Christmas is finally on it's way! This whole time of year makes me so unbelievably happy. From the beginning of November till the end of January I'm pretty much celebrating every weekend what with my birthday, my Dad's birthday, the festive period and then my Brother's birthday. It also means that I've got to get my Christmas shopping done ASAP before my time runs out and I'm running around Westfield like a headless chicken on Christmas Eve (yes, I've done this before). So, me being my super organised, non-headless self this year thought I'd put together a little (read huge) gift guide of what I think are some of the best things to grab for a loved on this Christmas. This post is going to be for the us girls and, hopefully, next week I'll have one up for the gents. I've tried to find items that span from budget to high end so there's something for everyone.
BEAUTY
This category is probably my favourite when it comes to Christmas presents. Pretty much every brand brings out gorgeous gift sets and mini's of there best selling products which makes it the perfect time to try out new things. For example, Peter Thomas Roth bring out a version of their Holiday Mask Kit every year and that's a great way for someone to try out a whole load of masks without having to fork out a huge amount of money (my fave PTR mask is £56 a pot FYI). Brands like Dior and Mac have limited edition sets but, especially with Mac, you have to move fast because they tend to sell out so quickly. Places like Debenhams, Selfridges and Harrods stock pretty much all the beauty brands so are probably the best places to look for gifts.
A classic staple palette can also make a great gift. Generally, it's a good idea to stick to more classic colours unless you know the person is either a Makeup Junkie and collects every palette under the sun or they're really into the more quirky colour combinations. Urban Decay have an amazing range of palettes with both warm and cool tones so there's something for everyone. Anastasia Beverly Hill's Modern Renaissance palette is also an all time favourite of mine.
If a gift set or palette isn't what you're looking for, then a luxury lipstick is always a good idea. They can be very expensive - Christian Louboutin I'm looking at you - but they can make the wearer feel so special. The packaging is gorgeous and they never look bad on a girls dressing table. I'm a personal fan of the YSL Rouge Volupté range but Tom Ford, Givenchy and Burberry also do great ranges.
BATH AND BODY
Now, I don't know if it's just my Mum and I (hello Mum if you're reading!), but we absolutely love getting bath stuff as gifts. We're suckers for anything that smells good. And I mean anything. The amount of bath bombs, body lotions, shower gels and soaps we have is probably enough to cater for an entire town. There's nothing quite like jumping into a hot bath after a long day and coming out smelling amazing. Philosophy, Jo Malone, Laura Mercier, The Body Shop and Lush all do great individual items and sets perfect for gifting.
PERFUME
I feel like perfume is a massively personal gift so I'd say only buy this if you have a good idea of what the person likes. A lot of brands do box sets that consist of the perfume and a shower gel/body cream or an item along those lines. Tom Ford have beautiful scents and sell some of them with a lipstick included for that additional treat. Chanel is another iconic brand that most women would love to own a perfume from. Again, Jo Malone also do some gorgeous scents that match most of their candles so, if you're feeling kind, you could get the matching perfume and candle (this is a massive hint to a particular person. I'll take the Velvet Rose and Oud thank you!)
CANDLES
Sticking to the theme of things that smell nice, candles are always a good shout if you're struggling to think of what to buy. They're less personal than perfume but good enough to make it look like you've made an effort. Jo Malone, Diptyque, Yankee Candle, Neom and The White Company are all good places to look, with candles ranging from £10 to £300. However, I personally love looking in TK Maxx. They stock such a wide variety of brands that it's almost guaranteed that they'll have something for everyone and you end up finding brands you'd never even heard of before. My favourite brands they stock are Pecksniff's, DW Home and Olivia Blake - almost an absolute dead ringer for Jo Malone candle packaging.
JEWELLERY
Now, straight off the bat, only buy jewellery if you a) know what colour jewellery they like to wear and b) know that they're not allergic to any materials. Pandora have a great Christmas Jewellery range with my favourite piece being these earrings but their normal range is just as good and their pricing is very reasonable. Charm bracelets always make good gifts because you can add new charms for each special event so it acts like a timeline of the wearers life. Kate Spade and Michael Kors also do great classic and costume jewellery, although they are slightly more expensive than Pandora. Links of London and blogger favourite Missoma sell more classic pieces that can be worn on a day-to-day basis. Then you have Tiffany and Cartier, neither of which are ever bad places to look if your pockets are deep enough. Tiffany is definitely more affordable than Cartier with earrings and bracelets starting at around £100 whereas they start at about £500 at Cartier but, I have to say, I adore my Love bracelets so much.
SMALL LEATHER GOODS
I think these always make great gifts because cover such a wide price range. For high street you have online companies like HA Designs which sells customisable card holders and passport cases for around £25. For the mid-range you have Aspinal of London. Their card holders are around £50 and the passport cases slightly higher at £55. They also do leather travel wallets which I'm obsessed with because I have a tendency to lose where I've put things when I travel. And, again, these are all customisable with your initials for that extra special touch. If you want to go all out then pretty much all the high end brands do great pieces. I have this wallet from Saint Laurent and absolutely love it. It has slots for 12 cards but fits literally everything a girl could need in her purse.
ACCESSORIES
Now, this can be anything from something as small as a pair of slippers to a designer handbag and pretty much everything in between. Velvet bags are really on trend at the moment, and you could go all out and get the Gucci one everyone's been raving about. But, seeing as it is a trend piece, you probably don't want to pay that much money for one so I've found some cheaper, and just as gorgeous, alternatives. For example, this one comes in teal green and burgundy and is only £25. And then you have the heralded Gucci belt which I think is a good gift for someone who wants to get into the high-end designer world.
TECH
Ahh, this is probably my second favourite section of this gift guide after the beauty bit. There is so much cool tech stuff out there at the moment that you're literally spoilt for choice. Just a quick disclaimer, obviously, these gifts can be bought for the men in your life if you so desire. I'm not one to say that because a camera is pink it's for a girl. With Apple removing headphone jacks from their phones and just the general ease of not having to contend with wires, wireless headphones like these are a great option for a gift. They come in a variety of styles so there's something to suit everyone. A good charging dock is also an option. I for one know that I'm sick of my wires getting destroyed or lost so having a dock to set my phone up in is really handy. Capturing memories is always fun, so a camera, whether it be digital, polaroid or an action camera is another idea.
So, there we have it. My rundown of gift ideas for this Christmas season. I've tried to make this post as 'shoppable' as possible so you should be able to find links to everything I've mentioned. Do let me know, if you can, what you're thinking of buying for your loved ones this year.
*this post contains affiliate links
No comments
Post a Comment