Even though 2020 isn’t the year we expected, you can always expect a gift guide during December. As we approach the holiday season in 2020, however, the feeling and spirit of this holiday season are, rightly so, distinctly different.
More important than ever, our wallets and our planet need us to make good decisions on gifts that will be worth the investment this year. Rather than providing you with a traditional gift guide, this gift guide is based on my personal favorites throughout 2020 across beauty, fashion, and general lifestyle necessities.
My hope is that this gift guide can provide you comfort in knowing that your money will be well-spent, and if you’re buying new clothes, the planet will thank you for buying pieces that are well-made. Enjoy, and let me know what you will be purchasing this year!
For more brand and product reviews, check out my reviews here!
Beauty Gift Guide
Cruelty-free, sustainable packaging, and non-comedogenic products… what more can I possibly ask for in a skincare line?! This brand was a quarantine discovery of mine when I was on the search for a new moisturizer. My favorite product by Youth to the People are their moisturizer and their cleanser.
- Inclusivity: Multiple funding and giving initiatives to support diversity and inclusion
- Sustainability: Vegan, cruelty-free, recyclable glass packaging, locally and responsibly sourced paper, conscious partnerships
PR gets sent to beauty influencers because brands want exposure, social media mentions, and sales. But when their products just work, it doesn’t matter to me what their PR tactics may have been to get me to try this product. Their Vitamin C toner has changed my life with how much it has smoothed out my skin.
- Inclusivity: Affordable price, Black Friday Festival to partner with creators in Dakar
- Sustainability: Vegan, cruelty-free, recyclable packaging
+ Dominique Cosmetics – Liquid Lipstick
When you realize you don’t feel comfortable using 90% of the liquid lipsticks in your collection because the founder is a racist, you start to look for other options. Their liquid lipsticks in Babe and Nude Kiss are my absolute favorites. I like to also mix the two colors together to create new shades!
- Inclusivity: The founder is Christen Dominique, a Latina/Guyanese-American woman
- Sustainability: Cruelty-free
Fashion Gift Guide
This is a new brand I have loved, and considering that I used to hate bodysuits, this is saying a lot. Their bodysuits are high quality, easily dressed up or down, and come in all styles. They are slowly expanding their inventory to also include dresses and occasionally have limited edition drops of bodysuits in shades of nude.
- Inclusivity: The founder is Lily Adel, a Persian-American woman
- Sustainability: Sourcing and production unknown; pieces are generally very high quality
Figleaves has been a brand partner that I have been working with for this entire year, and I can personally attest to the quality of their clothing in addition to their amazing mission that every body fits and should be celebrated.
- Inclusivity: Figleaves is truly size-inclusive in every meaning of the word, from products to advertising to brand mission
- Sustainability: Figleaves is a member of the Ethical Trade Initiative with a Code of Conduct built based on the conventions of the International Labor Organization
I don’t think any of us have forgotten how non-inclusive Abercrombie and Fitch used to be. Something crazy happened, however, over the last 15 years. Somehow, A&F got a remake and has reappeared on the scene as a more diverse and inclusive brand with really cute items that are well-made and decently priced. If you have to shop from one “mass” retailer this year and have a little extra to splurge on better quality, I recommend checking out A&F.
- Inclusivity: Female CEO (as of 2020), diverse advertising, multiple charitable initiatives
- Sustainability: Member of the United Nations Global Compact initiative, member of Business for Social Responsibility, launched a re-commerce program with thredUp to extend the life of clothing items
Lifestyle Necessities
Finally, as a catch-all, I wanted to also share certain products that I have loved and hope that these will give you some ideas for stocking stuffers! These are things that I have used extensively and have found a lot of great use!
+ Daily organizational planner
+ Cruelty-free nail polish from NCLA
+ Grass-fed and pasture-raised collagen peptides
