Christmas Gift Ideas: Goody Boxes

With less than two weeks to go until Christmas, and just eleven shopping days left before the twenty-fifth, there's no better time to get started on your Christmas shopping. Apart from maybe yesterday, but hey, there's still plenty of time left to shop, so why bring that up?

I'm here to help today, with a few ideas for putting together a box of goodies for the girlie girls in your life this Christmas. It's a bit of a long one today, but I hope you'll bare with me!

First, imagine it's Christmas morning... 

Your best friend or perhaps your sister wishes you a merry Christmas, and hands you a gift box. You excitedly untie the ribbon, and open the box; inside are lots of little gifts, wrapped beautifully in festive paper and tissue. You spend some time unwrapping each present, slowly savouring the Christmas magic, and marvelling at all the little things you've been treated to... She sure does spoil you!

Wouldn't you be thrilled to receive something which has been put together with so much care, love, and effort? Something filled with frivolous, but lovely things you've always wanted to try but haven't because money only stretches so far? I know I would.

I love putting goody boxes together for friends and family and although they require a little bit more effort than a pre-packaged set, they always go down a storm! It's worth it to see the smiles on their faces on Christmas morning, believe me!

Sounds perfect, but I have no idea where to start! What should I put in it?

Well, that's really up to you! There are millions of items to choose from out there, and no shortage of possibilities; it really depends on your budget, what's available to you, how creative you can be, and of course, what the recipient likes. (Remember to think about any allergies, too!) The better you know the person you're shopping for, the easier it should be to put something fantastic together.

Here's a few ideas to get you started:

Bath and body products- Bath and shower gels. Face masks. Bath bombs. Skin care products. Body lotions. Body scrubs. Lip balms. Shampoos and conditioners. Lovely scented and novelty soaps.

Make Up- Eyeshadows and eyeliners. Lipsticks and lip glosses. Blushers. Nail polishes. Manicure sets. Nail wraps and other nail art items. Samples from magazines and beauty counters.

Entertainment- A book, CD, or film; perhaps one special to them or you. Gig or theatre tickets. Cinema tickets. Mix CDs. Bookmarks. iTunes gift cards.

Fashion- Hair accessories such as hair clips, and hair bands. Costume jewellery, such as earrings, rings, brooches, pins, bracelets, and necklaces. Cheap scarves.

Something Edible- Little boxes of chocolates. Fancy chocolates or truffles. Favourite sweets. Foreign treats- particularly great for sending to friends in a different country. Christmas themed sweets. Christmas cake, yule log, stollen, panettone. Unusual teas. Something homemade.

Make it Yourself- Edible treats like cookies, cupcakes, or truffles etc. Mix CDs. Hand written letters on pretty stationery. Photos. Postcards. Art.

Other- Pretty letter sets. Postcards. Cards. Notebooks. Stickers. Cute post it notes. Candles. Seeds (for the gardeners). Prints. Keyrings. Shot glasses. Mini bottles of alcohol (for those of legal drinking age). Random souvenirs. Something to add to their collection.


I hope that little lot has given you a few ideas to work with! How about something a little more visual?

Here's a few examples of gift boxes I've put together over the last year...

I packaged these up in pretty tissue paper for my family and friends in the last twelve months for birthdays and Christmas...

 Based around red-berry scented bath and body products.

A Paris Survival Kit comprised of mini toiletries to take on holiday.

A birthday parcel full of goodies for under £30. The make up were bargains from Fragrance Direct and Amazon!

Some goodies to spoil my best friend with this Christmas. I shall also be adding a bunch of mini beauty products in which I have stored away, unused.

And a big care package for the bestie last year.

That looks expensive. How can I do this on a budget?

It's true that putting a box of goodies together can quickly become costly, but with a bit of creativity, it's also possible to put one together on a tight budget.


Here are a few of my tried and tested tips for sourcing low priced trinkets for a goody boxes.

Shop at outlet shops and during sales- these days sales aren't just made up of the junk nobody wants. You can snag some amazing bargains on everything from cosmetics to stationery.

Take advantage of promotions and deals like 3 for 2 and buy one get one free- this one's a no-brainer, really. Take advantage of these offers throughout the year. Only need a new mascara? Buy the extra product or two in the deal, and add it to a present stash ready for Christmas! It'll add up in no time.

Shop at the supermarket- You can usually find everything from books and DVDs to toiletries and sweet treats much cheaper in the supermarket than elsewhere.

Shop on the high street- The high street is your oyster. 

Split multi-packs of the same or similar items between gift boxes if you're filling more than one.

Make things from scratch if you already have the tools or ingredients- It will save you money and show your loved ones you care.

Shop throughout the year to spread the cost- A bit here, a bit there... and you'll barely even feel the pinch.

Shop through cash-back sites like Quidco- It may not save you money straight away, but if you shop via them, you'll be given a percentage in cash back at a later date. The percentage given back varies from brand to brand, but it all adds up! You can often find discount codes through them, too.

Compare prices online before you buy- Whatever it is you're planning to buy, do a quick search of the web before hitting checkout. Can you find it cheaper elsewhere? Check eBay, check Amazon... check, check, check!

Always look for a discount code when shopping online- The bonus of online shopping, is the regular stream of discount codes you aren't offered on the high street. Before you buy anything, always do a quick search for a discount code. Just type in '[insert shop or brand name here] discount codes' in to a search engine and you'll find dozens of sites that will list all the latest codes, if there are any to share. I always do this, and more often than not, I find one. If you don't, perhaps leave the purchase a day or two as one is bound to pop up!

Shop with Fragrance Direct- If you're looking to add make up or beauty products, go check out Fragrance Direct, who sell thousands up on thousands of products at bargain prices. I swear by this website. It's a great place to source Opi, Sally Hansen, Essie, Dainty Doll, and Jemma Kidd pieces from as little as 99p!

Shop with Amazon- Oh Amazon, how I love thee! A website where you can buy almost anything for less than the RRP is always a winner in my eyes. It's a great place for everything from make up to stationery.

Keep an eye out on ASOS's sales, and promotions- ASOS have regular promotions and fantastic sales, and they stock a gazillion brands, and offer free delivery worldwide! It's a bargain hunter's dream. Just this week I bought some Barry M nail polishes for £1.60 each!

Take advantage of free delivery days- As any online shopper will know, delivery charges rarely come cheap, so keep an eye out for free delivery offers to save you a few bucks! 

Then all you need to do is collect all the goodies together, wrap them up, and give them to your loved one! I guarantee you'll make her day!

And those are my tips for putting a box of goodies together for your loved ones this Christmas! 

If you want a little more inspiration, why don't you check out a similar post I wrote last Christmas "How to Create Christmas Beauty Boxes for Family and Friends" and another I wrote in the summer "How to Create Beauty Boxes For Family and Friends".

Will you be giving your loved ones a big box of goodies this Christmas?

How To Make A Beauty Box For Family and Friends

Hey guys,

So, it's my (not-so) little sister's twenty-fifth birthday at the end of the month, and yesterday I was putting her birthday presents together. Before I continue... Sarah, if you're secretly reading my blog, stop reading now unless you want to spoil the surprise... If you're not my little sister, please continue!

So, this year, I've put a little box of goodies together for her. Now I'm a girl on a tight budget, but I also like to give as much as I can with what I have to spend without compromising on quality. I don't often buy from budget brands; but I've learnt how to find great products at budget prices! I want to show you how you can fill up a beauty box with quality beauty products without spending a fortune. The gift will look more substantial than if you picked up beauty products on the high street or bought a prepackaged beauty set, and is sure to be an instant hit with the ladies in your life!

So let's get started!

Materials Used To Create The Beauty Box

So, let's start with the materials I used to gift wrap everything, put it altogether, and make it look pretty.

Materials You May Wish To Use

♥ A gift box, or gift bag. (You could use a small sturdy cardboard box, and cover it with wrapping paper.)

♥ Wrapping paper to cover the box.

♥ Pretty tissue paper to line the box, encase the presents, and to wrap everything in. 

♥ Scissors, selotape, pens, and glue.

♥ Sticky labels and stickers to decorate and seal gifts

♥ Ribbon to decorate the box.

♥ A button corsage for a finishing touch (optional).

Gifts I Filled The Box With

The most important part of the beauty box is, of course, what you put in it. There are endless options, so let's start with what I put in this one to give you a few ideas.

Dainty Doll colourful powder eyeshadows (and here) x 5, Jemma Kidd liquid eyeliners x 3, Body Shop fruity soaps, Body Shop bath lily, Body Shop shower gel, L'Occitane mini shower gel, Anatomicals set of 3 facemasks, Moomin bath confetti, and novelty moustache erasers x 4. 

I bought the Dainty Doll and Jemma Kidd eyeliners from £1.99 on Fragrance Direct and Amazon (usually £10.50-£11.50), and used outlet stores for most of the rest. The remaining products were inexpensive and bought online.

How To Put It All Together

First, let's start with a gift bag, or box.

If you're using an old, used box like I am, you could cover it with wrapping paper, wall paper, or fabric. I used a sheet of bright and cheerful polka dot cupcake wrapping paper from Sainsburys.

Wrap the lid and the base of the box separately, fixing the paper in place with glue.

Now, you could just add everything to the box unwrapped, if you wanted to; it's really up to you.

Or, you could make everything prettier with coloured tissue paper. I recently discovered the prettiest packs of tissue paper from Hobbycraft, which cost about £1.79 for 10 huge sheets. This is a bargain compared to most you will find. I adore the colours in the green and blue pack above.

I used the five different colours in the photo above to make the beauty box bright, and colourful. The teal is particularly beautiful.

Add a sheet of tissue to the box, leaving enough to cover the contents when you've finished filling the box. Half a sheet of the Hobbycraft tissue paper was plenty for this one.

Wrap each gift up separately in the colourful tissue paper. I used cute stickers instead of selotape for sealing most of the presents.

I then arranged everything in the box, with an assortment of colours on show at the top. I also decorated a few of the items with Cath Kidston stickers to make them even prettier.

Cover everything with the remaining lengths of tissue.

Then fit the lid back on the box, and tie it with some ribbon.

For a final touch, I embellished the bow with a little rosette, which was from a pack of six from Hobbycraft.

And, voila! That is how to put a good quality beauty box together!

I spent just over £30 in total, although I only spent about £19.00 on the make up, and had many of the other items squirrelled away from earlier in the year, which I added to bulk it up. (I was originally intending to just give her the make up). I'm sure she's going to love her beauty box, and I can't wait to give it to her.

A few ideas about what else you could fill a gift box with.

You could also add nail polishes, chocolates / sweets, body lotions, hair accessories, inexpensive costume jewellery, mix CDs, lipsticks, stationery, mini toiletries, lip glosses, lip balms, blushers... the possibilities are endless! You're only restricted by your imagination! Try to personalise each parcel for each person's individual tastes- it's a great way to show you care (and pay attention!), and will earn you major brownie points. Also, don't forget to add a hand written card or letter to the top before you seal the box!

If you're thinking about doing something similar for your loved ones, I've also got a few shopping tips that you might find useful for creating it on a budget.

And finally, a few tips for creating a box of goodies on a budget.

Shop with Fragrance Direct
They sell cut price make up, nail polish, and beauty products from a huge selection of brands. I've personally bought Dainty Doll and Jemma Kidd make up from as little as 99p- products which normally retail for over £10! It's also a great place to pick up Sally Hansen, Essie, and Opi nail polishes from just 99p too.

Shop on Amazon
Whatever it is you're looking to purchase, always do a little search on Amazon for it. They often sell cosmetics for less than the retail price. There are a lot of Dainty Doll products on there at the moment, which are fantastic.

Shop with ASOS
Check out their clearances and promotions, as they often have a sale of some description running. Bargain beauty products + free delivery = success!

Look out for 3 for 2 and buy one get one free offers
on make up and beauty products in pharmacies and supermarkets.

Pick up products in outlet shops and during sale time.

Use your Nectar points and Boots advantage point and the like to buy items for free!

Buy multi packs
of the same or similar items. They can be used for several beauty boxes if you have more than one person you'd like to create a box for.

I hope you've enjoyed this post. If you made it through the whole thing, thanks for reading- I know it's rather long-winded! Let me know if you decide to put something similar together for your loved ones!

Have you ever put together a beauty box for someone in your life? What did you put in it?

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How to Create Beauty Boxes: Christmas Edition.

Haul | Last Minute Christmas Shopping Haul

On Saturday, I finally managed to finish my Christmas shopping! Hurrah!

 Ordinarily, I'm usually finished by mid-November so this is unusual for me. I'm one of those super-irritating people who prefers to be organised well in advance. I just don't like how stressed I feel when there's still so much to be done before I can sit back and enjoy the festivities. I'm determined to get everything wrapped, and written, and sent in the next day or two to get that weight off my shoulders.

Anyway, who would like to see what I purchased over the weekend? Friends and family, please stop reading NOW! Especially if your name is Jac or Ros!!

My Sister and I were ladies on a mission. We visited the American sweet shop in our town, popped over to Thorntons, and then drove to a garden centre which has a fantastic farm shop, and a fairly good gift/homeware department. It's certainly not the best in the county by any means, but we enjoyed browsing through the beauty products, yankee candles, and pretty kitchenware. Man, I must be getting old!

I bought two fresh handmade soaps, two festive bath melts, and some American M&Ms to pop in to Christmas boxes.

I couldn't resist adding a couple of the Bomb Cosmetics 'Ho Ho Hollybush Bath Mallows' in to my basket. They caught my eye the second I laid eyes on the extensive selection on display. They're so cute and festive! I personally think the fragrance of them is very discreet, and not at all overpowering, at least not on the surface. They're said to be jam packed full of fragrances- cinnamon and orange essential oils; pure cocoa and shea butters to moisturise; festive fragrances of plum, oranges, and papaya; lily, jasmine blossom, and exotic amber; and creamy vanilla, caramel, patchouli and musk. That's utterly overwhelming to read back! They sound incredible, so hopefully the aromas will come to life when they're used for a relaxing post-Christmas soak in the tub. These were a few pounds each, although online they're just £2.09.

The main reason I wanted to go in to the garden centre, was to pick up some of the Bomb Cosmetics soaps for presents. This vibrant green soap is called Lime and Dandy, and as you might have guessed, smells of lime, and also lemon and grapefruit. It has a refreshing zesty smell, and is a generous size for just £1.99. I discovered just today that you can buy Bomb Cosmetics products online, and you'll find these soaps online for £2.49 each.

This bold purple Bomb Cosmetics soap is Berry the Hatchet. It has a strong blackcurrant/blackberry scent, and according to the description hints of strawberry and raspberry, too. This soap also contains cedarwood and sweet orange essential oils. The fragrance reminds me of the blackcurrant squash I used to love when I was little.

I bought American M&Ms in four different flavours, which aren't readily available in the UK. I bought the peanut butter, pretzel, coconut, and mint flavours, which will be added to little parcels.

My Sister and I got a little carried away smelling all the Yankee candles, and we discovered the Red Velvet, which I'd never seen before. It's incredible but they actually do smell just like homemade cakes. I treated myself to a little one to make my room smell delicious this Christmas, and bought another to pop in my best friend's Christmas parcel.

In Thorntons I bought a selection of little chocolates to pop in to Christmas crackers and as little extra gifts. I want to send up a special cracker for my best friend and her son to open together.

Aren't these little Christmas pudding chocolates gorgeous? I'll be putting one of these in my Dad's Christmas cracker... well, I don't think he'll appreciate a nail polish quite so much...

And one little treat I allowed myself recently was a pack of Paul & Joe blotting papers. I've always intended to try blotting papers, as my nose is often quite oily, and I have awful blackheads which pressed powder just enhance and clog. I found these on ASOS (surprise, surprise!) on promotion for something ridiculous like £2.50- they're usually £4.00, and found myself smitten with the adorable whale print packaging. No surprises there!

 The pack has 100 papers and they work like a dream removing excess oil and shine. They leave my skin feeling so soft and silky, and work a hundred times better at controlling oil and shine than any powder ever has. I'm definitely going to keep one of these on me at all times. These blotting papers are now one of my daily essentials, which will be added to the shopping list each time I run out.

And, that's my little weekend haul.

Have you used any of these beauty products before?

Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet, or will you be braving the chaos to buy last minute gifts this week?

How to Create Christmas Beauty Boxes 2012

This is the third of my festive themed posts, and today I am going to show you how I create beauty bags and boxes for friends and family.

These beauty parcels make great Christmas gifts, but work just as well for birthdays and other occasions throughout the year, too. Just change the gift wrap accordingly.

I love giving presents much more than I do receiving them, and I always put a lot of thought in to them. I try to personalise them as much as possible, and spend a lot of time considering what the particular person would love. I consider their tastes in fragrances and make up, and it's also important to consider any allergies, skin conditions, and whether they even have a bath tub!

I've been collecting this little lot for my Sisters and best friend... (If any of you three are reading, this is where you stop!)

Gifts I'll Use

As you can see, I've been collecting little goodies like a squirrel preparing for Winter! I budgeted about £20-£25 for each of my three recipients, and ended up getting a little carried away. This lot came to a little over £70, with £45 spent on The Body Shop products alone.

 I stocked up on their products over three transactions to take advantage of some great offers (5 minis for £5, free delivery), and couldn't believe the wonderful toiletries that were on sale for just a few pounds each. Taking advantage of offers will allow you to buy more for your money, and make a hamper look much more substantial for the same cost. I bought lots of cosmetics ranging from shower gels to cleansers and scrubs, a little make up, soaps, and chocolates.

A full sized bottle of her favourite beauty product will earn you major brownie points, and will last her for months. Nostalgic scents are a fun touch and will have you both reminiscing about the good old days.

Mini bottles of daily essentials are an easy and inexpensive way of providing variety, and are perfect for people who have an upcoming holiday, or trip planned. The Body Shop has a large variety of different products and scents. I picked up shower gels, body and foot lotions, shampoos, conditioners, and a cleanser and toner with each person's tastes in mind. I personally favour the satsuma and coconut scents.

Body scrubs and butters are perfect for some essential post-Christmas pampering. These pots were just £2 each on sale, they smell divine, and they give skin the TLC it deserves!

Cath Kidston is such a beloved and well known brand here in the UK, and CK gifts are always well received in my family. These hand creams were on sale via ASOS last week for just £1.50 (!) so I quickly snapped some up. A little bit of luxury will make any girl feel special.

A beauty box wouldn't be a beauty box without a fragrant soap to compliment the lotions and potions. This range of handmade soaps reminded me of Lush's range (which I swear by), but they were a little cheaper at £1.99 each. These smell deliciously of grapefruit and other citrus fruits. I'll be going back for one for myself!

I found this great Accessorize nail polish gift set in Superdrug which is perfect for my Sister. The Lily Cole lipgloss is another of my Body Shop purchases.

Little boxes and packets of chocolates are great for bulking up a gift and are perfect for chocoholics. The boxes were found in the supermarket and Superdrug for a £1 each, and I picked up the M&Ms in a new local sweet shop which now stocks American goodies! 

Handmade Touches

I always make time to write a hand written letter on lovely stationery to send with any presents, and I also send CDs up to my best friend from time to time. On this occasion, I even made album sleeves to put them in, too. (Although I've been meaning to send those up since September). Oops.

How to put it all together

These are some of the things I may use to wrap my beauty parcels. You can use gift bags or boxes, or you could just use a sturdy cardboard box. If it has branding on the outside or you just want to make it look prettier, you could cover the box with wrapping paper.

I love to add a little decoration to presents at Christmas. I purchased little packs of inexpensive tree decorations from Paperchase last year for this purpose, and I still have enough to embellish this year's lot, too! Once the presents are opened, the decorations could go on their tree if they want to keep them. 

I'm also that annoying friend who adds confetti to cards.

I'm sending the following parcel to my best friend.

Without any gift wrap, I can't help thinking how dull and ugly this parcel would look to the recipient... I can soon change that!

Line a box or bag with a sheet of tissue paper. Then shred a couple of sheets to nest the presents. 

You could use a shredder, or use a pair of scissors. Just cut a sheet of tissue in to quarters; then fold each piece over and over length-ways until the paper is about an inch in width; then cut it in to thin strips. When you undo the little pieces of paper, you'll have long wavy strands perfect for nesting the presents! 

I like to wrap each gift up individually, but you can just pop the gifts in the box or bag as they are and hide them in layers of tissue paper.

I used different patterned tissue paper to wrap these, and finished some with ribbon, string, and/or little star and jingle bell decorations.

Arrange everything in the box with the heaviest items on the bottom.

Top with some more shredded tissue, and fold the box lining over the gifts. Arrange the letter, and personal touches like mix CDs on the top.

Make sure to add a Christmas card with a personal message and place it on top of the gifts.

And to finish, seal the parcel, and get it to your loved one!

And voila! That's how I put beauty parcels together for my friends and family.

I usually give more of a variety of brands and products when giving beauty hampers. The Body Shop and Lush are my personal favourite brands to use, but you could easily find some gorgeous products from any number of brands in department stores and pharmacy shops like Boots and Superdrug. I will probably add a couple of face masks and a nail polish or two to these presents, which are both great products to include.

I hope you've enjoyed this long-winded post. If you've made it this far, thanks for sticking with it!