2016-12-10

This year there were so many things to choose from for holiday gift ideas that I sort of sat there, staring into space wondering what on earth I would pick for the blog. There’s no point asking the repetitive question of what I would like to receive because I have my own sense of style and sometimes it borders on tacky. I’m not sure I can use my own inspiration to propel a compendium of grand gift ideas. I mean I just got a black sweater with a glittering birdcage on it. Nuff said. I think most of these products should fit in a stocking with the exception of a few items and this…

Michael Kors X Fujifilm Instax Camera: (Similar one here) frankly the Grinch who stole Christmas could have designed it but I frikin love it. It has a pretty gold chain (sold separately) that you can wear on your shoulder. The only thing I’m not a huge fan of is the teeny selfie mirror, I wish it was more of a mirror than a mirror effect. Still, this camera is pretty much the perfect gift, especially for the ardent selfie taker because of the selfie mode button!



There is also the option of purchasing this leather heart sticker, über cool.

This Louis Vuitton lipstick case reminds me of the scene in Breakfast at Tiffany’s where Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard were at Tiffany’s looking for something under ten dollars and the associate was showing them a sterling silver telephone dialer for the person that has everything. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that this is for the person that has everything. It holds most sized lipsticks and is utterly adorable, does anyone really need it? No, but wants and needs are so different aren’t they? Sigh…



Louis Vuitton perfume: DANS LA PEAU (loose translation- into the skin..oooh ahhhh) is my favorite new perfume. I’m terrible at describing scents so please don’t ask me to. I think going into the boutique is such a fantastic experience where you can sit down and really take your time to choose the scent that compliments you the most. For those of us that haven’t any monogrammed willpower, you may be very tempted to splurge on leather goods that you don’t need. Still, if you’re going to get yourself a present, make it something luxurious like a Louis Vuitton perfume. Go on… drop a lil’ something special for yourself in your stocking. I love from me to me presents.

La vie en Rose is one of my favorite stores to shop at, mainly because I love snuggly sleepwear in the winter. Actually, even the wee little shorts and tanks for the summer are cute too.
Just ask my Fed-Ex courier. *Smirk.
These house slippers are so warm and adorable. You may want to size up because they run quite small.

I feel as if I’m getting a hug in the morning from this La Vie en Rose robe, although I prefer a Nespresso more than a hug when I wake up. The hottest, shirtless, sexiest guy could be standing there in all his erm, morning glory and I’ll just facepalm him and go get a latte. Priorities. It’s so soft and fluffy and I have a thing for clouds with faces, I used to put them in all my drawings when I was a little girl. La Vie en Rose have so many adorable robes for the winter but they sell out a few weeks before Christmas, so make sure to purchase them online or in stores as soon as possible. I just did another mini-haul but plopped it all in the wash today, sorry!

Kate Spade accessories are fun to wear and some of her designs can be so whimsical. How cute is this little shake things up heart of gold pendant? I love how the heart is swimming in a bed of pink crystals.

I also picked up an in the stars bangle in my zodiac sign and I adore wearing my horoscope on my wrist cuz I’m tacky like that.

When it doubt..Bath & Body Works can easily solve an empty stocking syndrome. I love this store so much that I actually try not to go in. It’s like a drug. I enter for one thing and exit with a few dreamily scented bags and try to justify why I needed five hand soaps for myself. Washing hands is a life necessity right?

The Winter Candy Apple and Honeycrisp Apple are the hand soaps that I’m currently using. Winter Candy Apple is uh-mazing and not too fruity or sickly sweet. I actually bought a body spray and that’s a huuuuuuge deal because I’ve never really liked body sprays. I don’t know, I kind of question their purpose. I mean, are they a fragrance? A deodorant? Or just a layover to becoming a perfume? These are the kinds of things I think about when I can’t sleep at night. Can you see the little glitterama sleeve to put it in? So glam.

The jewel encrusted sleeves for the foaming hand soaps are still available (shown below) although they’re selling out pretty fast. I’ve already received compliments on them when people have used the guest lavatory. Yes I use the world lavatory. I think the rest of the words to describe a loo are vile. Loo however, is acceptable.

Definitely needed the hand sanitizer. I can’t help but now think of how men feel when they shake one another’s hands. *Cringe…

Hmm..there’s obviously an apple theme going on here…

Twisted peppermint smells so good! I think anyone would like to get this in their stocking, unless you hate mint and then I’ll give you Champagne, Apples & Honey instead. I’m so nice.

I always try to find a lotion with an indecent amount of glitter, usually The Body Shop have some every Christmas but this season they didn’t which left me feeling disappointed. Not only does this body lotion come in my favorite scent but also it’s quite cool and foamy before it settles into the skin, shining away. My inner unicorn approves greatly.

Remember the old lady that lived in a shoe story, and then the urban myth about the single woman with cats? Ok, that’s not really an urban myth, I was that woman. Now candles are the new single gal accoutrements. What if single women combined them all? So the comical demise of the so-called single woman (who incidentally is waaaaay happier than most people on the planet for the sheer fact that no man is splashing around like a seal in her bathroom and the seat is permanently down) will now die a painful, lonely death in flannel pajamas, cozy socks surrounded by shoes, cats and candles. Sounds like a dream to me, just add some Netflix with chocolate and I’m in heaven. Here are the ones that I’ve been burnin’ and lovin’ – I think I may have just described my love life.

I used this today and my entire home smelled so good…lurve it!

If you like candy canes and peppermint, you’ll want to have a Twisted Peppermint candle. Look at the lid! See my rationale for shopping?

How gorg is this candle holder? I mean this is a VGG’s dream!

Close-up cause it’s just so darn pretty.

If you’ve been reading my blogmas posts you’ll have probably read about my love for the NEST candle that smells like a pine tree. It’s just so, so lovely for Christmas and if you don’t have a real tree, (shut up. A lot of us don’t fancy cutting down a tree so that we can toss it on the road after a month) your whole room will smell as though you do. It doesn’t have that fake, weird Christmas tree smell, it just smells fresh and real.

Of course no stocking is complete without a trip to Sephora aka the mothership of makeup. I actually have both versions of the Glitter Gold & Everything Bold clutch. It’s a great size and holds so much makeup. A clutch is also a great way to give a gift card or a beauty product. Not that this is a reason to buy it, but I get so happy when I open up my suitcase or look in my tote and see my shiny make-up bag in there. I think it’s because it’s so bright and says all the right things…now if I could only find a man that could do that. What’s a male unicorn called? Maybe um…he’s just called a male unicorn? Hmmm, I’ve never thought about that.

Brace yourselves for a long description of a lipstick. Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Long Wear Matte Lipstick in Candy Cane- Holiday Kiss Collection. The thing is, when I wear this color women always ask me what it’s called and I simply reply, Too Faced Candy Cane. Goof lord, that’s a ridiculously lengthy title. I mean I love the color but not enough to memorize that. This is hands down the perfect holiday lippie and if you wear it with a lip liner it won’t bleed as much. I want to like this formulation a lot but in all honesty, it doesn’t last super long and re-applying it can get so annoying. On the bright side, it tastes so good. I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to be eating it but wow, so tasty.

BITE Beauty gold lip gloss. At first glance you might raise your brow and tell me, no way, but it’s so fun and looks spectacular on red lips. Just dab a little on the bottom lips and press together for a pretty, shimmery effect. It works on every single lipstick shade, especially nudes. Love, love, love it! I’m singing that as I type. If it’s sold out on Sephora.com and you can’t find it in the shops, then this limited edition Burberry gloss is just as fantastic.

Tarte smolderEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner in Golden beige is perfect for lining the inner corners of your eye and in or near the waterline. I also smudge this and use it as a eyeshadow because it’s got a nice creamy consistency. It’s a great gift because I find that it works well with most skin tones.

Tarteist Pro Eye Jewels Glitter Liner: I’m not sure if this is still available on Sephora.com anymore but the silver version is and it’s soooo pretty. I like to give these as stocking stuffers because they’re so fun to play with and make a simple black liner look more dramatic with a little flick of either the gold or glitter at the end of your wing. I’m laughing a little because if a guy were to read this he would be like..what the heck is a wing?

Diorific Nail polish in Cosmic 899 from the 2016 Holiday collection chips so fast but is such a nice color. I just really liked the fat bottle. I’m not sure if this will chip on everyones nails or if it’s just me, sometimes I think that my nails reject certain colors.

Zara metallic leather jacket. I’m in love with this jacket. It comes off as a bit pink here but it’s more of a metallic copper. I think it’s my grown up version of a Jem & The Holograms jacket. Gawd, I loved her so much to the point where I even had a streak of pink hair. (one of my most embarrassing fashion moments) I looked like an effin exotic bird and not the kind you look at and admire. It took a few trips to the colorist to remove that gawd awful pink. Ugh…memories. Let’s get back to the jacket shall we? It goes well with everything and I love that it’s real leather. I promise you will not look like a disco queen or an astronaut unless that’s the look you’re going for. Eighties superstar, not so much. Jem maybe.

I always love buying presents from L’Occitane. Last year I gave the advent calendars as gifts along with little baubles filled with mini versions of popular products. My bathroom used to have a shelf of unopened creams, showers and body lotions from various brands that sold a promise of good quality yet failed to deliver and I would feel so awful not using them. Eventually I had to either throw them in the bin or give them away. This never happens with L’Occitane. I use all of my products and have repeated many of my favorites. I don’t use anything else on my body and that’s why I love buying presents from their store all year around. The Christmas gift sets are a great value and are grouped together so well.

Arlésienne smells so feminine and girly. The gift set shown below is great value because it has a full sized shower gel and fragrance that I can’t get enough of. I would use every single product in this beautifully presented box.

I have an affinity for the Almond range, especially the shower oil. I’ve gone through bottles and bottles of it and am so happy that L’Occitane sell the refills. I could go on about the products all day so I’ll just leave a link and end this never-ending blog.

Happy Shopping!

Xoxo, Minelle 

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