Even though I’ve been adding things to my Whimventory and scrolling through pages of gift ideas on Pinterest all year, Christmas is here and the list of gifts I need to procure is still quite lengthy. Time is short, so I have gathered a list of gifts that are fun, relatively easy to find, and not too expensive.
(Clockwise from top right: Seche Vite Top Coat, Butter London Nail Lacquer, Subscription to Birchbox, Kate Spade Mittens, Soap & Glory Hand Food, Voluspa 3-Wick Candle, H&M Leather Pouch, Friendship Bracelets, Custom Leather Luggage Tag, Marc by Marc Jacobs Water Bottle, Jack Black Lip Balm, Viva La Juicy Perfume Roller, A Merry Mishap Gem Necklaces, Lush Bath Bomb)
Seche Vite Top Coat is hands down my favorite–it’s just-came-from-a-manicure shiny and dries to the touch in a minute. Pair it with a fancy Butter London nail polish (or OPI, Essie, Deborah Lipman) or two and your gift recipient will have polished nails all year long.
Birchbox is a service that sends its subscribers a pretty box full of deluxe samples of beauty products each month. You can gift a month, a few months, or a year, and the boxes will be delivered straight to your gift recipient’s door.
The Kate Spade mittens are fresh and classic, and even if your local mall doesn’t have a Kate Spade (or Kate Spade outlet!), a cute pair of mittens from anywhere will work.
Soap & Glory’s Hand Food is a step up from whatever gift pack is closest to the register at Bath & Body Works, and it’s less than $10.
Voluspa’s three-wick candles with seasonal scents come in the most festive tins! Perfect for a hostess gift or stocking stuffer. Plus, they smell good. If you can’t find Voluspa candles, the Slatkin & Co. candles at Bath & Body Works smell nice, too.
There isn’t an H&M in Houston, so getting my hands on this little blue pouch isn’t likely, but a little leather, faux-leather, or printed pouch (with a gift card or some $ inside) is a thoughtful little gift.
You can buy friendship bracelets at random boutiques or Urban Outfitters, but you can make them, too. Here is a tutorial (pictured above!), and here is a trick: use thick embroidery floss to make your bracelet more substantial.
This leather luggage tag is something most leather-working (read that: rural) or cowboy stores can do if you don’t have time to order it from Etsy. It doesn’t need to say a name, either–make a keychain with some words of wisdom or a funny joke!
A water bottle is so easy to find and buy, and I am forever losing them, so a cute one on standby is always handy. The tumblers at Starbucks will work, and I have this Marc by Marc Jacobs one in green that I love, too.
Jack Black lip balm is the bomb. It smells nice and minty and isn’t crazy expensive, but is a step above Carmex.
Perfume rollers are so handy. The Viva La Juicy is a good, neutral daytime scent for girls, and so is Kate Spade’s Twirl. There is usually a whole little section of these at Ulta!
Geo necklaces from A Merry Mishap are so colorful and trendy! Any rough-gem necklace will do, though.
The last thing: a Lush bath bomb. Lush isn’t my favorite, but their bath bombs can make any present a little more substantial. Go to Lush and smell all of the different ones–there will surely be at least one scent you don’t absolutely hate.
Did I miss any of your go-to quick gifts? Let me know in the comments!