SMALL GREAT THINGS.

SMALL GREAT THINGS.

brown paper packages tied up with string…. these are a few of my favourites things

When I think of Christmas gifts, I want to give gifts that can make people feel something – happy, relaxed, cosy, beautiful… a feeling rather than just an object. I think that’s what the act of giving at this time of year is about – giving someone a kind thought or the gift of taking time for themselves.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with gift ideas, so I’ve kept things simple in my gift guide this year. Each present can work for almost every friend or family member.

You simply can’t go wrong with a trusty candle in my opinion, and the new Anya Smells Pencil Shavings one is a little different from your usual pickings. Anyone and everyone would love Cult Heroes Oskia set (the Restoration Oil and Serum 16) to hydrate and rebalance the skin. If you’re working to a budget, I love the idea behind the Pai In Your Element gift sets that allow you to choose the box to best fit the star sign of your receiver.

Sometimes you want to go a little OTT, and the newly Limited Edition No5 from Chanel is sporting a red cloak – the perfect festive take on a classic. Keep the red theme going with the Bella Freud Loving candle, an ode to the 70s, as is the new Limited Edition NARS Spiked Audacious Lipstick, great to wear on Christmas Day. For a cult classic skin product that everyone should have on their shelf – the Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate harnesses 145 years of Japanese beauty wisdom to strengthen, restore and firm.

Always the most beautifully packaged (I had to include the box, too, it’s just too detailed not to) Cire Trudon candles never fail to amaze and delight. The new Amon candle is inspired by the Egyptian ‘hidden god’ and mixes incense, rose and patchouli. If you’re looking for something smaller, the new Clinique Dramatically Different Lip Colours are a mix of balm and colour – perfect for this time of year – or the Kiehl’s Exfoliating Body Scrub Soap are perfect stocking fillers.

Oh yes, another candle. But surely it’s impossible to have too many? I’m so happy that Lumira is now sold in the UK, and the Cuban Tobacco candle scent has been a favourite of mine since I first discovered the brand in Australia a few years ago. You know I’m a huge fan of all things Emma Hardie, but this mist (part of the Glow on the Go set) is perhaps the finest, best smelling mist ever. And if everything else goes wrong – put a red lip on. That’s the saying, right? The new YSL limited edition Rouge Pur Couture The Slim lipsticks are long lasting matte colours – perfect for a non stop day of festivites.

Scent – whether candles or fragrance – is always a winner in my opinion. Fragrance is linked to the olfactory in our brain which links to our emotions. I love the idea of giving a gift that someone will always remember, even if they smell it years later. The Jo Malone Pine & Eucalyptus Room Spray is the ultimate chic scent to spritz around before guests arrive. And talking of scents that remind us of times past, the L’Occitane Hand Cream is something I will always remember from my childhood. I used to walk into the stores and marvel at all the packaging, and this year’s limited edition design makes it that much more special (I think this one’s for me). The designs on the Chantecaille Lip Veil collection are also beautiful, with the etched Elephant so delicate. They celebrate the fact that the lip colours also contain Baobab oil sourced from Africa, to keep lips soft and supple.

And last but not least, I’ll be shipping out my prints next week to get to you in time for Christmas, so do take a look at them here.