2023 Holiday Gift Guide for Beauty and Wellness Enthusiasts

THE GIFT GUIDES ARE HERE!!!

I’ve got some very fun gifting ideas for a variety of humans: Beauty and Wellness Enthusiasts (below), Home Cooks and Food Lovers, Home and Style Mavens, and, of course, Dudes. 

We all know that holidays aren’t about the presents. BUT giving presents can sometimes be the best, and I take great pride each year in helping some of you find the perfect thing for someone you love. Especially the tough giftees. (I feel this pain. Everyone in my family is shockingly difficult to shop for.)

As always, my hope is that these gift guides help make shopping for your people a little bit easier and more fun. And reminder that there is zero shame in forwarding these gift guides to significant others/family members with the subject “Hint, hiiiint.”

Happy shopping, friends! And happy, happy holidays. Sending you an enormous virtual hug.

2023 Holiday Gift Guide for Beauty and Wellness Enthusiasts:

MERIT Five Minute Morning Collection. Makeup minimalists rejoice! This collection of MERIT’s bestsellers helps anyone put their best face forward. MERIT’s makeup formulas are fantastic, and their products are notably user-friendly. If you want to purchase just one or two items instead of the full set, the tubing mascara is FANTASTIC. It lengthens and colors in a way that looks natural (no clumping!) and does. not. flake. I also highly recommend the flush balm. It’s for cheeks but does double duty as a lip color.

Book of the Month Subscription. I’ve always considered reading to be a wellness practice, and this book subscription service, which gives members early access to new releases, vetted recommendations, and more affordable books, would be such a treat for a book lover (or someone who wants to get into reading!). There are so many categories to choose from, so there truly is something for every type of reader.

Crown Affair Towel. You’ve likely heard countless people singing the praises of this magical microfiber hair towel, and after replacing my Aquis towel with this one last year, I am now adding my voice to the choir. This towel gently absorbs moisture from your hair and cuts down on drying time in a huge way. It’s also lightweight, nice and long, and the tail tucks easily into elastic in the back, so there’s no struggling to secure it with a button or worrying that it will come unraveled. (Not to mention the fact that it makes the wearer look quite chic.)

Tracie Martyn Enzyme Exfoliant. Give the gift of instant glow! This re-texturizing face peel detoxifies while reducing pigmentation and making skin feel silky smooth. I’ve never seen a product “brighten” my skin so quickly and effectively—it’s truly like a facial in a jar. As a sensitive skinned human, I can also attest that it’s very gentle for an exfoliating product.

Gift Certificate to Their Favorite Workout Class/Facial/Massage/Body Treatment! There’s a lot to be said for a practical present, especially when it comes to those who are hard to shop for. If you know that your giftee regularly attends a certain workout class or has a go-to facial or body treatment spot, a gift certificate that will cover the cost of something they’d ordinarily pay for themselves (OR allow them to make an extra visit!) may be far more exciting than a present you’re not sure they’ll use/love. (And if they don’t have an aesthetician or spa they like, do some reconnaissance to find somewhere you think they’d love in their neighborhood. Thought counts!)

Therabody Smart Goggles. Shown to help with headaches, eye strain, anxiety, and sleeplessness, these goggles have a biometric sensor to customize treatments that help lower the wearer’s heart rate to a more relaxed state. A great present for someone in your life who may need a little extra TLC!

Keep Your Cadence Pre-Labeled Capsules. Frequent fliers will likely love these leakproof, TSA-compliant, magnetic containers for packing their favorite beauty/skincare/haircare products. You can build a collection of various shapes and sizes with customized labels in an array of chic colors. Much more convenient than random plastic bottles from CVS that end up leaking into a carryon. Especially for those who have multi-step routines…

Printed Kimono Robe. Robe life is the best life, and I love the length and array of colorful print options on the robe. It gives silky vibes but is washable, has pockets, and comes with inner ties, which is the “good robe” trifecta.

Clarins Cryo-Flash Mask. Come in hot with something cool! This is the ultimate special occasion mask, people. The Clarins Depuffing Mask gets a lot of love, and while I agree that it is also a very good mask, Cryo-Flash beats it by a mile (in my humble opinion). It feels delightfully icy when applied and leaves the skin feeling noticeably brighter, tighter, and more lifted. If you have a skincare lover or someone who deserves some extra TLC in your life, this is guaranteed to please.

CurrentBody LED Mask. For the serious skincare junkies willing to go the extra mile for their skin, this LED mask works wonders. I used The Light Salon LED mask for years, which is excellent, but I have seen the same results using this one, and it’s more affordable (as well as marginally more comfortable, in my opinion). With consistent use, LED helps to soften fine lines, minimize the appearance of pores, improve skin texture, reduce hyperpigmentation, and boost brightness. So..it’s basically a portable aesthetician? (Code: SERENALED will also get you an extra $60 off!!!)

100 Ways to Change Your Life by Liz Moody. The Liz Moody Podcast is one of the only podcasts I listen to religiously because Liz interviews the most fascinating experts who provide science-backed tips for improving life in so many ways. This book is a distillation of the game changing information she’s gleaned through her many years of experience as a journalist, and it offers digestible tips and actionable tools to improve every part of your life, from mental health to career, relationships, confidence, and so much more. It’s also intensely readable and not preachy in the best possible way.

Mason Pearson Popular Bristle and Nylon Hairbrush. Treat someone who has been very good this year to the world’s most expensive hairbrush! (I’m only partially kidding…) For better or worse, this brush is truly excellent and can do wonders for anyone’s head of hair. The combination of boar bristles to distribute natural oils and nylon tufts to detangle hair delivers a superior hair-brushing experience that not only feels incredible but leaves hair silky smooth. I can also vouch for its top notch performance in creating a slick bun.

The Sculpt Society 3-Pound Weights. For the at-home workout enthusiast! These 3-pound weights are infinitely easier to grip than dumbbells and would be a great way to level up workouts from cycling and dance cardio to low-impact sculpt classes. (If you’re feeling generous, maybe also throw in a Sculpt Society Subscription!)

NuFace Fix. I’m a diehard fan of the NuFace Mini—an at-home microcurrent device that tones the facial muscles to depuff, lift, and contour the face—but the prongs are a little too large to target areas like the under eye, lips, and nasolabial folds as effectively as I’d like. ENTER: The Fix. This teeny microcurrent device is made for these harder to reach places and will absolutely up anyone’s anti-aging routine. It’s also super convenient for travel and for those who may not want to commit to a full morning microcurrent facial. (The Fix treatment cycle is about 2 minutes versus 5 with the Mini.) Code: SERENANF *should* still work for an extra discount on the CurrentBody website.

Clean Skin Club Towels. Honestly, these disposable, bio-based face towels may have a bigger impact on skin health than any other fancy product, treatment, or device. Even freshly washed face towels and washcloths tend to harbor bacteria, fungus, or build-up that can negatively impact skin health, and using these instead will leave skin so fresh and so clean (clean).

Bathtime Wine Glass Holder. For fellow bath kings and queens! Logan gave me this a couple years ago for my birthday, and the only way I could love it more is if it could securely hold a YETI Rambler.

For more gifting inspiration, check out the Beauty and Wellness Gift Guides from 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017.