I have two sons, one has flown the nest and moved overseas to follow his career and the other is still at home whilst finishing college. I have also recently adopted a little Spaniel dog who keeps me busy and entertained!
MY MORNING ROUTINE
My alarm goes off at 6:30am every morning and I usually spend a couple of minutes pretending that I don’t have to get up yet. Then the dog comes in and puts her nose on the side of the bed with her tail wagging, reminding me that I really do! I get up, let her out for a sniff about in the garden whilst I do some yoga stretches to wake my body up. Then we are straight out onto the South Downs for an hour of walking and dog training, which is a really lovely start to the day before any screens are switched on. After that, we head home for showering and de-mudding from the walk. My morning routine for getting myself ready is pretty basic, which is very deliberate. I am very lucky with the job that I do that I often have samples lying around the house of lovely natural bath and shower products, so I am not terribly loyal to a particular wash product. I love trying new ones, particularly those with interesting herbal scent combinations, my current favourite has ylang ylang and lavender in it, which is a real Marmite combination, you’d either love it or hate it (my son is not super keen). I am however fiercely loyal with my post-shower products. I use Balmonds Bath & Body Oil to moisturise my whole body and Balmonds Intensive Hand Cream for my face, which also works brilliantly as a make-up base. I realise I may be a little biased here, but these two really are my absolute favourites for daily skin maintenance, nothing stops the post-shower skin itch like the Bath & Body Oil! As for make-up, I only really wear a bit of concealer under the eyes and a liquid bronzer and maybe some mascara to brighten my eyes up, nice and simple. My son is usually up and ready for college by this stage and we sit and chat about the day ahead and I usually have a look at my emails to see what’s new for the day. I don’t always eat breakfast first thing, I generally start the day with a glass of water and a coffee and take food to the office with me to eat mid morning. Muesli with soya yoghurt and blueberries, or a couple of boiled eggs are my go-to packed breakfast choices, or on guilty pleasure days, sourdough toast with crunchy peanut butter - although I have to eat this outside as Balmonds is a nut free zone! The last part of my morning routine is the college run out to the countryside near Lewes. It is a really pretty journey through windy roads with fields and hills either side; I love having this time every morning with my son to chat and put the world to rights. Sometimes the journey is full of silliness and laughter and sometimes we have real ‘deep and meaningfuls’, solving global issues between us in our own tiny little car bubble. Then I head off to the office to check in with the team at Balmonds HQ and start the working day. The lovely waft of herbs and beeswax that hits you as you walk through the door at Balmonds will never get old.
MY FUTURE PLANS
Balmonds has grown at a rate of knots over the last couple of years and this year we have exciting plans underway to launch into several new territories, including USA, Asia, Australia and Germany. We are also in the process of developing some new natural products to add to our range for people with sensitive and eczema-prone skin, which will be available early next year.
3 THINGS ABOUT BALMONDS SKINCARE
- We are proud sponsors of ITSAN (International Topical Steroid Awareness Network); helping to raise awareness and offer support and information to those living with topical steroid addiction and withdrawal.
- We have a Pay It Forward scheme on our UK website where anyone can donate £2.50 and we will send a pot of Skin Salvation to a healthcare worker who needs it. We have had some incredible feedback from doctors, nurses, dentists and a whole host of other healthcare and key workers who have found great relief from the magic of Skin Salvation for their PPE sores and over-washed hands.
- Balmonds make all of their own products in-house. We have our own workshop in Brighton, UK where we mix, pour and label every single product ourselves by hand.
FIND THE RANGE www.balmonds.co.uk
