BellaSugar

Easy, Cheap Last-Minute Gift Ideas

BellaSugar — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 08:00:58 -0800

It's the last day before Christmas, and if you've finished shopping, congratulations-you're one of those enviably organized people that everyone else secretly resents just a tiny bit. Kidding, kidding. But if you still have a few folks left on your list, don't panic-I've got a few last-minute gift ideas that don't cost a fortune. Better yet, you won't need to deal with crowds to pull it all together.

It almost goes without saying, but a spa or salon gift certificate is an easy choice. Local spas and salons can whip up a certificate for you on the spot, and some can even e-mail a certificate. Check out my shopping guide so you avoid any faux pas in giving such a gift.

For four quick and simple suggestions that cost less than $20, read more.

Forget about hitting the mall, mega-mart or Main Street today. The crowds are likely to be wackier than Phyllis Diller after a three-martini lunch. Instead, head to your local drugstore (and get bonus points if it's a 24-hour joint). Here are three quick, inexpensive and fun grooming gifts that you can pull together within 10 minutes at Walgreens.

Nail it down Create an at-home manicure set. Choose a simple base coat, a couple of shades of nail polish, a nail file, and a hand cream. Roll it all up in a simple white dish towel-they're always inexpensive-and secure it with a festive ribbon. Simple and fun.

Start off on the right foot Can Dr. Scholl's be a fun gift? Actually, yes. The good doctor's well-priced pedicure products for women are surprisingly cute-looking. Pick up a foot cream, a nail buffer, a rasp for rough calluses, and a bath fizzy. You could toss it in a stocking, or if you really want to be complete, arrange the products in a dish pan (which can be used as a foot soaking tub).

For the anti-metrosexual dude Skip the cologne aisle and head straight to the shaving aisle. Find the fanciest shaving cream there, pick up a new Mach 3 razor, and toss a container of face cream in the cart. (Neutrogena has a great men's line with guy-friendly packaging.) It's no-fuss, but he'll use it.

Get fruity If you have a friend who's crazy about a particular fruit, scour the drugstore for anything related to it. For instance, if your friend loves cherries, you could get her cherry Chapstick, Revlon Cherries in the Snow lipstick, cherry-scented soap, a red or pink bath sponge, and a bag of cherry Jolly Ranchers. Yeah, it's a little goofy, but c'mon, it's the eleventh hour-goofy is sometimes what you get.

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BellaSugar's Gift Guide: Last-Minute Gifts For Guys

BellaSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:00:02 -0800

It's the eleventh hour and you've totally forgotten about a gift for your cousin's new boyfriend whose name you picked out of the family grab bag. Since you're racing the clock to find something thoughtful and masculine that isn't overly expensive, I've got some ideas for you. A great starting point is to peruse some of my other gift guides, but if nothing strikes your fancy, here are a few more great drugstore beauty buys for guys. Good luck!

Bumble and bumble Men's Gift Set ($51)	Burt's Bees Dopp Kit Essentials For Men ($24.99)
Old Spice Cologne ($5.59)	Neutrogena Men's Holiday Gift Pack ($12.99)
Norelco Body Groom Trim and Shaver ($39.99)	Ralph Lauren Fragrance Assortment ($39.50)
Men's Zone Anti-Puff Eye Cream ($8.99)	Tweezerman Men's Grooming Kit ($19.99)	Beckham Gift Set ($26)

BellaSugar's Gift Guide: Great Gifts For Any Gal

BellaSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:00:57 -0800

Below are a list of gifts that I've been eyeing for a few weeks now. If you are anything like me, you've got 101 presents to purchase and sometimes you don't even know the recipient all that personally. Whether you have to get a little something for a co-worker, a secret Santa, or a distant cousin, here are a few one-size-fits-all gifts from $9.99 to $60. They all fall under the pamper-yourself category, so you can't really go wrong with indulgence gifts like these.

Claus Porto Five-Soap Gift Box ($42)	Bath & Body Works Totally Twisted Peppermint Candy Gift Set ($27.50)
Bare Escentuals Starter Kit ($60)	Bobbi Brown Pink Quartz Shimmer Brick Compact ($38)
Ulta Naughty and Nice Color Collection ($9.99)	Nexxus Hair Care Gift Set - The Voluminous Look ($9.99)
Crabtree & Evelyn Weekender Beauty Set ($15)	NARS Dolce Vita Set ($50)

BellaSugar's Gift Guide: The Love of Your Life

BellaSugar — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:00:36 -0800

When that once-in-a-lifetime man comes around, you want to do all kinds of things to treat him right. Here are a bunch of different beauty - I mean grooming - products that your guy will love. Shopping for men is always a little bit of a challenge, so if you have any interesting finds of your own, please share them in a comment!

Vera Wang Perfect Partner Gift Set ($70)	Gucci Toiletry Case ($425)
Hommage Monaco Groom Center ($450)	Anthony Logistics The Face Kit ($30)
Santa Maria Novella Shaving Foam ($25)	Molton Brown New Age Traveller 10 Kit ($100)
Kiehl's All-Sport Everyday Shampoo ($26.50)	Coach Leather Dopp Kit ($158)	The Art of Shaving Pre-Shave Lavender Oil ($22)

BellaSugar's Gift Guide: Your Friend, The Romantic

BellaSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 10:00:24 -0800

Do you know someone whose guilty-pleasure film is The Notebook? Or who's still dreaming of a world in which Buffy and Angel are together forever? If so, you've got a romantic on your hands. Since she's so sweet and dreamy, she'd probably appreciate light and fruity fragrances, sheer and shimmery makeup and softly scented body products. Here are a few great gift ideas for your friend who loves everything about love, especially during the holidays.

BellaSugar's Gift Guide: The Bad-Girl Beauty

BellaSugar — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:07:18 -0800

Bad girls get a bad rap. Half of the time, they're not doing anything that's really bad at all-they're just living their lives without worrying about what others think. In honor of these women, I put together a few gift ideas. Take a look and let me know what you think!

Too Faced Good Girl / Bad Girl Palette, $29.50	NARS Night Series Mini Palette, $55
Jonathan Product Dirt, $26	Erno Laszlo Sea Mud soap, $36
Pout Lip Plump, $24	Tarte lights, camera, splashes! mascara, $18

BellaSugar's Gift Guide: Your Friend, the Flirt

BellaSugar — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:00:10 -0800

Every group of girls has at least one flirt! This collection of beauty gifts is for the friend who loves fruity and sweetly scented bath and body products, bright cosmetics, and sexy stocking stuffers to lure in the man of her dreams. So be a pal and get your gal something fun and flirty. Also, be sure to check out all of the other gift guides that each of your favorite Sugar sites has been putting together throughout the past month. Enjoy!

BellaSugar's Gift Guide: Nature Girl

BellaSugar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:09:44 -0800

This week, all of the gift guides are for your best girlfriends. Yesterday's ideas were for the glamour girl, and today's is totally different-it's the nature girl. You know the type: The girl who always composts her leftovers, uses animal-friendly cosmetics, and who thinks about how her choices affect Mother Earth. For my gift suggestions, just browse this widget:

Origins Ginger all 'Round set, $58	Josie Maran Cosmetics lip palette, $25
Juice Beauty Organics To Go, $29	Zia Ultimate Body Butter and Aromatherapy Candle, $13.95
Kindagoaty goat's milk soap, $6	Care by Stella McCartney Discovery Set, $38

Beauty Mark It Results! Stocking Stuffers Under $10

BellaSugar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:00:01 -0800

Last week, I asked all of you to share your favorite stocking-stuffer ideas - as long as they were $10 or less. And boy, did you. This might be my favorite Beauty Mark It challenge ever, simply because there are so many cool gifts you can find for under a tenner.

For instance, Gildthatlily found this leopard-print bath set, and it's only $7. And Steen unearthed some adorable pocket mirrors ($6.50 each). But feel free to browse through the dozens of suggestions. I think you'll be surprised by what $10 can buy these days. Thanks to all who shared their favorites - and happy shopping!

BellaSugar's Gift Guide: Your Glamorous Girlfriend

BellaSugar — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:00:22 -0800

This week's holiday gift guides are dedicated to your fabulous girlfriends! To make shopping easier for you, I have selected five different beauty styles and will choose products for your BFFs according to their type. Today's girlfriend is the glamor girl-you know, the one who follows Hollywood hair and makeup ideas as well as red-carpet trends. I'm sure you have some great ideas of your own, so be sure and leave a comment so that you can share them with the rest of us.

Ralph Lauren Glamourous for Women ($43.76)	The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets ($13.23)
Essie - Material Girl Nail Polish ($7.50)	Benefit Cosmetics - 24k Sexy Gold Lip Gloss ($20)
NARS - Body Glow ($59)	Anthousa Blown Glass Candle Tumbler ($65)
Guerlain - KissKiss Lipstick ($27)	Laura Mercier Diamond Duster ($22)	Guerlain -Terracotta Sheer Bronzing Blush ($38)

Lorac - Cheek Stamp ($22)	Joey New York - cinnaMEN LIPSTICKS ($18)
Flirt! Cosmetics - Flirtatious Perfume and Scented Body Lotion ($42.50)	Bourjois - French Art of Flirting Set ($30)
Sugar Cosmetics - Flirt False Lashes ($9)	LUSH - Fever Massage Bar ($10.95)
Philosophy - Vanilla Birthday Cake Lip Shine ($10)	Victoria's Secret - Strawberry Fizz Body Zing Moisture Gel ($12)
Napoleon Perdis - Light Patrol Luminizer Palette ($60)	Chocolate Truffles Body Lotion ($7)