Everyday we benefit from the women in our lives. They’re our mothers, sisters, friends, colleagues, mentors, etc. And although we cherish them each day, we celebrate them annually on International Womens Day (IWD) on 8 March. If you missed out getting the women in your life something, don't fret - we think they should be in gifts galore every day!
Typically, we tend to resort to sending flowers as a show of affection, but here’s a list of ideas on what to get besides a collection of fresh blooms.
What better way to show your thanks than by getting tense muscles massaged away? Celeste Beauty offers a variety of calm-inducing services for the body, namely Aroma Coffee and Cocoa Beans Spa, Balinese Boreh Body Spa, Javanese Lulur Milk Scrub, and even a prenatal massage.
We recommend the Tropical Rainforest Massage for your cherished woman. It’s an exotic spa journey encompassing a rejuvenating foot ritual and tropical spa treatments inspired by the healing traditions and beauty rituals of Malaysia. Expect plenty of focus given towards individual pressure points with local aromatic oils, a body polish and body wrap.
Besides body massages, Celeste Beauty’s modern day oasis offers a wide range of services from mani pedi, hair styling, and even a 24k gold facial.
Homegrown label NOBAT’ has had their bags on the arms of many, and for good reason - their bags are stylishly understated. Often structured, their bags come in a variety of colourways and styles, from a single colour in smaller weaves to bicoloured, larger weaves. Most styles also come in multiple sizes, making it easy to choose one that fits her liking.
Personally, I love that their bags come in a wide range of sizes. Some are big enough to fit work laptops, making it convenient to switch between heading to the office and weekends that require me to carry a few extra items. Their new Exposed bag is a tiny one, very much relevant to today’s trend of micro bags. Whether the woman you’re celebrating loves being practical or is often catching the latest trends, consider making any one of NOBAT’s bags a home for all her on-the-go needs.
Buddy’s Natural carries a variety of homemade natural products from deodorants and lip balms to hair oils, and body mists. As a two-time buyer of their natural deodorants, it really isn’t surprising how they’ve managed to sell over 5000 of them on Shopee. The Bubblegum scent is a crowd favourite, reminiscent of the iconic Bubble Yum gum.
It comes in a small, almost lip balm-height deodorant container and is more like a balm, so there’s no need to worry about staining clothes. The scent lasts for 8 hours on average and because it’s tiny, it shouldn’t be a problem to just carry it in your bag. The best part is that it’s free of aluminium, parabens, propellants and chemicals, and they also don’t test on animals. Instead, they’re made with sunflower seed oil, shea butter, beeswax, sodium bicarbonate, arrowroot powder essential oils, and Vitamin E.
If your lady isn’t a huge fan of Bubblegum, their all-natural deodorant also comes in other scents such as Sweet Sakura, Lavender Charcoal, Sweet Orang Ylang Ylang, Apple Candy, Rose Vanilla, and Pumpkin Spice.
If the woman you’re celebrating loves aligning her chakras, then perhaps yoga might be the perfect gift. Established in 2015, Hippie Hub is a woman-owned studio that exudes serenity and has become the backdrop for finding inner peace for many KL yogis across the years. The boho-chic studio is located in Damansara Perdana and welcomes students of all levels.
Yoga has plenty of benefits including improving circulation, posture, respiration, and flexibility. Not only that, having an hour to just focus on giving your body room to breathe and stretch without any distraction, doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, especially in today’s day and age where we’re constantly bombarded by social media, ads, and noise.
Whether you choose to gift physical in-studio classes or virtual ones, the woman you’re celebrating will get a chance to find some inner peace and to thank her body for all the times it has served her.
Not all women are into beauty products and self pampering. For those who deem themselves proud plant parents, Mossybola Kokedama has got unique, on-brand options just for them. “Koke” translates to moss, while “dama” means ball in Japanese. It is a century-old Japanese garden art closely tied to the practise of bonsai, where the root ball of a plant is suspended in a mud ball and coated with soft green moss.
Mossybola sells a variety of plants ranging in all kinds of sizes - from those that can sit at the corner of a desk to ones that can take up an entire corner of a room. The unique design is a total conversation starter, and chances are, the plant lady in your life will admire the uncommon plant style.
Plants by Mossybola can be found at Kedai Artisanal Marketplace in PJ, and they sometimes open up booths at events around Klang Valley.
If your gal prefers treasured experiences more than material goods, why not spend on a nature retreat instead? The Dusun encompasses seven self-catering, socially-conscious, eco-bungalows situated on a durian orchard. The 12-acre lot was built in 1984 and was designed for privacy, long talks, beautiful views and quiet quality time with loved ones in nature.
The low-impact resort hires locally to support the community, practises composting, phosphate-free products, organic farming and air-cond free houses. Think of forest walks surrounded by plants and animals atop hills, with gusts of wind blowing past, and cooler temperatures at night.
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It's never too late to celebrate, just pick any of these gifts for that important lady in your life! Whether she loves giving her body extra attention or admires nature’s beauty, there’s definitely something for everyone.
