Episode 134 - Product Junkies December: Holiday Gift Guide (Full Transcript)

This is a full transcript of the Nirvana Sisters podcast Episode 134.

Editor’s Note: Please know that this podcast transcript is automatically generated and may contain minor errors such as typos and word switches. For more information, be sure to listen to the podcast here.

Speaker A: Welcome to Nirvana Sisters podcast, where we take the intimidation out of well being and beauty to help you achieve your highest state, your nirvana. We are sisters in law and your hosts. I'm Amy Sherman.

Speaker B: And I'm Katie Chandler. So let's get into some real conversation.

Speaker C: Hello, Nirvana Sisters family. It's Amy and Katie. And we are here with a holiday gift guide from product junkies. And happy early holidays. Happy post Thanksgiving. We have some fun things to share with you today. And also, just a reminder that everything that we always mention is in our show notes and on our website, so feel free to check them out there. But I am really excited to get in all of these things because I am doing shopping and I don't know what to get, and I keep looking at gift guides and I'm very excited to hear what you have, Katie. So I'm going to start off with you and tell us what you got. What's your first holiday gift idea?

Speaker B: When I was thinking this through, I feel like it's always good to give people gift ideas, things that someone wouldn't necessarily want to buy for themselves. Right. Those are the best gifts sometimes. Or something that maybe one wouldn't necessarily try because it's maybe out of their comfort zone, like something like that. Those are great gifts. So my first one is under the beauty product category, and it is the luxury end of a product that one might not buy for themselves because it's kind of outrageously priced for what it is. But it's an amazing gift. And it is the Mason Pearson hairbrush. So Mason Pearson is an English brand and they make the most amazing hairbrushes. And I've bought one, I sprung for it actually, not a few years ago, many years ago when I was at a friend's wedding in London. And the mini brush that I keep in my handbag, it's small. It's called their pocket brush. This alone is $120.

Speaker C: What? I had no idea they were that expensive. That's crazy.

Speaker B: Crazy.

Speaker C: But I don't brush my hair, though. I just brush it with my hands because it's curly, so I don't really yeah, and I guess when I wear it straight, I do brush it, but yeah, I just use kind of like a comb. See, I've never been like a big brush girl. You're a big brush girl.

Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. I brush my hair. You always have your yeah, 100 times a day. Unless it's like up in a bun all day. But this brush, I'm pretty sure I bought this in, I want to say, like, 2018, and it's still in phenomenal shape and I use it a gazillion times a day. And the wonderful thing about the Mason Pearson hairbrushes and this type of brush is that it is really great for redistributing the oils in your hair, so it gives your hair a beautiful shine. I mean, it's a great brush. It does great things for your hair. This is the bristle and nylon hairbrush. It's the combination. And that's what I love so much, because I have thick hair, but they have different options. They have just the nylon. They have just the boar bristle. The combo I really like, though, they also have a child's bristle hairbrush, which is really kind of cool. So it's kind of like a bougie hairbrush, but I love that.

Speaker C: That is a great gift.

Speaker B: Yeah. I bought this for myself. I was on vacation. When you're on vacation, you might treat yourself with something. It was that kind of like, on a whim thing. So it's a good gift. I wouldn't do this if I was in my right mind at a store looking for a hairbrush. I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a hairbrush.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: What do you have?

Speaker C: Okay, so my next one is a comfort gift, and I feel like it's such a good gift to buy someone, because, again, you're probably not going to buy them for yourself. And it is ugg slippers. I know that's kind of, like, generic or chewy, as the young kids say. However.

Speaker B: Oh, my God.

Speaker C: Chewy.

Speaker B: Wait, hold on. Pause. What is chewgi?

Speaker C: You've never heard that word? Oh, it's kind of old now. I think it's passe. It means, like, basic not cool anymore. I don't know. I don't even know if people are even saying that anymore. But there's always a debate about Uggs, whether they're chewy or not. I've seen that online. However, I love them, and I just got these new ones. They're the tasman slipper, and they come in, like, all different colors, but they're great for men or women. I actually got a pair for Jewels for Hanukkah, because he wanted them, because he saw mine. And I don't know, I just feel like it's a good husband present. It's a good wife present. It's a good friend present. Mom, dad, it's, like, easy and cozy and comfy, and you might not buy yourself, like, a nice pair of Ugg slippers. So big fan of these. I've been literally wearing them every day since I got them, so that's my first gift recommendation.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's a good one. Maddie loves her Ugg slippers that she got for her gift.

Speaker C: Yeah, they're so cozy.

Speaker B: They're so cozy.

Speaker C: And if you work from home, just, like, wearing them around the house. So good. They do have, like, a bottom, so it's not like you're sliding, know?

Speaker B: Yep, totally. All right, so my next one is for the person that wants a Mason Pearson hairbrush but doesn't want to spend quite that much money. So I went to the salon this morning and got my hair did, and you couldn't tell because I have it thrown up in a bun, but I needed a haircut.

Speaker C: What'd you get done?

Speaker B: I just got a okay. And she when my hair was soaking wet and crazy knots, because they do such a good scalp massage and everything. She used this brush that was blowing my mind, and it was like the feeling of the Mason Pearson, which I never use on my hair when it's wet. First of all, because it's many, it's miniature, and I have too much hair for this wet head. But also because I don't know, I think that's probably the main reason I feel like it wouldn't get my tangles out. This hairbrush is similar in the feel and the design and the bristles to the Mason Pearson. It's called YS Park, and the miniature size of the Mason Pearson is $120. The regular size of the Mason Pearson is, like, $240. This YS Park is not super on the cheap, but $79 for the regular size. And it worked beautifully in my knotted, wet hair. I didn't feel any pulling anything. I'm ordering this for my girls.

Speaker C: What kind of bristles are they?

Speaker B: So boar bristles, like the Mason Pearson, I believe. Or maybe it's something similar to a boar bristle, but it has the exact same feel, and it has a nice wooden handle. It feels exactly like don't. There's no better way to say it. And then also, I think there's different heights on the bristles as well.

Speaker C: It's great.

Speaker B: I'm obsessed with that.

Speaker C: I'm getting one that actually just reminded me when my hair is wet and I do want to brush it out. It's like a comb brush. It's like a wet brush or wet dry brush or something. It's like a vented know, those kind of brushes. Like the back is open. That's actually what I use when I want to brush my hair. But it's very infrequently to brush my hair. But you just reminded me that I do have that. But that's good. So that's almost like, similar to the Mason Pearson, but just a little bit less expensive.

Speaker B: A little less expensive. You can get the regular size one for $79 versus the Mason Pearson regular size for, like, 252 40. Yeah.

Speaker C: Nice.

Speaker B: Okay, what's your next one?

Speaker C: So my next one relates to the segment we have called Five Minute Flow. And again, getting out of your comfort zone or getting something that someone may not buy for themselves is like, the Merit set. Oh, yeah, the Merit beauty set. So we've talked about Merit a bunch on our show, and we've reviewed I remember Katie, you're the one who introduced me to the brand, and we've reviewed the different products. But if you go on their website, they have a lot of different sets. I think the weekday set is the one that I think is the best one, because, again, it's like total five minute flow. It's literally like the bronzer, the blush, the highlighter concealer. It comes with a little brush and a mascara. It's like, all you need. And I've seen it online too. I don't see it on their website. But you can buy this. And it comes in like, this little cute bag.

Speaker B: Yeah, the bag is cute.

Speaker C: More giftsy. Anyway, I just thought that was, like, a good set for someone who wants to get ready quickly, easy, and all the products are fabulous, as we know, and all the colors are great and so easy and so minimal, and I just thought that'd be a fun gift for someone 100%.

Speaker B: I love that mirror beauty stuff is really good. It has so many great reviews, too. So, you know the chrome nail trend that you've gotten me into? See, look. Yeah.

Speaker C: Wearing my chrome now. Did you get some?

Speaker B: I got them. And they didn't have exactly, like, what yours was that I really liked, but I thought it was like a rose.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: So if you don't want to go and get a gel manicure also, not to mention it was an upcharge for this chrome dip. Was yours an upcharge?

Speaker C: No, mine isn't a dip. Mine's, like, they do it on top of the gel. It's just like a powder.

Speaker B: Powder. That's what I meant.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: She charged me, like, 15 extra dollars for it on top of what I know.

Speaker C: Correct. It's ridiculous.

Speaker B: So I found a great set of nail polish colors by OPI that I feel like are a really good knockoff. And you could get somebody this set. It's kind of a fun gift for the holidays.

Speaker C: That is fun.

Speaker B: They might want to wear it on Year's Eve or something. And it's great. Different colors. They have, like, a nice chromy silver, a nice gold, a nice champagne, a nice copper color. The ones that I really liked were the OPI Glow the extra mile. That one is, like, a nice light gold, and then the other one I mica be dreaming. And that one is more of a really strong, bright gold metallic composition is kind of like this coppery rose goldie pink color. And then take a night on bourbon, which is, like, the most no, take a right on bourbon. Such a random name is like a silver, which I have on my toes. So you could get somebody those, what, one, two, three?

Speaker C: Do they come in a set or those?

Speaker B: It doesn't come in a set, but you could just order the four colors and make a little gift set out of it. It's a really cute gift for a lady in your life.

Speaker C: I love that.

Speaker B: And, like, reasonably priced. It's not going to be outrageous. It's OPI nail polish. Yeah.

Speaker C: That's fun because I never buy nail polish for myself, but I'd be excited to get that as a gift.

Speaker B: Yeah, for sure.

Speaker C: Okay, so next I have another beauty gift, which is I think I've talked about this brand before on the show, but it's Skin and Senses body oil. I'm, like, obsessed with this body oil. It's all I use. I don't even use moisturizer anymore. I always use this body oil. This one's called The Skin and Senses Shine Revitalizing and Smoothing Body Oil. And the scent in this one is vanilla bean. Yuzo. And it smells so good. It's not a strong scent because I don't love a strong scent, but it's like a hints of vanilla. It's a clean brand, and I thought a gift set would be cute because they also have this body lotion called Love Yourself.

Speaker B: Oh, nice.

Speaker C: And so I feel like these two things are a cute gift to give someone, like a body oil and a body lotion. And this brand is a really nice brand. All the ingredients are clean. It also looks pretty on your countertop. And the oil is just a beautiful oil. And the lotion is really good too. I just got this recently and it's also really good. So cute little gift set.

Speaker B: Do you know the price point?

Speaker C: Yes. So the Shine body oil is $42 and the body lotion is $29. So depending on your budget, you could do both as a set or you could do one or the other. And another thing, I know I mentioned these are clean, but they're also nontoxic, which I guess would be considered clean, but that's how they specify it phthalate free, cruelty free, and vegan. So really nice.

Speaker B: Has that oil lasted you a long time?

Speaker C: Yeah, it lasts me a really long time. They were just having a Black Friday sale, so I got another one to keep in my shower because that's also an easier way sometimes when you're already in the shower, just to put it on when your skin is a little bit wet and then it just sinks in and it's also faster. You just kind of, like, throw it on in the shower. It spreads quickly and you're done.

Speaker B: Are those glass bottles?

Speaker C: They're glass.

Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, it's nice. It feels a little bit more luxury.

Speaker C: Yeah, and it smells so good, it's almost like I was saying this vanilla bean flavor, but it just gives you, like, a little nice scent.

Speaker B: Nice scent, yeah. Okay.

Speaker C: It also does come in unsensitive if you want unsensitive. I've had both, and they're both great.

Speaker B: All right, well, my next one would pair lovely, like, wonderfully if you put a little bit of that oil on your feet and then slipped these fabulous, cozy, earth, plush lounge socks on. I was gifted these a year ago, and I am obsessed. Anytime I'm at home, they're on my feet. I don't really wear them out. I wear the white ones out sometimes with sneakers if I have, like, leggings on, like the scrunch sock look. But they are so soft and so warm and so comfortable. And I was gifted them a year ago, and like I said, it was a set of three, which, by the way, jump on it because they are on sale right now from 55, marked down to $38.50 for the set? For the set of three. I don't know how long that's going to last, but that's great. Yeah. And they hold up like they launder beautifully. They've lasted.

Speaker C: Yeah, they're really good.

Speaker B: They're so good, they almost look like they're brand new.

Speaker C: I have them too. I got them as a gift. I actually wear them to sleep a lot.

Speaker B: I feel like we both got them as a gift from your mom, maybe. Did you?

Speaker C: I can't remember. Probably.

Speaker B: I love them. I'm obsessed.

Speaker C: That's a great gift.

Speaker B: Yeah, really good one. I mean, who wants to go spend money on luxury socks? Exactly. No, I barely spend money on socks that I'm running around in every single day. I'm, like, the last thing on my mind to spend my money on. I haven't bought them yet, but I felt them at the store I need to buy. Some are the ugg plush socks. They were. Oh, I didn't know they were so soft. Yeah. So I might have to buy those and test them out. I feel like they would be a really good gift too.

Speaker C: Oh, that is gift. That is a good gift. And I also love cozy earth pajamas, sheets, comforters. Like, all their stuff is so soft and so good.

Speaker B: Yep, all good gifts.

Speaker C: Next on my list in the clothing category is my new favorite brand, Perfect White Tea.

Speaker B: Oh, yeah.

Speaker C: So good. So one of the things I think would be a good gift, because, again, it's, like, not something you would probably buy for yourself. Although I did buy it for myself, but most people probably wouldn't. They have these bundles on their website. So you can buy, like, three T shirts or three tank tops or three vnecks. And I bought the T shirts. They're called the Harley T shirt. And it's just, like, a soft, thin, perfectly cropped, good tee, like, good fit, simple, good fit, great material. So they have a bundle pack of, like, white, gray, and, like, a black. It's like a charcoal, but it's like a vintage black.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker C: It's not like, super know. It's almost like yeah, like a charcoal vintage black. But anyway, I think that would be such a good gift to give, like, a good friend, like, nice T shirts. Or, like, the tank tops are also really cute. Same colors and then the V neck, depending on what they like. But I just thought that was, like, a good gift to have as a set. So I love this brand. I feel like I've been buying so much of their stuff lately because they have the best sweatpants, sweatshirts, T shirts, like, all kind of basics, but, like, really good quality. Made in California. Love it. Perfect white tea.

Speaker B: And the brand is perfect. White tea or perfect tea? Perfect white tea.

Speaker C: Perfect white tea.

Speaker B: Okay. Yeah, I have, I want to say, like, one or two of their shirts, and it is a good gift because it's not cheap. But if you want a good T shirt that's really soft and not thick and drapes nice and fits, really. It's it gets expensive, so it is good.

Speaker C: And they have really nice sweatsuit sets and good loungewear. I love it. Really good brand love.

Speaker B: All right, well, staying in the clothing category, sam or Sam NYC, they make coats, park goods. Best.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: I just bought adam bought me one of their coats when we were in Montreal. We saw it, and it wasn't on my radar, but it's this white, vegan leather, kind of like bomber style coat, almost. And we didn't buy it there because I didn't feel like I needed it. And then when we got home, I looked for it on the website and it was, like, half the price of what that boutique in Madre.

Speaker C: Oh, my gosh.

Speaker B: So we ordered it, and I cannot tell you, it is the warmest jacket. It's insane how warm this jacket is. I was not expecting it to be so warm. So I wear it into the city when it's freezing out and the rest of my body is ice cold. And anywhere the jacket is, is, like, perfect. It stays perfect temperature. And does it have a hood? It's super chic. Yeah, it has a hood. I'll have to take a picture and post it when this goes live because it is very chic looking. And it has, like, the built in gloves. Not with fingerless. Like the built in with the thumb out as well. Yeah, but I'm looking on their website right now, and they have so many cute, different styles. They have, like, sherpa and park.

Speaker C: I'm wondering if that's the so I went shopping a couple of weeks ago with my mom, and I saw a Sam jacket that was vegan leather, but it was like a cognac color, and I loved it.

Speaker B: I'm looking at it right now on their site.

Speaker C: I'm obsessed.

Speaker B: It's, like, so pretty.

Speaker C: Yes. It's so funny that, of course, we like the same thing. I wanted to get it. I didn't get it because they didn't have my size, and I was still thinking about it, but then randomly, I got a gift card for Aloe Yoga for my birthday. And Aloe Yoga has a similar jacket to that in the cognac color. And so I got it at Aloe.

Speaker B: Nice.

Speaker C: But it's similar. So I forget what the price of the Sam one is compared to the Aloe one, but I got the Aloe one on, like, a Black Friday sale again or something like that. And it's similar. So two versions, same thing.

Speaker B: Yeah. My jacket, I didn't see it in white, though. It's white and white.

Speaker C: I just saw it in the cognac or maybe black.

Speaker B: They don't have it. The website doesn't show it in white anymore either, and I think that's why wow. It's probably sold out, but I got it on sale. Like, I got it for half the price.

Speaker C: So it's do you have it behind you?

Speaker B: Yeah, it is. It's right behind me. I could put it on. Hold on. I'm not wearing the right sweater for it, but hold on.

Speaker C: Oh, I can already tell. It's so pretty.

Speaker B: See, it's, like, so warm and so cute.

Speaker C: That's adorable.

Speaker B: Loves. And then the hood is like I love that.

Speaker C: That's so pretty. Oh, I love it. Looks great. It's beautiful. I said I love it. It's great. It looks beautiful on you.

Speaker B: Thanks.

Speaker C: Really pretty jacket.

Speaker B: It's insane how warm it is.

Speaker C: I love the zipper that the hood goes into it. Yeah, that's a little bit different than the one I saw, because I don't think it had that zipper. I love that.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: Sometimes that hood is, like, annoying.

Speaker B: Sometimes a hood is annoying. But look at how high this comes up when it's cold. This is, like, clutch right here.

Speaker C: Yeah. Oh, I love it.

Speaker B: Yeah. And I love that it's vegan leather, because it looks leathery. It looks very cool.

Speaker C: Yeah, but it's, like, soft. I side note to erase this, but I want to send you a picture of the one that I got from Aloe, because I want to see if you like it. Do you thought it looked too big, but I think that's, like, the style of it. I'm keeping it, but I just want to see what you think of it. That's a great gift. I love it. Okay, so I've reviewed this before, but I'm adding to it because I'm just, like, obsessed with all the balms and all the glosses. I just can't get enough of all these balms. So I think I've reviewed the lineage lip mask before, and then last product junkies, I reviewed the balm, but even this is, like, a cute set, because this is like a nighttime sleeping mask. Although I wear it sometimes in the morning, too, and then this is, like it all day. So, like, a cute little set like this. I actually am going away with my mom, and my mom starts spending her daughter this weekend. Stephanie and Christine. And I bought them all the bomb for a little fun gift. And then I recently also got these summer Friday balms, which I'm sure you've seen, but these are so good, too. The lip butter bombs. I have the which one is this? This is the pink one, which I can't remember the name of it. I think it's called, like, oh, pink sugar. And then I have the brown one, brown sugar. But again, cute set or individually just I can't get enough of lip things. I have a problem. All I do is buy lip balms. Lip glosses. I just love it because you just can put them in all different bags, and I don't know. Yeah, so anyway, that's just, like, a fun gift.

Speaker B: Do you keep a lip something, like, on your bedside table and in your robe pocket? And I have it in my car bedside table.

Speaker C: I should. I am always worried, though, the dogs are going to grab it the only reason I don't have it. But I should put in the drawer.

Speaker B: But yeah, I like to have them everywhere. Everywhere? Yeah. All right. My last one is a fun gift that I don't know. Give it to the girl that likes her beauty products or likes to get glamorous or give it to the girl that maybe she should step out of her comfort zone and try it and have some fun with it and wear it on, like, New Year's Eve or to a holiday party or something. So it's the Fenty diamond balm all over diamond veil.

Speaker C: Dying to try this.

Speaker B: It is so much like it's like glitter and sparkle and makes it look like it's wet, but it's like a little bit of everything. It's very kind of powerful. Like, you don't need a lot. And I don't know if you're going to be able to see it on here. I feel like you're not going to be able to see it's going to.

Speaker C: Be too hard picture. But I've seen that and it's so pretty.

Speaker B: Yeah, it really is beautiful. I should put it on. Part of the problem is that I have no light in my office. That's really the problem.

Speaker C: Hold it up to the camera again. I just want to take a picture.

Speaker B: I just want to see.

Speaker C: Okay. So pretty.

Speaker B: It's so pretty. It's $42 and you can do it on your lids. You can do it as, like, a little bit of a highlighter on your cheekbone. I mean, you can really play around with it. I see a girl, even on their website that looks like she has a little bit of it, like, on top of her lip gloss. It's really beautiful. I'm kind of obsessed with it, but for me, it's not an everyday wear.

Speaker C: Right. It's like if you're going out at night, going to a party yeah, exactly. Gives a little umph you can even.

Speaker B: Just like you don't have to put it over your whole lid. Like, it would be nice if you just finished right in the middle of your lid with it too.

Speaker C: Yeah.

Speaker B: Just like a little pop.

Speaker C: So pretty.

Speaker B: It's a beautiful one. All right.

Speaker C: That is a really fun gift. Okay, so my last gift might be the best one of all. And you know what it is, Katie? It's nirvana, Merch.

Speaker B: Hey now.

Speaker C: Hey now.

Speaker B: It wasn't fun.

Speaker C: Just a little plug for our Nirvana Sisters shop. If you go on our website, Nirvana Sisters.com, and click on Shop, we have all our fun merch there. We haven't really talked about it that much. I don't know why. We launched it earlier this year and it's just there. But, like, great sweatshirts. We have the crop sweatshirts that say keep glowing or hustle on doses. We have the Nirvana Sisters tie dye, black heavier champion sweatshirt. We've got tumblers that say Nirvana in a bottle. All the fun things. I actually just posted a reel on our shop today. But one thing I wanted to mention is we are doing a 20% discount through the month of December. So if you do want to get a fun Nirvana gift for a friend or your mom or your sister or anyone else, it's 20% off. Just use the code Nirvana 2023 and it'll be 20% off for all of December. So thought that would be a fun one to add into the mix.

Speaker B: Katie, I love it. Yeah, they are great gifts. Cute little teas and everything. Lots of stuff about the teas. Nice. All right, happy holidays.

Speaker C: Happy holidays, everyone. That is our product junkies December and it's our holiday gift guide. Thanking you all, as always, for being Nirvana Sister fans and listening and following us and giving us feedback. And have a good holiday season. Bye bye.

Speaker A: Thanks for listening to Nirvana Sisters. For more information on this episode, check out the show notes. Please subscribe and leave us a review. Also, find us on Instagram at Nirvana Sisters. If you loved what you just listened to or know someone that would, please share it and tag us.

Speaker C: Tune in next week for a fresh.

Speaker A: New episode of Nirvana Sisters. We'll continue to watch out for all things wellness, so you don't have to. Bye.