Gift guides are awesome. I love a good gift guide. But one of the problems I encounter with gift guides is that they aren't always Canadian-friendly. Either the products don't ship to Canada, or the shipping to Canada is totally insane, or the prices are totally wonked once you figure out the currency exchange.
So here's a gift guide for those last minute items you need to pick up. They are all gifts I have either given to other people (not necessarily this year so don't think you are getting a sneak peek if you are on my list) or have purchased for myself. What? I give excellent gifts to myself!
Bonus? All these gifts clock in under $25 Canadian.
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1. L'Occitane Shea Butter Holiday Ornament Four-Piece Set, $14 at The Bay. My friends looooovveee L'Occtiane hand cream. It's a little bit spendy for the size of the product you get, which is what makes it a great gift. It's one of those little luxuries we don't always purchase for ourselves.
2. Nails Inc. 45 Second Top Coat with Kensington Caviar, $17 at Sephora. I received a sample of this with a Sephora order and had to go back and buy myself a full version. I paint my own nails (be it ever so poorly) and I was really impressed with how much longer my polish lasted with this top coat and it really does dry quickly. Though I do warn you it's very stinky while you are apply it.
3. DAVIDsTEA Letters to Santa Gift Set, $10 at DAVIDsTEA. I'm a big fan of DAVIDsTEA and often gift their teas and mugs as gifts. I think the Letters To Santa Gift Set, which includes three seasonal teas—Hot Chocolate, Gingerbread Cookie, and Santa’s Secret—is super cute. If you don't know what your person likes, try their Top Three Box. I personally buy two of those three teas regularly.
4. Lush's The Comforter Shower Gel, $18.95 for 250ml at Lush. I bought The Comforter for myself on a whim and I love it. (I kind of like cassis everything.) If sweet, fruity fragrances are your thing, you'll love this. It's fun and light and the shockingly bright pink colour totally makes me happy, too.
5. Fascinations Metal Earth Apollo Lunar Module 3d Model, $14.99 at Mastermind Toys. The Metal Earth models are something I've bought for several of the men in my life and they all love them. They are also something I'd personally love to receive. You can get everything from the Eiffel Tower to the Millennium Falcon. If there is a specific model you are seeking, you might want to order online. When I was out shopping for Christmas goodies I noticed some models were really hard to find in-store.
6. Voluspa Petite Decorative Tin Candle, $10 at Chapters/Indigo. I love Voluspa candles. The have pretty containers, burn beautifully and have lovely scents. I personally love the Santiago Huckleberry scent both for myself and when gifting. I tend to stay away from floral scents while gifting because I personally find they aggravate me whereas lighter fruitier scents don't seem to. (I also stay away from vanilla but that's a personal preference, highly influenced by the awful vanilla perfumes we all wore in the 1990s.) If you prefer glass jars to metal tins, you can opt for the Voluspa small glass jar candles for $13.
7. yurbuds Inspire 100 In-Ear Headphones, $24.99 at BestBuy. I am just squeaking this on in under my $25 limit. I have a pair of yurbuds and they are my absolutely favourite for running. Note that these headphones are NOT noise-cancelling, which is exactly when you need when you run outside like I do. I also need headphones to be be comfortable and not fall out and yurbuds work for me on both fronts. These are not the exact model I have—the model I have is slightly more expensive and has a built-in mic—but these are great option.
Happy shopping!
