How To Give Better Gifts + A Giveaway Worth over €150 (ft. Urban Decay, Urban Outfitters, Primark and more)

Giving gifts can be tricky. I know a lot of people who hate it and genuinely buckle under the pressure of it. I've seen it damage relationships.

But that's not how things should be.

Gifting is one of my great joys in life. I love spending time, thinking and focusing on people I care about, one by one, and trying to find something that they will love. I don't always spend a lot of money and I don't always buy something at all. Hell, I don't even always get it entirely right but I do think that my gifts, generally, show people that I know them well and that I really thought about and considered them.

As so many struggle with finding the right thing, I thought I'd share some of my tips for getting better gifts, rather than giving specific gift ideas that might not apply at all.

1. Think about the person

I know, I know. This seems so obvious, right? But I don't mean think about them like: "Oh, she's a woman. All women like perfume, right?" (NOTE: Perfume/cologne is never a good idea unless you know the person's favourite scent) or "He likes Star Wars, I'll buy him this Chewbacca mug" (NOTE II: If someone is really a fanatic and they don't have a house full of mugs, this is, actually, a good idea. See below for more discussion on these two examples).

When I say "think about them", I mean think about conversations you've had. Think about things they've said they really wanted or things they keep meaning to get for themselves or little indulgences they can't justify. For example, my friend once bought me a fancy candle for my birthday and I was really touched by it. He'd been around when his girlfriend (my BFF) and I had been discussing our love for the candles and how we couldn't buy them regularly because they were too damn expensive and, when he was buying her one as a treat, he picked one up for me as well. Similarly, I've been talking about buying a hair curler for years, but never got around to it. This year, my sister bought me one for my birthday as a surprise and I was genuinely delighted when I opened it.


2. Do some recon

If you can't think of anything from conversations you've had, can't remember any childhood game they've mentioned or book they keep saying they want to read, go find out. Subtly probe for info or merely pay more attention when you hang out. Or ask people close to them who might know. I always check in with the aforementioned friend when buying for my bestie to make sure she doesn't have things or isn't getting them from someone else. Make use of your sources!


3. Practical gifts aren't boring

Remember the example about the perfume? It's a dangerous gift if you don't know what the person likes but, if you happen to know their favourite one and that they might be running out soon, it is a super useful and thoughtful gift! Similarly, if someone has been complaining that someone in work nicked their mug and you know that they love Chewie, get them that mug!

Practical gifts aren't boring. It is so nice to receive a pricey skincare item that you always repurchase or a new kettle if yours is dying slowly. It means the person pays attention to you, your life and woes, and it saves you having to do it! However, know your audience. You don't want to be one of those cliches that gives someone a vacuum and ends up out on their arse outside on Christmas day. Conversely, if someone has always wanted a Dyson (pricey feckers) and loves to vacuum, it might be the perfect gift. It always depends on the person!


4. Time is the best gift

I always say that getting things isn't always necessary. A voucher to go to the spa together or afternoon tea or the cinema or a gig is a lovely gift. It can be customised to their interests - if they're a foodie, have been dying for the release of a new film, love a band, need a day to relax etc - and it ensures that you get one-on-one, quality time together. Basically, it's two gifts in one!


5. Be sincere (+ always accompany gifts with hand-written notes)

Some of the best things that I have given and received have been the notes that came with things (extra points if they're handmade as well as handwritten). Loving words mean a lot and can be things of great comfort to have around for lonely nights or hard days. Shiny baubles don't do the same for us.

If you're really trying your best, that comes across to most people. Just really consider the person that you are giving a gift to, try and get them something they'd really like, and you'll be alright. It doesn't have to be big or expensive. Wrap it nicely, accompany it with heartfelt words and tell them that they matter to you...


Speaking of which, you guys really matter to me! And I wanted to do a giveaway to thank y'all for reading my stuff throughout the year. Normally, I do "12 Days of Giftmas" or "5 Golden Gifts" with multiple giveaways but my November this year was crazy and those things involve a lot of work. I usually liaise with brands for weeks and weeks and email back and forth loads in advance to organise it. And then there's the photographing, writing and promoting each of those posts and the running and regulating of each of the giveaways. I'm sorry for not being organised enough to do all of that this year but I didn't want to do nothing either. So, instead, I have this one giveaway but it's a good 'un!


Worth over €150, it includes:
A €50 Primark Voucher
A Clarins Beautiful Lip Essentials Gift Set
A Madison Makeup Contour Palette
An Urban Outfitters baseball cap (similar here)
An Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
A Pixi Hydrating Milky Mist
A Sleek Brow Kit (in the shade Light)
A Flormar Long Wearing Lipgloss (in the shade Backstage)
A mini Sumita Eye-liner Pencil (in the shade Black)
A pair of Pieces faux pearl stud earrings
A pair of Kurt Cobain style oval sunglasses (similar here)
A travel-size bottle of Oil Arganic dry oil from Tan Organic

























To win all of this, simply leave a comment on any of the social media posts promoting this article (Instagram & Facebook) before the 24th of December 2017. The winner will be chosen at random and notified on the 25th of December 2017 and the prize will be sent out shortly thereafter. Sadly, this is giveaway will only open to readers based in mind, so keep this in mind before entering. Good luck and happy holidays!

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Worth the Hype - Current Makeup Favourites

Being home has meant little overheads and much accumulation. Said accumulation has produced some new makeup favourites and some serious revelations. Makeup is as seasonal as clothes amd  I'll post on my Summer cosmetics routine soon as the weather recently has been so unbelievably warm and face-melty that it's entirely relevant. But, for now, I just wanna talk about new things for Summer that I've been trying and loving. 

(And just so y'all know - anything marked like so * has been sent to me - this is something I'll be more conscious of doing from now on)

Scent.

Chupa Chups Love Trap - Mam randomly picked this up for me as it reminds her of perfumes I wore as a teen. It's quite like Anna Sui perfumes or Touch of Pink by Lacoste. Sweet, floral, girly, light. Really a perfect summer day smell and, surprisingly, a nice slightly more mature version of those higher end scents.

Skin.

Maxfactor Facefinity Primer * - I'd been rotating between using the Porefessional and Aloe Vera as my go-to primers up until now. The Porefessional is lovely to apply but doesn't extend the wear of my makeup overly and the Aloe Vera really suits breakout days and minimal makeup days better. But this is the perfect everyday, longwear primer. It applies smoothly and the formula is quite soothing to the skin. I love that it has a pump to make application ultra-easy and the SPF is always a bonus for me.

Dermalogica Sheer Tint - As a general rule, I only wear BB creams. I just don't want too much coverage or to feel or look as though I'm caked in makeup. I find that even tinted moisturisers look too thickly applied to my eye on my skin. Another general rule for me is that higher end bases are too heavy and I rely entirely on drugstore brands generally. This, however, is a large exception to those rules. The colour match is great and it gives me enough coverage to even out my skin tone without feeling uncomfortable on the skin or covering my freckles.

Shiseido The Makeup Concealer - I'd been searching for a new concealer for a while. In summer, if I'm wearing makeup at all, I tend to just apply a little BB cream as a concealer instead. Then I fell for Mam's Clarins concealer and what it did for my under-eye area. After coveting that for some time, she handed this to me. I love Shiseido as a brand - the sleek, slightly dodgy packaging and all. This concealer is exactly enough coverage. If I feel I need to wear at least a little makeup to something - a little of this, brows and mascara and I'm ready to go. It's great for both blemishes and under-eye and doesn't crease or flake as it's super-moisturising.

Rimmel Match Perfection Silky Loose Face Powder - All that needs to be said here is that this needs no topping up and looks as though you're wearing no powder at all - it competes easily with much more expensive, finely milled powders.

Eyes.

Clinique High Impact Mascara - For me, I rarely use dramatic, clumpy mascaras. I just want to give my natural lashes a boost but look as though I've barely touched them. This is great for that and it doesn't run all over the place despite watery, hayfever-prone eyes.

Sleek i-Divine Bad Girl Palette - These colours are so great. There's a neutral end for light Summer day looks and the purple, blues and greens are awesome for colourful night looks. The rich lighter green is a dupe for a Chanel shade in a quad they had out for this Summer except better. Yeah, you heard me. Better. It's more pigmented and applies the way you wish the Chanel would. The applicator that comes with it is utter shite, however, so bring a brush along if you plan on using the palette.

Benefit They're Real! Push-up Liner - I was wary of this product. Wary it couldn't be that good. But it's easy to use, dries slow enough to fix if mistakes are made and stays in place enough when dry not to do that annoying transferal to crease of the eyelid thing. Thank God. Note: In extreme heat as the other day, it moves a little but melted less than the rest of my face.

Brows.

Billion Dollar Brows Hint of Tint Gel and Brow Gel * - I'll definitely be writing on raising your brow game soon but for now, note that these guys rock. I use the hint of tint alone for minimal makeup days or to finish more dramatic already filled-in, bushy brow looks and the clear gel for looks somewhere in the middle. Neither do that horrible crispy thing and the mascara-like applicators are great for precision. Much love.

Lips.

Eve Lom Kiss Mix - Very expensive? Yes. Worth it? Totes. At €20, it's about four times the amount of lip balms I normally buy but it works so well and it's so sleek and luxurious looking. And I LOVE how it feels. Handbag staple.

Etude House Etoinette Crystal Shine Lips - The cutest thing ever? Hells YEAH! The nicest nude-pink shade? Definitely. But mostly...SO CUTE. I just look at it sometimes.

So, have you guys tried any of the above? Do you want to?