gifts i love : nopalera

Nopalera is a stunning artisan natural beauty brand designed to celebrate the richness of Latina culture and the beauty of Mexico. The child of immigrants, founder Sandra Lilia Velasquez, was inspired by the nopales that were abundant around her childhood home near the CA-MX border. The nopal cactus is a highly sustainable + resilient crop and super nourishing, making it the ideal foundation for each of Nopalera’s super natural products. The nopal they use is all wild-harvested and the company’s packaging is entirely reusable or recyclable, though I don’t know why you’d want to throw away any of the AMAZING packaging. I want to wallpaper my dining room with it. Yes, I am a bit biased given my lifelong passion for Mexican Folk Art, but I’m pretty sure it’s objectively stunning.

The dreamy Cactus Flower Exfoliant is colored with achiote seeds and has a super subtle tangerine scent. It’s gentle and not too greasy and it feels amazing. I also love the Moisturizing Botanical Bar that’s used in place of lotion. The unique ingredients are designed for maximum hydration and literally melt into your skin as you rub the bar across all of your dry bits. And then there are the Cactus Soaps, shaped like the beautiful nopal itself. Any of Nopalera’s gorgeous products would make a lovely gift on there own, but combine them all and you have yourself a REALLY special self-care gift for just about anyone.