This holiday season, I’m supporting some of my favorite women-owned businesses with my shopping! Here’s a round-up of women-owned businesses to have on your radar as you’re looking for the perfect gift.
Women-owned businesses to support this holiday season
BKR – You’ve seen every chic woman you know sipping from these glass water bottles covered in a silicone case. I’m currently obsessed with my metallic spiked bottle. And they’ve just come out with a new cap that has lip balm inside it—brilliant. BKR was founded by two women, and they’re based here in San Francisco.
Gal Meets Glam – OG fashion blogger Julia Engel launched her dress label this year, and it’s been pretty impressive to see her success. Sold in Nordstrom and with a new collection every month, her holiday collection has some gorgeous pieces. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for the new year.
ThirdLove – In case you missed it, ThirdLove recently came out with a powerful statement in the NYT responding to the shitty comments the CMO of Victoria’s Secret made. I already liked the brand and their inclusive sizing, but this statement made me appreciate them even more. I mean, just look at how diverse the women are on their shop page, both in terms of body type and ethnicity. It’s so awesome to see. I love that ThirdLove is is a bra company made by women, for women.
OUAI – OUAI is founded by Jen Atkin (you know, the one that does the hair of every celebrity you’ve ever heard of). I love their dry shampoo foam and wave spray.
Tatcha – I’ve recently become obsessed with Tatcha. Specifically, I ordered a bottle of their essence on Black Friday, and I’ve just been pleased as punch with it. This is probably a post for another day, but if you’re not using essence you need to fix that ASAP. It’s basically miracle water that you put on your face before applying anything else, and it makes all of your serums and moisturizers work better. I’ve only been using it for a week and I can already see a huge difference in how hydrated my skin is. Not to mention, the packaging is beautiful, including a hand-written note, and a gorgeous box that I’ll probably store jewelry in. Anything from Tatcha would make an awesome holiday gift for your mom, sister, or BFF.
BeautyBlender – I use my BeautyBlender every day to apply my makeup, and Omied calls it my, “pink egg.” ? Founded by Rea Ann Silva when she got sick of the usual, pointy triangle shaped makeup sponges, I think it’s so rad that she created a makeup sponge that really applies makeup better than anything I’ve ever tried.
Drunk Elephant – A very well-loved clean beauty brand amongst beauty bloggers, Drunk Elephant has some amazing products. I especially love their travel size facial oil. The founder, Tiffany Masterson, was a stay at home mom who now runs one of the fastest growing beauty brands in the industry.
Local Eclectic – I came across Local Eclectic on Instagram and immediately started obsessing over their stunning jewelry and daily Insta Story jewelry try ons. So. Much. Sparkle. Their pieces are dainty and jaw-droppingly beautiful. Alexis Nido-Russo is the founder and curator behind these drool-worthy pieces.
Fenty Beauty – Fenty Beauty is Rihanna’s newly (Sept 2017) launched cosmetics line. While RiRi needs no introduction, her makeup line has become popular for its broad inclusivity across skin tones and gender, and for its long-wear staying power. Btw, you can find coupons for Fenty Beauty here.
Drybar – I’ve yet to find a woman who doesn’t love a good blowout. Alli Webb completely shook up the hair salon industry when she did away with cuts and color and just focused on styling at her salons. A gift card or package of their products would make the perfect gift this holiday season. Their dry shampoo and texturizing spray are a couple of my favorites.
Sunday Riley – Another blogger/entrepreneur success story, Marianna Hewitt co-founded Sunday Riley and its become a cult beauty favorite.
Urban Decay – Known for their Naked palettes, Urban Decay was founded by three women who mixed raspberry and black to form a new color, and went on to sell ten lipstick shades in their first line. Their new Naked Cherry Eyeshadow Palette is one of my favs, and I love their long-lasting makeup setting spray.
Cuyana – Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah founded Cuyana with a direct-to-consumer business model, allowing them to cut out the middle man and sell high quality while cutting down the price. All their bags are gorgeous, but I especially love their tall leather totes.
Frances Austen – You’ll find gorgeous cashmere sweaters and buttery silk tops at this chic online boutique, where the pieces are made with forever in mind. Margaret Coblentz was recently featured in a Forbes article about how brick and mortar retail is being reinvented.
Gem Breakfast – If stunning fine jewelry is your thing (and let’s face it, who isn’t into that?), you’ll want to check out Gem Breakfast. Each of their pieces are one of a kind, made by independent artisans. I recently met the founder Catherine Carson at an event, and she let me try on about a dozen gorgeous rings at once. Every single piece was seriously so dreamy.
Ok, that’s my round-up of women-owned businesses to support this holiday season! I know there are tons of others, but I didn’t want to make the list overwhelmingly long. But if you have a personal fav that you don’t see here, let me know! I always love discovering new women-owned businesses to shop with!
Loving this women-owned businesses feature? Take a look here for more of my lifestyle favorites!
Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
