Christmas Gift Guide: Gifts for HER

Blog

Published on Wednesday, 19 December 2012 13:43

Last Updated on 19 December 2012

Monica Costa

0 Comments

Look no further for unique Christmas Gifts. This guide is brought to you by London Mums’ panel of testers! There is something for every taste and for every pocket.

PARTY DRESSES

GADGETS

Speck CandyShell Satin Case for iPhone 4S/4 It looks very smart and it comes in very cool colours. You can choose from 18 different colours. The bright blue looks fantastic. It’s not just a good looking product but it has a dual-layer protection, a hard outer shell and a soft, rubbery, shock-absorbent centre, that ensures your iphone will never break even when children handle it. It retails for £30 but it looks like a million dollar phone case. All mums attending our annual Christmas party in London received one and absolutely loved it!

PARTY GLAMOUR

Justin Bieber perfume

I am not ashamed to say that I love Justin Bieber. He’s a handsome young man and very clever indeed. I never thought he could be involved in making a successful perfume for women… I am very peculiar about perfumes and have been using the same brands all my life. Well, until now as I have found this great new smell that seems perfect for me as a 42 year old yummy mummy 🙂 The bottle and the packaging is incredible and almost as good as the perfume. We got it from Escentual.com

Burberry Prorsum, Dr.Lipp & red hot SS13 lips!

Celebrity make-up artist, Mary Wiles has said that how she used Dr.Lipp’s ‘Original Nipple Balm for Lips’ to prep and prime the lips before applying Burberry’s Lip Velvet Lipstick in Siren Red at their SS13 show.

RRP £11.50 – 15ml Available at Space NK nationwide!

Champneys Gift Set Spa Indulgence Exotic Retreat Collection

RRP £12.00 Best smelling and delicate bath cosmetic we have ever tested! You will impress HER with this gift for only £11.00. It’s available at www.boots.com

4711 Original Eau De Cologne Gift Set

A real classic smell that will never tire! I love it and my mum really loved it too! RRP £11.00 (a real bargain if you ask me!) available at Boots online.

RETRO STYLED COSMETIC

If you are as passionate as I am for RETRO stuff then the perfect gift for this Xmas has to be the new retro styled cosmetic and lifestyle range, Bev Ridge and Friends.
The range is available from Debenhams, House of Fraser, Heal’s and Urban Outfitters. The products are really fantastic and the retro boxes are collectables in their own right.

CASUALWEAR

BAMBOO SCARF BLACK WITH FIRE TIE DYE

This is one of the best scarfs I have come across in years. It’s ideal for mums in particular non just because of its elegant and contemporary style but more importantly because its generous size (110cm x 220cm) allows you to use it at the end of a yoga class (during relaxation), Pilates & travel, as well as holidays, the school run, running around town and relaxing at home. It is made in soft and sustainably produced fabrics (we love the green element!). This model is lovely also because it’s a LIMITED EDITION (great for Xmas) and embellished with a discreet row of Swarovski crystal, the Asquith signature. RRP £42.00 by Asquith London

BUDGET STOCKING FILLERS

Strictly Come Dancing Ballroom Beauty EDT Spray

Glam perfume but affordable. Really amazing for just RRP £12.99 Available from Avon.

Gardeners’ World Hand Care Kit

After Garden Hand Care Kit. Restore your hands after a hard day in the garden. Set contains: Hand wash 50ml, hand lotion 50ml and nailbrush. RRP £8.00 Available from the www.bbcshop.com

COOKERY BOOKS

Here is a selection of our favourite new cookery books,

Eat Like an Italian Cookery book

This book would make an amazing xmas gift to any woman who loves cooking. TV chef and award-winning author and proprietor of Ballyknocken House and Cookery School, Catherine Fulvio, shows how to embrace ‘la dolce vita’ in no time, even in rainy UK! Catherine herself has embraced some Italian mantra’s:

Stay slim like an Italian: ‘Stop when you are full’ is a well-known Italian mantra and key to their status as one of the slimmest nations in Europe. Carbs, cheese and glugs of olive oil are all relished– but in moderation!

Work like an Italian: Drop everything for an impromptu trip to the local café with colleagues and never discuss work over lunch!

Shop like an Italian: Italians often shop twice a day for fresh, local produce for lunch and dinner, and use the opportunity to socialise with their neighbours.

Exercise like an Italian: Incorporate your daily exercise into mealtimes. The tradition is to put on your Sunday best and ‘promenade’ around town after a seven-course Sunday lunch.

Catherine is also cookery tutor and proprietor of Ballyknocken House & Cookery School in County Wicklow in Ireland and is married to an Italian!. Eat Like An Italian was published on 23 October 2012 in the UK, RRP £19.99 and includes amazing illustrations of well prepared authentic Italian food.

tibits at home: stylish vegetarian cuisine

Make meat-free magnificent! One of the UK’s leading vegetarian restaurants and London Mums’ personal favourite one has just launched its own cookery book. tibits is the hugely popular group of Swiss-based vegetarian restaurants, offering a range of fresh, healthy and delicious vegetarian dishes. Based in the fashionable Heddon Street Food Quarter, off Regent Street, London, W1, the flagship UK restaurant has received rave reviews since opening in 2008.

tibits at home: stylish vegetarian cuisine is a sumptuous cookbook, split into four seasonal sections, containing 50 recipes that will delight all loyal tibits fans, as well as those who are new to the brand. 80 per cent of tibits’ menu is vegan and many of the recipes in the book are also vegan – good news for the rapidly increasing number of vegans in the UK. In addition, many recipes cater for those on gluten-free and nut-free diets.
The mouth-watering recipes include: Leek and Quinoa Soup, Apple and Ginger Salad with Tofu, Vegetable Jambalaya, Coconut Chocolate Pudding and tibits’ famous Ginger Lemon Punch.

THE ASK ITALIAN COOKBOOK

Food experts at ASK Italian restaurants have revealed some of their own favourite recipes in a new cookbook which will raise vital funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Edited by prize-winning food writer Carla Capalbo with special recipes from TV chef and Italian cooking expert Theo Randall, the ASK Italian Cookbook contains over 100 authentic recipes that will inspire the reader to cook Italian food with confidence.

From hand-made fettuccine to perfect risottos and indulgent desserts, the book contains some of the most popular dishes from the ASK Italian menu. It also features personal recipes from ASK Italian’s suppliers in Italy, from Theo Randall and Carla Capalbo, and from members of the ASK Italian team. Adrian Garforth MW (Master of Wine) has offered Italian wine matching tips to accompany the food.

The book also includes anecdotes about Italian food from celebrity friends of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity including Dame Helen Mirren, Claudia Winkleman, Ronni Ancona, Flavia Cacace and Gino D’Campo.

The ASK Italian Cookbook edited by Carla Capalbo with special recipes by Theo Randall, can be purchased from ASK Italian restaurants for £10. £4 from each sale will go to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and help fund the dining rooms, play areas and kitchen within the hospital’s new Surgery Centre, due to open in 2016. The book will be available from 20 November 2012.

The book can also be purchased from bookshops and other third party retailers with a minimum of £1 going towards the charity.

A DISH FOR A WISH

Gordon Ramsay, Gino D’Acampo, Michel Roux Jnr, Delia Smith, Gwyneth Paltrow, Carol Vorderman, Myleene Klass, Christine Bleakley, Lisa Snowdon, One Direction and JLS are amongst the chefs and celebrities who have contributed to Rays of Sunshine’s new celebrity cookbook, A Dish for a Wish.

The foreword is by leading patisserie chef Lorraine Pascale who said:
“I am proud to be an ambassador for Rays of Sunshine. Being involved has given me firsthand experience of the wonderful work the charity does every day Whether a child wants to go on a family holiday, visit Disneyworld, own an iPad, be a car park attendant or meet a favourite celebrity, Rays of Sunshine works hard to make that wish come true. Every recipe in A Dish for a Wish has been donated with love by some of the UK’s best loved celebrities and chefs; I hope the book will brighten up your kitchen, as every copy sold will help to brighten up the life of a seriously ill child in the UK.”

A Dish for a Wish is available to buy from: www.raysofsunshine.org.uk £20 (plus postage and packing)
All proceeds go to Rays of Sunshine.

DVDs

‘WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING: THE WORKOUT’ DVD

The pregnancy workout based on Heidi Murkoff’s best-selling pregnancy guide; WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING!
Stay fit & firm throughout your pregnancy with cardio, stretch, and strength workouts… YOU’VE probably WATCHED THE SMASH HIT COMEDY STARRING CAMERON DIAZ AND JENNIFER LOPEZ -NOW STAYING FIT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER! What To Expect When You’re Expecting: The Workout is the ultimate pregnancy exercise programme designed to help you fit fitness into all nine months of your pregnancy and is out for the first time on DVD 26th December (RRP £17.99).

With six 10-minute mix-and-match routines, you can customise your workout to fit your fitness level, your mood and your growing body from day to day, week to week and trimester to trimester. Workouts include: 3x Cardio, 2x Strength and 1x Stretch & Relax – plus bonus workouts you can do anywhere, anytime. RRP: £17.99

BUDGET PRESSIES

Aldi has really amazing value for money gifts. Check these Ladies Boot Slippers at £4.99, per pair. They are really comfy and for less than a fiver you can’t really beat it, even if this is not your style 🙂 This is a Special Buy product available in store from 13th December 2012 while stocks last. Comfort and style are combined with these new boot slippers, keeping feet cosy and warm throughout the winter months. Twitter account @Aldi_StoresUK

Illuminated Beauty Mirror

Mirror mirror on the wall… I love beauty mirrors… They make me feel like Snow White’s stepmother witch 🙂 This is the perfect dressing room accessory and it costs only RRP £8. 99 each at Aldi. Last time I was looking for such a product they asked me £70… For less than a tenner it’s brilliant and has an illuminated Mirror with 5x magnification (to show your wrinkles even better :-), adjustable angle and height, On/off switch and also 2 light bulbs and 4 C batteries included.