The team at Boutique at House of Marbles firmly believe that one of the most thoughtful ways to show you care about someone at Christmas is to treat them to a little ‘me time’. Since the Covid-19 pandemic especially, self-care and wellbeing has been taken a lot more seriously, and it’s now higher up on the agenda for a lot of us. There are many reasons why one might want to indulge in a bit of self-care with a pamper session; it may help to improve self-esteem and body image, but deeper than that, it provides us with an opportunity for inward healing and reflection, which can in turn reduce stress and anxiety.
Self-care is of course not to be confused with self-indulgence or being selfish, we all need some time to ourselves to switch off. The official definition of the term ‘self-care’ from BMC Palliative Care is “the self-initiated behaviour that people choose to incorporate to promote good health and general well-being.” This could be activities as simple as taking a bath, pursuing a hobby, or even just switching off by listening to your favourite music.
When we talk about our favourite pamper products though, we of course mean our favourite skin and body care luxuries. Traditionally, these are thought of as being exclusively women’s items, but we’ve seen more and more that men are choosing to indulge in the art of self-care and grooming as well. A survey carried out by HypeBeast indicated that the largest motivator for men to buy grooming products was as an act of self-care, rather than the assumed answer to improve one’s appearance. This follows a shift in focus from the external to the internal with regards to wellness and overall feelings of happiness and satisfaction. A brand that speaks to men in particular, and one of our favourites at the Boutique, is Men’s Society. Founded at the kitchen table, their range of men’s grooming products are all handmade in small batches to keep the ingredients fresh and potent. They also pay particular attention to their packaging, making it as eco-conscious and low waste as possible. One of our favourite pampering gifts for men is the Damn Handsome Beard Oils from Men’s Society.
£23.99
These beard oils are a male grooming essential, formulated to soften and condition not only the hair but also to moisturise the skin underneath. They are also effective at styling the beard, and even making it appear fuller. With scents of 90 Days Of Winter, 91 Days Of Spring, and Coastal Walks, they’ll be in season for Christmas and beyond, right up until summer. Not only that, once he’s finished the beard oils, the bottles can be refilled with his favourite essential oils, and the tin reused again and again.
Self-care is often seen as an ‘entry point to wellness’, which can be interpreted as a wide spectrum of practices. Some people use crystals for their wellness properties, as each crystal type has an assigned ability to heal in a different way. Rose Quartz for example, is said to be connected to the heart chakra, and boosts feelings of peace and calm, inspires compassion and supports emotional healing. This is why we are particularly excited that our next gift recommendation from Made and Sent includes a rose quartz gemstone as part of its Pamper and Relax Wellness Kit.
£34.99
At the heart of Made and Sent is the idea of boosting your wellbeing. They deeply believe the best gifts are those that speak from the heart and make you feel better. The Pamper and Relax Wellbeing Kit fits perfectly with today’s theme, and alongside the rose quartz, includes a soothing bath oil, an eye cream to hydrate and nourish tired eyes, and a coastal scented pillow mist to promote deep, healing sleep. This thoughtful combination of deluxe products will help the recipient to fully switch off, and to rejuvenate both emotionally and physically.
For some people, a particular stressor during the winter months is dry skin, due to the harsh cold winds and dry indoor heat. This is a rough combination that can zap moisture from the skin, particularly in exposed areas such as the face and hands. This leads to our next, slightly unusual gift recommendation, Face Tea for Shy Skin from Bathing Beauty.
£22.00
This luxurious blend of chamomile flowers, chickweed and calendula petals has been specially formulated to soothe dry or sensitive skin, and for those with allergies. The application for this product is a facial steam, in a bowl of hot water and a towel over the head. The all-natural ingredients are particularly great for those conscious of what they put on their skin, with natural plant materials containing an array of vitamins and minerals with many benefits to the skin. A facial steam is said to boost circulation, open the pores and loosen the build-up of dirt for a deep cleanse. This mode of application is particularly beneficial for those with dry skin, as the steam hydrates the skin by encouraging the production of oil, which is the skin’s natural moisturiser. It is for all these reasons that we think this makes the perfect ‘me-time’ gift for anyone with seasonal dry skin affliction this Christmas. It is also something that one might not think to get for themselves, and could spark a new step in their self-care regime.