Whether you’re buying for your mum, girlfriend, wife, daughter, sister or best friend, it can be a nightmare trying to find something that she’ll love – and won’t get from someone else.
To take some of the stress out of Christmas shopping and to avoid buying her another beauty gift set, I spent hours walking around the shops to find a selection of unique gifts to treat the women in your life and show them you care.
I chose a range of things for under £30, because you don’t need to spend hundreds to treat someone this Christmas. It’s the thought that counts – although a lovely gift is also welcome, of course. Luckily, I’ve done that hard work for you. Here are my choices.
Over the rainbow
Lift her spirits with this bright rainbow jumper. It’s super soft and finishes just above the hips - perfect to be worn with jeans or loosely tucked into a skirt. I love the red stripe detail on the arm and that every colour of the rainbow is made of a different texture from sequins to colourful cotton thread.
Drop shoulder sweater, sizes 8-22, Next, £28
Jungle is massive
Animal print is big this season. But while others are reaching for leopard, this gorgeous zebra bag is something a little different but still on trend – plus it will look great with leopard print clothes. It might be described as a coin purse, but this is definitely big enough for a phone, card holder, keys and a few makeup bits on a night out. It’s leather and suede, which makes it an absolute steal.
Dimensions: L14cm x W19cm x D1cm
Zena Zebra large leather coin purse, Accessorize, £17
Snuggle up
The ideal dressing gown is one that keeps you cosy, while not making you overheat like a pig in a blanket. This hot pink waffle one is soft enough to keep you warm, but light enough so you won’t be left you gasping for air. The pockets are big enough to hold a phone or a sneaky mince pie and I just love the colour. Did I mention how soft it is?
Double up and get the matching slippers too for just £9.
Textured dressing gown, sizes 6-22, Next, £20-22
Velvet touch
There’s a reason this hand cream is legendary. The lush smell of mandarin and lavender, with hints of cedar wood and rosemary, billows out of the tube and lasts for hours, as does the silky smooth finish of the moisturiser. It’s no wonder it features in our list of top five hand creams.
At £19, it’s definitely more of a treat than something you would pick up in a dry hand emergency. But it’s a lot cheaper than a lot of the Aesop products on offer – affordable luxury, dare I say. And a real treat to find under the Christmas tree.
Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm, Aesop, £19
Cook up a storm
Following her best-selling Flavour Thesaurus – in which she guided readers through fascinating food combinations you encouraged you to experiment with bold flavour combinations – Niki Segnit is back with a new cookbook to break the mould (again). This time she’s focussing on method, rather than flavour.
Ideal for someone keen to take their culinary skills to the next level, Segnit’s highly-anticipated return shows readers how to create their own recipes. She explores how dishes around the world are connected by simply tweaking recipes. It has been widely praised by professional chefs and has a glowing foreword by Yotam Ottolenghi.
Niki Segnit, Lateral Cooking, Amazon, £20
Leather look
These aren’t just any gloves, these are M&S gloves. Personally, I think leather gloves are much warmer than wool ones and they age really well – a battered leather glove looks better than a brand new one.
These gloves are available in a range of bright colours, but I’m sold on this blue. Navy still goes with everything that black does, but let’s face it: it’s a much better colour for accessories.
Leather gloves, Marks & Spencer, £17.50
Get lippy
Nobody argues with Mac when it comes to a good red lippy and this gift set offers the full works in sumptuous shades: a velvet matte lipstick in Blazing Yule, lipglass in Pom Date and a lip pencil in Cherry.
In terms of value for money, this is a steal: the lipstick would normally cost £17.50 and lipgloss is £15.50, and you get a lip liner (usually £14) and a makeup bag thrown in, too.
Shiny Pretty Things Lip Goody Bag, MAC, £29
Mirror mirror
Confession: I love giving a gift that looks much more expensive than it actually was. This round mirror, with a marble base and mother of pearl diamond shapes, certainly fits the bill.
It’s unique, yet elegant and it’s deceptively heavy, heavy like expensive things always are. I think it’d look good almost anywhere – whether on a dressing table, bookshelf or even a bathroom.
Dimensions: H20 x W18 x D6.5 cm
Round Mirror on Marble, John Lewis, £30
Book worm
Make Christmas count by gifting this best-selling anthology of powerful essays by women, for women. Edited by period poverty campaigner Scarlett Curtis, it includes words from some of the most prominent and important voices of today – from Liv Little, the founder of gal-dem, an online and print magazine run by women of colour, to Charlie Craggs, a trans activist and founder of award-winning campaign Nail Transphobia.
Feminists Don’t Wear Pink, Waterstones, £9.99
Best foot forward
A pair of trainers for under £30? You bet. These slip ons are not only trendy AF, but very comfortable. They’re also wipe clean – meaning they should last for a while, even if they get splashed with some mulled wine.
Stone leopard print canvas slip on trainers, New Look, £17.99
We all work hard to earn our money – so it shouldn’t feel like hard work to spend it well. At HuffPost Finds we’ll help you find the best stuff that deserves your cash, from the ultimate lipstick to a durable iron to replace the one that broke (RIP). All our choices are completely independent but we may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase.