The gift of travel is always a joy to receive but it’s hard to choose something for somebody else because we all have our own pernickety likes and dislikes. An easy way to gift travel is with an Airbnb gift card, that way the recipient can choose whether to use it in the UK or abroad. You can either buy a digital card or a physical one – if you want a real giftcard to give, you can buy one here. Alternatively you can buy an Airbnb ecard here. Once the balance is added to the person’s Airbnb account there’s no expiry date. You can buy them all over the world – details if you live in a country other than the UK here.

Airbnb gift cards

A great gift for a student who can’t afford to go away. This will give them the opportunity to make a plan for their breaks – pair it with the Airbnb giftcard for the ultimate treat.

Ryanair giftcard

If, like me, you’ve given up on varifocal contact lenses and so just wear distance ones for nights out, these tiny reading glasses save the embarrassment of using the zoom on your phone to read a menu. They’re tiny enough to slip in a jeans pocket or a small clutch and the sturdy box ensures they don’t break. Four colours available.

Foldable reading glasses in case

This is a great gift for anyone, regardless of hair type. You can either use it while you’re styling your hair to protect from heat and add body. Or you can use it as a classic hairspray when you’ve finished – I find it protects my hair from humidity. It does the job of Cool Girl and a hairspray in one – plus of course it has the fabulous Sam McKnight fragrance.

Modern hairspray

The best (and most cost effective) way of carrying your favourite perfume around with you and it’s so easy to refill. Lowest price here – five colours available and free delivery.

Refillable perfume atomiser

A great little stocking filler for anyone who has a tendency to cut themselves shaving – an old fashioned skin saver.

Styptic pencil

This is a superb and reasonably priced retinaldehyde serum. I’ve been trialling it for the last couple of months and it’s given me radiant skin without sensitivity. The only problem is finding it in stock but it’s available now.

Retinaldehyde serum

It sold out immediately when it first launched but now it’s back – and there couldn’t be a better gift for a beauty loving friend. A dual mirror – one side standard, the other magnifying, in a glossy Chanel compact.

Chanel handbag mirror – magnifying

While we’re on the subject of elegant gifts, here’s a lovely little handbag hook from Alessi. It’s particularly perfect for when you’re eating at a tiny pavement cafe and don’t want to put your bag on the ground. Currently 20% off.

Alessi handbag hook

I haven’t tried this but I’ve heard from a few reliable people that it really works. A great gift for anyone who likes to see January as a restore and refresh time.

Nail repair

At last, a headwear trend for people who find hats hard to wear. The balaclava has made way for the knitted hood, you tuck the edges under your coat collar and wear it like a scarf, simply pulling the hood up when required.

Knitted hood

If rain’s more the problem, how about one of these rain hoods? They pack down into a little snap bangle that you wear around your wrist. When it rains, hey presto, you have a hood that you can wear with drama as shown here or you can ruche it for a less overt look. Lots of colours and designs available, the problem is that they sell out as fast as they come in.

L’hood

A lovely gift for someone who puts care into their hair – or needs to. This is a curated collection of some of the best selling hair products with a value of £135, all packaged in an easy to wrap giftbox.

The haircare edit

So many people wanted one of these fluffy neck warmers when I put this picture on Instagram Stories in the depths of February but they’d all sold out. They’re back now and they’re great value, easy to wash and a touch of luxury on a cold day. Unisex, four colours available.

Fluffy neck warmer

I confess that this is one of the great pleasures in my life, there’s nothing nicer then falling asleep with your own personalised warmth settings. The dual controls mean it doesn’t bother your companion and you can set the timer to run for as long as you want. Various sizes available.

Dual control electric blanket

A long-lasting gift, this comes with lights already arranged – the recipient can take them off after Christmas – or not.

Large plant with lights

I don’t know about you but I find a lot of wines are just too strong these days and they hit me hard – but it isn’t easy to find good wine with a lower ABV. This company specialises in them and I’ve found the whites to be particularly good – clean and crisp. The reds don’t seem to be quite as pleasing when they’re lighter but maybe that’s just me.

They also have low sugar and even keto collections – and a selection of beers as well. The extra benefit is that lower alcohol means fewer calories too so it’s a win:win.

High quality, lower ABV wine

A bit more attractive than the supermarket versions, this is a motion activated diffuser that you can use with your choice of fragrance oil. A great gift idea for people who nurture their environment.

Motion sensor fragrance diffuser

So hopefully that’s got you thinking about Christmas 2023 – gifts with a purpose. I think for a lot of people this is a year to focus on presents that are either beautiful or useful… and exactly right for the person you’re buying for. I just want to say sorry for the confusion on the 30% Boden discount in my last post – there was an overnight change of plan to run it on selected products rather than as a blanket discount and it wasn’t communicated very quickly – I didn’t find out until lunchtime on Wednesday. As you can imagine, there’s a lot going on in the world of retail as we approach Black Friday. I’ve been sent so many strong offers starting at the beginning of next week that I’m going to run my usual Black Friday post on Monday (20th). That way you can make the most of the discounts before things sell out. I’ll keep on updating it throughout the week as new offers are launched so that it will work as a hub of the best savings to be made. I haven’t started my Christmas shopping yet but I’m determined to have it finished by next Friday. Our Christmas celebrations begin next weekend with friends and family in Newcastle so I’ll be spending this weekend very quietly – girding my loins!