7 Gifts for the "Person who has Everything"!

I don’t know if you might have realised, but I skipped out gifts for siblings, because mine are all a lot older than me and don’t live with me, so it’s really hard for me to figure out just what they’d need without being obvious. However today I’m going to do a gift guide for the person who has just about everything  which could apply to siblings. As well as parents, friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, just about anyone. I’m not much into useless gifts, so as long as they serve a good purpose, I’ll give them as a gift.

I think a yummy-smelling or even an aromatherapy candle like those sold at Bath & Body Works, could be an inexpensive and thoughtful option as a gift for anyone. Sometimes filling a room with a comforting scent is just what you need, despite the tons of gadgets, books or other things the person may have. Here in Barbados, it may be a bit more difficult to find really nice scents, but there are some out there (check out Woolworth or grocery stores). In USA other brands also sell fragrant candles like Diamond Candles and Candles by Victoria. This is definitely a thoughtful gift, especially if you can pick out a scent which the receiver will love. If you’re a bit cautious about candles, you could also get them bottled room scents or a diffuser.

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What if the person is more on the arsty side? A cool painting, picture or even an ornament could make a great gift! Of course, some people would appreciate this kind of gift more than others, so if you choose to get something like this, do so wisely. If you know the person you’re gifting is interested in architecture, you can get them a picture of some amazing architectural design like the Eiffel Tower. If they’re into fashion or even make up, you can get them a colourful still-life or a portrait of one of their style icons.

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Do you have a person who loves food on your list? Why not get them a huge box of their favourite snack or a sampler tray of so they get to try a variety. For me some that I always would love to receive at Christmas are cookies. The original Danish butter cookies are the best. So while others are hooked on chocolate, those are my favourite thing, as they only come out for Christmas. Some people may like not only chocolate, candy and baked goods but I’ve even known persons to enjoy cheeses. Now honestly, I like cheese, but I don’t think I would enjoy a tray of like 10 varieties of cheese. That’s a bit much for me, hahaha. At this time of year there are all sorts or treats selling in bulk, so just check out your supermarket.

I think something that ANYONE would enjoy is a home personal massager. After the stress of the Holidays (or exams for some of us), it would be nice to sit back and relax those tired muscles. It would be a great year-round gift, which I think would be most greatly appreciated by older adults. You can get these in any store that sells home appliances most times. The one pictured is sold at Walgreens.

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If you have an enviromentalist on your list, you could plant a tree in their honour and I’m sure they’d love that! If I were to do this for my dad, I know he’d love me to plant a fruit tree, because it just makes more sense than planting a tree with gives nothing back to you but shade, haha. My dad’s hilarious. I think there are organisations which allow you to give the gift of a tree in USA, but here in Barbados, it’s as simple as getting a tree cutting or a sapling and planting it in your backyard.

Ok so I couldn’t help myself with this one. These serve no purpose, but I think that they’re cute and funny. Quite the gag gift, Moustache sunglasses! These are sold at the original Sun-Staches store and come in a variety of colours and moustache styles hahaha. I remember I first spotted Kandee Johnson (YouTube Guru) wearing these in her videos and I though t it was so hilarious. I think the concept was orginally brought about to celebrate Movember (November- Prostate Cancer Month), though I’m not completely sure.

Do y’all remember those advertisements, where they’d say “for everything else, there’s MasterCard”? I don’t think you can get another person a MasterCard, or would want to unless you’re really generous, but a gift card such as the Amazon gift card sure does feel like a Master Card. Amazon has a plethora of items for sale, meaning your giftee could buy their heart’s content. Books, jewellery, electronics, beauty items, food, appliances… the list goes on! In the USA, you could also get them a store specific gift card like a Sephora gift card, Walmart, CVS, Target. While for us here in Barbados you can get gift cards for Chefette, Cave Shepherd, Italia Coffee House, Super Centre, and even some clothing stores. So for the person who already has everything, when they need something more, they’d be able to get it, thanks to you!

Hope you’re getting all your holiday shopping done, if you haven’t finished already. I know how hectic stores can be during the Yuletide. It’s insane the amount people spend during this time alone. I would personally gather gifts year-round so that at this time you don’t have to be in with the rush. Sadly in Barbados, the best gift sets come out around this time (-_-) but I digress.

Merry Christmas and stay tuned for the next post. My personal Holiday wishlist!

 

Disclaimer: This post was in no way sponsored.

5 Gifts for Mom & Dad!

 

Parents are not always difficult to buy gifts, for especially when you’re living with them or keep in close contact. Once you listen closely, it’s pretty easy to find out what they want or need.

My mum has been craving hot chocolate lately, but has been getting lazy about putting on the kettle and waiting for the water to boil. An easy solution this is to get a Keurig K-cup coffee maker. It’s single cup use, literally no clean up and it takes about a minute to brew a nice warm or cold beverage. I think my mum would really love one of these. I’ve heard so many great things about this coffee maker all year. Not only is it fast, but there are tons of different flavours of coffee, hot chocolate, tea and other beverages, by a number of brands. Even Starbucks makes K-cups! You can find the Keurig coffee maker on the official Keurig website, on Amazon, or in stores like Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohls, Target and JCPenney.

My dad loves music and the news. He especially loves to watch or listen to his beloved Cricket. Although he can be very tech saavy, he likes to enjoy the simple (and sometimes old-fashioned) things. I think the perfect gift for him would be a portable radio like this one from Etón or this one from Midland,  which are perfect for storms too. My brother also had one of these and my father was always fascinated by it. These are solar powered and there’s a dynamo so you never really have to use electricity. You have a digital display with an alarm clock, and you can use the tuner to find radio stations. Not only that, but there’s even an LED flashlight, a USB charger for your phone and auxiliary jacks for headphones.  So this is truly a multifunctional radio. I can definitely see my dad keeping this in the car in case of emergencies.

 

My mum would love something like Zumba to exercise at home. I think she’d especially enjoy the dancing, so it doesnt even feel like exercise. Sometimes she can make quite a bit of excuses to not go out and exercise or walk after work. If you have Zumba or other home exercise methods, then when ever you’re free or bored you could throw in some exercise. you dont have to feel uncomfortable because it’s just you at home. Who knows, might even end up being a family thing!

My dad is a carpenter and is also skilled at a number of handy trades. He’s always in the hardware store picking out a new tool or something. Here in Barbados, some of the hardware stores allow you to sign up for a royalty card that you could use the points to purchase items from the store. Carter’s General Store Barbados is like that.You could sign up your dad for one of those royalty programs in his favourite hardware store, or better yet get him a gift card to shop there, so he can treat himself to a new tool. I know my dad would love that!

Picture taken from Divi SouthWinds Beach Resort

Finally, a gift that both your parents would enjoy, Relaxation. I think a Staycation as we call it here in Barbados would be great, because your parents would get to kick back and relax as the hotel would take care of their every need. Or is a hotel is a bit too pricey, you could give them a certificate for a Spa day, where they will be pampered all day and would be able to relieve some stress. Groupon always have spa deals, soit doesn’t have to break your pocket to give a great gift. And for us here in Barbados, staycations have special rates for locals during certain months, so you can get a nice vacation for a more affordable price.
Another great option is to treat them yourself again home. You could make them breakfast in bed, a special meal, or give them massages. You can even take them out to a special dinner. It all depends on what your parents appreciate and what you can afford.

I’d love if you’d tell me what you get or are getting your parents for Christmas. If you were a bit clueless, I hope this guide helped. Stay tuned for more I should have at least 2 more of these up before Christmas eve.

5 Gifts for Him!

 

Guys are never easy to shop for, trust me I know! They think it’s hard to shop for us girls, but boy are they wrong. This guide should hopefully make it easier for you to get the perfect gift for your guy friend, boyfriend or husband!

 

Sometimes guys feel a little intimidated buying skincare, but they know their acne is flaring up and don’t know what to do otherwise. I remember being in the skincare aisle and this mature man was standing there looking absolutely petrified and telling the sales assistant this is all women stuff, he doesn’t know what to get. Thankfully, she corrected him and told him it’s SKIN stuff, something that more guys should know and pay attention to. It’s not like they are immune from skin problems, we’re not telling you to put on mascara either, but at least take care of your skin, you’ll have it for your whole life.
A number of brands such as Clinique and L’Oreal provide a men’s care line (no cute, girly packaging) that would be a great nudge for the man in your life. You don’t have to buy the whole line either, just one or two products. I suggest an after-shave lotion, acne spot treatment and a moisturiser at least. Of course it depends on what your guy needs. I know the Clinique Scruffing Lotion is very effective at clearing up clogged pores and preventing ingrown hairs. It’s actually sold here in Barbados at Cave Shepherd, so if you think your guy needs it, that’s the quickest way to get it.

A clothing item like a hoodie or a nice sweater that your guy can wear on chilly days always makes a great gift. It’s comfy and versatile and everytime he wears it, he’ll be reminded of you. Forever21 has some really affordable male outwear. You can also find some sweaters at Hollister, which are  a bit pricey, but is probably worth the price. If your boyfriend is a WWE lover like mine is, you could totally get him one of these WWE sweatshirts from his favourite wrestler. (They ship internationally too!)

Guys always seem to wear out wallets soo fast. I guess it’s because they are constantly sitting on the wallet, it bends and eventually zippers are falling off and there are coins spilling everywhere. So you could always get your guy the classic gift of a wallet. As played out as getting a wallet may be, it’s always nice to get a genuine leather one. It may be a bit of a splurge, but the quality is outstanding. Otherwise you could get a wallet with a nice design like a cloth wallet. It may not be a sturdy as a leather wallet but it is nice to look at. You can get male wallets from outlets like Asos where they sell a variety of  more affordable brands, while Nordstrom has a selection of higher-end brands. In Barbados you can also pick up QuikSilver, LAND and other brand of wallets for guys in Cave Shepherd. I like this one from Volcom, the pattern is really captivating.

A Watch. Not like he doesn’t know you’ll usually be running late, but guys who wear a watch always look more put together. I  think the same of women, sadly my watch batteries are always dead, so I never wear one haha. You can get him a really nice watch that is waterproof, sturdy and has a bunch of cool functions, like the Citizen Eco-Drive, which amazingly never dies. There are a range of different modes with varying price points, so it could be either an affordable gift or a nice splurge. I love the one above from Citizen. In Barbados you can also get great watches at just about any jeweller.

 

Now your guy is looking sharp and to top it off, you could get him a cologne, something special. Maybe he’s had a particular cologne and it’s been running out on him. You could do him one bette and get a gift set. Honestly, I don’t go testing out men’s fragrances, so I don’t really have any particular suggestion, but a good-smelling guy is always appreciated. I know I love when my guy wears his signature scent. I like the look of this bottle of Gucci Guilty Intense by Gucci, it’s really sleek and simple.

Hopefully something on this list has got your gears moving and you can figure out just what to get your guy friend. If you have any more suggestions for gifts guys may like, you could leave them in the comments!

Disclaimer: This post was in no way sponsored.

5 Gifts for Her!

I had done one of these gift guides last year,and this year I actually wasn’t planning  to do another one, but I couldn’t help myself. So many great ideas came to my mind this year, this season really got to me early, haha.

Lately I was very interested in skincare and thought that this would make a good addition to any girl’s skincare regimen. The Sigma Beauty Cleansing & Polishing tool is similar to the coveted Clarisonic exfoliator but is far more affordable. For $43USD, you get the polishing tool, which I think is battery operated, and 3 different brush heads of various degrees of firmness. I know I would love to receive this as a gift, especially now the weather is changing and my skin is getting drier and beginning to peel.

I have been eyeing Vera Wang Princess (the original) for sometime, it just smells soooo good. I think this perfume or any light floral or fruity perfumes would be great for any lady in your life. I love to smell good, even if it’s just a scented hand cream or body wash, like those from Victoria Secret. Around this time, you can pick up gift sets for just about any fragrance (even the knock offs). If you want your fragrance to last longer you could layer the body wash, lotion and spray versions. I like to keep it simple, a few spritz of a perfume or body splash and I’m ready to go!

Besides new fragrances, I’ve really been coveting more storage for my makeup and other daily essentials. Something to help me to declutter my dresser, but is not a hassle to get in and out of on a late morning. A good place to get organisation materials in Barbados is Sort Your Stuff, Dwellings  or the kitchen aisle of most stores. You could buy specific items for organising bathrooms or makeup areas or, you can also multipurpose kitchen space-arrangers into neat counter organisers. I know another great place to find them is the Container Store, which stocks a plethora of organisation materials. I’m always getting carried away looking for ideas on their website and the items aren’t too expensive either.

Now you have everything organised, why not get a pretty mirror to look at your reflection? I’ve always wanted one of those magnifying light up mirrors, and saw some selling in Collins (Barbados) just a month ago. That would be perfect for any beauty-lover, as she can get really good detail when she’s doing her brows, eye make up or just admiring herself, haha. I know you can also find these mirrors at Dwellings Barbados, and overseas at Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and Wal-Mart.

Finally a new set of make up brushes would be the icing on the cake! Single brushes are usually quite expensive, especially high-quality ones. Luckily, Sigma Beauty has a variety or brushes and brush sets which are extremely affordable compared to other brands. High quality and durable, I’ve heard so many good things about Sigma’s products. There is one brush collection of theirs that I have been gaga over since the date of release, sadly I haven’t gotten it as yet but, this brush set would make the perfect gift for any make up enthusiast! The Make me Up collection comes on black, turquoise, red and purple, my favourite *hint hint*, and is a complete make over kit, with 12 brushes for your face and eyes. Not only is it a ton of great brushes, but they are full-sized and come with a travel case which could double as a brush holder for your vanity.  As a makeup lover, I know I would love this as a gift!

You can buy them from the Sigma Beauty website, send I have a code for 10% off any Sigma purchase. Not only that but when you spend over $30, you receive a free gift! How sweet is that? They also ship internationally!  So you could get your brush set and the polishing tool shipped straight to your home, or to the person you are gifting!

Sigma Coupon: DEC2012

Disclaimer: This gift guide was in no way sponsored. Sigma Beauty affiliate links are embedded in this post.