Tag Archives: Gift guide

Christmas Gift Guide For Her 2013

I mentioned in my Stylish Sunday’s Post that I would be doing my Christmas Gift Guides early this year. With Black Friday fast approaching I decided that it would be more convenient for my readers if I put them up now. So the next 4 posts will be the Gift Guides.

I’m kicking off with my Gift Guide for Her:

Gift Guide for Her
♥ This Gift set from Kiehls is perfect. It’s their Greatest Hits set, but if you don’t think this one will work, the I recommend checking out their Gifts for Her section.
♥ I personally have this Lorac Pro Palette on my Christmas Wishlist this year. All the colors are beautiful and this palette has been getting rave reviews.
♥ Fresh’s Sugar Stars gift set is a great collection gift, but if she’s not a lip product junkie, Sephora has some other amazing options for you to check out. I’ll probably do a post closer to Christmas on some of their Gift Sets.
♥ If your at a complete loss, a candle is a good way to go. I adore the way Yankee Candle’s Celebrate Christmas Candle smells.
♥ Glitter, Kate Spade, Shoes. What more could a girl ask for? Personally I am dying to own these Keds x Kate Spade collab shoes and they are at the top of my wishlist. They’re so fun and glitzy and practical at the same time.
♥ Pajamas are always a great gift. I’m certain you’re all well aware of my love for Victoria’s Secret Pajama’s by now. They’re so cozy and they wash really well.
♥ Jewelry is a classic gift that’s pretty hard to go wrong with. Since Rose Gold is still a really hot trend, I thought this Make Me Blush Pave Idiom Pendant from Kate Spade was perfect.
♥ This Cozy Plaid Scarf from Gap would make a lovely gift, especially if you live in a cold snowy area. Bonus it feels way more luxe than it costs.
♥ Perfume, another timeless gift. But give it an update by picking somethink modern like Viktor and Rolf’s Flowerbomb rather than the much purchased Chanel N° 5. If you want to be extra fancy this Limited Edition version of the bottle, pictured above is just stunning.
♥ For the Bibliophiles like myself, books are always the perfect gift. I recommend Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham.
Anyone of these gifts would be perfect all on their own, but you can also combine them in numerous ways. For the girl that adores Kate Spade pick up the necklace and the shoes. The Pajama’s, Candle and Book are certain to make for a lovely night in. And the Scarf, Kiehls Gift Set, and Lip Balms are perfect for the girl that loves to be out in the snow. Or you can pick up the Eye Palette and Perfume for the Princessy woman in your life. The combinations are endless, and combining things to give your gifts a theme says you put in so much effort, but really it takes only a little fore thought before you head out shopping.
I’ll be back tomorrow with my Gift Guide for Him. Leave in the comments below what you want for Christmas ladies.
Leave a comment

I Didn’t Expect You To Fall Into The Gap or An Amazing Sale

In my Mother’s Day Gift Guide I said I’d be perfectly happy if I received a Gift Card to the Gap, and then I did a post showing what I’d most likely buy if I did. Well I didn’t receive the card, and sort of new I wouldn’t, since I already had gotten my gift way back in April.
Well I was bored the other day, and when I’m bored I window shop online, and I found somethings that I really loved in the sale, and came across some deals that I just couldn’t pass up.

fashionandhappythings-9551

That black tee that I said I’d get if I got a gift card, full price $20 on sale for $15. Then there were these yellow polka dotted skimmers that I fell completely in love with, full price $70 marked down to $20 and only left in my size. Finally, the blue leather flats I featured in my I’d rather be in Paris or Parisian Chic post, full price $40 on sale for $20 once again only in my size. If you grab your calculator you’ll see that full price it would come to $130, before tax. But I wanted to see what they’d come to with the sale prices, so I put them all in the cart and they came to $56 including tax, but wait there was a coupon code at the top of the site for 35% off, which made my total $36 and free shipping. I mean really? How could I not. That’s one third of the price.

I, of course am a very happy camper, and will definitely be checking the Gap sales more often.

*Edited to add: I just discovered this is my 200th post! And it’s about shopping…I seriously have a problem.

13 Comments

Spoil Your Mother or Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

Mother’s Day is creeping up on us fast and I’m sure you’re all wondering what to get the women in your life who have Mothered you or your children.

There are two camps when it comes to Mother’s Day gift giving. The first camp is all DIY, homemade is best. The second firmly believes that Mother’s Day is about being spoiled, and giving your mom or the mother of your children a little bit of luxury. I believe that depends on the person you’re giving a gift.

Personally I’ve got a foot in both camp. I’ve gotten some lovely homemade cards, but I also have a major weak spot for luxury items. I really think it depends on what it is, the effort behind it, and the presentation.

 However if you do have the expendable cash, below are some ideas.
Mother's Day

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

Finally I leave you with this advice, think about your mother before you buy her gift. Personally, I’d be happy with some Chelsea Boots and a gift card to the Gap, and my own mother would prefer either some books or a gift card to Barnes and Noble. These gift ideas are just suggestions.

Leave a comment

Valentines Day Gift Guide For Him

I promised a gift guide for him for the upcoming Valentines Day. I had a bit of input from my husband on this one.

First up if you’ve got a bit of cash you can spend and he didn’t get one for Christmas an iPad is a pretty sweet gift. They can be a bit pricey though so on the less expensive end of the spectrum I recommend a Nook HD or a Kindle Fire. 

If he’s already got one or he’s one of those rare technophobes then you could go with the always classic guy gift a book. Which book you buy depends on what he’s into though. A big seller right now would be The Hobbit, because it’s out in Theaters and since it’s in 3 parts he might be a bit impatient to see how it ends. If he’s a big reader though he’s probably already read it though, so you could go with something off the best seller list, or a humorous book such as the Ask a Ninja book or  the Monster Hunter’s Handbook.  Those last two are iffy and not very romantic.

A more romantic gift would be a cologne, and I’m definitely recommending Spicebomb by Viktor and Rolf. It’s the companion fragrance to Flowerbomb, and like Flowerbomb it smells absolutely amazing.  If he’s not into Spicebomb, then I recommend Burberry Brit for Men, it’s another personal favorite of mine and if you haven’t then I recommend you go smell it, immediately.

Tickets to a future show it a pretty sweet gift, or if you’re the sort of couple that prefers nights in, then I suggest a “Movie Night In” kit complete with a snuggly blanket, popcorn, and a movie, my husband recommends Kill Bill, but my favorite Tarantino movie is Pulp Fiction.

A skincare set is always nice and you can go for the Core Collection from Jack Black or a classic brush shaving kit from The Art Of Shaving. You may think he wouldn’t use it or he’s already settled into a routine, but you’d be surprised how many men are willing to try something new, and better shaving cream really does make a difference. I bought my husband the Surpreme Clean Shaving Cream in the Jet Set Traveler Kit from Jack Black a while a go and a tube lasts him nearly a year and he says he prefers it to drugstore shaving creams “by far, it’s a whole other level”.

If you’re looking for something simpler, or you haven’t been dating long a nice sweater, or quirky tee from his favorite brand is a good idea because he’ll think of you every time he pulls it on, and whenever someone asks him where he got it. ThinkGeek has some great quirky tees and if you’re looking for a good sweater I’d hit up Macy’s or Nordstrom.

Or you can follow the old proverb “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” and give him an IOU to take him out to his favorite place on you, or if you’re handy in the kitchen you could whip up his favorite meal or dessert for him.

Finally if you’re short on cash or none of these ideas are hitting the spot an Itunes, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or ThinkGeek gift card is a great option. It lets him know that you’re thinking of him, but wanted to make sure he could get exactly what he wanted, or if you know for certain he really wanted the new “so and so” album then you can mention that in a note on the Itunes or Amazon card to let him know this wasn’t just a last ditch effort gift. Awhile ago I bought my husband a Barnes and Noble Gift Card so he could pick out his own nook case because I just couldn’t decide.

Bonus Note this is my 100th blog post and I’m quite proud of myself for keeping up with it. For awhile I was really bad about posting consistently but I think Blogmas cured me of that. Now if I go more than 4 days without posting I feel like I’m being neglectful.

Leave a comment

Blogmas Day 4: Stocking Stuffers

For today’s Blogmas post I’m writing about Stocking Stuffers. I already did a gift guides for him, for her and  for children, but more often than not people forget about stocking stuffers. I know I do, I either forget them or I put them off to the last minute. Sometimes it’s hard to think of stuff that’s little but will still fit in the stocking and is interesting.

So I compiled a list of things that I think will work overall for most people. This list is especially good if you’ve put off shopping for Stocking Stuffers until the last minute.

1. Nail Polish. Really it’s the perfect stocking stuffer, I don’t know many men that wear nail polish but there are nail polish lines for men. While it may not be the best for the men in your life, it would be absolutely lovely for the lady in your life.  There are lots of brands out there but Lancome, Essie, Butter London, Deborah Lippmann and China Glaze are my favorites.

2. Trial Sized Beauty Products. I know this is another one that seems aimed only at women but there are actually trial sizes for men too. Jack Black and Kiehls have some lovely products for men that come in trial sizes, but even most of the full sizes would fit in a stocking. For Ladies, I recommend Caudalie and once again Kiehls has a lot of really nice products and almost all of them come in a small size.

3. Lip Gloss/Chapstick. For the Ladies in the range of lipgloss Stila has some gorgeous glosses. For either gender you could go with Jack Black Lip Balm or Caudalie Lip Conditioner.

4. Gift Cards are amazing for stocking stuffers you could easily pick up an itunes card or one for Amazon or Barnes and Noble, they’re easy and they work for anyone

5. Earbuds are also awesome stocking stuffers, they’re tiny and everyone can use a pair. Apple has amazing ones but you can always get ones from Sony. Or Marc by Marc Jacobs and Kate Spade have earbuds as well depending on your price limits.

6. Ornaments are good, and they’re best when they mean something so I’m not going to recommend any but really think about the person and scour the internet and stores until you find something you know they’d adore.

7. Moleskine Notebooks. They’re perfect for anyone to put in their purses or to carry around with them in their pockets. Great for the listmaker or writer in your life. Bonus- They also come in larger sizes if you want to use this as a bigger gift.

8.Small silly toys are always good. You could go in store build a Lego Minifig that looks just like them or nothing like them, if they’d like that sort of thing. A yoyo or a slinky may be exactly what they need to bring back childhood memories and put them right back into the Christmas Spirit.

9. If you know their favorite Candy I say fill it to the brim. Almost everyone has a favorite candy or snack that’s tiny enough to fit in a stocking. Multiples of this are best.

10. Hair Bobbles. Emi-Jay makes some great ones that I swear by. There’s sort of a craze surrounding them and lots of copies, but I still maintain that the Emi-Jay ones are the best, and they make pretty cute bracelets too.

11. Socks. The more crazy the pattern the better. You can find them anywhere from your local Target to Kate Spade/Jack Spade.

12. Iphone Wallet. Perfect for the guy that doesn’t want to carry anything but his phone.

13. A Mug. Barnes and Noble has some cute ones, as does Anthropologie. This is another gift that’s pretty personal since you want it to become their favorite for their morning cuppa.

14. DVD. These are perfect stocking size, you could pick out a Christmas movie to be watched that day, or one that’s been recently released. Also a surprise Netflix subscription would be adorable.

15. Keychain. This is another sort of sweet gift that you want to put a bit of thought into. You want the person to like it enough to hang it from their keys and it’ll going to remind them of you whenever they use their key.

Leave a comment