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!

What I'm Buying: Sephora VIB Sale

This is one of my favorite times of the year -- Sephora's annual VIB sale! For a few days, Sephora's VIB members get 20% off all purchases. This is amazing because Sephora never really has sales (unless products are being discontinued), so it is a rare opportunity to stock up on your favorites for less, pull the trigger on a slurge-y treat, and pick up gifts for all the best people on your holiday list.

I've been hitting up my local Sephora over the past few weeks giving myself Sunday morning makeovers and stocking up on samples to help me narrow down my shopping list. Here's what I'm planning to buy this week:

Sunday Riley Power Couple Gift Set -- Sunday Riley products are hot right now, so it's not a surprise that Sephora put together a holiday set with the line's two best-selling products. I'm intrigued -- I'm at the age that I know I need to be taking better care of my skin, but I feel a bit overwhelmed at what I need to use. Sometimes it is easier to let popular opinion decide for me. I just ran out of my regular nighttime treatment, Kiehl's Midnight Repair Complex, and the Luna Sleeping Oil could be a nice change. The set is sold out online, but check your local store. I'll probably pick up a set and then I'll have to figure out whether to keep or be someone's favorite Santa and gift it.

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask -- I've heard such great things about this for months, and I finally grabbed a sample but kind of dragged my feet about trying it. I don't know why, I just felt like I was going to be disappointed. NOPE! I slapped it on before I sat down to watch last week's Scandal and gave it about 20 minute per the instructions. I regularly use a couple of masks, and I'm kind of used to feeling (or seeing) something happen while the mask is on my face -- drying, tingling, tightening. A little razzle dazzle. This one is gentle, so I didn't really notice it while it was doing it's thing. It wasn't until I washed it off that I realized what the hype was about. My skin felt super soft and bright, but in a very natural way. It wasn't like I'd seared off a few layers of my face, or saw a temporary glow because of product that was deposited on my skin. Just clean, soft, and fresh. And it felt great for days later -- seriously, I spent much of Friday gently caressing my own cheek (it's cool, I work from home and my dog already knows I'm a weirdo). Definitely picking this one up for myself!

Benefit Speed Brow Gel -- I've decided I need a bit of a brow product. For a long time I've thought that just shaping my brows was enough, but I've been convinced that I could benefit from a little extra help to make sure everything stays in place. I tried this one in-store and liked the results, so I'll give it a whirl.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer -- I've been using Dr. Jart BB creams for a few years, and I like them but feel like I need a bit more coverage. Laura Mercier is synonymous with fresh, dewy skin, exactly what I am going for.

Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm -- this is a staple for me. I use it exclusively when I travel -- since it isn't a liquid, I can toss it in my carryon without taking up valuable room in my 1 quart ziplock -- but it is fantastic. Very gentle, but takes off every bit of makeup. A little goes a long way, it's taken me more than 3 years to use up my current jar.

Fresh Nude Lip Lovers Mini Kissing Trio -- sometimes holiday shopping becomes a bit of a "one for you, one for me" situation. I'm intending to pick this up as a gift, but I may snag one for myself. I love these little tinted lip balms, and it's nice to have a few extra tubes around. Also considering this one, which I could break up and divvy out into gifts (and still keep a few for myself...).

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette -- if you've been thinking about a new eye shadow palette, this is a good time to grab one. I really like the Naked 3 and I've given it a few times as a gift. This Bobbi Brown collection of nudes looks pretty and wearable.

Sephora Favorites Perfume Sampler -- this is a great gift to give. The box includes sample sizes of 11 different best-selling fragrances. Good ones, including Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream, Armani Si, and my all-time favorite, Stella McCartney's Stella. The gift recipient gets to test drive all of the fragrances and then they get a certificate to redeem for a full-size bottle of their favorite. Definitely fun for a fragrance lover, or for someone who is looking for their first grown-up scent. The other Sephora Favorites sets are great as well -- I love the Beauty Unmasked box, with deluxe samples of 6 great face masks, and the Lashstash set of 8 deluxe mascara samples. 

Deborah Lippmann Undressed Shades of Nude Set -- a set of six high quality polishes that run the gamut from blush all the way to bashful. Perfect for girls like me who love a great classic ballet slippers look but sometimes want to go a little crazy with a...slightly darker ballet slipper-esque shade.

These are the items on my list for now, though you never know what will catch your eye in store (I do love Sephora's On The Go section with travel size products). What are your Sephora must-haves? Anything you're dying to try out this year?