Realizing that the number of products and gift choices available can be overwhelming, we at DelectablyChic! have selected some of the most dazzling this season and for your convenience has organized them by occasion or recipient.  Gift one of these and the recipient is sure to appreciate your thoughtful and well thought out gesture.

Best Hostess Gift

Philosophy’s “Holiday Hostess” combo of Sugary Cinnamon Icing shampoo/shower gel/bubble bath and body lotion is an ideal gift to give when you go to a holiday party.  The frosted blue packaging is very charming as is the tag line “every hostess deserves the mostest.”

Another surefire way to make your hostess happy is a gift set of Crabtree & Evelyn’s Pomegranate line.  You can have a customized gift basket made from their scented soap, body wash, body lotion and even foaming bath powder. The scent and texture of this line is pure luxury and the colour and packaging (deep pink and white) epitomizes the holiday season.

Best Gift for your Make-Up Loving Friend

Check out Cargo Cosmetics’ Lumieres du Monde eyeshadow and blush set.  It makes quite an attractive gift with its sleek packaging and bold colour choices and is sure to please any make-up loving friend and at just $29 (with retail value $159), it packs quite a punch as a present.  It’s also a great gift to give a working gal pal who tends to go straight from work to cocktails as it’s perfect for freshening up at the office.  We just wish there was a snap seal to this set as it’s the sort of make-up goody one wants to protect.

If you would prefer to give something more bath and body-oriented, we simply love The Body Shop’s Spiced Vanilla Body Butter (very sexy) or even their warm and welcoming new Cranberry Joy shimmer lotion.  Perfect scents and textures for the dark and dry winter.

Best Gift to Give A Child:

We are in LOVE with the Hank and Jojo Kiddie Collection Kids Socks Set.  This four pack of striped socks made of 80% Bamboo and AZO free dyes, is placed in a CPSIA approved gorgeous tin lunchbox.  The workmanshop of the box is top-notch and the socks are very cute.  All packaging is recyclable.  Now that’s clothing a child and teaching her eco-friendly ways, all at the same time.

Best Gift to Give Your Creative Friend:

Have a friend who loves to knit or gift wrap?  “Mastering Color Knitting” by Melissa Leapman and “Knitting Block by Block” by Nicky Epstein are two books that are fresh, fun and full of invaluable hints.  The former book is a detailed look at colour knitting with finesse and the latter book puts a new spin on block knitting and includes 150 patterns for sweaters, scarves, afghans and even bags!

One of the coolest creative books we’ve come across in a long time is “Creative Paper Cutting: basic techniques & fresh designs for stencils, mobiles, cards & more” edited by Shufunotomo.  It has tons of tips on how to make unusual greeting cards, invitation cards, party decor and even Christmas tree ornaments.

For a gift that’s both a boon to beauty and to creativity, consider KONAD® Stamping Nail Art Special Set.  Funky over the top animal print nail designs? Stripes that overlap in just the right way? Innovative colour combinations?  For a truly unique nail, no better way than having the complete nail art set handy so that you can sport whatever design strikes you fancy and change it as often as you like.

Best Gift to Give Your Social Media Loving Friend:

LUSH Cosmetics’ Christmas Tweets ($27.95) is a celebratory box of vanilla and marzipan scented goodies.  We love this mix because it has a variety of pampering products perfect for a friend who is not taking enough time for herself.  Smitten hand cream, Snowcake soap, Vanilla Fountain bath bomb and Lil’ Lush Pud bath bomb are the treats in this box of Tweets.  Now, that’s something to “tweet” about.

Best gift for all your BFFs

If you are in a circle of friends where you want to give everyone the same gift, check out Soulo Sport’s Velocity Watch.  They come in a rainbow of colours (if you want to give each friend a different colour) including the perfect day-to-evening black, are lightweight to carry and easy to giftwrap or stuff in a stocking.  They feel like you are not even wearing a watch and yet they look sleek and stylish and perfect for today. Best of all, they are made of Tourmaline which facilitates the natural detoxification of the body and improves sleep, relaxation and meditation.

For a more literary choice, gift “Mini Shopaholic” by Sophie Kinsella which you can always count on for a good laugh.  Little Minnie, daughter of Becky and Luke, is more shopzilla than shopaholic and is a welcome addition to this beloved series.

Best Gift for Your Health Conscious Friend:

We’ve all been reading about the dangers of freezing or microwaving things with plastic and how it releases Dioxin Carcinogens which cause cancer, particularly breast cancer.  Green Seal has come up with microwave safe, freezer safe, universal fit space age polymers that vacuum seal food, keeping it apparently up to five times as fresh, all without releasing any dangerous chemicals.

Best Gift to Give Your Friend Who Has Too Many Bad Hair Days:

You will be so loved by someone who struggles with her hair if you gift one of Moroccanoil® Holiday promo vanity cases.  We tried the one with Intense Hydrating Mask, Moisture Repair Shampoo and Moroccanoil® Treatment.  It not only repairs chemical and environmental damage, it makes your hair shine. Bliss!

Best Gift to Give Your Girl Friend Who Has Just Moved into Her Own Place:

The Apollo Precision Tools 135-Piece Household Pink Tool Kit is a very thoughtful gift to give a female friend who is constantly having to tweak things in their home.  Durable, easy-to-use, portable and best of all pink, this set includes a box cutter, a rechargeable cordless 4.8-volt screwdriver, a measuring tape, a level and a putty knife, all systematically displayed and organized so that each piece is easy to find and easy to store.  Available at Canadian Tire, with a portion of proceeds going to Canadian charity re-Think Breast Cancer.

Best Gift for Your Friend Who Loves to Cook:

For a more traditional gift or for the mother who enjoys cooking, Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook is choc-a-bloc with fabulous recipes and most importantly, easy to follow instructions and time-saving techniques.  Even Martha Stewart’s Cookies is a lot of fun with many creative and tasty recipes like “Chocolate Malt Sandwiches,” “Cigarette Russes,” “Meringue Porcupines” and for a Christmas treat “Stained Glass Trees.”  For a quick and easy method to get ideal holiday treats, check out Decorating Cookies Kit by Annie Rigg that contains a cookbook and cookie cutters.  We particularly liked the stained glass star cookies.

Why not combine the traditional with the modern and gift, serve or give a hostess cupcakes this Holiday season.  Holiday Cupcakes is a great intro book to “Christmas Wreath” cupcakes, “Christmas Trees” cupcakes and “Snow-Ho-Ho-Men” treats.  If you really want to wow ‘em though, check out What’s New Cupcake? by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson which has advanced techniques to ensure your little treats are truly water-cooler conversation worthy.  There are great tips here for shaping your cupcakes and top recipes including “Blow Up Lawn Santas” and “Frosty Mugs.”  For mouth-watering cupcakes recipes (that you can later decorate using one of the earlier books mentioned), don’t look further than The Hummingbird Bakery Cupcakes and Muffins Cupcake kit, which even includes 100 cupcake cases.

Best Gift for Your Mom:

Vasanti has this magical Eye Wonder triple action eye treatment cream that is flying off the shelves.  It reduces the appearance of puffiness, wrinkles and dark circles, whether due to hereditary, thinning skin, inflammation or lack of sleep. Botanicals and peptides are the key active ingredients and by the way it actually works, there is probably also some secret magical formula.   Your mother is likely to love it so much, she might just ask you to gift more to her on her birthday and Mother’s Day as well. 

Best Gift for Dad

Men generally love scents with a little zest to them.  While The Body Shop’s “Jolly Orange” bath & shower gel is a unisex product, it’s something extra special for the man who has always pampered you.

Best Gift to Make Your Man Smile?

Want to have a little fun with your gift-giving?  Canadian Al Howard has invented TipAlert which attaches to the bottom of the toilet seat to remind users (i.e. men) to put the seat back down when they are done.  It makes a sound and has flashing LED lights when the seat has been left up.  The intent is to bring humour to a long-standing tense point between couples.  So if your man has a sense of humour, this can be a very cute gift.  If not, then probably not the best idea …

Best Gift to Give Your Artsy Chic Green Friend:

Fashionistas will not be able to resist the Totem National Ballet T3: hip city messenger bag.  These casual chic bags are super stylish and are perfect for carrying around your laptop, papers and essentials.  Styles include “Romeo & Juliet,” “Nutcracker Suite,” “Swan Lake,” “West Side Story” and my favourite, “Sleeping Beauty.” It’s made out of upcycled vinyl truck tarp & a National Ballet promotional banner, straps from upcycled seatbelts and handle from a bicycle inner tube.  Best of all, it’s Canadian.

Best Gift to Give Someone Going Through a Hard Time:

Spencer Johnson’s The Present: The Gift for Changing Times is one of those very special reminders of the importance of appreciating and living life now.  It’s a great for anyone of any age and could prove to be a lifesaver for a friend who’s experiencing some hard luck.

A more action oriented book is Jack Canfield’s Key to Living the Law of Attraction: A Simple Guide to Creating the Life of Your Dreams by Jack Canfield and D. D. Watkins.  This “How To” Guide contains some very powerful chapters like “Emotions,” “Focus on the Positive” and “Create Your Day Visualization.”

Best Holiday Party Show-Off Item:

L’Occitane has a decadent “White Blossoms” scented candle with the perfect soft and subtle floral fragrance that will make your powder room have that special finesse that’ll have your guests talking.

Best Holiday Packaged Gift Sets:

Philosophy is well renowned for its packaging, but I must say, this year, even they have outdone themselves.  Since their entire holiday range is oooh and aaah worthy, choice can only be made by preference in fragrances.  “Melting Marshmallow” is a nice three-piece combo of shampoo/shower gel/bubble bath, body lotion and lip shine.  “Candy Cane” is also a gorgeous packaged round tin which features the same 3-set but candy can scented.  Our favourite out of the entire collection, however, is “Peppermint Bark,” which is a metallic red coloured pepperminty-scented line.  This duo comes in a candy-striped keepsake tin with lip shine and shampoo/shower gel/bubble bath.  The same combination is also available in cherry flavour called “Have a Cherry Christmas.”