Beauty: My new soak stars 

Relaxing, restorative, sleep-inducing… these are just what we need right now

Here we are, part way though Lockdown 2.0. Except this time autumn is around us, the nights draw ever inward, the air is chillier.

  So when the working day (however that looks) is done, there’s nothing like hunkering down and feeling a little bit cosseted. For me, that often means a relaxing bath. Oddly, as I’ve got older, I find I can’t wallow in the tub as I once liked to. Still, in dimmed lighting (and usually with a candle burning) even a short soak with the right products can feel restorative and help to set me up for some decent sleep.  

Lately I’ve found that for a really decadent bath treat but without a hefty price tag Tropic’s new So Sleepy Luxury Bath Foam (£18, tropicskincare.com) comes up trumps. This gives seriously good bubbles with a light aroma of lavender, camomile and frankincense (on the site it’s a drop-down option for the Luxury Bath Foam). And once you’ve finished it you can buy a refill pouch rather than a whole new bottle. I often like to mix it with some Dr Teal’s Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution with lavender (£7.99, boots.com) for some added relaxation and this combination has me seriously ready to hit the hay afterwards. Of course, they can also be used on their own.

 

If you prefer a bath oil then the recently launched Soak Sunday is a bath-lover’s dream with elegant glass jars filled with everything from salts to scrubs, but I enjoy using the Midnight Storm Bath & Body Oil with a gentle hint of ginger and basil to the aroma and with nourishing sweet almond and jojoba oils (£14, soaksunday.com).

 And the perfect candle for someone working on a Sunday magazine – and surely anyone reading it – is Saint Fragrance Sunday Papers (£42, saintfragrance.com). It’s that ritual of a calm, relaxed weekend afternoon in olfactory form with notes of vanilla, sandalwood, musk and amber. A perfect snuggle companion for right now. 

@edwinaingschambers