This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Decleor.

First, let me deal with the elephant in the room. Mention pregnancy and skincare and all that people want to know boils down to one thing: How do I prevent stretch marks? My answer to you is ... I don't believe you can.

(Sorry.)

It's certainly not for lack of trying. One of the first things I bought when I got pregnant the first time around was Clarin's famous Tonic Body Treatment Oil because in my circles it was reputed to prevent stretch marks. I also slathered pounds and pounds of Palmer's Cocoa Butter in its many permutations, as well as some of the La Mer Concentrate (don't even look at the price tag, it might make you faint.) (Don't judge, it was a gift from a friend in the industry!)

Guess what I woke up to one morning when I was 36 weeks pregnant?

Yep.

I believe that whether you develop stretch marks or not is the luck of the draw, and I'm afraid I've inherited the belly genes that allow for the kinds of stretch marks that make your trunk look like, well, a tree trunk. So I'm not going to BS you with some story of how I slathered some magic potion twice a day and emerged from pregnancy scar-free. Nope, not going to happen.

However, I do believe that pregnant skin does need pampering - I'm in the ninth month of my third pregnancy and all I can say is "ouch."

 (It's OK, you can say it too. OUCH.)

That hardworking skin stretching itself to the max deserves some serious pampering (stretch marks be damned!) don't you think?

I certainly think so.

So this time around I've tried three pregnancy oils, all in the name of moisturizing and, most importantly, the pleasure of pampering myself.

The first one I tried was Bio-Oil. I saw at the grocery store and bought it because it promises to "reduce the appearance of scars, both new and old" plus I had read good things about it on the internet. We all know that the internet never lies. (Ha!) I used it for about a week and was very impressed with the results: Non-greasy, with an absolutely non-offensive smell (it has a faint scent of baby powder, not too bad), and it did seem to calm my angry red scars.

Then I read the label carefully. It has Retinyl Palmitate - a retinoid, which is an effective skin care ingredient but one which I'd rather avoid during pregnancy. So I sadly had to put it away, and will try it again when I'm not pregnant anymore.

Luckily, basq NYC had sent me a wee sample of their Resilient Body Oil - I only mention the size because I used it up in one use (see belly pic above.) It relieved my itchy belly and it had a lovely, nutty scent, but I wasn't terribly impressed by it. Don't get me wrong, it's a perfectly lovely moisturizer, it just didn't wow me.

What did wow me was the Aromessence Sculpt sent to me by DECLEOR Paris. It's billed as "firming body concentrate" that "gives comfort to the epidermis" and is "obstetrically tested." I didn't find any sketchy ingredients (Immortelle, Rose, Camomile, Lemongrass, Lemon, Grapefruit, Frankincense and Myrrh Essential Oils) and the presentation is luxurious (as it should be, at $70 a bottle!) - I applied it after my evening bath and went to bed feeling like I'd had a treatment at a spa. It was delicious. It is delicious. I keep slathering it on at night, and I don't know if it's the combination of the fragrance and the warmth of the bed, I swear I can feel my achy limbs relax. And that, my friends, is worth it.

(Aah...)

Any pregnant ladies out there? What's your favorite pregnancy skin care treat? Spill it, because I only have a few more weeks to try them out!

Miguelina chronicles her pregnancy at her personal blog and her favorite things at her lifestyle blog.