Christmas can be so harsh! All that crazy planning and shopping and…I’m exhausted just thinking about it. Plus it’s getting kinda close to the wire time wise. So I’ve put a little list of some things that might take the pressure off, some are a little more interesting and some a little value oriented.
Clarins Fragrance Treatment Collection
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This set is sold in Myer & David Jones and has 30ml bottles of the four Clarins fragrances for $48. Whilst the whole thing is a lovely gift, the minis come in their own little boxes, so you can split them up and still get them neatly gift wrapped in store. At $12 each this is a lovely little luxury gift for the ladies in your life.
Shoes Of Prey Voucher
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We all have that hard to buy for woman in our lives. If you haven’t heard about Shoes of Prey, you can design your own shoes in a massive range of sizes (AU Women’s 2-15!) and they are custom made and delivered to your door. You can pick the amount to give and print the voucher as a PDF. That’s one gift voucher that won’t be forgotten in her purse!
Hotel Stay Voucher
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This one is great for people that would love a night in a swanky hotel but just never get around to treating themselves. Most major hotels sell vouchers that include the room & breakfast. Just call and ask them. If you threw in some babysitting, you would make a frazzled couple very happy!
The Homemade Gift
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I adore a pot of jam or some home baked goodies. I even have a recipe for my famed Brownies In A Jar with free printable Christmas labels. But there’s also things like my hairpins & body scrub. Click here for some things you might like to check out if you’re feeling crafty.
Gift With Purchase
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This is a kinda nifty trick if you either buy makeup/skincare for yourself or you are buying it for others. Check out the makeup counters and get a plan! There are awesome gift sets around from $20 and if you plan it right you could pick up a gift with purchase, for example, Clarins are giving away 6 Christmas Crackers with miniatures when you spend over $125. You could split them and make so many ladies happy!
The Bottle Shop
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Okay, it’s not exactly fancy but the gift of wine or spirits is still a good one. There are heaps of sets or boxed up bottles, just made for gifting. Do try and keep the taste of the giftee in mind. There’s nothing worse than giving a bottle of Passion Pop to the landed gentry and a bottle of Krug to your 18 year old nephew. Don’t gift the burden of re gifting!
The Oh My God I Didn’t Know You’d Be Here!
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Oh that terrible moment when you are gifted and weren’t prepared for gifting them back! At this time of year I tend to carry a few generic gift cards (if I don’t gift them, I can use them later) and a pack of nice Christmas cards for just these occasions. If I’m attending a Christmas function where the younger members change their boyfriends/girlfriends like underwear and you have no idea if the will bring someone, I wrap some spares. Chocolates, wine, nice costume jewelry, male or female fragrance (that you or someone near you will use in the event it’s not given) are good choices. I wrap them and tag them, leaving the tag blank for last minute writing. If your gifts are gender specific, be sure to wrap in a way you’ll remember!
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I hope this has given you some great last minute ideas beyond the gift card because as I’ve said before, many people never use them. If you are still stuck, check out this rather more expansive guide from a couple of years back. But please pause in the spending madness and think about yourself. Your Christmas largess should not leaving eating 2 min noodles! Please for the love of God (quite literally, really) don’t get too spendy this year. And if you are doing it hard this year, maybe it’s time to talk to the family about only buying for the kids or doing it secret santa style. So be merry, buy carefully and ENJOY this holiday season. Don’t worry, it will be over soon xxx

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