Sleigh The Day This Holiday Season With These Great Gift Ideas For The Whole Family — As Seen On CBS Austin’s “We Are Austin”
In many families, the mental shift from Thanksgiving celebration to Christmas preparation happens in a matter of hours: one moment you’re savoring some turkey and mashed potatoes, then watching football on TV or playing board games with the family, and then you’re breaking out your Christmas stockings, icicle lights, tree ornaments and Santa-themed trinkets. And, of course, much of it can be attributed to the ever-expanding array of Black Friday offers and Cyber Monday promotions that encourage us to begin our holiday shopping as soon as we’ve finished our last slice of pecan pie.
Luckily, I’ve got you covered with some great ideas for the whole family — from stocking stuffers for the beauty lovers on your list to a creativity-boosting toy for children to a high-quality rum you can gift your father-in-law, colleague, or friend.
Make sure to click here to check out my latest segment for CBS Austin’s “We Are Austin” for some giftspiration and read on for more details on the products shown on air!
OLAY “ULTIMATE THIRST TRAP KIT” DEAL
None of us want our complexions to appear dull and fatigued during the season of all things merry and bright! We don’t want to page Rudolph to have him illuminate our skin! Well, in order to keep skin looking dewy and luminous, the first thing you need to do is stay hydrated. See, for light to reflect off our skin’s surface, creating that coveted radiant effect, that surface should be as smooth and supple as possible. Think of a newly inflated, taut, smooth helium balloon versus one that’s puckered and crinkled in various places after leaking air for days — clearly, oncoming light will be better reflected by the newly inflated balloon. Now apply this metaphor to your skin but think of moisture, not helium, as the force creating that plumper, smoother surface. Hydration, then, really is the key to a merry and bright complexion — and fittingly, Olay has a special Cyber Monday deal that will help you prioritize hydration..
When you spend $100 or more on Olay.com, you get to build your own “Ultimate Thirst Trap Kit,” which will include your newly purchased Olay products as well as a free 40 oz. Olay x Stanley Adventure Quencher Tumbler in a custom “blue glow” color inspired by Olay’s new Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Hydrating Gel Moisturizer.
With your Ultimate Thirst Trap Kit, you can enjoy a holistic approach to hydration. First, your skin will drink up the Olay Hyaluronic + Peptide 24 Hydrating Gel Moisturizer, which features hyaluronic acid to immediately hydrate skin and give the complexion a plumper appearance, smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles. The lightweight moisturizer also incorporates other dermatologist-recommended ingredients like peptides, which fortify skin and enable collagen production, and vitamin B3, which helps to even skin tone and strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier. The Stanley tumbler, meanwhile, will help you hydrate from the inside out by trapping in cooler temperatures, keeping your water perfectly chilled.
Make sure to visit Olay.com and sign up for alerts so you can pick up your kit the moment the offer goes live!
INC.REDIBLE DREAMY SKIN VIBES SOOTHING HYDROGEL FACE MASK & INC.REDIBLE EYE NEED TO RELAX SELF-HEATING OVER-EYE MASK
You’re likely familiar with Nails.INC, the London-born brand of fashion-forward, high-quality, long-lasting nail lacquers and manicure essentials founded by Thea Green in 1999. Well, in 2017, Green expanded her beauty empire with the launch of Nails.INC’s sister brand, INC.Redible, a line of makeup, skincare essentials and pampering face masks designed to make everyone’s beauty routine simpler but also way more fun and enjoyable. If you’re looking for great stocking stuffers or items for holiday gift baskets, INC.Redible has some great masks designed to promote relaxation and allow everyone to enjoy a little “me” time. Here are two of my favorite options!
First, there’s the INC.Redible Dreamy Skin Vibes Soothing Hydrogel Face Mask ($4.99 at CVS and CVS.com), a soothing and de-puffing mask shaped from sparkling lilac hydrogel for a fun-loving, almost celestial look. This dreamy mask is enriched with skin-calming lavender and chamomile extracts, as well as melatonin to reduce inflammation. Together, these natural ingredients will help to calm and nourish skin while promoting a relaxed state of mind.
Another great option is the INC.Redible Eye Need To Relax Self-Heating Over-Eye Mask ($4.99 at CVS and CVS.com), which is emblazoned with a cheeky “Do not disturb”phrase and features moon and star illustration. Designed to be placed atop the eyes, this lavender-scented mask automatically heats up when you remove it from its pouch – no steaming, hot water or microwaving necessary. You don’t even need to rub it between your hands for it to “activate” — talk about convenient! The mask’s warmth will help to promote circulation around the eyes, thereby relieving tension and eye fatigue, while also reducing puffiness and dark circles.
Like all INC.Redible products, these masks are 100% cruelty-free and vegan.
EOS HOLIDAY GIFTS UNDER $5
Everyone will want the softest lips during mistletoe season, and there’s nothing like an eos lip balm to get that pout soft, smooth, and irresistibly kissable. Plus, come holiday time, eos rolls out some limited-edition, festive lip balm flavors that capture the joy and effervescence of the season! This year, you pick up some great stocking stuffers from the eos holiday collection for $5 or less at Five Below stores.
My personal favorite is the eos Candy Cane Swirl Sphere Lip Balm & Vanilla Cashmere Hand Cream ($4.99 at Five Below stores). The Candy Cane Swirl Sphere Lip Balm is made with nourishing and moisturizing shea butter as well as sunflower and coconut oils, and it smells like melted white chocolate and crushed candy canes. The Vanilla Cashmere Hand Cream, meanwhile, has a sweet and comforting scent — it’s like a cocoon of comfort, like wrapping yourself in a soft, plush blanket and curling up in front of the fireplace.
The eos Pink Champagne Sphere Lip Balm & Coconut Hand Cream ($4.99 at Five Below stores) is another great option. The lip balm has a zesty scent with hints of cranberry and citrus zest that will remind you of sipping a glass of bubbly at a sparkling New Year’s Eve party. The Coconut Hand Cream, meanwhile, will have you dreaming of a Caribbean vacation.
Check out these options and more at Five Below stores!
HEMPZ HOLIDAY 2022 COLLECTION
Every fall, my husband looks forward to Halloween so he can scoop up his favorite Monster Cereals (Count Chockula and Frankenberry, of course). Well, one of the things I look forward to come late November is the return of the fan-favorite, limited-edition Hempz Peppermint Vanilla Swirl Herbal Body Moisturizer ($28 at ULTA stores and ULTA.com). Even the sight of the packaging makes me giddy: the mirror-like shine of the silver sleeve around the bottle, the red-and-white stripes of the starlight mints dancing atop that silver backdrop, and the adorable bow around the bottle’s neck with its cluster of cheerful jingle bells. This year, you can experience the joy of this mighty minty moisturizer for yourself and share with with the loved ones on your holiday shopping list!
Formulated with Hempz’s signature ingredient, 100% pure hemp seed oil, as well as nourishing vanilla, sugarcane, and peppermint extracts, the Peppermint Vanilla Swirl Herbal Body Moisturizer will keep skin soft and smooth — even when the weather outside is frightful. Plus, the peppermint extract provides a soothing, cooling effect that’s delightful.
The Hempz Holiday Collection also includes an assortment of charming, wrapped-and-ready gift sets. For instance, there’s the House of Hempz Mini Moisturizer Gift Set ($34.99 at ULTA and ULTA.com), which features 6 of the brand’s best-selling scented moisturizers, each in a travel-friendly 2.25 oz. bottle. The set includes the following scents: Peppermint Vanilla Swirl, Sweet Jasmine & Rose, Milk & Honey, Original, Koa & Sweet Almond, and Triple Moisture. All six moisturizers are perfectly placed inside a box shaped like a brick house and decorated with red-and-green holiday lights and lush wreaths with red bows, with each moisturizer seemingly tucked in one of the house’s windows.
Another fab option is the Oh What Fun It Is! Gift Set ($19.99 at Hempz.com) which contains 4 mini moisturizers — Original, Blackberry & Lemongrass, Pomegranate, and Apricot & Clementine — in a cheeky box that resembles a festive truck
All Hempz products are are vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free and gluten-free.
DON Q RESERVA 7 RUM
In my house, no holiday season is complete without a homemade bottle (or two or five bottles!) of coquito, a Puerto Rican spin on eggnog that incorporates sweet and creamy coconut milk and coconut cream. And when it’s time to add the rum to that coquito recipe, we always make sure it’s Don Q.
Don Q is Puerto Rico’s number one rum, and the family-owned distillery goes back 157 years and six generations of rum makers. Plus Don Q rum has two female Master Blenders — one of whom has been with the distillery for 49 years and was Puerto Rico’s first female Master Blender. Don Q, then, is synonymous with Puerto Rican culture, heritage, tradition and excellence, which is why it holds a special place in my heart.
This holiday season, let your loved ones enjoy Puerto Rico’s finest rum by gifting them a bottle of Don Q Reserva 7, a bright and radiant Puerto Rican rum crafted from a blend of rums aged for a minimum of 7 years in American white oak barrels. Perfect on the rocks or as part of a holiday cocktail, Don Q Reserva 7 is reminiscent of chocolate, toasted almonds, raisin and apricot. Plus, it’s $24.99 so it’s a great gift at an affordable price point. You can even bring it to any holiday dinner parties at friends’ houses to win some bonus points with the hosts!
Visit DonQ.com to find a store near you. Don Q is also available for sale online and for local delivery.
ATTO SPORT FOLDING SCOOTER
The ATTO Sport Folding Scooter is a really special and truly life-changing gift for loved ones with mobility obstacles. The ultra-convenient, lightweight, and portable scooter can go from full-size to compact in just 10 minutes. If you plan on traveling by plane, you can fold your scooter into a compact suitcase size that’s FAA approved for carry-on purposes. And if traveling via car, you can divide it into two smaller parts that fit in the trunks of smaller vehicles. It’s also easy to take on cruise ships and trains.
By gifting some an ATTO Sport scooter, you’re also opening up a world of possibilities when it comes to traveling with family and friends. If, for instance, you wanted to take a family trip to Disney World but your loved one was concerned about all the walking entailed, the ATTO Sport Scooter can assuage their worries. All sorts of travel excursions will now feel possible, and they’ll be able to make beautiful memories thanks to the freedom of movement enabled by this foldable scooter.
For a limited time, viewers can visit FoldingScooterStore.com/CBSAustin and enjoy $500 off their order!
CLIXO
We want the holidays to be magical for our kiddos, so why not gift them a toy that will help to extend that sense of wonder and excitement? Enter Clixo, a multi-sensory, award-winning building toy that combines the magic of origami with the power of magnets to unlock everyone’s imagination.
Unlike traditional building toys (think blocks and tiles) that are rigid and geometric, Clixo distinguishes itself from the pack by utilizing colorful, flexible and malleable pieces that can be folded and snapped together to make endless 2D or 3D creations. From robots and dinosaurs to airplanes and trains, you’ll be mesmerized by all the ideas your kiddos will be able to bring to life.
Clixo is recommended for children ages 4 and above, and it’s earned high praise from educators and parents alike. Parents will be thankful for a toy that’s engaging, involves zero screen-time and cultivates their littles’ dexterity skills, problem-solving abilities, spacial reasoning skills, and their cretivity. They’ll also appreciate Clixo’s convenience. The pieces stack together compactly, making them very travel-friendly, and they’re dishwasher-safe.
Clixo is available on Amazon and Clixo.com, with prices ranging from $17.99 to $119.99.
And holiday savings hunters, rejoice! From November 25th through the 28th, you can enjoy special discounts of 20% and more on Clixo.com
