Chilly children's cheeks

I've written about beauty products for fifteen years. I've always been fascinated by them; where this comes from, I don't know since my mother (a Napolitan) has never used face cream, even when I've given her some. I once gave her something for tired legs which had something in it which was stimulating and reviving, when she still worked in my father's cafe and after a while she said to me "Annalisa, thata creama you gavea mea, it stingsa my facea." Then again, I've given her a pot of £180 cream for her face that she's put on her knees. I kinda love that.

Since I had children, and I've had two particularly buttery specimens, I've realised that although babies are like big balls of juicy fat, as they grow up into little children they get chapped cheeks and lips. The latter especially bad since they constantly lick and bite at their lips.

As this is my first blog about skincare stuff, I need to put in a rider here. No-one is telling you to spend your week's food shopping budget on a cream, unless YOU want to. Some creams out there are silly money. If you can't afford them, if you've found something that works just as well for less: great. Buy it. But I think you get what you pay for, and this is more or less my whole ethos on spending (not just skincare). I believe in buying well and buying less. I've spent more money on various cheap alternatives only to be disappointed. I hate cheap crap.

So. Yes I know. You can't beat Vaseline, but whilst I find it protective on lips, it's not particularly restorative. Jo Malone does one of the best lip balms. It's not cheap, but I've had mine for years and as it costs you're more likely to keep track of it and not lose it. If you think that's expensive, I'd best not tell you about Sisley's Nutritive Lip Balm.



This is thick, and works better if you warm it in a pocket before application.

Knowing what to put on a child's face is a harder option.

Weleda's Dr Greenfingers used to do a fantastic product called Nose and Cheek Soother that came in a little tube which you could slip into your pocket and apply as you were walking out of the door. Perfect. Why don't they make it anymore? Who knows.

There is Mama Mio's Wonder-Full Balm, now renamed with the prefix of OMega. Again it's not cheap, but nothing I've ever found that is, works anywhere near as well and/or smells horrible.



Talking of Vaseline, in a cupboard in northern Italy there is still a round glass jar from my childhood of the stuff. On it there are various glorious illustrations of what you can and can't do with it, all shown to you by a 1950's looking housewife.