NYLON’s Holiday Beauty Gift Guide 2020: Self-Care

Since we’ve been asked to stay home most of 2020, including leaving behind OL life and transitioning to a WFH situation, “self-care” has taken on a whole new meaning. Carving out time for indulgence is a must to maintain a healthy state of mind, and apart from a robust skincare routine, head-to-toe care, scented baths, healthy habits, and time for self-reflection are just as important too, if we can afford them. For the friends and loved ones who deserve some care after working hard all year round — hey, even yourself — these are the gifts they’d appreciate.

AESOP THE ARDENT NOMAD
$240, available at Aesop stores

With a name like Aesop, it’s only right that their holiday collection’s dedicated to quiet reflection and literature — even better when each ‘Sensory Chronicles’ gift set comes with an accompanying piece of fiction, an e-book your friend can download for a cosy read. These are also housed in biodegradable paper pulp cases made from 100% recycled material, for added peace of mind. The Ardent Nomad set contains the bestselling Parsley Seed range, consisting of a cleanser, toner and hydrator suited for city dwellers, paired with diary excerpts by Isabelle Eberhardt.

HANDMADE HEROES MERRY FRIGGIN’ GORGEOUS CHRISTMAS GIFT SET
$64.90, available at handmadeheroes.com.sg

We love featuring homegrown beauty brands, especially when their products are done so well! This Handmade Heroes gift set looks particularly festive with those cute illustrations to get you into the spirit of Christmas, while their beauty offerings are just as indulgent — choose from Christmas-exclusive body scrubs of either Candy Cane or Extra Salty Himalayan Salt Scrub, alongside other picks such as the Australian Pink Clay Face Mask, Cocolicious Luscious Lip Scrub in Pina Colada and Cocoa Friggin’ Fantastic Lip Tint in English Rose.

ROOKI BEAUTY SUPERFOOD STARTER KIT
$180, available at rookibeauty.co

Fruits are essential for a healthy diet, so why not your skin too? Replenish dull skin with Rooki Beauty’s starter kit of plant-based nutrients, antioxidant-rich oils, and superfood vitamins that’s filled with healthy ingredients you’d recognise. The set includes the Honey Matcha Cleansing Drops made with organic uji matcha; Superfood Saviour Creme moisturiser with kale, lingonberries and chia seeds; as well as the Green Pulp Paste Masque, which blends five key plant complexes for a youthful glow.

TWO LIPS PREBIOTIC SET
$375, available at twolips.vip

When we say head-to-toe care, we do mean every part of your body, even the vulva! Two Lips’ prebiotic-infused skincare range is the first of its kind in the market to cater to the face, body and sensitive vulva area, with a cleaner, scrub, moisturiser, mask, and suncare for daily use. These are formulated at an optimal pH range, and keep skin healthy by caring for the skin’s microbiome, keeping it balanced, while reinforcing the skin’s barrier function so it can protect against irritation and premature ageing.

LAURA MERCIER BODY SOUFFLÉ QUARTET MINI
$70, available at Laura Mercier counters and Sephora

Soft and fluffy like a soufflé, Laura Mercier’s series of Body Crème instantly nourishes the skin with lightly whipped textures and unique scents, providing moisture and protection with ingredients such as Grape Seed and Rice Bran Oil, Honey, Sweet Almond and more. The limited-edition set of four body creams come in four aromas: Ambre Vanille, Almond Coconut, Fresh Fig, and Crème Brûlée.

LUSH MERRY CHRISTMAS GIFT SET
$69, available at Lush stores and online

Baths are the ultimate indulgence aren’t they? And a good one requires the most epic, colour-transforming, and nicely-scented bath bomb to complete the experience — which is where Lush comes in. Whether your friend has a bath tub at home, or they’re setting aside some precious bath time during an upcoming staycation, this gift of four bath bombs will definitely delight. The Christmas creations in the set include: the Luxury Lush Pud, Shoot For The Stars, Jingle Bells, Golden Wonder.

ÉST.LAB EYE-POWER HOLIDAY KIT
$175, available at estlab.shop

For a spa session your loved one can recreate at home, look to ést.lab and this holiday kit that’s dedicated to smoothening and plumping the skin around their eyes. In a limited edition pouch, the OptimaLift A+ Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream firms and lifts the skin, while their new eye-tech device, the OptimaLift A+ Intelligent Eye Revitaliser 2.0, provides treatments such as sonic vibrations, a hot compress, and LED Red Light Therapy.

BURT’S BEES NATURAL ESSENTIALS FROM HEAD TO TOE FAVOURITE GIFT SET
$54, available at Sephora

Pamper yourself with these Burt’s Bees minis that your friend can bring along to the beach or hotel — there’s the Soap Bark Deep Cleansing Cream to gently remove impurities, everything from a Hand Salve and Milk & Honey body lotion to a Coconut Foot Cream to smoothen dry skin, as well as the classic all-natural Beeswax lip balm for plump, moisturised lips.

COCO & EVE LIKE A VIRGIN PAMPER PALS GIFT SET
$89, available at Sephora

Your favourite workaholic might not have the time or patience to care for their hair, which is why you’ll need to remind them about the importance of a weekly hair mask, by way of this Coco & Eve set. Their bestselling Hair Masque deep conditions and strengthens hair back to its pure virgin state, no matter how many chemical treatments it’s been through, which they can apply with the Tangle Tamer, followed by the soft and super water-absorbent Hair Wrap to keep the hair in pristine condition. All for the dream of smooth, non-frizzy, glossy locks.

IGK FIRST CLASS CHARCOAL DRY SHAMPOO UPGRADED SET
$43, available at Sephora

A dry shampoo kind of goes against the idea of self-care if you think about it, but it’s a practical gift for any time-starved friend. IGK’s duo of the First Class Charcoal Detox Dry Shampoo, in both full-sized and travel-sized versions, do the work of cleansing oily hair and scalp with charcoal powder, so their hair looks immediately lifted while smelling nice.

L’OCCITANE ULTIMATE ALMOND BOX
$150, available at L’Occitane stores

When in doubt of what to get at one of L’Occitane’s fresh-smelling stores, always go for the Almond Milk series. Just the Almond Shower Oil alone can transform any mundane shower into an amazing spa-like experience, as the oil magically transforms into a milk-like texture upon contact with water, and gently cleanses and hydrates the skin along with its dreamy scent. This box of superstars includes: Almond Milky Bath, Almond Shampoo, Almond Conditioner, Almond Delicious Hands, Almond Milk Concentrate, Almond Shower Oil, and Almond Delicious Soap.

FRANK BODY SHOWER PARTY KIT
$31, available at Sephora

Frank Body’s Shower Party Kit sounds fun, and is sure to make showering something anyone would look forward to, with a duo of their signature Original Coffee Scrub now paired with the latest Fizzy Scrub. The former blends coffee, cold-pressed sweet almond oil, and vitamin E in a gentle exfoliator that’ll give you perky and soft skin, while the sherbert-scented Fizzy Scrub exfoliates skin with sugar, and will bubble and foam on the skin for a fizzy, fun time.

THEFACESHOP GLITTER UNIVERSE PERFUMABLE HAND CREAM TRIO
$15, available at THEFACESHOP stores

Hand creams are just so useful, now more than ever as 2020 has made hand-washing a regular habit, which tends to cause dry skin. This highly-moisturising trio is therefore quite the universal gift, with each set containing two 01 Green Musk Hand Creams, and one 02 Vanilla and Iris Hand Cream, packaged in a sparkly purple theme.

BEYOND TOTAL RECOVERY SPECIAL GIFT SET
$29, available at THEFACESHOP stores and online

This value-for-money set will make someone’s day, as it’s almost like a starter kit for smooth skin. BEYOND’s body products of the Total Recovery Shower Cream and Body Moisturizer come enriched with Hibiscus Flower Extract and Ceramides, to moisturise and soften dry, dull skin. The set also includes a 2-pc towel set for extra fluffy satisfaction.

SKIN INC STRENGTH SKINCARE SET
$298, available at iloveskininc.com.sg

Late nights and Netflix got your friend looking more tired than usual? Fine lines and wrinkles will be the least of their worries with this gift, Skin Inc’s Strength set, which stars the Optimizer Voyage Tri-Light Glasses for Bright Eyes. This eye device uses NASA-inspired LED Light Therapy, which they can customise according to their particular skincare concern — red for anti-ageing, yellow for dark circles, and orange for puffiness and fatigue caused by blue light.

SAND&SKY THE AUSTRALIAN PINK CLAY ICONS SKINCARE SET
$127, available at Sephora

Touted as a glow-getting trio, the face mask, facial exfoliator, and body scrub of Aussie skincare label SAND&SKY all feature Australian pink clay that detoxifies and brightens the skin. A recommended self-care ritual looks like this: the Porefining Face Mask for purified skin, the Dreamy Glow Drops oil-serum hybrid for longer-lasting moisture, and the Enzyme Powder Polish, which happens to be a good chemical exfoliation alternative for those with sensitive skin.

ORIGINS MASK MERRY SKINCARE SET
$26, available at Sephora

We’ve got to include masks in any self-care list, so meet Origins’ Mask Merry set of five bestselling masks you can treat yourself to. It includes the Original Skin™ to refine pores, Drink Up™ Overnight for 72-hour hydration, Mega-Mushroom to soothe, the #1 Clear Improvement™ Active Charcoal Mask to deeply detoxify, and the Clear Improvement™ Charcoal Honey to gently purify pores and nourish the skin.

GLOW RECIPE PICK YOUR LIP POP DUO
$45, available at Sephora

Don’t forget to let your lips live their best lives with Glow Recipe’s set of multi-tasking lip pops, which sees a limited edition blueberry flavour alongside the fan-favourite watermelon one. The unique formula here delivers rich moisture while gently exfoliating the lips, and add a pop of colour — berry, or a universal pink — so you can wear it on its own.