With a newborn* in the house, this Christmas isn’t exactly party central at Casa Burgess. Instead, I’m finding joy in cosy pleasures: Diptyque Baies Candles, Lindt Caramel and Sea Salt Chocolate, and can’t-put-down books like The Afterparty by Leo Benedictus, and baths.

I love baths. When I’m writing, and really at the lip-chewing, brow-furrowing point of a book, I’ll sometimes have two or three an evening. (I know! I’m so crazy! Woo! And so on.) Anyway. Here’s my perfect bath recipe:

1.First, add one cup of Epsom Salts. These are detoxifying, theoretically, and I like to think they are making me thinner. (This may not be true.)
2.Splosh in some Ren Rose Bath Oil. Bubbles just get in the way.
3.Drizzle some E45 Oil over the top, because getting out of the bath and then having to moisturise one’s entire body totally harshes one’s buzz.
4.Slather Bliss Hot Salt Scrub all over your body and leave it for a few minutes. It heats up in some magic crazy way, and leaves you smooth, warm and deliciously pungent.
5.For your face, Origins Never A Dull Moment is sweet and sticky. In a good way.
6.The finishing touch: this ‘non-surgical face lift’ facial massage using the unbeatable Trilogy Rosehip Oil. You’ll feel all cheekboney and proud of yourself afterwards.

*I had a baby in August. I could write a post on post-pregnancy essentials, but it would be very short: the Belly Bandit, the Bravado Seamless Nursing Bra and Jo Tantum’s Baby Secrets are honestly all you need. In less than three months, my waist went from 47” to 27”, my mammary glands caused nary a problem, and my precious loinfruit has been sleeping 7pm to 7am. 'Nuff said.