The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?

Mother’s Day 2016: 19 best beauty gifts under £20

Treat your mum to a pampering present this year

Tuesday 23 February 2016 19:18 GMT

From simple soaps and stunning skincare to mascaras, makeup bags and massage oil, whatever your mum's beauty Achilles heel, there's a choice here for 6 March.

1. Neom Essential Mood Lifting Kit: £20, Neom Organics

Neom's Scent to Make You Happy range blends two of its mood boosters, Happiness and Great Day, into one scent. 15 mood-lifting, balancing essential oils –including wild mint, lemon and mandarin– can be found in the three products: one mist for spraying on the go, one for home and the rollerball Intensive Mood Lifting Treatment. Tired new mums might need the Energy Boosting Kit, which contains the same bottles, but with an energising scent–grapefruit, Sicilian lemon, rosemary and fresh basil–to help clear the mind.

2. Benefit Free Rollin': £19.50, Benefit Cosmetics

I've always been a massive mascara-sceptic. I didn't think the perfect lash-enhancer existed but I think I may have found it in Roller Lash. I'm on my second already – and with so many beauty products to test, there aren't many I get right to the end of and then buy another straight away. This really does lengthen, thicken, separate and curl with ease. There’s no clumping, no spiking, no smudging, even when applied in a rush. It lasted a netball match and a boxing session, so no budging either with heat and sweat. This duo is the price of a regular mascara – with the added bonus of a deluxe travel size mascara for free. Take it from another busy parent: your mum will love it.

3. Paddywax Candle in Bergamot and Mahogany: £19.95, Rooi

This isn’t your usual glass voitive candle offering, Paddywax uses show-stopping copper cups to fill with its beautiful signature candle blends to give off a warm glow when lit. Fill your mum's house with fresh bergamot tones rooted in the richness of mahogany.

4. Jo Malone Lime, Basil and Mandarin Bath Soap: £14, Jo Malone

Handwashes are this generation's hand cleanser of choice, but whatever happened to the humble soap? A beautiful bar is an exquisite slice of days gone by and this little beauty is scented with an invigorating lime, basil and mandarin blend to perk you up instantly.

5. Elemis British Botanical Hand and Nail Butter: £18.50 for 100ml, Elemis

Here’s a hardworking blend of soothing, nourishing shea butter, sweet almond oil, vitamin E, orange peel, palmarosa oil, lavender, lime, patchouli, geranium, thyme, camomile and rosemary for super-soft, smooth hands. What's not to love about receiving a luxurious hand cream?

6. Real Techniques Finish Cheek and Lip Set: £19.99, Real Techniques

If your mum is a whizz with her make-up brushes, she'll appreciate this new cheek and lip set trio from Sam and Nic Chapman, professional make-up artists and the duo behind YouTube success story Pixiwoo. It's an essential kit for flushed cheeks and bold lips - add definition for stunning makeup, and follow the girls online for beauty tutorials.

7. Rathbornes Travel Candle in Dublin Tea Rose: Oud & Patchouli: £16, Rathbornes

Hand-poured in Dublin using traditional methods, this travel-sized beeswax candle is packed with beautiful essential oils including Irish rose, citrus, berries, vanilla, oud and patchouli. Think warm, late afternoon summer sunshine.

8. Aromacure Relaxing Bath Foam: £12.95, Aromacure

Aromacure bath foam

This simple handmade blend of pure organic rose, neroli and lavender essential oil is simply stunning. Preservative and additive-free, with no other chemical nasties, the lilac glass, ribbon-tied bottles make the perfect gift for natural beauty fans.

9. Autograph Leather Cosmetic Bag in Pink: £20, Marks and Spencer

A dusky-pink leather bag with soft gold zip, this is a great sized make-up bag for all her beauty essentials.

Available late February

10. Neal's Yard Aromatherapy Gift: £20, Neal's Yard Remedies

A bumper gift box of bath and massage oils, this collection contains Soothing Bath Oil and Massage Oil, Geranium & Orange Bath Oil and Massage Oil, Rose & Pomegranate Bath Oil and Massage Oil. All are deeply relaxing and skin nourishing, the perfect gift for tired, hard-working mums.

11. Bagsy Flamingo Make-up Bag: £13.50, Debenhams

As soon as this funky flamingo make-up bag arrived in the office, we loved it. It’s a great size for weekends away or for larger handbags, it's wipeable to combat any make-up spillages and has a stunning blue interior.

12. Oliver Bonas Small Exotic Fig Scented Candle: £16.50, Oliver Bonas

Fig is not the easiest scent to get right, but this is simply sumptuous. Excellent value for such a large 'small' candle – it burns for 30-40 hours. A chunky glass votive, with a simple label makes this a beautifully minimalist present. £1 from the sale of every candle goes direct to Willow, charity partner of Oliver Bonas, which provides special days and experiences for 16-40-year-olds with life-threatening conditions.

13. Bobbi Brown Skincare to Go Set: £19.50, Bobbi Brown

A travel-sized trio of Bobbi's best-selling skin saviours: Soothing Cleansing Oil, Hydrating Face Cream and Hydrating Eye Cream and a mini pack of Skin Smoothing Pore Perfector. It's the perfect in-flight handbag essentials kit for the jet-setting mum. It’s also great for mums who'd like to try out Bobbi Brown without the expense of buying full sizes.

14. L'Oreal Age Perfect Golden Age Gift Set: £19.99, Boots

This is a trio of beautiful skincare essentials to boost radiance in mature complexions. It’s packed with neo-calcium to help restore the skin's natural barrier - re-cushioning and restoring resilience and density- and imperial peony to reactivate a youthful glow and banish dullness. The set includes Age Perfect Glow Re-Activating Essence, Age Perfect Rosy Re-Fortifying Day Cream and Age Perfect Rich Re-Fortifying SPF15 Day Cream.

15. Rosie for Autograph Amazing Radiance Cream; £18 for 35ml, Marks and Spencer

From Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's brand new range for M&S comes this beautiful and simple to use lightweight glow-enhancer. For a luminous, natural, dewy glow it can be worn alone, or under makeup. It suits all skin tones and colourings, so it's easy to give as a gift.

16. Victoria Green Starflower Traveller Folding Wash Bag: £15, Victoria Green

Difficult to clean wash bags are a no-no in my beauty book, so this coated cotton canvas, geometric print wash bag is a winner. Two spacious, waterproof, zip-fastening compartments ensure you can keep bottles and make-up separate and it's large enough for a good two-week holiday's worth of beauty essentials.

17. Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Hand Therapy: £20 for 250ml, Crabtree & Evelyn

This best-selling hand cream comes in a large, handy pump dispensing bottle that's perfect for the kitchen, bathroom or even garden shed to keeps mum’s hands soft and smooth. The nutrient-rich, soothing shea butter is scented with green clover, lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme – very English garden.

18. Marks and Spencer Floral Collection Honeysuckle Mug Gift Set: £8.50, Marks and Spencer

Here’s a great value gift. She’ll get moisturising shower cream, hand & body lotion and a delicate porcelain cup, all wrapped up in pretty, ribbon-tied cellophane.

19. Soap & Glory Daily Smoothie Gift Set: £20, Boots

We love a beauty steal and this Daily Smoothie Gift Set is it. Packed with full-sizes of Smoothie Star scent, Breakfast Scrub, Body Buttercream, Body Spray, Hand Food, Rich & Foamous, Eyes Cools, a sleep mask and a Soap & Glory Breakfast Tray, for mum to buff up and scrub her way to radiance after breakfast in bed on Sunday morning.

Verdict

You can't go wrong with giving Benefit's game-changing new mascara to your mum, a stunning copper candle from Paddy Wax, or a new make-up bag from Bagsy or Autograph. But the gift of happiness and energy from Neom's Essential Mood Lifting kit, is our pick of the lot