In my last post I brought you gifts for a “cosy night in“; now behold my Christmas present ideas for party animals, social butterflies and anyone who would appreciate a touch of luxury, a spot of decadence. Let’s start with a bit of sparkly Chanel, shall we?
The classic Rouge Noir nail polish (right) and a special edition Lamé top coat. Great (if expensive) little stocking fillers for the lady who loves Chanel. (Who doesn’t?) You can find these at Boots.com for £18 each or 1,800 advantage points.
And then the ultimate in luxe, By Terry’s Baume de Rose. But not your standard Baume de Rose – this is the special “24k” Gold Baume de Rose and there are three of them in a very posh presentation box with a bejewelled lip brush. Each one of these gold-lidded pots has the plumptious rose balm inside with a slightly different hue – a yellow gold, silvery-gold and rose-gold. It’s kind of a “money no object” gift, though, coming in at a whopping £250! You really really need to like someone… Find this at Harrods here.
Staying with lips, two utterly delectable lip colours for a sexy pout on that night out. (Poetry, you’re welcome.) I realise we’re on a bit of an expensive-product-roll here, but bear with me because things do get better, financially speaking! If you did want to splash some cash on a lipstick then you can’t go wrong with Tom Ford – this one, in First Time, is even more covetable than usual with its deco-inspired ridged casing. £42 (I know) here.
A sentence I never thought I’d write: “for a more purse-friendly option, take a look at Dior’s beautiful Diorific collection”. But do – the lipsticks are utterly divine. Gorgeous packaging that feels like something from a film set and beautiful colours with a flat, mat finish. I’ve shown Magique here, but after swatching them I actually think that the deep red Fabuleuse is my favourite. The Diorific lipsticks are £25.20 each here, they are usually £28.
If you’ve caught the Dior bug then the State of Gold Golden Light powder is another gem to look out for. A luxuriously heavy little golden compact that looks and feels very posh indeed.
Inside, a gently shimmering face powder that leaves a subtle glow – that’s if you’d ever want to use it. It’s very collectible! Again, great stocking-filler-fodder if you’re after things to really draw squeals of joy. You can find the Golden Light compact here for £45.
For an even softer glow (and one that’s gorgeously fragranced) try Burberry’s festive Fragranced Luminising Powder. It’s scented with My Burberry and has a slightly more muted, neutral glow than Dior’s offering. The casing is smart and modern, it’s the low-key-luxe option for people who love beauty but like to keep things low-key. £45 at Net-a-Porter here.
From face glow to body glow; Nuxe’s Huile Prodigieuse OR. A sublime-smelling nourishing body oil with added gold shimmer to really highlight legs and arms. Or whatever else you’re showing off. And this is where things get more budget-friendly; Escentual.com have the gold oil and the larger sized original as a duo pack for £24 rather than £49. A really nice saving, especially if you’re operating on the “one for you, one for me” present buying scheme; you could give the gold oil as a present and keep the original bottle as a bit of a treat-to-self. If you’ve never tried Huile Prodigieuse then you’ll just have to trust me that it smells amazing. Find it here.
Jean Paul Gaultier’s Classique fragrance has a huge, loyal following; if you’re buying for one of those followers then you could do worse than to glitz things up a bit with this Intense Glam version. It’s £81 at Harrods.com. Or, if you’re having budgetry issues then there’s a good deal going down on the “classic” Classique:
50ml of the timeless fragrance with a perfumed shower gel, £25.50 for the set. The perfume alone should be over forty pounds, so this is a brilliant way of getting something swanky for less. You can find the deal here online, only for this weekend. There’s an even better deal on the Le Male version – twenty quid! See here.
If those little savings have freed up some budget then take a look at these excellent Laura Mercier brushes – a smart little hard-case to house them in…
..and a set of six very useful brushes inside. The Stroke of Genius Luxe Brush Collection would be welcomed, I’d imagine, by pretty much anyone who wears makeup. The brushes are of a superb quality and they cover all bases (excuse the pun) with easy-to-use eye brushes, one for concealing and a large, soft face brush. You can find the set here at SpaceNK, it’s £65.
And now for some excellent Glam Night Out stocking fillers that will absolutely not break the bank. Firstly my Colab Luxe Shine hair fragrance spray with notes of cashmere, bergamot and oud, which is basically sex in a can. The subtlest bit of gloss that won’t weigh down fine hair and a grown-up smell: what more do you need to finish off your party look? You can find Luxe Shine for the special price of £3.32 at Superdrug.com.
And next to it, the Tangle Teezer I’ve nicknamed Batman. If Batman had a hairbrush then this would be it. Ha, I can imagine him detangling his locks after a steamy shower… Anyway, this is matte black and very cool – if you’ve a long-haired male in your life then this would be the appropriate Tangle Teezer to buy them, but really it would make an excellent stocking filler for any grown-up person. It’s usually £11 but is £5.50 this weekend while stocks last, here.
Marvellous. I’m off to sort the rest of my gift guide stuff into equally tantalising sections. We’ve had “cosy night in”, “glam night out”, I’m thinking “day in the bath”? “More than two hours sleep at a time”? “The chocolate and wine fest to end all fests”? I don’t know… Leave your suggestions below.
More Christmas Ideas….
