Therapie Roques ONeil Inner Light Rescue Essentials Calm Balm

A bit of background before we start our homage to this product: Michelle Roques O’Neil is one of the most gifted natural therapists we’ve ever had a treatment from. The first time Jo hopped onto Michelle’s couch, she had virtually an out-of-body experience, opening her eyes to discover she was facing the opposite way in the room to the direction she thought. Michelle has poured all of that magic and wisdom into her very beautiful, dark glass-packaged collection, which spans everything from a Restore Aura Spray (£26 for 100 ml) through to Protect Bath & Body Oil (£40 for 100 ml), which is brilliant for this colds-and-flu time of year.

The great thing about Michelle (well, one of them) is that she doesn’t hold back on the essential oils. These aren’t wifty-wafty products; they pack a true aromatherapeutic punch. So, from the new Inner Light Rescue Essentials range, Calm Balm features lavender, frankincense, sandalwood, orange, marjoram and vetiver (frankly nice enough to wear as a perfume). You massage it into pulse-points and it’s great behind the ears and back of the neck, and a dab or two on the chest, where it can waft upwards.

It’s designed, as she puts it, ‘to calm frayed nerves into gentle submission, cocooned in a fragrant aroma of serenity.’ We happened to be carrying ours around in the run-up to Christmas, when it really delivered on its promises. But it’s set to become a year-round handbag staple, in these stressed-out, can-life-get-any-weirder? times.

Therapie Roques ONeil Inner Light Rescue Essentials Calm Balm/£38