Everything listed below has been tried me, so I can vouch for its validity. There are some bigger ticket items, as well as cute stuffers or secret santa presents. If you want to get really creative, mix a few things together from say Rita Hazan, Good Dye Young, and Cricket. Put it in plastic mixing bowl, wrap it in cellophane with a tag reading “Dye, Dye Birdie”.
Seriously, you can make this gift giving less about the price, and more about the content. [Like it should be every year. Yeesh, how is society still struggling with this!?]
Rita Hazan
You can thank Rita for the golden locks of Beyoncé, Katy Perry’s many hues, and the seasonal highlights and lowlights of Jennifer Lopez. She won’t correcting your color personally anytime soon, unless you’re one of the aforementioned talents, but you can maintain your dye job better than many other products on the market. I use True Color Ultimate Shine Gloss to tame my blond forelock, because, you know, if I don’t want to go bald I need to space out the bleaching.
H20+ Beauty
This is their Must Have Mini Favorites Kit. It’s a great way to introduce the brand to someone you know needs to leave their “go-to” behind. Like way behind. So far behind not even Netflix will want to revive it. Got it? Ok.
Skyn Iceland
I’m not a fan of those face gel sticker things, but I put up with it for Skyn Iceland. The cooling sensation, even in cold temperatures when your face is begging for moisture or some TLC, brings needed life back to the area applied. Even when those smile lines and crows feet can’t be camouflaged with concealer that one day you need it most… you’re covered. Just remember to take it off before leaving the house.
Teva
Don’t knock Teva until you’ve given them a shot. They aren’t the granola sandals we remember them to be. I see your mind wandering back to that time in 3rd grade someone wore them with socks and their shirts tucked into elastic banded shorts. [If that was you… I don’t know what to say except that I too have/still have had similar moments.] They’re cooler now… trust me.
Salvatore Ferragamo: Signorina Misteriosa
This scent is sexy. Italian, exchange student sexy. Everyone will want your digits, but with a smirk you’ll lie,”No inglese,” in your best Italian accent. Make sure to scurry away… they may speak Italian.
goodDYEyoung
I wouldn’t dare bleach my hair at home, or go for something bold without the help of my colorist, but I will freshen on my purple main at home. My color fades pretty quickly, so going to the salon every month isn’t in the budget. What is, is Blue Ruin, Ex-Girl, and Fader combined. It’s eco-friendly [check], botanically infused [check], vegan [check], and cruelty-free [check plus!]. So you don’t have to worry that some bunny was dyed blue for your standard of beauty.
Too Cool For School
You just have to try anything from Too Cool For School to fall in love. Literally anything. Egg-ssential Skincare set actually makes washing your face fun, plus the moisturizer smells and feels like a perfect egg custard. [I don’t like egg custard, but it makes me want to give it another try.] The designs are playful, yet the product, whether it be mascara, lipstick, balms, masks, compete and surpass many items in your beauty bag at this moment.
James Read Tantour Sculpting Duo
This is for fair to medium skin tones, so it didn’t work as well on me. It did glide on evenly, cleanly, not lumping a large amount in one section never being able to be spread out. You know what I’m talking about? You sweep your skin so much with a brush that wind up irritating the area… giving yourself a natural rosy glow? That won’t happen with this duo set.
Lano 101 Ointment Fruities Duo
Currently, there are five lip products in my hand bag. Three of them are lip balms/chapsticks. On my bookcase there are four packs, and an Egyptian ointment next to my bed. To put it politely… I have a problem. But now I’ve met Lano 101 Ointment, and though I won’t throw away my many others, I can lighten up my daily load. Their 101 Ointment can be used for windburned cheeks, dry nails/cuticles, lips, cracked heels, insect bites, paper cuts… It’s a freaking miracle in a tube. AND the design is cute, which is super important.
MPG Sport
Skip Lulu and get to know MPG. A few years ago I was on the search for a fitness apparel brand that wasn’t showing your nuddy bits to the world, nor wasn’t overly promoted by athletes with a fitness mentality one could only dream of. That’s when I came across MPG. The pieces received all those years ago are still with me till this day. Basically, they’re fashion forward and they last.
Onepiece
This onesie has been apart of every gift guide I’ve produced since 2014, so only three, but that says something. I have two of them, one that I wear more than I should, but is better than a winter jacket. The week of Thanksgiving, I spent more time in it than real clothes. If you follow me on SnapChat you would have seen me narrating many of my Netflix binges in it. If you’re apart of Pantsuit Nation on Facebook, you may have noticed a photo of me in my Onepiece and headwrap. My obsession is that real! [And this was before Beyoncé wore hers in Iceland. So can we say trendsetter? ::two snaps::]
Read a book…
Rediscover happiness in your own life (or realize you need to move to Denmark) with The Year of Living Danishly. Come to terms with the fact awkward is actually synonymous with trill af in Issa Rae’s The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. Learn about the man we all wish we’d known through his granddaughter in In The Name of Gucci: A Memoir. Or poke fun at the one of the most pretentious, talked about, unaware celeb manifested sites with Glop: Nontoxic, Expensive Ideas That Will Make You Look Ridiculous and Feel Pretentious…. you’ll laugh, but respect Gwyneth for being true to the only life she, and her circle, have known.
Cricket
Never again believe that price defines quality. Originally, I was to do a feature on four flat irons including the Cricket Pro Styling Iron, then a hair mishap happened forcing me to chop my locks off. Before the tragedy, I used Cricket over my T3 because it worked that well. It straightened my thick, coarse hair without that burning smell I’ve grown to love, heats up 425⁰ Fahrenheit (but I never have to get close to that temp), plates are infused with argan oil, and floating plates allows for a more precise control.
The Night Of
Have you seen this show on HBO yet? Don’t watch it alone, and don’t watch it at night. Some friends convinced me to watch it last month, and let’s just say, with every scene my anxiety shot through the roof. Though it’s not a true story, these are real scenarios that you hear play out in the news daily. And with these stories, we formulate our own theories and never follow it long enough to know the truth, or see how someone was just in the the wrong place, at the wrong time. If you can’t bring yourself to buy it for someone, get them the HBO NOW gift card (available at Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart or check online for other retailers) so they can binge it on their own time, as well as hundreds of other programs ie. Insecure and Sex and the City!
Morgan Taylor
I’m in my gel polish phase as of last week, but once they become frail and in need of serious love again, we’ll be back to Morgan Taylor. The lacquers are thick and rich in color, so one coat for a a quick evening out, will suffice. If you expect it to last a week, double up on the layers, plus include a base and top coat. This is the holiday set, but they have tons of other shades to choose from. Check out the virtual salon… the colors are pretty true to what’s in the bottle and you play around with how it will show up on you.