ON MY DESK Christmas 2015…My gift guide of beauty, hair, and a few odds and ends for everybody. Check it out…
ARTY GIFTS
In love with my new art print and cards, above, by talented local illustrator, Evie Kemp.
BEAUTYFUL RED
Treat someone with this very Christmassy shade of pomegranate red. Pictured: O Cosmedics skincare, MAC lipstick in ostrich case in Runaway Red, Clarins Eau Dynamisante, Karen Murrell in True Love, Trilogy Cleansing Balm and Rosehip Oil, Maybelline The Elixir in Signature Scarlet.
THE GIFT OF GREAT HAIR
Give great hair…with this fabulous Kevin.Murphy Young Love beauty pack and scented soy candle – all so beautiful. Available at Kevin.Murphy stockists nationwide.
BARGAIN BEAUTY BUYS
QVS natural bristle makeup brushes, and finally I have nice blonde hair ties, by Via.
THE GIFT OF GREAT SKIN
This stylish Savar luxury face pack comes filled with all you need to naturally and beautifully cleanse, in a gorgeous travel bag. Available at www.savaronline.com
BEST FOR BLOKES
A great looking new men’s skincare range, Leonardo Skincare, which I’ve tried out on both my husband and father, who said the moisturiser felt great and absorbed well and the shaving cream was really smooth and didn’t need any water for a good shave. It’s paraben free and made in NZ.
BEST FOR BURNING
Beautiful hand-poured candle in fig leaves, gardenia and vetiver, by Ashley & Co, from their Once Upon A Time range. Find hand-poured candles and beautifully-scented hand creams at Ashley & Co. From intense hydrating hand cream to eco-wash with organic borage oil for your hands and body, Ashley & Co have got you covered. Free from sulphates, parabens, mineral oils, colourings and fragrance certified 100% natural by Ecocert. For stockists and more info see www.ashleyandco.co.nz
BEST FOR CHRISTMAS CARDS
I’m completely unbiased but I think my talented friend’s stationery brand The Paperface has the coolest Christmas cards out. Check out their Pantone colours of Christmas and the origami Christmas prints. Buy at www.thepaperface.com
BEST FOR RELAXING
You can’t go past a good facial for an amazing present for a busy woman. How blissful is it to lie down for an hour and have professionals soothe and hydrate your tred skin back into glowing splendour? A Caci Clinic Murad hydrating facial is just the ticket, and this Murad SPF day cream will be perfect these summer holidays.
HEALTHY GIFTS
Health products are two of the top ten most popular gifts for Christmas forecast by Noel Leeming, including Fitbit, NutriNinja, Nespresso, Star Wars HP laptop, Samsung phones, and Instax cameras.
Below: my cat “helping” me sew.
Below: Some of my Christmas peg angels appearing on Instagram.
HANDMADE GIFTS
I’ve been busy hand making Christmas tree angels as gifts this year from vintage fabric scraps and pieces of old lace on wooden pegs and each one is unique. Who else likes handmade gifts? I show a lot of commercial gifts here but I love handmade too.
GET COOKING
Feed a family of four for $15? This Great Value Meal Ideas cookbook from Countdown sounds like an ideal Christmas cookbook gift for families or even flatmates and now I want to eat ALL THE FOOD. Buy it now at Countdown supermarkets throughout New Zealand.
THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
Buy one of these cool model ambulance toys for $15 at ASB banks and the gift keeps on giving, with all profits going to St John Ambulance.
TOYS THEY’LL LOVE FOR YEARS
My fave of the toys I’ve seen lately has to be this Barbie Campervan (RRP$199.99). It is so cool I couldn’t resist pulling it out of the box and having a wee go and then accidentally wrapped it up again without the driver’s seat oops! I’ll need to quickly insert that when they unwrap it on Christmas morning! Not only does it look cool and the multi-layer campervan comes full of accessories like a table and chairs and water slide for camping fun, toys like this help children learn spatial relations (how things fit together), and develop fine motor skills (use of the small muscles in the hands and fingers). Read about my other top toys for Christmas here.
FLOWERS IN A VASE
Giving an empty vase is all very well but what about giving it filled with stunning fresh flowers? Bam, instantly better. How beautiful are these white peonies in this stunning ceramic vase by @designquarter? I love their designs and they’d make perfect Christmas presents.
BEST FOR CRAFTY KIDS
My Fun Box is an awesome home-delivered kids activity box with crafts to make each month, created by Aucklander Renee Greenland. Get creative! Perfect for the school holidays. See them at @myfunboxnz
BEST FOR SLEEPING
Lots of cute sleepwear for Christmas at Peter Alexander- I really like the Star Wars pjs for kids that come in a fabric Darth Vader-shaped case ($49.99) and these Bambi slippers – super kawaii.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
This gift guide was not sponsored or paid for. Items may have been received for review and photography.
Megan Robinson
17th December 2015
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