My List of Beautiful Gifts For The Holidays

Here are some of my favourite things for the 2011 Holiday Season...some of them are on my wish list too! Do any of these sound perfect to you? What are you hoping to get this year?

Diptyque Holiday Fragrances - The gorgeous & luxe special edition candles in gorgeous holiday red, green and gold, Epinette (resinous pine) and Perdigone (spicy plum) and also a lovely Winter Coffret with 3 mini candles- Wood Fire, Pomander & Pine. My friend Tara loves to travel with mini candles- they are a perfect way to make an impersonal hotel room feel like home. Lovely gifts! From $32-$84. 

Deborah Lippmann Get This Party Started Limited Edition Kit - What a mouth watering selection of Lippmann's sparkliest glitters, perfect for holiday parties! From a neutral pretty pink to an elegant black confetti, there is something for any party here! Around $42.

By Kilian Perfume Solid Compacts: Ok these are simply stunning. The delicious By Kilian perfumes, available in a gorgeous black bakelite-style compact that would look drop dead elegant in any purse or pocket. One thing I love about solid/concreta perfumes is they are very quiet on the sillage front. They stay close to the skin, and contain pure parfum so only the best part of the scent is what you smell. And, they don't spill or explode which makes them ideal for travel. For her perhaps the solid of Love & Tears (glorious jasmine) or, for him, the sublime A Taste of Heaven (worlds most stunning lavender). Trivia- the boxes that By Kilian's bottled perfumes come in are so stunning they have been seen being carried by the worlds most stylish and elegant women as evening bags. Seriously. $95...and this will last a lifetime.

Thann Skincare Gift of Complete Pampering: After a whirlwind month of parties, preparation and primping, who wouldn't want to find a box full of pampering goodness under their tree? Thann has a lovely set that includes their Aromatherapy Salt Scrub, Rice Grain Soap and Moisturizing Olive Oil Spray for the gift of relaxation and skincare goodness. And, it's on sale for $45.50!

Cashmere Wrap from Banana Republic: I LOVE these wraps! I've owned this in ivory and it is the softest and coziest scarf/wrap I've ever had. I say ownED as it now seems to be my daughter's scarf...Anyways, the hot pink Bright Sangria or reddish-orange Ubud Red would look amazing on anyone, keep them warm and add a splash of colour to that winter wonderland outside. On sale as well...around $100.

                                            

                                            

Dior Crème de Rose Lip Balm & Crème Abricot: A luxe & lovely lip balm that only Dior could make. It smells like roses, moisturizes chapped lips and lightly plumps them. It comes in a lovely bakelite style pot with a subtle Dior logo, which is the same style container as their iconic Crème Abricot- one of the best nail & cuticle savers ever made. Both of these are a luxurious twist on a utilitarian product, with the benefit of being Top Quality and looking pretty sitting on a bedside table or in your purse. These certainly fall under my "Things I Hate To Buy For Myself" category which  makes them  perfect gifts. Around $25-$30 depending on where you live.

Bobbi Brown Classic To Go Palette: Ok, no one does cosmetic party kits, palettes and sets like Bobbi Brown. I felt like a kid in a candy store when I was the counter the other day. They had a lovely display case with all the gorgeous little kits lined up in little windows. I wanted them all! I thought the Classic To Go Palette would be the one I'd like to see the most in my stocking. Great price too at under $30 US.

Guerlain Vol de Nuit Perfumed Shimmer Powder: Ok this entire Guerlain Limited Edition Holiday Collection is GORGEOUS. Each piece is swoonworthy all by itself, but the Vol de Nuit powder is the ultimate luxury. Scented, gently I've been assured, with the classic Vol de Nuit perfume, its for use on the body, face and, the best part, hair. It has a soft and gentle shimmer and is in a gorgeous emerald green interpretation of the classic propeller bottle, from the perfume. Trivia: The original Vol de Nuit (Night Flight) perfume was allegedly inspired by the book of the same name written in 1931 by the aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Romantic...Santa, are you listening? Around $80-$90.

And I'm sure you'll forgive me this Christmas carol...because it's Diana Ross & The Supremes....

Thann Jasmine Blossom For Soft Sweet Skin

Continuing in my beloved jasmine theme, I just have to share my latest love & obsession with you beauties. Thann Skincare, which I written about before here, has recently added a Jasmine Blossom Collection to their stellar skincare lineup. I can say honestly, that the scent in their Jasmine Blossom lotion is probably the most beautiful jasmine scent I have encountered. It is absolutely sublime and I am getting the shower cream asap as I can only imagine how gorgeous my master suite will smell after steaming it up with the perfumed deliciousness of the Thann jasmine. 

Thann has managed to find the sweetest, softest, non-idolic jasmine scent out there and add it to a rich & emollient lotion. The jasmine reminds me of the sweet green jasmine scent that I smell in fine quality jasmine tea. With the Thann Jasmine Blossom, you can smell amazing and have soft moisturized skin all at once. I am using it as a rich hand lotion and on the trouble areas like knees and elbows and they are markedly softer and smoother since I started. The lotion is full wonderful magical goodness provided by organic evening primrose oil, shea butter, rice bran oil and organic olive oil. Their signature rice extract softens skin and protects it from antioxidants. 

If you love jasmine and soft skin, get this. I guarantee you will love it. The website is offering a 20% discount if you purchase the lotion and shower cream together, which I highly recommend. They are not inexpensive products, as Thann uses only the finest quality ingredients in their products. And trust me, the minute you feel and smell this, you will become a believer.

Thann Shiso Mask for Amazingly Beautiful & Silky Hair

I was at one of my favourite beauty/lifestyle/spa boutiques the other day- it is called Thann. If you are not familiar with this stunning boutique, Thann is a boutique that features a range of all-natural hair, skin, and body care, for women and men, formulated from botanicals and essential oils by combining the art of natural therapy with modern science. All products are dermatologically tested, paraben free suitable for even the most sensitive of skin types, and they use recycled packaging, support human rights, oppose child labour and all kind of wonderful things. You can read more on Thann’s website.

We are quite lucky to have a Thann boutique here in Ottawa, as they are an Asian based company with only one shop in North America, the rest are in Asia and Europe and Australia. You can shop online though, which you will definitely want to do. The Canadian site ships anywhere in the US as well. Especially if you have hair that is coarse, dry, colour treated, or suffering from a summer spent in the sunshine.

They do resemble mint leaves....

Thann Shiso Hair Mask is part of their famous Shiso line. Shiso is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, alpha-linolenic acid which has anti-inflammatory properties and is an anti-oxidant. Shiso is a valuable ingredient widely used in medical, food, and cosmetic industries worldwide. It also has a fresh smell, almost like a green tea/mint combination, that I adore. There is an entire Shiso skincare line that is definitely worth exploring.

The owner of our beautiful Thann Boutique, Fadi, saw my long thick coarse hair and recommended the Shiso Mask. A quick skim of the ingredients told me it did not have silicone. This appealed to me immediately, as I am OVER having my hair coated with grease. This only offers the illusion of silky hair, and that illusion does not last. He explained the benefits of the proteins, shiso and other ingredients, and I was sold. I was out of Joico K-Pak, which has been my go-to protein treatment forever, and was willing to try something new. And I’m so glad I did! My hair was literally transformed. Smooth, silky and shiny, my hair would just slip out of my hands. The coarse dry ends were eliminated. But- the scent! Oh wow does this stuff smell divine! And the scent lingers in my hair for days. Not strong, but if I get a bit warm or my hair goes in front of my face, I get a hint of that lovely fresh oddly floral tea. My hair is impenetrable by anything other than uber effective product. I have tried so many “deep conditioners” that do nothing for my hair, and some leave it impossible to get a comb through. So for a product to work, and to work so well, is almost miraculous.

Not a dry strand to be found- this is bouncin' & behavin' hair!

Verdict: Thann Shiso Hair Mask has earned a permanent place in my hair arsenal for sure. I got my Thann Shiso Hair Mask at Thann Boutique in Ottawa, 100ml tube for $33. I have very thick hair that is halfway down my back so my usage will be different than for someone with different type of hair.