Friday 25 November 2016

The Stocking Filler Edit


Selecting the right stocking fillers for any girl in your life can be tricky...mainly because you can fill it with just about anything and, depending on the size of the stocking, it can end up costing a fucking fortune. So, to help y'all out, I've put together a list of products that'll make great stocking stuffers, as well as cheap knick-knack ideas that'll help bulk up that bad boy!

Starting with beauty, no stocking would ever be complete without nail products. To bulk up a stocking, fill it with affordable accessories such as nail files, buffers and toe separators - a girl can't get enough of these. A good top coat is also essential and, in terms of products, they don't come much better than Seche Vive, a gel-effect top coat from the masters behind Seche Vite. This beauty applies beautifully, dries quickly and leaves the most glossiest of finishes.


Also be sure to include some beautiful lacquers. One of my favourite nail brands, Nails Inc, has just released a Candy Cane packed with some of the brand's most gorgeous colours. The Candy Cane features full size Nails Inc. shades, including St James - a pillar box red, Grosvenor Crescent - a deep aubergine, Royal Avenue - a red and gold glitter and Belsize Road - a gold and pale pink glitter. The best thing about this polish pack is that it costs just £25.00 - crazy impressive considering Nails Inc. polishes sell for £15.00 a piece!


Sticking with nails, I also recommend including The Wah Nails Book Of Downtown Girls. Filled with pages of design inspiration and step-by-step guides, this is a complete bible for babes wanting to really nail nail art. It is available from Joy and costs just £11.99.

The perfect accompaniment to this stocking filler is The Elegant Touch Stylist Nail Art Kit. This manicure must-have contains three brushes and two dual-ended dotting tools that will help you create an insane number of different nail designs. It costs just £8.95 but if you're on the hunt for something a little cheaper, Elegant Touch also offer nail sticker sets that help do the job in a matter of seconds.


Body products and accessories also make great stocking fillers - think natural sponges, in-shower exfolitaing gloves and body brushes! I love a good body cream in my stocking and they don't get more nourishing or better scented than The Body Shop Spiced Apple Softening Body Butter. As with all Body Shop Body Butters, this limited edition body cream applies smoothly and absorbs quickly, leaving behind a gorgeous scent that remains on the skin hours after application.


Tanning products are also great for bronze-obsessed beauties and you can't go wrong with the St. Tropez In Shower Tanning Lotion. This 200ml lotion makes tanning super clean and super speedy - getting a gorgeous glow couldn't be simpler and it only cost £14.50!


Great skincare products are also worth splurging on when sourcing stocking fillers. If you're looking for great skincare bulkers, I recommend stuffing a stocking with q-tips, cotton pads and cleansing wipes. Heck, even a classic Vaseline lip tin will go down well (I'm obsessed with the new limited edition Lulu Guinness tin!). One of my favourite skincare sets this Christmas season is the DHC Beauty Bento Gift Box and it makes for a great stocking filler. Contained in this bento box are four Japanese beauty essentials; a cleansing oil, mild soap, revitalising moisture strips for the eyes and blotting paper. A skincare steal at just £13.00!


Now if you're stuffing a stocking for a fragrance fiend, I recommend mini or rollerball fragrances. Bronnley has an amazing range of rollerball fragrances and my personal favourite is Exotic Embers, a sensual scent that contains top notes of bergamot, ruby orange and galbanum, middle notes of tuberose, ginger and nutmeg and base notes of labdanum, cedarwood and amber.


Another option for fragrance fans is a scented candle and, this year, Decleor has released a real beauty. The brand's new neroli Scented Candle comes encased in a gold jar - it's as beautiful as the candle's scent. It also burns evenly and pacts so much power that the scent lingers in a room long after it's been burnt out.


Now for ladies who love their locks, you can't go wrong with stuffing a stocking full of hair heroes - brushes, hair clips and bands are great bulkers. However if you're looking for a real hair hero, Wella EIMI has recently launched several 'treatments in a box' and I'm a big fan of the Blow Dry Box, which contains a Sugar Spray voluminous texture spray and Thermal Image heat protection spray. Sugar Lift provides gorgeous shine and impressive volume while Thermal Image smooths, nourishes and protects the hair.


Finally, to keep the makeup girls happy, I would fill a stocking with one of Urban Decay's latest - and most exciting - palettes, the Junkie Vice Lipstick Palette. Since UD launched the new Vice Lipstick range, shades have been flying off the shelves - people can't get enough of these beautiful bullets. Luckily the Vice Lipstick Palette provides the perfect way to trial 12 of the 100 shades. Each shade included suits just about every skintone and - as with all Urban Decay products - each lipstick is highly pigmented and long-lasting.


Now although beauty products do make for great stocking fillers, there are also lots of home, fashion, food and lifestyle accessories that work well - books in particular are a great option. A recent favourite of mine is Capture Your Style - a book for fashionistas, style-obsessed bitches and just about anyone who is desperate to get their Instagram game strong. Capture Your Style features over 200 pages worth of knowledge on how you can capture the most eye-catching snap, master the most flattering 'likable' pose and edit your pics like a Photoshop pro. It cost £11.99 is available from abramsandchronicle.co.uk.


My final stocking filler favourite falls into the food and drink category because...what girls don't love to eat or drink? Booze is an absolute must and mini spirit bottles are perfect stocking fillers as they are cheap, readily available and make perfect handbag accessories on a cheap night out (heaven knows we'll all be experiencing those after the Christmas splurge!). Jagermeister & Edgerton Original Pink Gin have the perfect minis to keep you merry! And for the chocolate lovers out there, I strongly recommend the Bill's Chocolate Orange Buttons because they are tasty af and no gal is ever too old for chocolate buttons...


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