It's that time of the year again when you're looking at your loved ones thinking...
So it's just as well Caitlin McBride was in studio with Neil with her gift guide to sort your Christmas out!
For men...
- Hennessy have three gorgeous limited edition gift sets and I’m sold alone on the packaging. The first one starts at €36.50, and it goes up to a more premium set for €151, which is qualified as “extra old” because it went through the ageing process. Alternatively, Bushmills have a tumbler gift set – another idea is actually going to visit the Bushmill’s Distillery in Antrim.
- If they are into clothes, vouchers always win. There’s this idea that vouchers are impersonal, but really they just give someone the freedom to get whatever with they want without pressure. Try somewhere like Mr Porter, which has a wide range of brands. For a bigger spend, Louis Copeland have a ‘Made to Measure’ shirt box available, where you create and purchase a custom made shirt for €249.
- For grooming, there’s a new men’s grooming brand called Marram & Co that have just launched – they’re expensive, but I’m all about supporting Irish! The razor alone is €175 and the gift set is €250 BUT you can get the shaving creams for just €8.
For women...
- You would have to be brave for this, but if you know what time of makeup the woman in your life likes, it’s a great surprise. Urban Decay have just launched a 4Some Vault with all four Naked palettes, so it’s the big one this Christmas. It’s not cheap, it’s €137 but it’s a must-have for a makeup lover.
- HUDA Beauty just launched in Ireland (BT), so did Fenty and Hourglass (Harvey Nichols). GHD have launched a new curling product which is unreal, it costs €149
- LanaiBlo is a new, Irish-owned hairdryer company, you can personalise it with your name and it comes in different colours.
- The ‘it’ bags this year have all been Gucci and yes, they’re very pretty but they’re very, very expensive and too trendy so you won’t get the forever-wear out of it. Maybe invest in a nice wallet. And don’t be afraid of visiting a designer swap shop – you’d be surprised at the finds. The Designer Exchange on Dawson Street is amazing and they do over the phone payment if you’re outside Dublin.
- Aspinal of London have a beautiful selection of leather goods which can be personalised: cardholders at €65 or passport holders for €70.
- JUVI have a beautiful selection of jewellery, ranging in prices from 50; MoMuse have costume jewellery and fine jewellery, Merle O’Grady has relaunched –all less than €100.
But what should you absolutely avoid? For women, nothing to do with the house. And for men, try to avoid socks – unless he specifically asked!
And if you're on a budget? Dealz has amazing prices with chocolates and sweets so you can get a bunch of stocking fillers for less than €10. TK Maxx always have some form of a clearance on across books, clothing, etc.
