With Black Friday coming up I’m sharing some of my favorite items and a few things that are on my wishlist in case you wanna get a head start on your shopping. (Or if you wanna shop for yourself on Black Friday because, let’s be honest. That’s what most of us do anyway! :D)
A NOTE ON HOW I DO GIFT GUIDES
While years ago I used to just round up a bunch of stuff that LOOKS good, about a year or two ago I switched to primarily recommending my husband’s and my favorite products. I feel like gift guides are so much more useful when you actually know that products are good quality or are gifts that have been given to others and have been well-received. A few products on each list are things I may not have tried personally yet, but they are usually things I’ve researched and are on my own wishlist for the year. However, the majority of each gift guide is stuff I can attest to being amazing and helpful to have in life!
A lot of items will repeat from previous years. Like I said, many of these are items that Benson and I believe in and that are good quality, so they don’t change year to year. They last through heavy use over multiple years and we don’t feel the need to replace things because they’re amazing!
Links to Shop:
1. Leggings // 2. Cream Blanket Scarf // 3. Orange Plaid Scarf // 4. Pendant // 5. AirPufs Insoles
6. Beauty Blender // 7. Eyeshadow Palette // 8. Water Bottle // 9. Cardigan
10. Reversible Tote // 11. Ankle Boots // 12. Brown Watch // 13. Black Band Watch
14. Wooden Watch // 15. Black Watch
16. Cleansing Brush // 17. Leopard Scarf // 18. Curling Wand // 19. Quilted Vest
20. Nike Sneakers // 21. Wool Coat // 22. Leather Earrings // 23. Jewelry Organizer
24. Leopard Clutch // 25. Foldover Leopard Clutch
REVIEWS OF ITEMS
SIZING INFO: I’m 5’6″ and usually size S/M or 6/8 in clothes and 8.5 to 9 in shoes.
1. Leggings – My review for this pair and why they are so awesome and worth the price tag is HERE. They are thick, opaque, and actually made for working out so they sculpt you a bit and provide security. They are not shiny like workout leggings can be (many have asked about that!) and are easily worn in casual outfits. See ways I’ve worn mine HERE. I’ve also worn them for working out. I wear size M.
2 & 3. Window Pane Blanket Scarf and Orange Plaid Scarf – My favorites from last year! If blanket scarves are too warm for you, you can cut them in half (cut the square scarf into two triangles) and you’ll get the same look without the heat! Maybe if you give one to a friend for Christmas, they can cut it in half and give you the other. 😉 See ways I’ve worn my cream plaid scarf HERE and orange plaid HERE. (I don’t have much for the orange plaid scarf because I got it towards the end of last season and didn’t have many opps to wear it.)
4. Locket Pendant – The one shown above is not the exact one I own, but the link takes you to the one I own. I wear it ALL.THE.TIME. See the outfits HERE. It ties together every outfit in a simplistic way. And, it’s a locket that’s also made with a special meaning!
5. AirPufs Insoles – I wrote an entire post to tell you why these are awesome and better than any other insole HERE. Even today, 2.5 years since writing that post, these are in nearly very pair of shoes I wear that aren’t sneakers. NOTE: Until a year ago some readers reported problems with AirPufs tearing. They have since updated their material to something even thicker and even more durable.
6. Beauty Blender – This is on the expensive side for a makeup tool, so it’s another fun way to pamper one of your friends. It’s something that’s pretty popular that they might be intrigued by but not want to spend their own money on. Same with the eyeshadow palette below!
7. Eyeshadow Palette – Got this almost exactly 2 years ago and have worn it every single day. Literally. Still haven’t run out! It’s known as one of the most versatile and universal palettes around, and giving this as a gift would be a safe way to pamper or spoil one of your friends with colors that are likely going to work for them.
8. Water Bottle – We gift these to soooo many people, and they all love them. They’re expensive for a water bottle, but for something I use daily and for how cold they keep water, they are worth it. They come in a bunch of different sizes, colors, and lid types.
9. Cardigan – I love oversized cardigans! I do not own the exact one in the collage above, but the ones I usually get are mostly sold out. There are tons at Old Navy and H&M, and while those are a great price point they also tend to be thinner. I have THIS one by Dreamers that is still in stock in very few sizes. It’s pricey, but much thicker with a tighter knit. You can see it on me HERE. The grey one in the collage above is THIS from H&M and comes in several colors. I tried it on and it looks really cute, but it’s quite thin and the knit is open. See it on me HERE and shop it HERE. I wear size S in both the Nordstrom and the H&M cardigans. Another one I own in multiple colors is HERE. I used the beige one in the Thanksgiving Packing Post this year. It’s thinner than the Dreamers one by a lot, but it’s also on sale and cheaper! I wear the Rib Stitch Cardigan in XS as it runs very big.
10. Tote – I use this almost everyday. It’s also reversible, so you get two bags in one! Comes in several color combos. Mine is black/cognac. It goes with basically everything and I get compliments on it all the time. Easy gift to give a friend!
11. Ankle Boots – I don’t usually give shoes to friends (our price points are much lower than that, ha!), but I would give shoes to relatives sometimes. I’ve had these ankle boots for a little over a year. I was drawn to them because the shaft is lower than most ankle boots, which is nice if you are shorter or have skinny ankles and often find that ankle boots are really loose and clunky around your ankles like they are for me. Many PMTers have gotten these and have remarked that they help elongate your legs in both of those cases! See them on me HERE. I’m usually size 8.5 to 9 in shoes and wear these in 8.5 They run slightly narrow, but if you never have that problem with shoes, these should be fine for you.
12, 13, 14 & 15. Watches – I’ve collected all these watches over the years and regularly get compliments on all of them when I’m out and about. My most often worn one is the Wooden Watch because it is more casual and I like the lighter color. It’s a great conversation starter as many people are intrigued by a wooden watch. The rest of the watches are all Daniel Wellington, and often people comment on the sleek design and slim face. All of their watches are really classic and timeless and will go with a ton!
16. Cleansing Brush – Thanks to being pregnant my skin has been so out of whack. I’m looking into a facial and body brush. I don’t know much about them, but this one is very affordable at $19.99 with 4.5 stars and comes with multiple brush sizes to scrub the rest of your body in addition to your face. I’ve heard great things about the Clarisonic, but I don’t know enough about brushes yet to understand what makes it worth its money–even if someone else would be giving it to me as a gift! I’ll start with this $19.99 one and hope my mom gets it for me for Christmas. 😀
17. Leopard Scarf – I just updated my leopard print scarf to this gorgeous one with a lighter tone. Loooove this print!
18. Curling Wand – I’ve gotten a ton of questions on my hair lately, and unfortunately I don’t have a curling tutorial yet. However, this is the curling wand I use and love. You can control the temperature, and it can get really, really hot which is good for my thick hair. My curls last all day, and then during day 2 and 3 without washing I’ll still have nice softer curls leftover from day 1 without touching up anything. I attribute it all to how hot this wand can get.
19. Quilted Vest – The quilted details make it look really expensive–and actually normally it IS pretty darn expensive. It’s on sale right now though! I normally wear S/M and wear this in S though could maybe size down to XS for a more fitted look. I also love the puffy, non-quilted ones from Old Navy which are cheaper (HERE), but they are thicker and puffier so it just depends on what look you’re going for. The Old Navy ones are lined with fleece–including in the pockets! See the black one on me HERE. White Old Navy vest outfits HERE. Navy Old Navy vest outfit HERE.
20. Nike Sneakers – My favorite sneakers! I read somewhere that they have a memory foam footbed, and you can absolutely feel it. I’ve worn these to run 2-3 miles in regularly, but mostly I wear them for athleisure. See my outfits with them HERE. I’m usually size 8.5 to 9 and wear these in 9 as the 8.5s were a *tad* short. I’d order two sizes if you’re unsure, since return shipping is free with Zappos.
21. Wool Coat – I haven’t tried this one yet, but I really want to. It comes in tons of pretty colors, and were I not in a warmer climate with little need for a wool coat, I would have gotten it already during one of their 40-50% off sales. However, as a gift? I’ll take it! 😀
22. Leather Earrings – My absolute favorite earrings. What makes them so special? They’re made of leather, which makes them ridiculously lightweight and means you can wear a statement earring without the pain of heavy jewelry weighing you down. These are soft and flexible, and I even nap in them because they just don’t get in the way. The teardrop ones come in 3 sizes, and most often I wear the medium. For reference, the medium is 2.5 inches long. If you have a shorter neck go for the small. Otherwise I say go medium! And if you’re not scared of statement earrings then go LARGE! I actually love the shinier ones in large. Kilee (the owner of Nickel & Suede) let me borrow those once and I was like OMG YES! 😀 BTW, I asked if we could get a discount code, and they said YES. Wahoo! PMT readers get 15% off your entire order through 11/28 with code PMT15!
23. Jewelry Organizer – This is from the Travel Gift Guide, but it’s on my wishlist. I need a new organizer!
24 & 25. Leopard Clutches – A leopard clutch is one of my go-to bags for going out. For a while it was hard to find a leopard clutch with big print like this that was anywhere near a reasonable price. Many of them were like $60 to $295 designer ones–crazy!–or their print was really small and not appealing. I’ve owned the Foldover Leopard Clutch for a couple of years and love it! It has a more faded look than the other one which is from Nordstrom HERE. They are $36 and $45.
Is there anything on this list that you’d want to give to someone or want to receive this year?