Everyday Luxuries from Gordon Castle

So, I’ve reached that stage of pregnancy where I basically just feel frumpy, flabby and like I need an entire day in a beauty salon – at least – to feel even vaguely human right now.

Unfortunately for me, though, that’s definitely not on the cards: not only are most of the salon treatments I’ve been hankering after not advisable when you’re pregnant, I’ve also been finding that most of the beauty products that have been catching my eye are similarly forbidden, with, “Please consult your doctor before use,” written all over them.

(Side note: does anyone actually DO that, I wonder? Because I can’t even imagine the reaction I’d get if I was rocking up at my doctor’s office every time I wanted to try a new face cream or lipstick, seriously…)

Enter Gordon Castle.

Now, as the name suggests, this is an ACTUAL castle, located in the highlands of Scotland. and with one of the country’s oldest walled gardens, in which they grow their own botanicals, which are then made into a selection of bath and beauty products. These contain all-natural ingredients, with no no artificial fragrances, colours, parabens, glycols, sulphates or petrochemicals, so when they asked if I’d like to try some of them recently, I figured it would be a nice way to add a little bit of luxury to my day-to-day routine, without all of the added angst that’s been coming from so many other products lately.

I chose the Flower Garden Healing Hands Set, which arrived in a gorgeous pale blue box (which would make it a great gift for someone, now I come to think of it):

Inside the box, I found a hand wash, cream and lotion, all made with ingredients grown in the castle’s own flower garden. I was particularly interested in this set, because, honestly? My hands are an absolute mess right now. (And always, actually, but particularly now – it’s safe to say that I did NOT get the fabulous nails and skin that pregnancy is supposed to bring: humbug!) Like, you’d think I’d been working in that flower garden myself, instead of at a computer, because they’re permanently dry, with out-of control cuticles, and a really cute collection of hangnails, which make me want to sit on my hands every time I’m in company, because they look THAT bad.

As I said, my hands have pretty much ALWAYS been like this, but lately it’s been annoying me enough to make me want to get them into some kind of shape. One of the first things I wanted to do was to replace all of the cheap handwashes in our bathrooms (Which I’m convinced are contributing to the problem) with nicer, more nourishing ones, and I also wanted to start getting into the habit of applying hand cream/lotion more regularly, too. It’s of of those things that I always intend to do, but then instantly forget, so I’m hoping that by having this hand lotion right next to the matching hand wash, in the bathroom, I’ll remember to use it every time I wash my hands – which has to help, right?

(Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the bottles these came in just so happened to be a great fit for our downstairs bathroom, which is the one guests use: these are just a little bit more luxurious that the chemical-scented handwash I normally have in there!)

Speaking of fragrance, these products have a light, floral one, which is way more pleasant than I’m used to: the lotion feels nice and gentle on the skin, and both the hand lotion and cream are quickly absorbed, and feel like a nice treat for my dry hands. I’ve kept the lotion in the downstairs bathroom, while the hand cream lives on my desk, to prompt me to keep on using it. It’s too soon to tell what kind of difference it’s going to make to my hangnails etc, but it DOES feel nice to add just a little bit of luxury to my everyday routine – and sometimes it’s those little things that make all the difference.

You can buy the set from the Gordon Castle online shop, along with a ton of other all-natural bath and body products. And who knows, maybe next year I’ll get to visit the castle itself, and see that amazing walled garden for myself!

[This post is sponsored by Gordon Castle. Thanks for supporting the brands that make this site possible.]