Hello my lovelies,
Can you believe that November is here already ? I swear it was summer 5 minutes ago but bring on the end of the year and all its festive glory.Now the time has arrived where you can justify the excursions to the exquisite elite of the high street in equip yourself for the season of giving and most importantly -GETTING!Yes you heard me .If you had a mum like mine, who manages every year, to buy the pieces I didn’t even know I wanted or in some cases existed ,then you too would be impatient for the big day of the 25th to dawn.Although this greed isn’t universally seen as acceptable to admit and embrace I actually do get that shopaholic Santa fueled rush when buying for others.Safe to say some years are better than others in the spending department but gems can be found for every level of spending. So if you too are like me and have been influenced by the arrival of Christmas tat upon all our favorite shopping streets then you may find this blog post as an indulgent yet informative guide for gifting inspiration for the season.
First step is to admitting that I am a shopaholic and have no self-control when it comes to myself or to buying for others ! This is a peril that I must face every year and need to learn to stop myself from being sucked into the sparkling twinkling twilight of festive foolery.No easy task I assure you when you are strolling around the shops unaware that you have been singing along to those jingles we all know,love and then hate by New Years.I swear it is like they have hired Buble himself into brainwashing our thoughts as we make our way around the store with its gingerbread diffusers, its testers of Mince Pies( Why do we need these “testers” btw? It baffles me , they never taste any bloody different.Their pastry will still set on my squishy arse come the New Year but no I can’t and wont stop buying them with their buttery beastliness ) Furthermore DO NOT get me started on the till set ups.These people are geniuses is all I will say.I swear those little minis ,that they have just nonchalantly placed around the line to the cash registers are made to destroy me , my willpower and my wallet.
Cue the line at Sephora and their miniatures of every conceivable brand and product you could ever possibly think of.In their small but perfectly formed glory making me think yes I need that, perfect size for travel,always need a mini , so cute and compact etc..That is the thought process that whirls around my monkey brain and can I stop myself from putting these over priced pearls of petite product joy into my basket ?? No! Nope it does not! Because at this time of year I have no control .As a consumer I can only describe myself as a wild animal among a vast expanse of expense.
So let’s get down to business my beauties.I have been firmly put in the Christmas mode and have come up with some gift ideas that I think make for the perfect additions for under the Christmas tree.
Sister/Cousin/Friend
This is always a hard one to get right especially if you and your sister are total opposites like in my case.Nothing about us is similar , not how we look, how we dress , our shapes or tastes in clothes, makeup.The key here is pick something that you would like to be gifted yourself and adapt accordingly to her fussiness.Cosmetics never fails and just be sure to stick to the likes of lippies(MAC Holiday collection ), liners(NARS are doing a lip duo which is great) and the IT palette of the season(Urban Decay Heat) and you are on to a winner from there on out.Another great add-on gift is the likes of Lush.I dare anyone to go in and not come out with at least one product.Every year they do a Christmas themed line of bathbombs that are amazing and also do boxed gift sets which are super handy for an all in one Go to Gift and start from 12.95 and go up towards 40 euros.Also if that fails who can say no to a personalised piece of monogrammed magnificence?This is a thoughtful way to make a gift their own and to add a level of luxury to the gift giving game there are so many sites that specialise in leather iPhone covers with embossed initials or cashmere scarves with the name sewn into the fabric.
Mummy Dearest
What to buy the woman who has everything but does everything for everyone ?Every year I try to come up with something that I know she wont buy for herself or has an element of indulgence or pampering.God knows these ladies need it after dealing with our shenanigans and shit shows throughout the year.I make no apologies for my love of the Jo Malone for the mammies but if she has the bathroom and dresser full of these -another nice brand to try is Diptyque who make stunning candles and fragrances at a similar price point.Another great gift is anything from Eve Lom skin care which my mum loves and I have tried their stuff too.Every year they do great gifting sets starting with a cute cracker that holds its amazing Kiss Mix balm or you can really spoil her by going the whole hog and getting her the complete cleansing set which is miracle worker for any skin type.Another nice alternative is to get her a shellac voucher so she can have a pamper session after all the Christmas feasting has died down to fill in the lull of those days until New Years.Her claws and paws will thank you for this pampering of polish.Also a great piece to add is a pair of silk pjs for lounging around the house in when the fire is on and as the christmas cosy movie marathon watching sets in.
Brother
I feel that the baby bro often loses out in Christmas because you can only be gifted so many pairs of socks , pj’s etc before the Christmas sparkle begins to wear off on these go to male pressies.I mean would you want to be given the same gift every year and want to feign the age-old line of “I needed a pair of those”.I think not and why should they have to suffer when all it takes is a little planning and scouring of the internet to find great pieces.Ladies what is one of the best traits that we all look for in a man? For me, a major tick on the list of Man is scent.Nothing is better than when you catch the waft of a yummy mans cologne when he passes by you.I swear it is like attraction on acid when this happens!Looking for something not too strong but that is still memorable and unique to their sense of manliness.Next, now I know I said no socks or pj’s, however boxers are having a revival at the moment and so many businesses( The Cool Cactus have great ones as do Dr.MUMOJO) are creeping up with amazing designs and fabrics making them a luxury addition to your drawers.Prints are a great way to inject a bit of interior inspiration and add a bit of life to those bare boy bedroom walls.All Posters.com is a great site along with Disenio to buy prints for reasonable prices and they also offer a framing service to add onto the print to make it look more put together.
Let me know what you are currently dying to gift your loved ones this year
Ali xx
greene&everythinginbetween 