The Gift Guide: Things We Loved This Year
Our gift guide features items we’ve given to others and some that we bought and kept for ourselves.
Everything on this this list has been used and appreciated and we update it throughout the year when something new earns its place.
Whether you’re shopping for someone else or adding to your own basket, here’s what we’d genuinely recommend.
(Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you choose to buy, at no extra cost to you.)
Wellness + Beauty
If you’ve started paying more attention to what you’re actually putting on your skin, we like the Waldor Skin range. The cleanser is formulated with Centella Asiatica, Tremella Mushroom and growth factors to remove impurities without the tight, stripped feeling that most cleansers leave behind. The exfoliating pads contain salicylic, mandelic and glycolic acids combined with niacinamide to clear pores, even skin tone and control oil without over-stripping. The Lift Facial Mask and Glow Facial Mask (£39 each) are worth adding to your routine for an occasional skin reset; one firms, one brightens.
Most nail care focuses on how nails look rather than how they’re treated. Fyle does things differently. The believe that healthy cuticles and a protected nail bed are what matter and everything else follows from that. The Complete Kit uses a blade-free, heat-free method developed with nail technicians: filing strips made from coastal quartz sand, a cuticle pusher, buff pads and a fragrance-free sealing balm. It also includes The Shiner; a finishing step that buffs a natural glossy barrier onto the nail without polish.
The Elevator is formulated specifically for women and is perfect for busy moms with 23 nutrients in a single daily sachet, covering energy, immunity, hormones, sleep and skin. No pill-swallowing or cabinet full of separate supplements, just mix with water/juice and you’re done. With CoQ10 for energy, magnesium for sleep and stress, B complex for the daily grind and vitamin D3 for everything else, the sachet is compatible with HRT.
The Five Minute Edit | Skn to Skn
Designed for hormonal skin at every stage; pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause or just the kind of skin that reacts to everything, it works equally well whether you’re pregnant or not. The set covers morning and evening: a gel-to-oil cleanser, a multi-tasking serum with retinol-like results without the irritation, a mineral SPF30 moisturiser and a night cream.
Age Defense Collection | Nioxin
Thinning hair is sadly quite common as we age – less volume and density plus a change in texture that’s hard to pinpoint. Nioxin’s Age Defense range is built specifically for this, addressing the scalp, follicles and melanin production together rather than just treating symptoms at the surface. The three-product system covers a detoxifying shampoo, a deeply moisturising conditioner and a leave-in serum that works to maintain natural colour and improve the appearance of thickness and shine over time.
Designing Massage Cream | Suqqu
SUQQU’s Gankin Massage technique has been at the heart of the brand since it launched in 2003; a Japanese approach to facial massage that works with bone structure and muscle tension rather than just sitting on the surface of the skin. This is the bath and shower version, designed to make the method accessible as part of a daily routine.The cream spreads smoothly over wet skin without slipping, holds enough texture to give you proper control, and rinses cleanly without leaving residue.
Less is More Haircare Routine | Innersense
A four-step haircare routine designed for people who care about the integrity of their hair. The Clarity Hairbath and Clarity Conditioner form the foundation; hypoallergenic, gentle enough for all hair types and with Chufa Milk for elasticity and Colloidal Oatmeal to soothe a dry scalp. The Repair Hair Mask handles the heavy lifting on damaged or brittle hair, using Hydrolyzed Moringa Protein to rebuild bonds from the inside out. The Hair Renew Daily Active Serum helps keep the scalp calm between washes. All organic, all clean.
At-home workouts have never been more popular – we’re big fans of Pilates by Izzy on YouTube – and resistance bands are one of the easiest ways to add intensity without adding equipment. The problem is looping a band around your hands cuts off circulation and makes some exercises genuinely uncomfortable. The TRX Bandit solves that. Two ergonomic handles attach to any resistance band and give you a proper grip meaning no pinching or slipping and a full range of motion. The kit comes with four bands at two resistance levels so you can progress as you get stronger.
Three products designed to work together, the set includes a room spray, a reed diffuser and a 200g candle, all built around GAIA’s Awakening blend, which leans energising rather than the usual lavender-and-sleep direction most home fragrance goes in. The room spray works on soft furnishings as well as the air, the diffuser runs all day without any effort, and the candle is there for the evenings when you want something slower.
Ruby Hammer MBE has 40 years of professional makeup and beauty expertise behind her and designed this foot file from tempered crystal glass so it works on wet or dry skin. It’s 100% lead-free and sustainable so it lasts indefinitely rather than ending up in the bin after a few uses.
For Kids
Designed for children from 18 months to 4 years, this cute bike is light enough for small hands to manage independently and adjustable enough to grow with them so it won’t be outgrown by spring. Balance bikes are genuinely useful at this age as no pedals means children focus on steering and stability first, which makes the eventual transition to a pedal bike significantly easier.
The question of when to give a child a phone, and what to give them instead, is one most parents are wrestling with earlier than expected. Karri is a screen-free voice messenger designed for exactly that gap; old enough to want independence, too young for a smartphone. It works on any mobile network, has GPS tracking built in, an SOS function and connects to a parental app. Children send and receive voice messages rather than texts, which keeps it simple and safe meaning no social media or browsers.
Our curated guide features items that are considered and genuinely used. If something here ends up in someone’s hands who needed it, or makes your own day a little easier, that’s gift enough.
