There are maybe five great things about the holidays. First there’s the food, then family, the endless specials on TV, and of course the gifts. Or uh, maybe not all of those are so great all the time. Families are complicated, grandma’s homemade cranberry sauce isn’t exactly what you might call a hit, and every other 25 days of Christmas movie is littered with plot holes. Even gifts! Thinking of things you want, thinking of things your friends and family will want, thinking of things you can actually budget for… it’s not exactly a walk in the park. So here’s this: let ITG make this holiday season a little easier for you. We’ve rounded up 30 ideas of satisfying gifting for everyone in your life, at every price point. We don’t have the heart to tell grandma the canned stuff is always better than her homemade sludge, but we’ll let you in on the thoughtful, unusual gifts that’ll brighten up anyone’s day. One problem solved for now. Let’s get started.
For A Fancypants
“Fancy” is less of a price point and more of a state of mind. Anything can be fancy as long as it elevates what is otherwise ordinary. Rose-scented pencils? Fancy. Uni-dusted chips? Fancy (and delicious). For the fancypants in your life, start with the most beautiful facial spray to hit a Top Shelf. Dehiya’s Safi Mist smells like fresh cut geraniums and makes your skin feel like it’s taken a trip to the tropics—practically balmy. Speaking of which, Monastery’s Universal Balm is a head-to-toe winner. It certainly feels and smells good—you can thank mango butter and a few sophisticated woody and neroli notes for that—but the tiny key that the salve comes with really kicks the whole experience up another notch.
Moving along to lips, there are two-under-the radar options. Chic! Orcé’s Lip Tint delivers a wash of color in a smooth, high shine layer of non-sticky gloss. Meanwhile, Ever Amid’s Rouge Stain is part beauty product, part objet. The handcrafted porcelain pot doubles as a keepsake when the stain is used up, which, by the way, paints the prettiest rosy flush on lips and cheeks.
Even if they’re not a beauty person, they still need to tie their hair up from time to time. Lelet’s gold pony cuff functions like a scrunchie, but looks like jewelry. Alternatively, surely there’s a hot beverage calling their name. Gustaf Westman’s chunky cup is the perfect vessel to store it. Even if their name isn’t Nara Smith.
Your skincare-obsessed bestie doesn’t need another serum or moisturizer. They need a Medicube Age R Booster-H, the Hailey Bieber-approved wand that uses electroporation (a word you only know about because of aforementioned bestie) to push products deeper into the skin. No more worrying whether skincare is simply sitting on top of skin or actually getting to work and absorbing. Throw in Currentbody’s Series 2 LED light therapy mask for the ultimate “glazed donut” combo. Using over 200 LED bulbs, it emits not one, not two, but three wavelengths for glowier, plumper, and smoother skin.
But what if they already have an LED face mask? Consider MZ Skin’s LED eye patches for a more targeted approach to tired under-eyes. Or if you want to skip the LED route entirely, there’s always a LYMA laser. Also a big hit in Hollywood—Carey Mulligan bought herself one as a gift for winning an Oscar—it uses low-level laser therapy to stimulate collagen and promote healing. Sure, it costs a pretty penny—2,695 of them to be exact—but this is one gift that we can practically guarantee no one else will give them and they’re down to share, right?
For The Gourmand
The hard part about shopping for a foodie is that they already have everything they need. Your job is to hone in on what they don’t realize they want. Start with Big Night’s party cookbook. It’s an unfussy guide to entertaining that you’ll reap the benefits of. You can pair that with SIN’s rope-like book stand, for your very serious recipe-reader. Or, flip to the other end of the cost spectrum with Lazy Jamie’s citrus squeezer. Because why should a person use their hands when a cute thing like this exists?
Of course, foodies are big on ingredients, and these final two are of the highest quality. Mirra’s single-origin Tanzanian coffee beans are naturally sweet and complex, and housed in a reflective bag that practically doubles as wrapping paper. On the other hand, Algae Cooking Club’s algae oil is extra clean and light-tasting. Billed as the new “it oil” (sorry, coconut, your time in the sun has long passed), the neutral-flavored, omega-9 potent oil is preferred by Eleven Madison Park’s top chef. And if it’s good enough for that guy…
For The Tastemaker
The most stylish person you know will appreciate a gift that can withstand the test of time and Tiktok’s trend cycle. Guest in Residence’s heavy-weight cashmere sweater is as timeless as they come—their kids’ kids will be borrowing and forgetting to return it for years on end. COS’ oversized tee is easier on the wallet but just as cool. They can dress it down with track pants or dress it up with silk slacks. Both pair well with Pumas because, really, were they ever out of style?
For a daintier spin, Katie Jane Hughes’ collab with jewelry maker Sophie Ratner is a worthwhile option. Just make sure to buy the pearl and gold huggies early! Each one is made to order and takes about three weeks to finish. Or, another way to shine is through nicely moisturized skin. Soft Services’ hand cream is the most stylish hand cream around. And with jojoba seed oil and retinol at the top of the ingredients list, it puts in a good amount of work, too.
For The Cool Kid
There’s always one person on your shopping list that’s hard to please, and that’s where these instant crowd pleasers come in. You can’t go wrong with a gift box of BonBon’s Swedish candies. Pick between sweet or sour (or even gluten-free or gelatin-free) mixes. An added perk? It’s already wrapped so that’s one less job for you. If they’re less of the sweet tooth variety and more like the chronically online crowd, a Heart Stickeez is your best bet. It’s Wildflower’s version of the TikTok-favorite “octobuddy,” except this one has double-sided suctions to easily transfer from one phone case to another without any messy adhesives. And if you really want to impress them, pair it with Doux, Glossier’s latest take on its quintessential eau de parfum, You. They probably already heard about it on #PerfumeTok. It’s soft. It’s smoky. It’s woody. It’s a winner. The same goes for Ware’s Daily, whose pretty aluminum tube cleverly masks a 3-in-1 workhorse: cleanser, exfoliator, and shaving cream. Is there such a thing as a cool cleanser? Now this, this might be it.
For The Homebody
Let us set the scene. You come home after a long day of work so you run a bath and sprinkle in Mirror Water’s bath salts to relax. You want to fully sink into the moment so you turn off the lights and burn a candle—but not just any old candle. You set a match to Baies, the Diptyque classic that combines blackcurrant and roses, and watch as the flame’s heat rotates the carousel delicately perched on top. You could stop right there and watch the stars project onto the wall—or you could take the moment to catch up on Intermezzo, Sally Rooney’s latest, too. After your soak, you detangle your hair with Brother Vellies’ shell comb. Now, you have two options: Pat on Bonjout’s Le Balm, the multitasker that acts as a serum, salve, moisturizer, eye cream, primer, night cream, lip balm, and mask all at once, or take a few extra minutes for Folie’s daily routine, a simple, three-step regimen centered around cleansing, hydrating, and moisturizing. Sound like a dream? You can mix-and-match (or gift all) these goodies to the person in your life most in need of “me” time—or you can buy them all for yourself. That works, too!
Cre: IntoTheGloss
