You don’t need to hit Sephora or Ulta for the best in beauty.
I love myself a good shopping spree full of brand-names, but it doesn’t do as much good for the community and the soul as it does to shop local. I’m incredibly lucky and thankful that I get to do what I love and get paid for it. I want to be able to do that for others as much as I can.
When you buy from local retailers, you’re supporting their dreams. Small Business Saturday is Nov. 30, and there are plenty of ways to show some local love this season.
Here are a few gifts across skin care, fragrance and more that you can pick up from indie brands in Scranton and beyond.
Alchemy Home Co.
As we discussed last week, skin care doesn’t stop at your neck. Made with a mixture of detoxing sea clay, healing kelp, Italian figs and Sicilian lemon peel, Alchemy’s Amalfi Coast Sea Clay Face and Body Mask works to draw out impurities and improve texture, glow and firmness all over. Its olive leaf is rich in vitamin E, which combats the effects of free radicals to fight dullness and promote skin health. This brand also is hand-made in small batches, so you know you’re getting products made with love. ($27; alchemyhomecompany.com)
The Post Home & Body
The Post’s Holly Jolly Christmas Soy Candle literally is the season encompassed in a candle. It has notes of spicy cinnamon and clove, fruity berry and plum, and earthy fir balsam and patchouli to round out the festive fragrance from this Scranton-based natural brand. Soy candles are vegetable-derived, which makes them a renewable resource, biodegradable and better for the environment. Soy candles’ lower melting point allows them to burn longer than one made with paraffin wax and cleaner. ($22; theposthomeandbody.com)
Newkirk Honey
Our feet work harder than any other part of our bodies, and it shows. Give your feet some love with Newkirk’s 100% Pure Beeswax Footbalm, a luxurious balm whose beeswax keeps in natural oils and moisture. Other skin-friendly ingredients include jojoba and sunflower oils, lanolin, shea butter and vitamin E for extra softness. A blend of essential oils — including anti-fungal tea tree, antibacterial lavender and peppermint to soothe and relieve tension — adds to the benefits. ($18; newkirkhoney.com)
NOTE Fragrances
Go on a fragrance journey with the Deluxe Fragrance Mini Collection, a sample of NOTE’S full line of fragrances in 5 mL atomizer spray bottles. The 11 scents feature something for every day and mood, from Midnight Leather to Coconut Sugar to White Pepper Mandarin to Pink Peony. Many of NOTE’s scents can be unisex, and the fragrances range across categories including clean, citrus, floral, green, spicy and woodsy. ($48; stores at 401 Spruce St., Scranton, and 312 State St., Clarks Summit; notefragrances.com)
Pure Suds Co.
I won’t lie to you: I am obsessed with lavender. Pure Suds’ handmade Hungarian Lavender Bath Bomb is made of natural ingredients including a blend of Hungarian lavender essential oil, organic lavender powder and organic lavender buds. The scent promotes calmness and can reduce stress and anxiety. Lavender essential oil is a powerful anti-inflammatory as well. It also includes grapeseed oil, which softens and hydrates and is suitable for all skin types. From the skin care benefits to the aromatherapy, this is most relaxing experience you can possibly give to someone. ($4 for 2 ounces; $8 for 7 ounces; store at 320 S. State St., Clarks Summit; puresudsco.com)
Gia Mazur is an award-winning staff writer and beauty obsessive who joined The Times-Tribune’s Lifestyles department in 2015. She’s a product enthusiast who can’t live without an eyelash curler. A proud Virgo, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk is her go-to. Contact: gmazur@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127; @gmazurTT
