Gift Guide for Her – Christmas 2016

Once my birthday, in the middle of October, has passed, my thoughts turn to Christmas. I love buying presents for the special people in my life, and choosing the perfect gift for them. My problem is when people ask me what I want for Christmas, because I haven’t usually thought about it and don’t really need anything. So, if you have an awkward woman (like me) in your life, I have put together a gift guide with some ideas. Hope you feel inspired!

Beauty and Toiletries

I seem to have amassed quite a stock pile of toiletries, and I would suggest that if you want to buy someone toiletries you either get something that you know they like and use regularly, or something that is functional and gets used. So these are my top picks:

Nelson’s Bath and Massage Balm is a dual purpose balm and can be used to massage into tired muscles or used in a relaxing bath. It is enriched with Evening Primrose and Sweet Almond oil to help hydrate the skin and uses lavender and grapefruit essential oils to aid relaxation. Nelson’s Cooling Gel is also great for reviving aching muscles, and definitely useful for anyone who is intending to start a New Year’s fitness regime. Finally Nelson’s Calendula Cream is worth having at this time of year as it is a great moisturiser and would be a perfect stocking filler.

Eclat du Regard from Embryolisse is a rejuvenating stick which promises to provide immediate refreshment for tired eyes, and also help minimise puffiness and dark circles so eyes look less tired. Being a mum of two, I am in a constant state of tiredness, so anything that could make me look slightly less tired would definitely be a welcome Christmas present!

If you want a gift that keeps on giving throughout the year, then subscription boxes are a great idea. There are loads of beauty subscription boxes on the market, but there is one that stands out as not only does it provide lovely surprise treats for its recipient once a month, it is also extremely practical. Pink Parcel is a subscription box service that is delivered in conjunction with a woman’s monthly cycle and ensures that they are never caught out on their period again.

Pink Parcel offers a subscription service box that is delivered in conjunction with your monthly cycle. The first parcel is £6.99 (and £10.50 afterwards) including p&p. Subscribers obviously receive the practical items needed during their period but also lots of little treats such as beauty and skincare products, scented candles, stationery, tea, edible treats and jewellery. December’s box also contains some gorgeous Pink Parcel socks! All of the items are beautifully packaged, and it does really feel like you are receiving a little present each month.

Jewellery

Jewellery can make a great gift, but I would suggest you spend some time thinking about what kind of jewellery you usually see her wearing. For example, does she have her ears pierced and if so, what kind of earrings does she tend to wear? Unless you know her ring size, necklaces and bracelets are generally a safer bet. Sometimes just a simple, but elegant piece that can be worn every day and also on special occasions are those that are most appreciated. Such as these. The Vivienne Westwood Roseta necklace (left) is from Mainline Menswear is £110 and is part of the Vivienne Westwood classic collection. The signature Vivienne Westwood Orb and Satellite Ring is visible through the pink gem stone. The Hot Diamonds Aqua pendant (right) is £69.95 is a simple, yet elegant necklace made of sterling silver and containing a single diamond. Both of these are perfect for wearing to work or a night out.

If you wanted to get something for a special occasion then what about a piece of jewellery designed specifically for her? I have my special, unique necklace from DIWAH designs which I love. You can either have one of their designers make something for you, or design the piece yourself. Find out more about how my necklace was made here.

The lovely bracelets from Sailbrace UK make great stocking fillers as they cost between £15 and £19. I love the idea behind their pieces. Sailbrace’s slogan is “Anchor yourself to something special” and their jewellery symbolises strength and stability, and a bond with someone or something special that holds you in place no matter how rough things get. How beautiful is that? The design is simple and minimalistic, so perfect for wearing every day. You can also get 15% off your order if you use the discount code stoppingattwo at the checkout.

Handbag

A handbag makes a great gift, but why not give something different to the handbag-loving woman in your life? Rather than buying a bag, why not one of these handbag care kits? Handbag Clinic cleans and restores bags from the world’s leading designers and it has launched a new care kit to help customers clean and maintain their handbag collection. The Essentials Handbag Care Kit contains cleaner, protection creams, cleaning sponges and cloths, along with a handbag hook designed to hang from a table so handbags don’t have to be placed on the floor or ground where they can get grubby. It costs £49.99 so as well as being much cheaper than a designer bag, it can help restore any beloved handbags back to their former glory.

Books

It’s lovely to curl up with a good book once during the dark winter evenings. If you are getting a book for a bookworm, it can be hard as they may have already devoured the latest best sellers come Christmas, and vouchers can be so impersonal. A great alternative is buying them a classic from The Folio Society. The Folio Society publishes carefully crafted editions of the world’s finest literature. The book itself is a work of art and makes it a pleasure to read or re-read over and over again. Their Christmas 2016 collection includes A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote, and children’s classics such as Winnie-The-Pooh by A.A. Milne, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.

Alcohol

Unless the hard-to-buy woman in your life doesn’t drink, alcohol can be a fairly safe bet, but rather than a just bottle of prosecco or gin, why not try some of these ideas to accompany their favourite drink.

These Bubbles for Prosecco from Popaball are a fab idea. They are little balls filled with real fruit juice, that can be added to a fizzy drink. They will dance their way up to the top of the drink or can be sucked up through a jumbo straw and burst in your mouth, releasing the fruit flavour.

For the gin lover in your life, these Gin and Tonic Cocktail Botanicals (left)means that they can add some additional flavours to their favourite drink. Alternatively, The Ely Gin company have a wonderful Infugintonic box (right) which contains ten different flavours in the form of little bags to be added to gin, vodka, white rum or even sparkling water. These just infuse for a few minutes and give your drink a new flavour.

How about rather than buying a Christmas present, purchase an advent gift. The Ginvent Calendar from Gin Foundry has a 30ml sample of different gins for each of the 24 days of advent. Perfect for anyone who loves gin and wants to explore a few more different types from a variety of producers around the world.

© Giles Christopher – Media Wisdom Photography Ltd – 2016

Something different

If you are still stuck, or want something that is just a bit different, then the Sugru Home Hack Kit makes a great stocking filler at only £10. If you’ve not come across Sugru before, it is a mouldable glue that sticks to almost anything and turns into a strong flexible rubber overnight. It is made to stick to as many materials as possible forming a strong bond to aluminium, steel, ceramics, glass, wood and other materials including some plastics and rubbers. It is perfect for people who like to fix or improve things. The Home Hack Kit comes with a booklet with 18 home projects, four mini packs of Sugru and a storage tine. The home hacks suggested in the booklet include ideas for fraying cables, repairs and shoe storage ideas, and each project comes with a step-by-step guide.

Disclaimer: Some of these items were sent to me for review purposes, but all items that have been included in this gift guide are ones that I personally recommend.