade alcohol and pure essential oils to create a truly luxurious hand balm that nourishes hands for all-day protection. It combines a handcrafted blend of Rose Geranium for its uplifting qualities and Lemon Citrus Oil for its natural antibacterial properties. Perfect for your mother’s purse when we are allowed back out again as its not only antibacterial but protects the hands with a beautiful scent.
Continuing on a beautifully scented theme, there are two wonderful independents I love for two different reasons. Firstly The Recycled Candle Company, their Ginger and Lime scented single heart candle “transports you to a warm spring morning”. With hints of zesty Sicilian Lemon and Brazilian Orange combined with fresh Ginger and earthy base notes of Patchouli, these are great value with a Burn Time of 50 – 80 hours, however their uniqueness is how they are made; they collect scrap candle wax and then recycled it and give it new life in their candles. So not only are these pretty and smell amazing but they are eco and green, what’s not to love?!?
My second go to home fragrance brand is the amazing Pretty Vibe Botanics which originated from the first lockdown of 2020. Whilst we all stayed home and were unable to work our regular jobs, the concept of Pretty Vibe Botanics was being born. Already in such a short time it has grown bigger than founders could have ever imagined, I am in love with their range that you can buy via scent, thus being able to ‘layer’ them throughout your home. All of their products are lovingly handcrafted and hand-poured in their little studio in South Wales, which means a lot to me as that is where I am from. They are made in small batches and they pride themselves on personally creating them from start to finish. Such a wonderful story and certainly a small brand worth suuporting.
Still on a home theme (well, let’s be honest we could be here for a little longer in our homes longer than we anticipated) there’s a gorgeous magazine holder that’d be an amazing gift from Life of Riley. This brand is from the vision of Sarah Kocher who set up her business in 2007. Sarah wanted to design a classic leather gift range that would stand the test of time and be admired for generations to come. They supply some of the most beautiful lifestyle boutiques, hotels and discerning interior designers in Britain and beyond, and even add a bespoke touch via their personalisation service. This gorgeous grey magazine holder would look perfect in any home and it also comes in a leather finish if that is more the aesthetic of your mother.
Also exclusively for our BBB readers Life of Riley have done a discount code that can be used site wide so you can get your mother a gift. Use “Treat” at the checkout to get 15% off any product over £29 until Mother’s Day.
On the subject still of natural products, I was kindly sent Clean Sweep by the ever talented Chef, Angela Langford. Almond, apricot, safflower and jojoba are blended with chamomile, cacao, lemon and eucalyptus to cleanse your skin; making it softer & smoother whilst giving you a gorgeous healthy glow. It is perfect if your skin is dry, damaged, dull or flakey. This is the recipe for clean, smooth and radiant skin for your mother.
If your mother is more of a science led beauty fan, Dr Pradnya Apte of Skin South West and Harley Street, believes as an award winning aesthetic doctor skin comes first! If you look after your skin with the right products then any aesthetic work you may have will have better results and last longer. She suggests that for Mother’s Day you invest in a skincare kit from Image Skincare to take care of your skin in lockdown. Dr Pradnya suggests the Hydrating Essentials from Image which contains Vital C cleanser, Vital C serum and hydrating SPF moisturiser. Also its a bit of a bargain as the items are £179 if bought individually but the kit is £99!
Whilst I’m still looking at luxury independents Pink Avocet only have the softest most beautiful cashmere, we have chosen a gorgeous Sloppy Joe Cashmere Jersey that’s available in loads of colours but we love the winter white, perfect throughout the seasons, layered in the winter and over sun kissed shoulders in the summer. What’s extra lovely about this brand is the owner of Pink Avocet is also co-founder of BrilliantLittleBrands.com which is a group of 100+ small UK businesses working together and all donating 10% of all sales to charity, they only set up the website end of October 2020 and have raised £12k for charities so far! So buying this jumper for your mum not only ensures she looks luxurious on Mother’s Day but your purchase also gives back.
Also exclusively for our BBB readers Pink Avocet have done a discount code that can be used site wide. Use “BBB20” at the checkout to get 20% off any product on the site.
One of the labels I really wanted to include in this roundup is MEEKA. The idea was to develop a luxurious sleepwear line, that specializes in robes and pyjamas and the collection aims at providing timeless quality pieces to last. The brand is built around sustainability, as the collection is inspired by nature, reflected in the earthy tones, ethical organic materials and recyclable trims, I’m a massive fan myself and these are perfect pieces for mothers. In particular we suggest the Vilamoura Pyjama Set as this not only works as PJ’s for at home but once we can travel again they are the perfect loungewear for that villa in the Italian lakes, stick a wide brim hat on and some gucci slidders and your mother will be the chicest women in town.
One of the gifts that I thought was so original (and my little niece thought Nanny Oakley would love) is the Star Name Registry, this is such a lovely gift, especially if you don’t live near each other, it’s such a lovely thought to think that you are both looking at the star. There are loads of options as to naming a star from a Standard Star to the Extra Bright Star package so I suppose it depends how much you wish to impress your mum this Mother’s Day!
And lastly… who can forget the wine and flowers!
First off in this section, Seachange Wine, this wine is amazing and it’s all about the ethos. Once again an independent with an ecological edge but the aesthetics rival the taste of this crisp dry prosecco that has a lightness that could work really well on warmer evenings when we finally get to sit in the garden with each other. As a gift one quite often lets the aesthetics take the lead, the unique labels feature beautiful sea creatures, hand drawn and if you look carefully you’ll see the plastic hidden inside them. They wanted to illustrate the dangers of plastic pollution, reminding people why we need to protect these creatures and their environment. With the removal of the unnecessary plastic wrap around the cork, the use of renewable plant-based closures and the paper for the labels coming from certified sustainable forests and made partially from grape waste, combined with a donation to marine charities from every bottle sold we think choosing Sea Change does make a difference.
If you are looking for something a bit more old school glam then Pommery offer a beautiful bottle of pink champagne, it’s pretty packaging gives it the wow factor and the light sparkling bubbles are sure to impress. If fizz isn’t your mother’s thing then Chateau La Gordonne might be the answer, is a beautiful rose, light and dry; this would compliment a lighter main course or would be fabulous with post dinner truffles or a sorbet. The Château La Gordonne is now one of the flagships of Vranken Estates and has been selling wines since 1850 so they know what they are doing when it comes to delicious wines. Any of these wines would be sure to impress even the toughest critic and maybe you can convince your mother to save it so you can drink it together when restrictions allow?!?
Lastly, the flowers. These are incredible, Bloom have pulled out all the stops on delivering flowers, you can even buy a chic vase to go with them. Perfect for Mother’s Day are the white roses which will compliment any room. Each of their roses has a distinguishable character, with every one different from the next. All their luxurious White Avalanche Roses arrive with naturally-occurring guard petals to protect them during transport. These outer petals can be easily removed if you prefer a more opulent and chic look. Beats a bunch of daffodils anyday!
I hope this was of help to you all to decide what to get this Mother’s Day. Mama Oakley might do rather well this year with so much to choose from, there is also a wonderful variety of female founded independents out there so if you can shop local and support independent British brands where you can.
