ANOKHI’s Holiday Gift Guide To The Best Beauty Stocking Stuffers In North America!

The holiday season is soon upon us, and now more than ever there are vibrant South Asian beauty brands that offer products across several categories such as skin care, hair care, fragrance and cosmetics, that are glamourous and perfect to spoil yourself and loves ones.  This blog focuses on sets and one outstanding single product that are certain to illicit smiles and infuse the holiday season with more joy.

Skin Care

Brown skin is beautiful, and to maintain its glow, exfoliation, hydration and protection are paramount.  It is easy to just hold down one’s head and hide under a tuque, but the colder it gets the more it becomes to embrace rituals so that we will can look amazing all winter and be ready for spring.

If you are looking to gently exfoliate your skin during the cold winter months and to maintain your sunscreen habits, the Lion Pose Mane Squeeze AHA and SPF Bundle is a great option.  The UNSPOTTED 4X Acid Jelly Night Serum, is a gentle mix of the following acids: glycolic, lactic, azelaic, and tranexamic, which brighten the skin and lighten dark spots.  It also contains hyaluronic acid which attracts moisture to the skin to make it look plumper, and aloe which soothes the skin.  This product should be applied in the morning, leaving 30 seconds for absorption before continuing with the skin care and sunscreen. The studies show that after four weeks the size of dark spots were reduced, skin looked smoother and the skin tone was more uniform.  I have always seen winter as an opportunity to treat damaged skin, and with consistent use of such a high quality product, you will be spring ready, before the tulips wake up!

Sunscreen habits are important to maintain, because even if we do not feel the warmth of the sun’s rays, they are still aging and burning our skin, which undoes the work of our skin care treatments.  The aptly named, GHOST-BUSTER 100% Mineral SPF 42, is a sunscreen that does not leave a white case, which leaves the skin dewy and also acts as a primer for makeup.  It protects the skin by relying on a sheer form of zinc and uses glutathione to combat free radical damage.  This product is a true shield for the delicate skin of the aforementioned three areas.  I like to use a loonie-sized amount of product and massage into my face, neck and ears.  I love that I am able to maintain my sunscreen habits, because it preserves the beauty of my brown skin tone.

Vasanti Cosmetics is a champion for presenting the power of fruit acids to gently exfoliate the skin.  Darker skin tones are prone to hyperpigmentation if they are subject to micro-tears which creates tiny dark scars, so manual exfoliation must be approached with care.  The line’s BrightenUp! Exfoliator which contains the papaya enzyme, gently clears away dead skin cells, and aloe, which soothes the skin.

For the holiday season, the line offers Brighten Up! Bundle of Joy which includes a clear, practical make-up bag filled with six mini-sized tubs which are great for the gym bag, travel and stocking stuffers.  If you want to provide an effective gift for 6 lucky friends that will leave them glowing, this bundle is a great option!

Tula, a skincare line that focusses on the power of probiotic extracts and superfoods, has a great discovery kit that is perfect for your friend who has expressed a desire to start a skincare routine but finds excessive steps off-putting.  The 3-Piece Skincare Discovery Kit contains travel-friendly sized versions of the line’s iconic Gold Glow + Get Cooling & Brightening Eye Balm, the Cult Classic Purifying Face Cleanser and the 24-7 Moisture Hydrating Day & Night Cream.

I love that the eye product is in a travel stick format, because when I am at the office and exposed to the heating, my delicate eye contour needs a quick boost of moisture, so this sleek, unobtrusive tube is great to carry around and a  couple of swipes hydrates my contour.  The cleanser simplifies the cleansing step, as this product removes makeup and dirt, so you can foregp the double cleanse.  Finally, the cream is good for day and night, which means you need one pot of product to hydrate the skin and since it is non-comedogenic, it also suits oilier skin types.  This gift is a assured full-fledged hit!

Hair Care

Gorgeous hair is for South Asian women what oxygen is to water – fundamental and undeniable.  South Asian hair care brands offer some amazing gift sets that will help a dear friend (or yourself), maintain lustrous locks when they are being battered by Artic winds and merciless electrical heating.

Good Juju Body & Home, transforms humble bars of soap into beautifying tools that use little packaging and deliver results.  The brand’s Hair Care Starter Bundle contains shampoo and conditioning bar, a scalp massager and 2 sisal bags.  I love that the site allows you to select the shampoo and conditioner bar based on 5 possible hair concerns, namely nourishment, hydration, volumizing, oiliness and scalp care.  These choices allow you to offer a gift that responds to the recipient’s needs.  I also enjoy massaging my scalp with a massager because it helps me to relax in the shower and the scalp is nourished when it is stimulated, and the blood circulates.  The sisal bags allow the recipient to store the bars elegantly and can be used for future bars!

Aavrani harnesses the power of Ayurveda to provide products that stimulate hair growth and this is why I recommend the Strength & Density Duo Mini Gift set which is comprised of Hair & Scalp Recovery Oil and the Hair Density Boosting Treatment.  Oiling is a classic South Asian treatment which has been lovingly passed down from parent to child; the stimulation of the scalp encourages hair growth and the oil strengthens the hair.  You can integrate this ritual into your hair care routine, by applying a few drops of the Hair & Scalp Recovery Oil a few minutes before you wash your hair.  After washing, rinsing and drying your hair, I strongly recommend applying the Hair Density Boosting Treatment because it works!  I have always had a spot on my hairline which is indented and unfortunately has less hair.  This past spring, I decided to commit to use this product every night for a 5 weeks to see if the claims that it delivers on meaningful hair growth… guess what!  Within 4 weeks I noticed more baby, fuzzy hairs and now several months after that commitment the newly grown hair are still in place.  This mini duo is a mighty gift.

Fragrance

South Asia is associated with incense and scents that veer towards strong, and in some instances,  excessive experiences.  However the newest South Asian brands are squarely repudiating from these images and offering fragrances that are subtle, sensual and can be used in a variety of ways.

Byredo is a luxury, minalimist brand that is renowned for its Rose of No Man’s Land, a floral that is also available as a hair perfume. The hair perfume whose heart is a mix of Raspberry Blossom and Turkish Rose Absolute, develops into a base of Amber and Papyrus.  Byredo pairs this perfume with a handsome hairbrush in its holiday set Les Cheveux Rose of No Man’s Land.  I love that you can spritz the brush with the perfume, run it through your strands, and you have gorgeous smelling mane without the dryness.  The act of brushing one’s hair is filled with a sense of ritual and glamour and the brush will last long after the perfume is finished, so this gift will keep on giving for months to come.

5 Sens, a newly launched line of fragrances, is a pulsating, exciting brand whose vast selection of fragrances help you to express your mood. I am intrigued by this brand’s ethos, and am delighted that one of its holiday bundles is the Discovery Kit – Curated Set of Mini 5 SENS Fine Fragrances.  The quintet of eaux de parfums contain Life of the Party (fruity floral), In too Deep (gourmand), Catch Feelings (fruity), Burn for You (woody) and Twin Flame (woody- spice). Each sample size fits easily into a handbag, and since it contains 2 ml of eau de parfum, you can spritz it a few times and have an opportunity to figure out which ones suit your skin and reflect your moods.

Cosmetics

Wander Beauty is by far the most thoughtful beauty brand that I have ever encountered because it combines the values of efficiency and glamour into products that deliver for the woman on the go, and this time I am raving about it is Round Trip Dual Blush and Bronzer Brush. On my recent trip to the UK and Ireland, I decided to test the multifaceted nature of the brush by designating it as my applicator for contour, blush and pressed powder. I used the duck-billed, tapered end to apply my cream contour, and then after wiping it on a towel, I would then dip it into my pressed powder to spot apply under my eyes and around my mouth.  It was always flawless!  I would then flip brush and use the angled end to gingerly tap on and blend powder blush to ensure a natural, effortless finish. I would wipe the bristles and then blend in my contour. Again, it was always flawless. This brush performed  at the highest level for two weeks 14 days, and it is a power stocking stuffer.

Kulfi Beauty’s eyeliners are gaining legendary status because they: glide in smoothly; deliver strong pigment; can be used on the waterline; and last for several hours.  I love my liners and strongly recommend the Bestselling Kajal Duo composed of Nazar  (black)and Cheeky Chiku (brown), because the shades can worn year-round, for work, for play and everything in between.  If you are on a budget, I suggest that you buy one kit and split it between two lucky recipients.  The thrill factor is guaranteed because these liners are top quality and will be used with a smile!

Live Tinted has its pulse on what beauty aficionados need, and its holiday beauty duo Make it Sweeter Blush & Go Liquid Highlighter Blush Set is a winner!  First you can use the duo in four ways: you can add a few droplets of the highlighter to your foundation to add glow; you can mix the highlighter with the blush to create a glamourous cheek look; you can spot apply the highlighter to high points of the face to bring out the facial structure; and you can wear the blush alone for a classic look.  The blush shade is a deep, classic rose pink that evokes the best of the nineties and suits brown skin tones. The size of each product makes it easy to pack in your daily handbag and for carry-on luggage. The set can be split to create two amazing gifts for lucky recipients. This is a power duo!

Thoughtful Gifts

The suggestions listed above demonstrate how far South Asians have come in the beauty world, and they work for our skin tones and hair types and satisfy our aspirations.  I love that each brand has its own unique approach to the beauty issue it addresses and that they are all well-crafted.  The holiday season, with these amazing gift sets, is a great way to discover South Asian brands!