In this series actress, writer, director, and entrepreneur Julissa Calderon, best known for playing Yessika Castillo on Gentefied, discusses her holiday picks for different moments – and people you might be thinking of getting a gift for this Christmas. Whether it’s your loved one, your partner, or you just want a Secret Santa gift, Calderon has a gift idea for you to conquer the holiday season and emerge as the best gift-giver of all.
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Hi mi gente linda! When I think of gift-giving and self-care, I think about zoning out. I think about relaxing. And I think about the things that would make someone get to that place where they actually feel relaxed. To me, that’s self-care. Spending time with yourself, and pampering yourself. And what can be a better gift than that? Because sometimes it’s so hard for people to invest in themselves. So if you can somehow give them something that’s a little bit of an investment in themselves, well that’s a big thing.
And self-care is physical, yes, but it’s also mental. It’s about doing things that make you feel better about who you are, about your day, and about how you treat yourself. So, I’ve compiled some of my top self-care gifts that will make you feel like you just had a spa day, right at home.
We’re starting with mental self-care. Not to be biased or anything, but I’d recommend my very own Dream & Manifest journals. Whether it’s the first edition or second, or you want to go big and do it for the holidays with the journal bundle, this journal will make any girl with big dreams happy! Journals are available on dreamandmanifestjournal.com/ starting at $27.99.
If I take a nice shower, I’m going to use my Republica skin sugar scrub because it’s so good. It transports you to the tropics in your shower and leaves your skin so soft and smooth that you don’t need to lotion your body once you exit the shower and dry up. The Republica Sugar Body Polish is available at republicaskin.com for $42.00.
If you want to relax and feel pampered, you can also do the Costa Brazil body oil. It’s subtle, sexy, and makes you so soft. The Kaya Jungle Firming Body Oil is available at livecostabrazil.com for $98.00. It’s also available at bluemercury.com and amazon.com for $54.
A candle is always a great self-care gift. And Costa Brazil has this one I can’t get out of my head and whose smell I can’t get out of my house. The Costa Brazil candle is available on livecostabrazil.com for $165 and also amazon.com for $115.
Truly, everybody needs a Theragun. It’s a great massager, and it’s especially amazing for my gym girlies. One of the best relief guns I’ve used. I feel like that’s another thing that you can have and you can use on your self-care day, especially if you’re all oiled up, it’s perfect. The Theragun is available on therabody.com and amazon.com starting at $149.
Peach & Lily Glass Skin Discovery Kit
Skincare is also a great self-care gift. I’m obsessed with this Peach & Lily Glass Skin Discovery Kit! It’s perfect if you want to just test it out to see how good these products are. Consciously clean and affordable! And it’s going to be a great way to pamper yourself. The Peach & Lily Glass Skin Discovery Kit is available on peachandlily.com for $39.
Byoma is another brand my skin is really enjoying these days. Their serums are my go-to’s! Byoma starts cleansers and moisturizers start at $12.99 on byoma.com and target.com.
LaRoche Posay Dry Skin Routine Set
Another absolute fave is LaRoche Posay! I use their cleanser, Vitamin C, hyaluronic serum, and moisturizer with SPF. It’s my daily routine items. You can find it at Target, Ulta, or on Amazon. I use their cleanser, vitamin c, hyaluronic serum, and moisturizer with SPF. So worth it, and the right way to treat yourself daily. The LaRoche Posay Dry Skin Routine Set is available on laroche-posay.us for $70.52.
Poetry by Franceli Chapman-Varela
Literature is also self-care. Taking care of your mind is as important as taking care of your body, after all. If you’re looking for a good book of poetry with some flavor, Celi has got you covered. Between Spaces is available on ingramspark.com for $20.
If you want to gift a good novel from an amazing poet and writer? You can’t go wrong with
any of Elizabeth Acevedo’s books. Books like Family Lore: A Novel and The Poet X are available on amazon.com starting at $13.99.
Your loved ones deserve to know they’re cared for, and these gifts show just that—care. And since now you don’t have to go out and obsess over what to get them, you also also giving them another thing, the gift of more of your time this Christmas. It’s a win-win!
