Can you already hear the jingle of the bells? While I love the Christmas spirit I’m kind of a Grinch when it comes to the Christmas state of siege. In general, I’m not fond of any holiday that excessively fuels consumerism, so I’m pretty good at NOT buying gifts to everybody for Christmas.
Don’t get me wrong, I love giving and receiving gifts – Christmas wouldn’t be really Christmas without some gifts under the tree. It is just that it doesn’t feel right, when everything turns into a massive, impersonal and stressful challenge. Moreover, I always wonder how many of those »Christmas pressure« gifts are unwanted and end up in the trash. That’s why I buy useful and/or sustainable gifts only for a few of my closest, while all the others I love receive a hug and a kiss, as we get to share some precious time together (giving your time is the most precious gift after all).
Now let’s get to the point – THE gifts! Of course I mostly give cosmetic gifts, duh. This year was my first year as a blogger and during this time I had a privilege to try some new lovely products which can make perfect Christmas gifts! So here they are, handpicked, lovely, useful and even a few really sustainable gifts. By buying some of them you’ll be also supporting small businesses, which gives you extra points with Santa! So, I really hope you’ll find something of your liking for your loved ones.
This is actually some kind of a list of all products I’ve tried and liked this year that are eligible for making people happy.
Let’s roll!
So here they are, handpicked, lovely, useful and a few really sustainable gifts.
Miss Alice
Miss Alice lovemade cosmetics is a Slovenian brand that has lovely and creative natural products. I fell in love with their Hello Skin! (face and body) butters a while ago, because of their beautiful natural scents and the most beautiful textures. I’m addicted to their soft, mousse-like textures that turn into oil when applied on the skin. It is amazing how the texture works on wet skin, because it blends perfectly, which is rare with rich creams / butters. It is perfect for taking the advantage of locking the excess water on the skin into your skin!
All of them are formulated with luxurious ingredients such as pomegranate oil, monoi oil, murumuru butter, black currant seed oil, panthenol, plum organic oil, rosehip oil, organic shea butter, cocoa butter etc. These are very expensive oils and butters (shea is actually the cheapest), hence the price that might be shocking. They cost 15-18€ for 60ml. Therefore I use them only on my upper body and neck, sometimes face and by all means very sparingly, just to pamper myself. And gifts are absolutely about pampering, right? That’s why I’ve included them on this list. I think they can be perfect for such occasion, because they are really special, luxurious in a shiny package, with warm natural, Christmas-like scents. Pure joy in a jar! Something your loved ones would never buy for themselves because, well, we don’t usually afford ourselves such products. Also, by buying them you’ll be supporting a small local business (extra points with Santa, remember?!).
There are three versions:
- We need to talk: the “nourisher” with monoi oil, murumuru, plum organic and rosehip organic oil (this oil gives the butter a nice orange color) and shea butter. I use this baby on my face too as an occlusive for moist. It is also suitable for sensitive skin. It has a faint natural scent of bergamot and neroli. It is a lovely nourishing cream for face, body and hands. It is amazing how lovely it spreads and absorbs leaving your skin happy.
- We have a situation: this is the healer and the thickest, most nourishing in the bunch. All three versions are actually very nourishing, but this one is king with coffee, cacao, shea butters and also some pomegranate oil. It is perfect for extra dry and flaky skin. You can smell coffee, cocoa and a hint of orange – Christmas scents! Like his brothers it spreads perfectly and does magic for dry, cracked skin.
- We’re Good Together: is my favorite and I’d bath in it every day (but I don’t because I’m not a millionaire). I fell in love with the scent. It smells like the most perfect vanilla cake, warm and homey. Among all three it has the most lovely mousse-like texture, formulated with shea butter and coconut, blackcurrant seed and jojoba oil. My skin is in love! Period.
You can buy them online on: Miss Alice. Keep in mind that Black Friday is just around the corner!
A small but meaningful gift that can be accompanied by a lovely dedication: A gift that reflects your beautiful soul – caring, warm, rich with a scent of home. Merry Christmas my dearest ______ (insert accordingly).
Miss Alice Hello Skin Body Butters, luxurious, rich and warm
Butters
More butters! Well, body butters make a lovely gift after all. Another Slovenian brand that I’ve discovered during my blogging journey and surprised me with its products. I’ve tried their shea butters and I’ve never had a shea butter that melts and spreads so perfectly. It’s witchcraft! Because pure shea butters I’ve tried before were like rubber. And the best is yet to come – their beautiful natural scents. They use food aromas to scent their butters and they smell heavenly, like the best things in your kitchen that make you feel happy – vanilla ice cream, strawberries, toffee candies, fresh bananas, cherries etc. Did you know that scents are the best memory triggers? These will bring back summer vibes or entice the sweet Christmas spirit. Perfect for gifts!
My favorite shea butter scents are: Strawberry, Amaretto-Banana and Toffee, but they also have a wide selection of different types of butters and scents, all organic and beautiful. They also offer personalized labels and have a variety of gift packages that might suit your gifting purposes. By buying from Butters you’ll be supporting local business too! Their prices range from 10 to 15€ for 100 ml.
You can buy them online on: Butters and in a few other stores: click
Want another dedication idea? Here you go: A little treasure, so pure and lovely – just like you! Merry Christmas my dear!
Pure shea butters at it’s best that smell like all the best things in life
Melvita
I’ve discovered Melvita when they invited me to their #ecoresolution initiative. My interest for this brand was sparked because I’m attached to ecological and sustainable solutions in general. This evolved to genuine enthusiasm about some of their products. Melvita is a certified organic brand that puts a lot of effort in eco-friendly manufacturing solutions, bee-keeping and sustainable organic ingredients farming. What is not to love? Want to give a gift with a deeper meaning? Want to have your own #myecoresolution by giving more sustainable gifts? Here you go, my favorite two in the »perfect gift section«:
- L’Or Bio Extraordinary Oil: a dry oil that contains a blend of 5 precious oils: argan, kendi, buriti, inca inchi and pracaxi. It is designed to use on body, face and hair. In my opinion It is a wonderful and luxurious oil, perfect for making someone really happy. I use it mostly on my upper body and sometimes on my hair, also very sparingly, because it’s a pampering prop! The scent is really enchanting, absorbs quickly and leaves your skin and hair silky smooth. Prices: 19,90 for 50ml and 29,90 for 100ml.
- Flower waters: well, If you’d ever told me that I’ll be suggesting you to buy floral waters, I’d be concerned about your health. I am not a fan of watery products in general but these changed my mind. Why? Because they’re so multipurpose! I use them for refreshing my skin, smoothing my hair, moisten my powder enzyme peelings, refreshing the tip of the beauty blender and as a makeup fixator. I used to do most of that with water but not anymore, because It is a totally different experience. Certainly less drying and much more efficient because of their exceptional hydrating proprieties. Don’t expect a nice scent though, because they mostly smell a little funny, but what a performance! And in time you get kind of attached to those funny natural scents too. Prices 6,9€ for 50ml and 13,90€ for 200ml.
Check out the lovely gift packages that include those two and other products: Melvita gifts.
You can buy them online on Melvita where I have a 15% discount code valid on their online store: TIKAXMAS (valid until 17.12.2019, exclusions apply). Their products are also available in pharmacies and several physical stores like Müller, Maximarket, Nama and Vitacare.
And of course and idea for a dedication: A precious gift made with love and respect for our environment. Very special – just like you. Merry Christmas Love!
Ecological, suistainable and lovely – a perfect gift with a deeper meaning
Madara
Madara is a Latvian brand of organic skincare and it is one of my »soul« brands, because each product I try makes me happy. Not even sure why it resonates so much within me, but I most certainly like their luxurious vibe and formulations, their wonderful soft scents and their beautiful minimal packaging. The lovely textures and the somehow mysterious Baltic energy are just cherries on the top. It was love at first sight where you can’t exactly find the watershed moment when or why exactly you fell in love – it just happens (OK but maybe it was the SOS hydrating mask). For my birthday I received a few beautiful products that I decided to put in this post, because they just seem perfect presents, a little luxurious, high quality and something special:
Infusion Vert Repairing Multi-Layer Hand Cream: a very well formulated hand cream that is on the lighter side, perfect for every day. I was surprised by it’s hydrating proprieties with just the right measure of nourishment. What I like most is that it absorbs fast and has a lovely, calming SPA-like herbal scent. My husband usurped it! So it can be a lovely gift for a dry-handed significant other too. To make the long story short: it is a high quality hand cream that keeps its promises and has the perfect luxurious vibe for a gift! Price: 11-13 for 75ml€ (depending on the store)
Plum Plum Lip Perfection Balm: Oh I’m so in love with this baby! It is not exactly a healing balm because it’s just to pretty for it! I use it as a lip gloss because it makes my pout so pretty and glossy with a nice bit of nourishing and protection. And the scent! The ripest plum with a hint of vanilla, just perfect. A beautiful formulation with a beautiful effect, luxurious and amazing – a great gift for a lovely lady. Price 10-12€ for 15ml (depending on the store).
Madara in Slovenia can be found in Maximarket, Müller and Nama stores.
A nice wish: This year I’m giving you a gift that is magical inside and pretty outside, just like you! Marry Christmas Darling!
Luxurious, precious, special – Madara’s baltic vibe
Kaaita in BeeZeeb
The non-cosmetic part! I love these so much that they are last but definitely and absolutely not least! Sustainable, Slovenian and the best gifts ever, I promise! How did they find a way to my heart? The BeeZeeb Food wraps were a birthday gift from my dear friend and fellow blogger Maja – Maestra Parokeets. The slippers I found myself, when I was looking for sustainable Christmas gifts for our business partners. »It’s a Bingo!« (Hans Landa, Inglorious Basterds 2009) was the first thing that came into my mind about those two so here we go:
- BeeZeeb Food Wraps: these lovely food wraps are an environment friendly food preserving solution that replaces plastic bags and aluminium foil. They are made of 100% cotton and pure beeswax, bio coconut oil, bio jojoba oil and with handmade pine spruce from Slovenian forests (It actually sounds delicious somehow, I just might eat them one day). They are basically waxed cloths that keep your food fresh and contribute to reducing waste, because you just wash them and they’re ready for reuse! I use them for about a month and they are so pretty and easy to use that they need to find a place in every home! Spread the word! Price from 13 to 20€ – depending on the size.
BeeZeeb Food Wraps need to find a place in every home!
- Kaaita Felt slippers: Slippers are always a good gift idea, but these are the best gift idea. Because each pair is made from 6 recycled plastic bottles in a sustainable production loop. And…wait for it….when you use them up you can send them back and they’ll recycle them again! My heart just skipped a beat! They’re beautiful, modern, comfy, and come in a recycled bag. As good as it gets! Check the whole story here: click Price: 19€
Kaaita slippers made from six recycled bottles – the best gift ever!
You can buy both on the Ika online and physical store.
And there goes a beautiful thought for your Christmas wishes: A very sustainable gift with a special purpose – a comfy little step towards a brighter and cleaner future! Merry Christmas Dear!
And that’s a wrap (pun intended). I hope you’ll find it useful!