Significant chunks of my time and money are spent on self care, which means that if I see a new product that promises to make me look or feel nicer—especially on a shopping holiday like Black Friday—I'm likely to add it directly to my cart. I have tested some true lemons, but I've also found a lot of success, which means I'm qualified to tell you what I think the self-care lovers in your life will really appreciate this holiday season.
See, the cool thing about living in the future is that the act of taking care of yourself is getting more and more technologically advanced, so there are plenty of opportunities to outsource beautifying and relaxing to exciting gadgets that, in some cases, actually deliver the goods. You don't have to get your mom fuzzy socks or your partner another candle anymore; you can get them some things that are high-tech and cool instead.
I went through my orders and picked out all my faves that are on sale during Black Friday.
I take my relaxation and sleep very seriously. Most of what I use to accomplish my perfect evenings isn't particularly tech-y, like candles and lotions, but that doesn't mean I wind down entirely like a delicate Victorian woman. First, I recommend a smart oil diffuser. Candles can be dangerous and, since I got one of these for my mom years ago, I've found that the scent permeates a lot wider and lasts a lot longer than what I get from a candle, anyway. As far as gifts go, I recommend this one because it worked well for me; my mom loves it.
There are two bonuses you'll get with the model I found that's on sale for Black Friday: you can set it to emanate any color light you want; and it's compatible with an app and your smart home devices, like Amazon Echo. Every night, my mom just says, "Alexa, turn on my diffuser," which I think is top-tier relaxing. Imagine you're a queen getting ready for bed. Why should you turn on the diffuser? For just $31.44, you'll never have to again.
Next up, I've been very into these heated eye masks lately. There are a few varieties—like ones that you microwave or electronic ones—but these are similar to hand warmers in that they just heat up with no extra fussing required. I'm not headache prone, so I don't use them for their intended purpose, but if someone you love does get bad headaches, this is a really caring present. Even without any pain to manage, I still find that they relax me and stop me from holding tension in my face—plus they block out light, which I appreciate. A 16-pack is just under $12 for the shopping holiday.
In the past few weeks, I've also really enjoyed this vibrating, heated belt. It's supposed to be for cramps, mostly, so it's even FSA eligible, but that doesn't mean you can only buy it for someone who suffers from them: I've found it relaxing just to wear to warm up around the house. The vibration is nice, too, and I've been spinning it around and using it on my lower back at night. Whether your loved one has a tendency to be chilly or deals with any kind of pain in their abdomen, this will be a welcome gift. It really feels pampering and it's perfect for these colder months.
To me, primping is fun and part of my general self-care routine, so I do consider beauty tech to qualify as something that relaxes me and puts me in a good mood. It only does that if it works, though—otherwise it puts me in a bad mood, which is not what you want to happen to your gift recipient. One thing that absolutely works? The Dyson Airwrap, the styling tool that takes your hair from wet to curly. It's on sale for $249.99 right now.
I get that that's still a little pricey and also requires a learning curve and for your recipient to wash their hair for it to work. You can save even more money and opt for a simpler tool, like a thermal brush. I have one like this, which is marked down to $39.97 for Black Friday. It doesn't blow out air like an Airwrap or a blow-drying brush. Rather, it heats up and you use the bristles to secure and guide your hair for a quick, easy blowout look—perfect for the style icon on the go. I started using mine like a maniac on non-wash days after seeing them all over TikTok, where influencers (correctly) praise the ionic technology for preventing any frizz.
Finally, I will try any and every product designed to enhance my face, whatever that happens to mean at any given time. This weekend, I tried to perm and dye my own eyelashes and failed terribly, but I also played around with a strange electronic head strap that worked similarly to a TENS machine to contract the muscles around my jaw. I have no idea if it did anything, but I had a blast trying it out. I'm getting some for my friends this holiday season because they expressed some interest after I sent them videos of my face twitching, but I'm still not sure if it works.
One thing that has worked, however, is a microcurrent device. Right now I'm using the Myolift QT Plus, which isn't marked down, but gave me similar results to the classic NuFace, which is. A Mini is $154 instead of $220 for Black Friday, which is a solid deal. These machines deliver little electric currents and produce temporary (but noticeable) firming and lifting of the face. I've been using microcurrent devices for four years and notice that my results fade when I take a break, but even the process of running them over my face (the way you would with a gua sha tool) is relaxing, so I do recommend them. I'll add that though it's not on sale, the Myolift QT is just $16 more and features app connectivity that I consider really valuable. (The app analyzes my face periodically to check on progress and features guided videos so I feel like I know what I'm doing a little better than when I wing it with the NuFace.)
Obviously, tread with caution here. I would love to get an expensive facial tool from a loved one, but that's because I openly yap about all the ridiculous beauty tools I try. If I were more self-conscious or less open with them, I can see how a gift like that might be offensive. It's a great gift as long as you're sure the other person wants it.
