A Capsule Approach to Eco-Beauty: Holiday Gift Ideas, Lifestyle Edition

The last of my capsule approach/eco-beauty gift guide posts, I thought I’d cover some lifestyle products for the holistically-minded/spiritually-inclined people who might be in your life. These would all make LOVELY gifts – in fact I happened to pick The Wild Unknown Tarot Guidebook at a recent Yankee Swap I was at and was ELATED! Clearly now I need the actual deck to match

1. Divination Deck: I’ve felt drawn to the tarot and other kinds of divination cards for the past two years or so. It’s one of those lifetime learning process occult arts, but I’ve found them to be a visually and energetically inspiring companion to other spiritual practices like meditation and bodywork. I currently own two decks – a traditional Rider-Waite tarot deck, and a deck of Soul Cards, which are different from the tarot in that they don’t have particular meanings attached to them and are meant to tap into non-verbal and subconscious feelings/emotions. I’d also recommend The Wild Unknown tarot deck and the Star Child or Moon Child tarot decks (and I want both of those in an INTENSE way). These are Soul Card examples (taken from my Instagram feed): <missing media>

2. Velvet Lotus Crystals: Crystals are another seemingly super new-age spiritual hippie thing, but when you experience having some beautiful crystals adorn your living space you’ll being to notice how they subtly (or maybe not so subtly) contribute to you feeling “good” when you’re in that space. This is because crystals have energetic properties that assist in all kinds of things, but essentially will help raise the vibrations of wherever you place them. I highly recommend The Velvet Lotus shop on Etsy as your first browse and foray into the world of high quality, energetically potent crystals. You can’t really go wrong, but if you’re buying for yourself just try and shut off your mind and go with what you feel most drawn to, i.e. let your intuition guide your selection. Here’s a sampling of mine, from left to right: champagne/smokey aura quartz, vera cruz amethyst, and madeira citrine: <missing media>

3.Kei Jewelry: Another way to incorporate crystals into your life is to wear them! And not as unrefined hippie jewelry (though totally nothing wrong with that, just not my thing) – but as chic, refined, and minimal pieces. One of my Youtube subscribers told me to check out Kei last year and it was such a fantastic recommendation – I regularly visit the site and SWOON over everything. This past year I purchased one of the druzy bar necklaces, and the raw turquoise cuff has been on my wishlist for ages. You wouldn’t go wrong with any of Kei’s designs, in my opinion. <missing media>

4. doTerra Petal Diffuser: As you can tell, I’m very, VERY into my living space – or really any space I’m in. But I have most control over what my living space feels like, so I do everything I can to keep energy moving and vibrations high. I burn candles every evening (these also raise vibrations, and I stick to either 100% pure beeswax candles, or candles scented with essential oils), and on the weekends I usually diffuse essential oils. I purchased a doTerra petal diffuser this past year and have been extremely happy with it. My friend Adine also passed along samples of many of doTerra’s essential oils blends which I’ve been experimenting with. While doTerra products are on the pricier side, you can definitely find less expensive diffusers on Amazon, though I do think you get what you pay for. I’m still very new to the world of essential oils but their power and potential fascinates me. <missing media>

5. Alexis Smart Flower Remedies: Finally, I’ll end with an internal approach to working towards balance – flower remedies! The power of plants is awe-inducing, and I’ve been a long-time dabbler in homeopathic remedies like Bach’s essences which are readily available at Whole Foods. Think of Alexis Smart Flower Remedies as boutique Bach’s Rescue Remedy/flower remedies. If you visit her site be prepared to want like EVERYTHING. Something about the blends she makes is just special, at least to me. Over the past few years I’ve tried Soul Purpose and In Love, and there are so many others I’d like to try. I think these would make BEAUTIFUL gifts, if you know the person you’re shopping for well and what they might be struggling with. Again, to select a remedy you’re just supposed to shut off your mind and let your intuition guide you. You could also gift anyone pretty much anything from the Lotus Wei range and I’m sure they wouldn’t be disappointed. I haven’t tried their flower remedies, but I have tried all their serums and mists at one point or another – Infinite Love is my favorite, with Joy Juice a close second. <missing media>