Christmas Gift Guide: £15 + Under

Today's post is one of my last gift guides for the year *how has 2016 gone by so quickly, especially the past couple of months!*. Blogmas is coming to an end and it's gone by really fast but I still have some christmassy posts coming as well as another gift guide after this one so there's still some festive posts to look forward to. Today's post features some incredibly lovely gifts that would be great for mums, friends, aunties, brothers or dads from lots of amazing brands. 

*Bodhi & Birch Allure Gift Set (£15)

I've tried a couple of products from the natural brand Bodhi and Birch and I couldn't recommend their products, I tried the ylang-ylang shower gel and lotion which are both heavenly. So when this set arrived in the post I had to rip it open and smell everything immediately. The set contains: ylang-ylang body therapy bath and shower gel, ylang-ylang lotion and the camomile sky bath and shower therapy. All three for large minis, so they'd be great for travelling and they all smell divine. Bodhi and Birch products are a treat for the senses and the mind as they all make me feel so relaxed and pampered! I couldn't recommend this set enough and it comes beautifully packaged too. 

Candles are a really safe gift for me personally and also for me to give to friends, cousins and my sister - I am gifting quite a few candles this year. I've tried a few brands of candles including the famous Yankee Candle but I'm loving the Gift Company/Flame Homeware candles just as much. I was kindly sent a couple of their Christmas candles. 

*Gift Company Cinnamon Spice Candle (£6.99, sale)

The packaging of mine is slightly different to the one online but I'm glad as I do prefer this packaging. I love the large jar size, it makes a really substantial and heavy gift and I know so many friends that would love this! It smells so nice, I love cinnamon scents at this time of the year and it's lovely. To me the scent is a bit more of a musky cinnamon rather than a generic sweet/strong cinnamon scent. 

*Gift Company Christmas Candle (£6.99)

This candle is one of their best sellers and I can see why as it looks festive and it smells like the essence of Christmas to me as it has a cinnamon/clove scent mixed with Christmas potpourri which is really nostalgic to me as my auntie always had potpourri that had a similar scent every Christmas. It's quite sweet but I really like it and the scent throw is pretty good. I'd definitely recommend both candles and for the low price, you really can't go wrong! 

*Gift Company Gingerbread House Diffuser (£6, sale)

My mum is quite paranoid about candles so they are a no no for her but that means I can pick up some cute diffusers! I was kindly sent two and this 'gingerbread house' one is my favourite of the two. The diffuser looks so nice, unlike most which can be quite ugly! It has a subtle gingerbread/cinnamon scent so it's not overpowering but if I'm complete honest, I wish it was a little stronger. 

*Gift Company Mince Pies & Brandy Butter Diffuser (£6)

I haven't opened this one yet and I also don't have photos of it or the Christmas candle as my SD card became corrupted so I've lost over 500 photos and I haven't had time to re-take - this past week or so has been really stressful with driving lessons and my test (I passed!). However, it has the same lovely and festive packaging design as the other and it smells just as nice! The candles and diffusers should should have been £15 each but they are all reduced!

*The London Sock Exchange (£15 - £60)

Next up a gift for the men in your life and as for the previous gifts, it's a lovely presented practical gift (my favourite kind of gifts!). The London Sock Exchange is a new men's sock subscription service in which for £15 per quarter you or your gift recipient will receive three pairs of socks or you can choose the yearly subscription which is £60. They come really nicely packaged and the box can easily fit through the letterbox so you don't have to worry about being home for the delivery. 

The socks in the box I have come in really modern and unique designs, I personally love the centre zebra head design the most but from the website their is a large range of designs that you could receive. I think it's a great idea for a gift as they're obviously useful and really well made but the designs are quite unique - also no more boring sock shopping! You can use the code OBANYEAR for 10% off a yearly subscription or OBANSUB for 10% off a quarterly subscription! 

Beauty gifts are always safe options as most people use beauty products daily anyway and I think these four offerings would be great for makeup lovers or anyone really! I haven't tried any of these brands until I received these products and I'm really happy with everything especially the lip balm!

*Dr Paw Paw Lip Balm (Original + Red Sparkle, £6.95)

I have seen this brand on twitter so many times but I haven't until now tried their famous lip balms. The balms are multi-use so you can use them as lip balms, cuticle balms or a general skin balm; I've been using them as a cuticle balm and lip balm. The original is really useful and I have been keeping it in my bag for on the go. The limited edition 'red sparkle' version has a very slight red tint as well as glitter for a festive touch (due to the glitter I'd only use it as a lip balm). They're really inexpensive and great as stocking fillers!

*Look Good Feel Better Makeup Sponge (£7.49)

I use my Beauty Blender so much for foundation and concealer application but I'm always happy to try new ones especially as the Beauty Blender is really expensive for what it is. This sponge is made by LGFB which is a worldwide cancer charity and between 8-12% of the price of the sponge will be donated. The sponge is fantastic for applying and blending my foundation.

*Magi Bobble (£2.95, pack of five)

I love giving practical presents and these would make a great stocking filler or as part of a beauty hamper! The bobbles are designed to tie your hair up in a ponytail or bun easily without snapping. I have the white ones from the new pastel collection but they have a range of hair colour or fun colour options to choose from.

Sticking with the theme of super cute but practical presents, these next few items are favourites of mine. The cute compact umbrellas are from Susino and I love the floral design of both as well as the small size. Umbrellas are a necessity in the UK as it is constantly raining, as I'm writing this it is currently raining (it's that fine rain that soaks you through, ten points to you if you know which British comedian said that!). 

*Susino Floral Filk Super Mini Umbrella (£14.99 each, white/black)

Both of these cute, floral umbrellas are perfect gifts for anyone and I know my mum would love the design and as she works in the primary school I went to, she'll use it so much! They're both made of lightweight fibreglass and aluminium with a wooden handle so they are light, portable and easy to travel with. Both look very colourful, fun and bright when opened to add some colour to the typical grey, dull and gloomy English weather! I can't recommend them enough and they'd make great practical gifts this Christmas. They offer next working day delivery on all orders made before 2pm - the last day for Christmas delivery is the 22nd. 

*Roger & Gallet Bois d'Orange Set (£6)

This adorable set contains a sample of the Bois d'Orange fragrance as well as the hand and nail cream which is amazing - I've tried a couple of their hand creams and I love them as they absorb quickly and have a gorgeous scent. The hand cream also don't irritate the eczema on my hands. I love the design of this little set and I think it would be perfect for beauty lovers, as a secret santa gift or as a stocking filler.

*Inspired Colouring Christmas Book

I was very kindly set this colouring book which came as a cute Christmas present via the Parragon 'blind date with a book' blogger programme. I love the packaging and it was so nice to receive a festive surprise package! I received a really cute coloring book as well as some wooden colouring pencils. The colouring book has so many fantastic festive themed pages and designs to colour in - it would make a great christmas gift! 

 *Essence Cosmetics 

Essence is one of my favourite makeup brands! I love their lipsticks, polishes, mascaras, liquid liner and cuticle oil. All of their products are extremely inexpensive so you could make a personalised makeup hamper or set of products for friends or family. I'd love Essence makeup and I think so many other would too; the products may be cheap but they're very effective! You can buy from the Wilkinsons website or in-store. 

What do you think of these affordable gift options? Have you finished your Christmas shopping? 

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Ultimate Stocking Fillers Gift Guide

This post is going to be a long post, so maybe grab a snack and a coffee! There are some amazing and gorgeous stocking fillers in this post, most are great for women and teens but there are also a few gifts for children, men, colleagues and secret santa recipients so hopefully there should be something for everyone, including a couple of cute personalised gifts. 

First up, one of the most seasonal gifts, the *Elegant Touch House Of Ho Ho Ho Christmas Nails (£8.99 each). I was kindly sent a few in various cute and festive designs including: Deck The Halls and Snow Globe, both of which are so pretty and christmassy. I think they'd make perfect gifts for teens and anyone interested in beauty. I was also sent the equally pretty *Elegant Touch Nails (£6.99) which are a slightly cheaper option but the designs are adorable - I have Polar Opposites and Let It Snow designs. I hear nothing but amazing things about this brand and their false nails so I can't wait try these in December. 

Chocolate is usually a really safe gift to choose for secret santas, colleagues, friends, neighbours...basically everyone, I'm also a fan of chocolate *wink wink*. Morse Toad (best brand name ever?) have a range of personalised greeting cards with chocolate in them as well as little stocking fillers. I was able to choose a couple of products and I chose the *Morse Toad 'Merry Xmas' Chocolate Christmas Card (£10.50) which comes really nicely packaged and has Merry Xmas in chocolate within the card. I chose the 'add your own image' option so I have an old photograph of myself and my best friends  from years ago so we can all cringe and share the chocolates! I also picked up the *Personalised Chocolate Stocking Filler (£2.75) and I opted for the 'Ho Ho Ho' message which would be great to add to a secret santa gift, as part of a foodie hamper or as a little christmas morning stocking filler. 

I love Green People skincare, I've tried a few products and I cannot recommend them enough if you have sensitive skin. They have brought out a few products where 15p from each Refresh Gift sold will go to support the work of the Butterfly Conservation, so not only do you get a little treat for yourself or a stocking filler for mums, aunties, friends or secret santa gifts but you are also contributing to charity! 

The packaging is gorgeous and I know that isn't everything but during the festive season, it's worth finding pretty gifts for friends and family. The *Green People Refresh Shower Gel (£5.50, 30ml) is 82% organic, it's a special edition product and it contains sweet orange, ginger, aloe leaf juice, amara flower water and more natural ingredients. There's also the *Green People Nourish Hand Cream (£6.50, 30ml) and it contains ho wood and red mandarin. I think hand cream is a really safe gift and it's always needed especially at this time of the year. Lastly, the *Green people Indulge Night Treat (£8.50, 30ml) which is an organic facial night cream that contains raspberry and apple. As I said, I cannot recommend Green People skincare enough! All three products are suitable of vegetarians and vegans *round of applause*. 

Now onto a couple of snacks, I've always had food as a stocking filler because opening christmas presents is hungry work! The snack of choice for my stocking fillers post are these moreish *Rocky Rice Bars which come in Chocolate, Strawberry an Orange flavours. I used to have these kinds of bars in school as a snack and I still love snacks like these. All three are so yummy, moreish and perfect as a snack and on the go. The chocolate is my favourite but the strawberry is great too! 

Burts Bees and Crabtree and Evelyn are two of my favourite brands when it comes to gifts and I've bought various sets and products from both brands for friends and family. First up, the *Crabtree and Evelyn Ultra-Moisturising Hand Therapy 'Feast For The Senses' Christmas Cracker (£6) which contains three mini hand creams in the scents: spiced earl grey, festive fig and rose pineapple. The Crabtree and Evelyn hand creams are fantastic and all three scents are amazing, especially the spiced earl grey hand cream. I love the Christmas cracker packaging, it's adorable and so festive. 

Next up is another gift that comes so beautifully packaged, the *Burt's Bees Treat From The Bees Set (£7.99) comes in a honey pot style glass jar with a metal handle - it could definitely be re-used for jewellery, mini soap or tea lights (it would be perfect for tea lights). The pot contains the vanilla lip balm, peppermint & vitamin E lip balm and their classic hand salve. I have the Burt's Bees Original Beeswax lip balm which I adore so I cannot recommend their lip balms enough. My mum, aunties, friends and cousins would love this little but luxe festive gift. 

Mini's are a fantastic option for stocking fillers as they are inexpensive but most brands have some minis, including more expensive or luxe brands such as Moroccan Oil. I've tried a few Moroccan Oil products including the amazing hair oil and I love these minis. The *Moroccan Oil Moisturise Repair Shampoo (£6.25, 70ml) and Conditioner (£6.75, 70ml) are perfect stocking fillers - I love their products, as they are perfect for my dry, frizzy hair and they smell AMAZING! I also couldn't recommend the Moroccan Oil dry shampoo enough too. 

Sticking with the haircare theme, the *Tangle Teezer Lulu Guinness Compact Styler (£13.50) which would be perfect for friends/family who love beauty/haircare or who have thick, long or tangle prone hair. Additionally this particular brush would be great for anyone who loves Lulu Guinness prints/designs - they have a lot of other designs to choose from including Hello Kitty. Another Tangle Teezer brush that would be a great, practical gift is the *Tangle Teezer Finishing Brush (£15) which I've been using constantly as it's amazing for taming frizz!

Toys and plushies would also be great for childrens stocking fillers or fans of the characters; there are so many to choose from including Marvel and comic book characters, Star Warz, Wizard of Oz and Christmas characters. They're from Hallmark but they can be purchased from Amazon. I have the *Batman Itty Bitty (£6), *Scooby Doo Itty Bitty (£5.99) and the *Snoopy Itty Bitty (£6). They are all so adorable, soft and utterly cute! 

They next few gifts would be ideal for work colleagues, secret santa gifts or stocking fillers! Let's start with some gorgeous stationary from Flying Tiger Copenhagen; I have a few items from them and they're fantastic as is the price. They have so many fantastic little gifts including the *Ballpoint Pen and Propelling Pencil Set (£2), Gold Triangle Paper Clips (£1 for 30) and a cute Leather-Look Notebook (£2), all of which would be perfect for work colleagues or any students in your life. 

Next up, a foodie gift! As well as socks, gift cards, bath products and chocolate, foodie gifts are a really safe bet. The *English Provender Sweet Tomato & Chilli Chutney (£1.90, 325g) and the *English Provender Apple, Pear & Fig Chutney (£1.90, 325g), would be great Christmas stocking fillers or as part of a hamper - they're really inexpensive too. 

The final two items are two of my favourites as they're so pretty, for different reasons but they would both make lovely gifts. I am constantly making lists, especially to-do lists and this *Busy B List Pad (£7.99) is perfect; I adore the design and I know I will get so much use out of it and if you know any stationery lovers or list makers then I'm sure they will too. 

The final item in my stocking fillers gift guide is the *POP Book (£5.99) which is an app created by Fujifilm, whereby you can create a photo book using Instagram, Facebook or the photos on your phone. The app is really easy to use although for me it did crash a few times and I kept having to start over again but that might just have been my internet. The book is really well made and it's 10cm by 10cm, so it's a great pocket/stocking filler size. I filled mine with photos from our trip to London and the Harry Potter studios in August. It would make a lovely gift for anyone! 

Phew, there are all of my stocking filler gift ideas and I couldn't recommend them enough especially the Burt's Bees Pot, POP Book, Itty Bitty Plushies, Tangle Teezers (not even for a present, just for yourself!) and well...just everything in this post! Thank you so much to all of the incredibly lovely brands for the wonderful gifts! 

What do you think of my stocking filler gift ideas? Have you done your Christmas shopping yet? 

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Unique Gift Ideas Ft. PrezzyBox

I love to give gifts, the more unique the better and I love to receive unique and special gifts *who doesn't*. PrezzyBox has a fantastic range of gifts and I was very kindly sent a couple that are really unique and would be great gifts!

Firstly, a great gift for foodies and green fingered friends, the *Indoor Allotment (£24.95) which is the cutest storage/herb garden. It comes with three plant pots and trays, instructions, soil pellets, scissors and oregano, basil and coriander seeds. I use fresh herbs pretty much everyday as does my dad so this is perfect. We usually buy those packets of fresh herbs but they never last so growing our own seems like the solution.

I love the design, it has a cute white picket fence which hides most of the ugly plant pots and it has an adorable little shed on one side - the door opens and you can keep the seed packets, instructions and scissors in there so there is no mess! I've planted the seeds and yes, it was a bit messy but I can't wait for them to grow so I can use the herbs. 

Sticking with the food theme, I also received the *Personalised Bistro Slate Sign (£11.95, SALE) which is something I've wanted for ages and to make it even better, it is personalised! It's a heavy and gorgeous slate sign that you can hang up in your kitchen and write notes, messages or a menu on in chalk.

I know that we'll get so much use out of this sign as we are always having friends and family over and it will make a cute and practical kitchen decor item/gift. It's hand cut so no two are the same and it also has flecks of fools gold in it too which add some subtle sparkle.

What do you think of these gifts? Have you bought from Prezzybox? 

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Gift Ideas: Keith Brymer Jones Mugs

I have quite a few family and friends birthdays coming up, not to mention that mine is fast approaching *I'm already dreading august when I turn 24, I'll have to fully adult and I don't know how to do that!*. I love buying gifts for other people, apart from my dad as he is the worst person I know to buy for.

I'm a little addicted to buying mugs and obviously I want to share that addiction with others, so mugs are always a valid and safe gift option; so these are just perfect and they appeal to my love of minimal design. I have the *Keith Brymer Jones His and Hers Mug Set (£20) from The Hut. They also have a Mr and Mrs mug set as well as other gorgeous homeware items!

The mugs are made of porcelain, they are dishwasher and microwave safe and they have a capacity of 380ml. The mugs have 'his' and 'her's on the front which I love - it is simplistic but I love the design; also because it is so minimal, it will be a safe gift. The mugs are quite short but they hold more than an average mug and they're nice to hold. I think they would make lovely gift for couples or as part of a wedding gift! Overall rating: ★★★★★, 5/5.

What do you think of these mugs? Have you bought anything from The Hut? 

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Mother's Day: Posh Canvas

Mother's Day is almost here and I think some of the most valuable and special presents you can give are personalised gifts. I love giving and also receiving personalised gifts and I know my mum does too so when Posh Canvas asked if I wanted to review one of their canvases, I couldn't say no.

I chose the *Posh Canvas House and Heart Personalised Family Canvas (£25) in the grey and white colour scheme but if you don't like this one, there are two other colour options. The canvas size I chose is A4 but again there are numerous sizes to choose from.

The canvas arrived very quickly and I was surprised at the quality - the canvas feels very durable and sturdy which I wasn't fully expecting especially as I haven't ever ordered anything like this before - I expected it to be fairly flimsy and thinner. I love the design, it is minimal *which you know I love* and I love the layout. I think my mum will absolutely love this canvas when she opens it on Mother's Day as she won't be expecting anything like this. The canvas will look great in our kitchen or hallway, particularly as it is quite neutral and simple so it matches our decor.

Overall, I'm really happy with the canvas and I think it would make such an amazing and memorable gift for Mother's Day, birthdays or anniversaries. The quality is fantastic and I love the design. There are lots of other canvases to choose from and I also really liked the family tree style canvas available on the website. The canvas doesn't have a hanging point on the back *whatever it's called* but you could buy one or the canvas would love great on a bookshelf or sideboard too. Overall rating: ★★★★★, 5/5.

What do you think of this canvas? Will you be giving any personalised gifts this Mother's Day? 

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Quirky Gift Ideas With Flamingo Gifts

When it comes to gift giving some of the best and most exciting gifts I have received have been a bit on the quirky, unique side. I also love to give gifts that are a bit different, unique and something that the recipient probably wouldn't have or expect. I was kindly sent a few quirky and cute gifts from the lovely people at Flamingo Gifts. 

Firstly, we have a gift idea for all the stationary nerds out there *you know who you are, the people with 12 notebooks along with the need to buy more*. I have the *Happy Jackson London A5 (£7.99), this notebook is currently out of stock on the website but there are other Happy Jackson notebooks to choose from. I love the cute but simplistic design and the text on the front which reads 'Great Ideas, Cunning Plans' which I think would be a great, unisex gift. 

Another gift idea from the Happy Jackson range is the *Happy Jackson Instant Genius Glasses Case (£8.99) which again has the same bright, simple design as all the other cute Happy Jackson products have. I personally love this case and I think it will last a long time because it is a hard case and it feels really durable. The inside lining is bright yellow so the notebook and glasses case would be a great gift combo. I think this case would be a great fathers day gift (yes, I am super organised and early on it this year). 

Last but not least, the *Bring On The Bake Off Mug (£8) which I have to say is one of my favourite mugs on their website. Myself, my mum, my sister, my aunties, cousins and most of my friends are massive fans of baking and the tv show The Great British Bake Off so this would be the perfect mug for SO many people! The design is clearly printed on both sides of the mug and it just looks so darn cute!

Overall, I love the products I was kindly sent and I think they are great, unique unisex gifts! There are so many products to choose from on the Flamingo Gifts website - you will find something for everyone from cupcake flavoured toothpaste, jewellery holders, bacon soap, candles, jewellery, books, cushions, greetings cards, baking accessories and even breaking bad theme bath products as well as many many more gift ideas! I want one of the Pyro Pet Candles, I haven't seen anything like them before. Flamingo Gifts have 1p first class delivery on all orders, how amazing is that!!

I have quite a few birthdays and events coming up over the next two months as well as fathers day; here is my Flamingo Gifts wish list & other gift ideas:

Have you bought anything from Flamingo Gifts? What do you think of my gift ideas?

*I've just reached 2,000 followers on Bloglovin, thank you so much*

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