Holiday Gift Guide: My Best Friend

Shopping for your best friend is like shopping for yourself -- it's the best! This is always one of the most fun gifts to buy. I have lots of great ideas, so now the only problem is deciding which one to pick...

WHO I'M SHOPPING FOR: my best friend

She's smart and fun with lots of interests and a great eye. She has a little one and has a hard time remembering to take time for herself, so I'm making sure that her gift is purely for her enjoyment (nothing that she'll end up "sharing" with her husband or kiddo). She knows that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but she also makes sure her cover is always flawless.

WHO YOU'RE SHOPPING FOR: the person on your list who deserves some pampering...a new mom...a friend with excellent taste...someone who appreciates the little details.

Sunday Riley Power Couple Kit, $70

A very luxurious set from one of the hottest skincare lines. She'll think of you every time someone compliments her glowing skin.

Confetti Wine Glasses, $80

These are the prettiest wine glasses and will be perfect for fancying up a special dinner or taking the edge off on a Tuesday night. Adding a favorite bottle of wine would be a nice touch.

Monogrammed Sunshine Satchel, $120

She may not be taking long jaunts to Europe right now, but a long weekend away is totally doable. The black/tan/cream color combo is elegant, and a monogram makes everything better.

Mesa Moonstone and Druzy Cuff Bracelet, $345

For someone who has been very, very good. Moonstone and white druzy are two of my favorites -- dreamy, ethereal stones that go with everything. This simple bangle is unassuming and easy to wear every day, with enough sparkle to feel special.

Evil Eye Heart Dish, $98

One of my jobs is to protect to protect my best friend from bullshit, assholes, haters, and other evil-doers. I love the idea of this sweet but kickass little dish to stand guard when I'm not around -- it's also a stylish little way to store jewelry, keys, and other little treasures. I'd wrap it up with something fun, like some homemade cookies or a handful of old school lip glosses.

Rainbow Key Fob, $98

She'd never splurge on something like this, but you can. It's pricey, but just think about how many times a day she'll pull her keys out and smile. A little everyday luxury goes a long way.

Striped Sleepset, $78

The cutest, coziest jammies are perfect for lazy Sundays and Netflix date nights. Give them to her before Christmas morning so she'll look effortlessly perfect for the present-opening photos.

Belle Calligraphy Kit, $20

I don't think anyone has time for hobbies anymore, but this calligraphy kit is perfect for the busy creative type. My best friend Sara is really crafty and would probably be great at this -- I might go a step further and buy her an online class so she can really master all of the swirly strokes.

Bite Lip Lab Custom Lipstick, $45

This was actually what I gave Sara for her birthday last year and let me tell you, it was a big hit (there may have been tears...). Bite Beauty has the coolest Lip Lab in SoHo where you can have a custom lipstick shade mixed just for you (you can read about my visit here). This is the perfect gift for the lipstick-lover in your life -- I mean really, what price can you put on finding "your" shade? If a trip to NYC isn't in the cards, this Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip set is a lot of fun. I'd also add this cheeky little makeup pouch, because she who has the reddest lipstick does indeed win.

Mini Messenger Bucket Bag, $50

She knows you'd buy her a Chanel bag if you could, but she'll love that you were nice enough to snag her this inspired-by version.

Kule Cashmere Breton Sweater, $285

I don't know a woman who doesn't love a classic striped Breton shirt. There are lots of great cotton ones out there, but how about a cashmere upgrade? She'll wear this to death and love you forever. (PS: Land's End has an almost identical one at a very reasonable price)

Custom Portrait Stationery, $200 and up

Personalized stationery featuring a darling custom portrait, from one of the most popular paper goods companies -- HOW GREAT IS THIS??? If there is a lady on your list who understands the power of a great handwritten letter, this is a winner. (And if these cards are a bit out of your price range, you could find a pretty set of notecards and order some personalized stamps to go with them -- pets and kids are super cute)

If you need a few little extras, consider...

These little pots of goodness from RMS Beauty -- the luminizer and lip shine are favorites of J. Crew's stylists.

A silly candle, because when she played MASH as a kid she always got mansion.

An adorable pouch for business cards, because she makes leaning in look great.

This great little balm in a pretty tin (I gave so many of these last year, love them!).

A little extra sparkle for her tree (pretty ornaments make great package decorations).

Holiday Gift Guide 2015

Hard to believe but it is once again that most wonderful time of the year: holiday shopping! Even though there are a million and one of these kinds of lists, I think there's room for one more. Cooler than Oprah's (sorry, but your Amazon-based list was pretty lame), more down to earth than Goop's (we don't all have Gwyneth's Black Card), it's the first annual PCD Gift Guide!

One of the things that I know about myself is that I'm a good gift giver (it started when I was a kid -- I was raised by a single mom, and by the time I was just 7 or 8 I was spending hours thinking about clever ways to surprise her with the most special things my allowance money could buy). I consider it my mission to make at least one person cry happy tears when they open their gift; one year, I got tears from everyone in my family -- it was awesome!

What makes a good gift-giver? I've always been observant, and I think that helps -- I tuck away lots of little tidbits of info and tap into it when it comes time for gift giving. I'm pretty creative, and I love looking in unexpected places to come up with a really fun and surprising gift. It doesn't hurt that I'm a pretty voracious shopper -- I see things every day that I fall in love with for one reason or another, and after my initial "I need that!" reaction passes, I often find that my coveted item would be a perfect present for someone on my list.

And really, I just adore the people in my life and love taking an opportunity to show it by spoiling them with great gifts. I'm a lucky girl.

I'll be sharing some of my favorite finds for the holiday season over the course of the next two weeks (11 parts in total). I was trying to figure out how to break up the guide and couldn't come up with clever categories (Best Gifts for Lactose-Intolerant Travel Lovers!), so I decided to just use the people on my own shopping list. Don't worry, I think it's a pretty relatable list and I'm sure you'll find some good inspiration for your loved ones!

Before we start, I thought I'd share a bit about my gift-giving philosophy. For me, a great gift should satisfy at least one of the following. I want gifts that...

Are a fun splurge -- I love a little bit of luxury, and I like to give presents that just make people happy (so if you want a vacuum cleaner or ink for your printer, ask someone else).

Can be used, experienced, or consumed -- I am hyper aware of the fact that most of us have way too much "stuff", and we really don't need to accumulate more clutter. I like gifts that are meant to be consumed and enjoyed -- things to do, things to eat, things to use up.

Show some personality -- it is super easy to default to a generic gift: soaps, candles, ties, calendars. Make sure your gift shows that you know the specific tastes and interests of your recipient (and if you aren't sure, ask someone who is). And if you can't find a way to incorporate their personality, definitely make sure to show some of yours! (For example...last year I bought my brother a FitBit because that's what he really wanted, and for some reason decided to wrap it using a printout of an x-ray of my foot. It made a boring gift a lot more fun -- we all laughed for hours.)

Feel complete -- one of the things that takes a gift from good to great is adding a thoughtful extra: a cool mug and some great coffee or tea to go with it, a DVD set and some interesting snacks to eat while binge-watching. I like to think about the full experience of using the gift -- it helps make sure that you're really buying the right thing (sure those wacky elf slippers are funny, but can you picture your sister actually wearing them?), and let's the person you're giving it to know that you really put some thought into their gift.

Giving presents is the best...let's start shopping!

Wedding To-Do List

Skipping my usual weekend to-do list post (after a busy week of travel, my weekend was pretty low-key and involved a lot of Mad Men bingeing) and swapping it for a wedding update (particularly appropriate thanks to Friday's joyful Supreme Court ruling -- #lovewins!). My little brother got married last weekend, and it was lovely! It was sweet and simple and pretty low-key (ceremony was on the beach and the reception was a backyard BBQ), so I wanted to share a few of the things that made it a great day...

WHAT TO WEAR...

OK, of course the wedding is all about the bride and groom, but I think one of the best ways to honor them and show your love is by being the best-dressed guest. I mean, you can't really see yourself so looking great is practically a gift to them. (Kidding!)

But seriously, you need to wear something, I was initially a little stumped by what to wear. The ceremony was dressy, but the reception was more casual (a lot of people actually changed into regular weekend wear)...but as the sister of the groom, I knew I'd be in a million pictures and I didn't really feel like changing, so I wanted to find something that would work all day long. If you need to dress for a casual fancy event, here are a couple of options to consider. On the left is what I wore, on the right is another option I played around with:

LEFT: This pretty ombre dress was an absolute steal from Anthropologie a few months ago -- it's sold out now, but this Elie Tahari dress has the same soft, watery effect. The style and color of the dress felt right for the casual reception, so to make it work for the ceremony I added a few sparkly accessories -- earrings, wedges (similar), and a conversation starting bag (note: I actually forgot the bag I wanted to carry and had to raid my mom's closet, but I definitely would have carried this crazy one!). I kept my makeup simple, finished off with a pretty rose lipstick (and...subtle fake lashes. What, these pictures will last forever!).

RIGHT: This dress reads very pale on screen, but it is definitely a soft shade of rose and should not earn you any dirty looks from the bride. It is so light and airy, I really hoped it would go on sale before the wedding but no such luck. I would add simple flat sandals, a clever bag, and oversized glam sunglasses (I hated these when I first start seeing them but now I keep looking for reasons to buy myself a pair). And this bright and creamy red lipstick is perfect for daytime.

WHAT TO GIFT...

A slight twist to this event is that my brother and SIL didn't want it to feel too much like a wedding, so they cut out some of the traditional bits...like a registry. This made gift giving really tricky -- when I asked for ideas, my brother said "workout clothes and a new golf bag". Thanks, kid.

I decided to get them a nice hefty Visa gift card so they could buy something they need or splurge on dinners on their honeymoon, but I wanted them to have something to open. Here are some of the ideas I came up with that might work for the tricky couples that you have to buy for:

TOP: Sure, everyone loves their Keurig, but a french press makes a really great cup of coffee. It is also a lifesaver during an unexpected power outage or if you want to bring along your own coffee option when you're traveling (I know people who do this -- yes, they're a little crazy). And then you can add these classic Anthropologie Monogram Mugs with a little twist -- whenever these use these "LOVE" mugs, they'll remember their happy day. (My actual gift to my brother and SIL was very similar -- I bought this adorable mini pie maker and "LOVE" dessert plates, a nod to the pies they served at their wedding).

BOTTOM: I haven't found the right person to give this gift to, but I will -- a beautiful, practical cutting board made special with an engraved recipe. You can provide any handwritten recipe and have it engraved right into the board. Handwriting is so personal and special, and this is the perfect way to celebrate a beloved family recipe. It would pair wonderfully with a great set of knives -- I love these colorful ones.

WHAT ELSE...

There were a few other little touches that I loved about this wedding. My SIL wanted the reception to feel simple and a bit rustic, and she found some great ways to achieve that. She was really smart about the flowers. Rather than work with a florist, she decided to do them herself. She gathered a bunch of mason jars, bottles, and other little glass vessels from friends, relatives, and garage sales, and then went to a local farm and asked to buy some wildflowers. She got three enormous buckets of flowers that she used to make tons of little arrangements, a small bouquet, a boutonniere for my brother, etc. She spent exactly $75 on the flowers and just a few dollars on glassware. A traditional florist will charge more than that for the bride's bouquet, so this was a great deal. The ladies in the family helped make the arrangements the night before the wedding, and I think they looked pretty great (and it was fun spotting "my" arrangements in various places throughout the reception):

The finished arrangements, ready to be deployed

Both of our families are filled with earthy crunchy treehuggers, so I was thrilled to see these charming and environmentally-friendly bamboo plates and cutlery. And how cute are these palm leaf bowls?? Everything was really affordable and incredibly sturdy, and it was nice to have the convenience of disposable without feeling guilty about the waste. Would be great for any big parties, BBQs, etc.

PS -- I surprised my future SIL with one of these hangers (hers was a Mrs. X, with her new last name) -- it was perfect for a few great photo ops and her wedding dress is still hanging from it today! A very affordable little luxury that makes a great shower gift.