Holiday Gift Guide: Cozy Ideas for Winter Warmth

Australian Wool Shawl in "Baroque" by Scarflings.

Some of the best Christmas gifts I've ever received (or given) have been those associated with staying warm. Think toasty wools scarves, warm booties, and fleece-lined gloves. All such gifts show that you care about the recipient's comfort and happiness. Here are a few gift ideas along with tips on how to get the best of the best warm things for everyone on your list.

100% Wool Scarves - This type of scarf makes the perfect gift because it is so very versatile and travels well.  The name Pashmina is derived from the Persian language and literally means soft and shiny. Known for being extremely plush, the yarns are derived from the Ibex goat native to Kashmir. Pashmina vs Cashmere: Both are very soft but Pashmina fibers are finer and thinner thus making them ideal for lightweight items like shawls. This "Baroque" Scarflings 100% Australian Wool Shawl is a generous 245 x 110 cms with tassel edges. Not as soft as my Pashmina shawls but very warm and functional with beautiful detail. See all the assorted fibers and patterns of shawls and scarves at Scarflings.com

Holiday Presence: The Health & Beauty Gift Guide

Lancome- Paris Holiday Gift Set: Creme-Mousse Confort, Rose Jelly Mask, Tonique Confort, Bienfait Multi-Vital Night, Bien Multi-Vital Sunscreen Cream with large, gold zippered travel bag to store everything. 

The trend for 2020 is clear, nourished and hydrated skin. It's a new decade and in my opinion, this is where things are trending in beauty: Neutral palettes highlighting clean even-toned skin with a bold lip for evening. Likewise, rejuvenating, restful sleep is also going to be in play towards overall natural beauty. 

Health and Beauty Spa Quality Gifts for others on your list...for you!

Here are a few spa-worthy gifts that will bring a smile (and glow) to your recipient's face or even yours!

• Garner's Garden 100% Natural Skincare This collection includes shea-rich body butters with Lavender and Citrus essential oils. These whipped body butters are organic and unrefined making them perfect for sensitive skin. Also, their Lavender Moisturizing Body Oil can be applied before a bath or shower to pre-condition the skin.  This set can be found at GarnersGarden.com 
  
  

Holiday Gift Guide: Crabtree & Evelyn Travel Ready Collections

Exquisite Crabtree & Evelyn - London: La Source Mini Trio, Lavender Vanity Collection

London, England  To me, having a proper Christmas means going back to the happy times of my childhood. The English walnuts, plum pudding and Striped Humbugs my father brought from our family's neighborhood candy store. All of these smells and delights trigger thoughts of those I love. So I was so excited to see the new gift collections being offered this season by one of my favorite fragrance houses, Crabtree & Evelyn. These are fabulous sets for someone special or for yourself.

Crabtree & Evelyn's Lavender Collection of everything Lavender!

The Lavender Vanity Collection is the ultimate travel treat for the jet setter on your list. Lavender is naturally soothing and helps induce sleep. After getting off my flight and checking into my hotel, the first thing I like to do is take a relaxing Lavender bath! This beautiful dual zippered & tiered vanity case is packed with four sumptuous pampering products made from pure, natural Lavender essential oils. In fact you've never really experienced Lavender until you've had English Lavender:

"A satin-lined interior decadently presents four Lavender-scented favourites to gently cleanse, moisturise, and condition hands and skin to perfection. Our Lavender Eau de Toilette adds a finale of fragrance. And a petite cosmetic pouch helps you stay beautiful on-the-go, all through the holidays and beyond."

La Source Mini Trio Gift Set comes with this lovely presentation.

La Source Mini Trio is another travel ready set sure to make a lasting impression. This sweet little trio of mini-travel sized products by La Source makes a luxury appearance smartly wrapped in tissue paper and it's own cosmetic case:

"Tucked inside this lovely cosmetic bag is a trio of our La Source hand and body care favourites - all known for their restorative marine botanicals. Our La Source ultra-moisturising Hand Therapy, hydrating Body Lotion, and soothing Body Wash condition and moisturise through the holidays and beyond, revitalizing skin with the powers of the sea."

La Source Trio is like taking a bit of the spa on Holiday with you!

Lucky Gift Guide
These traveling delights from Crabtree & Evelyn have made it into my Lucky Gift Guide as the quality and presentation are just what you would expect from a top London fragrance house. Best of all the vanity and cosmetic cases are reusable, ready to pack with whatever else you want to take along. Trust me though, once you get used to these fabulous scents, you'll want to restock!

Travel right! Love, your Girl on the Go.

Credits: Product photos were shot with the incredible Canon EOS Rebel Digital SLR camera courtesy of my friends at QVC.com
Gift Sets c/o Crabtree & Evelyn

Gifts We Really Want - L'Occitane en Provence Hand Creams

L'Occitane en Provence - Memoirs of a Hand Cream Holiday Gift Set is the complete holiday package!

Provence, in the South of France: It always seems to be a challenge to choose just the right holiday gifts each year for our friends and family. Then there's all the boxing, wrapping and everything else. Well, not this year! On my last visit to QVC Studios, I heard about QVC Gifts. These are a special collection of holiday gifts that come in beautiful packaging, pretty much ready to set right under the tree.  These are top luxury labels from designers like Issac Mizrahi, Laura Geller, Josie Maran, WEN and Philosophy.

On L'Occitane de Provence's Set at QVC TV Studios.

L'Occitane en Provence
So I was very excited to see L'Occitane included among the QVC Gifts collection as this is a line I've been using for quite some time. In fact I keep a tube of their 20% Shea Butter and Lavender Hand Cremes in my makeup bags. L'Occitane's creams are made in France with real botanicals so you get all the healing benefits inherent to the plant. 

I keep a tin of L'Occitane's 100% Shea Butter in my first-aid kit.

  
L'Occitane's Lavender Hand Creme is so soothing and calming on long flights or car trips. My book, The New Woman's Herbal and Nutritional Guide extols the healing wonders of Lavender for burns, scrapes and irritations. It's like having a first-aid cream that also smells amazing. Just like the finest aromatherapy oils, the essential oils used in L'Occitane's hand creams are harvested from all over the world: Grasse, Turkey, Bulgaria and Morocco to name a few.

I always keep a tube of L'Occitane Lavender or Shea Butter hand cream in my travel bag.

Memoirs of a Hand Creme Set
Now that you know how GOOD L'Occitane Hand Cremes are, let me tell you about the beautiful set of 8 being offered in their Memoirs of a Hand Creme from QVC. Beautifully gift-boxed, it opens like a bed-time story book tied with a satin ribbon. Only it's a TRUE story! It tells the tale of their unrivaled 20% Shea Butter hand creme and all the others made from the most fragrant plants and flowers.

L'Occitane's Story of a Hand Creme opens to hold 8 of their full sized 30 ml hand cremes.

These are the same full 1 oz tubes sold at their NYC flagship store. I shop there so I know. This is a great value as each tube of hand creme retails in the store for about $12.  However, some of the cremes in this collection I've not seen in the store such as the: Pivoine Flora Hand Cream, Fleur Cherrie and the Rose 4 Reines Hand Cremes. You can gift the entire set or break it up into individual elegant stocking stuffers. There's plenty to go around, even if you like to save a tube or two for yourself!

The End!

L'Occitane Memoirs of a Hand Creme c/o QVC