Yes, my damsel of be darned, bitter end holiday shopping, these are the sounds echoed by likeminded and exasperated potential bearers of gifts who are being shaken and shook from the aisles of stores bloated with frenzied shoppers all after the same quest: To find the perfect present. In fact, according to a recent Xylo study, twenty-five percent of women named shopping as their top stress creator. Oh, the joy of it all.
But there can be joy. You can give yourself the gift of unlimited hours of blissful sleep, while your inexplicably clever holidaypresents arrive after a mere few minutes-ok, a few hours for a whole list of goodies-- of online shopping. While a girl could go mad trying to squeeze half an eyeball over a shop counter to peek at what could be striking, a few clicks here and there produce a reward worthy of a whole day of in-store hunting. How brilliant.
Gifts that are small tokens of thoughtfulness needn't be pesky little presents that wilt away to afterthought status once opened. Let these ditties of divineness be a something extra kind of special treat.
Personal shoppers look out, here are the top ten holiday finishing touches to give or to get that focus on style:
Give the gift of an extraordinary dinner for two from one of the world's multi-star restaurant chefs without leaving your kitchen. Impromptu Gourmet (1-866-IMPROM2) delivers a ready-to-prepare kit of a celebrity chef's signature dishanywhere in the 48 states, complete with the esoteric ingredients that make it sooo special. Hint: The snapper is to die for.
Sex And The City fans know that Carrie's key fashion accessory is a humongous silky flower brooch, everyone else thinks it's just chic. How about an oversized crimson rose by Aliza Darik?
For those with a Lust For Life, celebrity makeup genius Francois Nars named his cosmetic palette of the most sought after berry-stained lips, crimson cheeks, and whisper plum eyes straight from the runway of Marc Jacobs just for you.
When art is in the future, read the Dalí Tarot Cards from the Regional Museums of Spain deck that features a complete set of exquisitely beautiful tarot cards designed by Salvador Dalí, the Spanish master of Surrealism.
Discover your inner pop diva- Madonna, Brittany Spears, or Janet Jackson with a mobile headset, the Plantronics one is for cordless or cell phones.
Satisfy a techno-junkie glamazon with the Pupa Compact Disc Kit that has a duel-level iMac inspired case and holds a bounty of beautifying eye shadows, eyeliner pencils, mascara, all-over radiance powder, lip glosses and a satiny lipstick.
Spray on the new side of cool with the Altoids Set by Demeter Fragrance. The Pick-Me-Up cologne spray has the famed aroma of the curiously-strong, ubiquitous peppermint, plus it comes packaged with a body lotion and, of course, a tin of Altoids.
Why not tie a funky Elizabeth Gillet Pucci-esque graphic retro-print bell bottom oblong scarf as a head wrap or hair tie? The look is super modern?
For the girl who has everything but doesn't want to show it, Lilly Of France Strappies seamless, underwire bra comes with transparently clear straps and you can buy oodles of cool interchangeable strap packs from classic to neon to animal print.
Molton Brown Hand Wash Trio has a clean, crisp citrus scent and is the last word in sanitary status symbol gifts for a favorite executive or bathroomproductoholic- the trio includes AB+C Shower Gel (sister scent of the hand wash), Fine Liquid Hand Wash and Hand Lotion.
Suddenly, the gift of style is so simple. Happy Ho Ho!
Published on January 01, 1998
