Pretty but meaningful Christmas gift ideas
DEAR RISSA,
I’m looking for a pretty but meaningful gift to give my friends. Trendy fashion items are nice, but I noticed people get tired of them and they just end up in the garage sale! What do you suggest?
SOFIA
What a thoughtful friend you are! It’s true, we do receive so many gifts during Christmas and then we later grow tired of fast-fashion trendy items. My personal rule when gift-giving is to choose a gift I would like to receive myself. I’m currently crazy over Heyjow, a homegrown brand of accessories, which features beautiful crystals and gemstones set in lovely matte gold hardware. The combination is gorgeous! Their accessories are always on trend without being trendy and shortlived. Their unique pieces always elevate your sartorial look. The brand is actually known for its charming necklaces that you can layer. (Shop at heyjow.com, follow their Instagram account @heyjowph and check out the hashtag #LoveYourLayers.) I’m sure their pieces are familiar because you’ve seen them on women like Joey Mead King, Rica Peralejo, Bubbles Paraiso, Patty Laurel, Kelly Misa, Teresa Herrera, and Mika Lagdameo Martinez.
Heyjow offers beautiful accessories like necklaces, bangles, and earrings. The necklaces are a wonderful way of telling your own story. Choose a necklace that has meaning to you or your friend, and layering them together allows the wearer to tell a pretty story. Every piece will always look and feel different, depending on what you layer it with. I love Heyjow pieces because they make great gifts for any occasion, but most of all during Christmas. This is a gift you’re certain the receiver will never grow tired of or allow to end up in a garage sale! RISSA
BANISHING BLEMISHES HI, LUCY!
I’m a woman with a blemished past and I mean that in the literal sense. I have stubborn blemishes that have been with me forever. I don’t know if you’d call them sun spots. I know I should have taken better care of my skin and used sunblock, but it’s too late for that now, right? What do you think of BB creams? What about CC creams? Is there a DD cream? Can these really remove blemishes? What products can you suggest?
ROSENNE
If those are indeed sun spots/ blemishes, I seriously doubt they have to stay forever, unless, of course, you have a condition that prohibits you from getting any form of treatment. Speaking of treatments, there are many options available. If you want to go all- natural, I know of someone who was able to help heal her skin the natural way by using therapeutic-grade lavender oil. She had sun spots, really dark and uneven patches apparently, but her skin is lovely now, as if nothing happened. It took her almost three years, the healing was slow but sure. But she did heal. I am in no position to assume that hers is an isolated case, or that it may work for others, too, but it may be a viable option for you to consider.
Please consult a reputable dermatologist. There are non-invasive laser treatments available that can reverse seemingly hopeless skin conditions. And yes, while the BB and CC creams of the world have their merits in terms of camouflaging flaws almost instantly, I would like to think of such products more as a means of helping one transition gracefully from bad to good skin, a passage of sorts, something that can be done while you work on getting more permanent results. From what I have been told by the beauty experts, a DD cream is a “dynamic do-all” that combines the powers and benefits of both BB and CC creams, with the focus on anti-aging.
Total skincare has to be approached holistically, so it is best to get a professional assessment and treatment plan so that you can be off to a good (and correct!) start.
LUCY