My 2023 Christmas & Birthday Gifts

What I got for Christmas

I'm always overjoyed to receive gifts of experiences, so the very generous birthday gift from my boyfriend for a trip to Copenhagen at the start of December was well received ahead of the busy Christmas season. He also surprised me with a cute PJ top and my favourite flower bouquet - lilies and roses. 

I'm a lover of gin and chocolate, so I was made up when I received a JJ Whitley Pink Gin and Maltesers Reindeers. In 2023, I developed the taste for Ginger Tea, so the gift of Clipper Tea in the ‘Sweet Ginger’ flavour was well received.

Before Christmas, I’d never heard of Martha Brook, however, this year I was very kindly treated to a 2024 Planner and personalised notebook from the brand to get my year mapped out.

I love topping up my bathroom drawers over the festive period, and this year was no exception. This year I’ll be trying out Boots Extract Shower Gels and Royal Jelly to keep my shower stash stocked up.

I’ve loved Sol De Janeiro last year, so I cannot wait to try the shower gel from the range, as well as finally getting to try the much raved about L’Occitane Almond Shower Gel. 

 

I’d also been curious about trying a scalp massager for hair growth, and a wide tooth comb for brushing through my hair in the shower.

Receiving Laundry Shampoo for Christmas might not be for everyone, but I’d been wanting to try this brand ever since seeing the Tallow & Ash brand spoken about by Victoria McGrath (InTheFrow) and her raving about the great scents available.

I’ve shared my love of socks as a Christmas gift before, so this pair with hedgehogs in headbands put a smile on my face. I’m also a lover of planning, so receiving a notebook and a travel guide for Thailand are another perfect pairing for planning an upcoming trip.

I love for my flat to smell nice, and was very lucky to receive a Reed Diffuser from NEOM and a Festive Spice Candle to help make the place smell nice, as well as a plug in candle warmer to save me lighting the candles. 

I’d treated myself to some airpods in 2023, but hadn’t a nice case for them so will now be able to carry them with me safely. I also ended up quoting Nanalan way more than someone in their mid-20s should, however, receiving a mug quoting the viral tik-toks brought a smile to my face on christmas morning. 

I love the chance to try new scents, so the chance to try a selection of perfumes from Jo Loves is a great introduction to Jo Malone’s brand, without committing to a full sized bottle. I always love having perfume and body spray to hand, and love the ‘In the Stars’ scent from Bath & Body Works, as well as ‘Passion’ from Revolution that were kindly gifted to me.

I’d been meaning to replace my old black shoulder bag, so this lovely leather and suede bag from Monsoon was a lovely addition and I’ve already had so much use out of this.

Christmas always proves to be the prime opportunity to replenish my skincare and body care stash, and this year was no exception.  I’d wanted to give the wristbands (that look much like sweatbands) a go for when cleansing my face and as I was running out of cleanser, serum and eye cream, receiving these for Christmas has given me the chance to give some new skincare from The Ordinary, The Inkey List and Origins a go.

Adding to my makeup collection, I was kindly treated to a refill of my Charlotte Tilbury Bronzer, which had run out just in time for Christmas and a great assortment of nude eyeshadow palettes. I’ve been on an Empties/ Project Pan mission this year, so I was very happy to see some new additions for my collection, including the Naked Mini Palette, ELF Primer and a refill of my favourite Clarins BB Skin Detox Fluid. 

Dan and I were also very kindly treated to a joint gift of a cheese board and knife set, and a kit to grow your own herbs, which we have planted in our kitchen window in an attempt to grow Mint, Basil and Coriander.

So that's all for my 27th Birthday and Christmas Haul. I am incredibly grateful and humbled by the generosity of my friends and family - so thank you all if you are reading this!

What did you get for Christmas?

Check out my past Christmas Hauls; 

What I got for Christmas 2022

What I got for Christmas 2021

What I got for Christmas 2020 

What I got for Christmas 2019

What I got for Christmas 2018

What I got for my 21st Birthday

I'm a lover of gin and candles, so I was made up when I received an Edinburgh Gin set combining both for my work Secret Santa, alongside a GlossyBox of goodies. I was also lucky enough to receive a fair few candles from The White Company, NEOM, Bath & Body Works, Village Candle and Lush! 

My chocoholic tendencies were also evident in the copious amount of chocolate I received, namely in the form of Kinder Buenos, Malteasers, Terry's Chocolate Orange & Monty Bojangles Truffles. 

Socks and Christmas are a classic festive pairing, and I'm certainly showing my age by getting excited over the fluffy socks and velvet-lined socks and tights that I received! I also can now keep my feet toasty with my new UGG-style slippers. 

Speaking of keeping warm... I'd added a long hot water bottle to my Secret Santa wishlist, and was super grateful to have received two, which will be great for keeping warm without the need for putting the heating on! I also was surprised with a new pair of PJs and a check print scarf to bundle up in, as well as a towelling bathrobe for getting dry after a shower.

Christmas always proves to be the prime opportunity to replenish my skincare, haircare and body care stash, and this year was no exception. I was kindly treated to a Revolution Skincare Gift Set, complete with Watermelon facecloths and face masks. I'd also earmarked the WOAH skincare range from NEXT, which I now have a complete box of travel-sized goodies, as well as a full-sized gel cleanser from the range.

I was also happy to open a new L'Oreal Pure Clay Face Mask and hair masks from Garnier and OlaPlex to treat my hair.

Adding to my makeup collection, I was kindly treated to a refill of my Charlotte Tilbury Bronzer, which had run out just in time for Christmas. 

Next up, I was very luckily given several room scents, in the form of wax melts and room diffusers from the Marks & Spencer's Restore range. I'd also been wanting to try more from M&S's meditate range of body care, so look forward to getting good use out of the body butter, hand cream and bath salts. I look forward to smelling extra lovely with the White Musk Body Shop Perfume Set and Bath and Body Works body spray I was treated to.

For practical gifts, a set of Salt & Pepper shakers had been added to my wish list, as since moving in with my boyfriend, we hadn't acquired a set. We were also very kindly treated to an Air Fryer, bathroom scales and knife sharpener, which were all household items that we'd yet got around to purchasing for ourselves. Having never tried an air fryer before, I'm super excited to try out new recipes, and adapt old ones, in our new machine. 

I'd also needed a new suitcase, after my 4-wheeled case had been running on 3 since our summer trip to Spain, so was very pleased to replace my old and tired case for a new Tripp Holdall.

So that's all for my 26th Birthday and Christmas Haul. I am incredibly grateful and humbled by the generosity of my friends and family - so thank you all if you are reading this!

Christmas Gift Ideas for Her

We’ve gone past the point of folding down the pages of the Argos catalogue and writing down a list of item numbers (which is basically a noughties childhood in a nutshell), so instead send this to your present buyer for some inspiration…

Over my (near) 10 years writing a blog, I’ve been meaning to put together an edit of Christmas Gift Ideas. For this post, I’ve compiled a collection of gifts I’ve received and loved in the past, across a range of budgets.

If you’re reading this and looking for some gift inspiration for a 20-something female in your life, any of the following items are guaranteed winners in my book. 

Accessories

When it comes to accessories, there's a few key items I’ve received over the years that are now absolute staples for me year round. These include my Ted Baker Purse ( a gift for my 18th Birthday), Michael Kors Wristlet and Aspinal of London Card Holder (a gift for my 21st). Exchange these for their favourite brand of choice, and I can confidently say that these should get plenty of use/wear by the lucky recipient!

For tech, ensuring the lady in your life has a working phone charger (why do Apple ones always break!?) and a good set of headphones is always a good shout, and if their phone struggles with its battery life, buying a good external battery charging pack is also a practical edition, particularly if they are a frequent commuter or traveler.

Speaking of travel, I was lucky enough to receive my Aspinal of London Passport holder for my birthday a few years ago, and it has ensured I always know where my passport is and is taken care of! Although you do have to remove the case at customs, it’s always nice to know your passport is kept in a leather case. The Aspinal Travel Wallets are also great for keeping all of your travel documents in one place!

If the female on your to-buy-for list is a fan of fitness, I’d strongly urge you to check out Shreddy. I received a Shreddy resistance band and can firmly recommend the good quality of the fitness accessory. I also think a sturdy water bottle would be an ideal gift for a gym-lover (or just for someone who wants to up their water intake), and the Chillys Water Bottle is great for keeping drinks cold for 24 hours!

If you fancy going down the clothing route, then you can’t go far wrong picking something from the loungewear and pyjamas categories. I’ve regularly featured Loungewear Sets from Femme Luxe on my blog, however, BooHoo also has an extensive range of both PJ’s and loungewear sets to choose from. If you’d rather have a look at PJs to pick out in person, Primark is the mothership when it comes to Pyjama selection. I have also lived in my Fleeced Hoodie from Victoria Secret Pink since receiving it for christmas last year. Super cosy and perfect for throwing on in the evening.

Books and art are always a good option too. For books I’d recommend my 2 favourite cookbooks - both from Pinch of Nom. Both books contain a range of recipes, designed for those wishing to slim, however, you wouldn’t be able to tell from how great they taste! What I also love is how easy they are to pick up - so perfect for a cooking newbie!

I’m forever lusting over art from Desenio. I have two pieces in my collection, but would love to have a gallery wall one day. Although I don’t have a discount code myself, I’d urge you to scroll Instagram or YouTube to find their Influencer collaborations, as there’s often a 40% discount code lurking around!

Beauty Gift Ideas 

I feel like beauty is a tough one to buy for others as it can be so personal, so I’d suggest opting for luxe additions to a beauty routine. A few of my current favourites include the Iconic London Illuminator, Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer, Clinique Take The Day Off™ Cleansing Oil and the Clinique Cleansing Balm. Or for a real treat, the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm. I’d also urge you to consider purchasing a nice set of reusable makeup pads as a great no-waste alternative to cotton wool.

If you don’t want to make a guess on their makeup tastes, buying some great quality makeup brushes can also be a great route to go down. Some of my favourite makeup tools are from Real Techniques, including the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and makeup brush sets. I’ve owned mine since 2011 and they are still going strong. The sets have changed since I invested in them many moons ago, however, if I was looking to purchase this year, I think the Real Techniques Everyday Essentials set would be a good set to start with. For more of a splurge, the MAC 168 and MAC 217 brushes have been firm staples in my makeup bag since I received them as a christmas gift many years ago.

Buying perfume can also be a risky move, and can go one of two ways, however, if you are looking for some scent inspiration, I’d urge you to take a sniff at Paco Rabanne Olympea, YSL Black Opium, Paco Rabanne Black XS, Gucci Guilty, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Scandal (Jean Paul Gautier), which are a few of my favourites.

Does the female in your life love a good pamper session? Well treat her to a lovely face mask and she will thank you later, I’m a big fan of Origins Charcoal Mask. Paired with some sweet treats and her drink of choice, and you are onto a winner. For me, you can’t go wrong with a fruity flavoured gin and a variety of chocolates. For me, I’d opt for Lindt, Kinder (Bueno’s please!), Malteasers or treat myself to Monty Bojangles Truffles!

You also cannot go far wrong with candles in my opinion, or even a wax tart burner paired with Yankee Candle Wax Melts. Alternatively, there are some great small businesses that make their own to match the scents of popular perfumes - so definitely worth a look on Etsy or Instagram. If you don’t wish to splurge on Jo Malone candles (they do smell beautiful!), Aldi do some great dupes at a more affordable price point. TK Maxx also sells some lovely Wooden Crackle Wick Candles that make a fire-like sound as you burn them. I also love a Reed Diffuser as a stocking filler gift, again you can get many budget options, right up to Jo Malone's Luxury Reed Diffusers.

So there it is my bumper guide to what to buy ‘her’ this year for Christmas. Hopefully, there’s something on here that you think the female in your life will like!

What I got for Christmas 2020

There were a couple of items that I had on my wishlist this year; the first being a pair of new wellies. I had owned my old Hunter wellies for 7 years, so I was well overdue for a new pair! I opted for a Burgundy pair of le chameau wellies and have already got plenty of wear out of them during my snow walks! I’d also taken the opportunity to add to my Aspinal of London collection (featured in my Christmas gift guide) with a gorgeous Burgundy travel wallet - fingers crossed we can travel abroad in 2021! And if we are lucky enough to travel, I’ll have my travel hack rucksack to pack with!

I also took the opportunity to ask for a new Lumie Lamp for my birthday this year. I have been a huge fan of the Lumie Lamp for a number of years, but had been borrowing my mums all this time, so it was only right that I finally returned my mum’s Lumie lamp to her and I had one of my own- thank you Dan!

Having lived in activewear for most of 2020, I was over the moon to add another pair of sports leggings, the Tala Skinluxe Leggings, to my collection, as well as a quarter zip top from BooHoo. I can confirm that the Tala Leggings are 100% worth the investment!

I'm a lover of gin, so was made up when I received a large bottle of Gordons Pink Gin, as well as some prosecco and raspberry mojito. My love of food and drink was also evident in the copious amount of chocolate I received, namely in the form of Maltesers and Monty Bojangles Truffles.

Having loved the two Pinch of Nom cookbooks I received last christmas, I was super pleased to add another cookbook to my trusty collection.

Christmas always proves to be the prime opportunity to replenish my skincare , makeup and body care stash, including shower gels from Lush, Original Source and Soap & Glory, new skincare from Origins, Aesop and Cerave and makeup from Charlotte Tilbury, Maybelliene, ELF and LA Girl.

So that's all for my 24th Birthday and Christmas Haul. I am incredibly grateful and humbled by the generosity of my friends and family.

What did you get for Christmas?

Check out my past Christmas Hauls;
What I got for Christmas 2019
What I got for Christmas 2018
What I got for my 21st Birthday