How much work goes into preparing for weekend guests? Plenty! Here are five affordable little gifts to show your appreciation the next time you are invited “for the weekend.”
Bring the wine or bagels, but bring one of these little gifts too. Or: buy these for yourself and for other occasions, too.
Little Gifts From Tocca’s Garden of Delights:
Summer gardens are so pretty! Looking for a special gift? Tocca Fragrances has some impressive ones from their new garden collection. You can never have enough hand cream, and if you love a fragrance, you’ll never get enough of it. Just $26 brings you a beautifully boxed set of three Garden Collection Cream Veloce hand creams (SRP: $26; $30 value). The beautifully boxed set offers you three of Tocca’s most popular fragrances: Giuletta, Florence, and Cleopatra.
What’s In The Hand Creams?
You’ll find super smoothing moisturizing, paraben and phthalate-free Coconut Oil Shea Butter, and Aloe. And you get three tubes with three Tocca fragrances to make your hands smell as good as they look!
The Fragrance Notes:
Giulietta has key notes of pink tulip, green apple, and vanilla orchid. We recently reviewed the Tocca Dry Oil in the Cleopatra fragrance (key notes of Grapefruit, Jasmine, and Vanilla Musk). Florence is a romantic blend with key notes of Bergamot, Pear, and Gardenia, Advicesisters.com has reviewed these Tocca fragrances previously so check out our past stories. But in case you don’t know, Cleopatra is The pretty cardboard presentation box with a clear window and slide-out drawer that can be used to hold little treasures. Visit https://www.tocca.com/
This not only makes a great gift, but they’re great for your purse, travel and on your desk at work. Pamper yourself! d cream sets are perfect for Summer travel or as
A Lip-Loving Gift of Avya’s Lip Treatment:
I really really like Avya’s Ayurvedic skincare. The company combines ancient philosophy with high-tech science and nutrient-rich botanicals. One product that I particularly love is Avya’s Lip Treatment With Marula Oil ($32).
I love a two-for-one product, and this one is so cleverly packaged, it’s a great gift. There is a lip balm in the top compartment that features a mirror (nice!) and the bottom compartment has a fabulous lip scrub. Your lips need exfoliation and hydration as much as the rest of your body. The sugar scrub gently buffs away dry skin. The lip balm deep conditions with Marula seed oil and mango butter. Nourishing antioxidants and Vitamin E help keep your lips younger looking too.
I love a two-in-one. it’s a great value and one of those great little gifts to take on vacation, to the beach, or wherever! Visit AVYA! https://www.avyaskincare.com/
MCM All Over Spray:
I didn’t think there could be anything better than MCM fragrance housed in a mini version of MCM’s signature Stark backpack. However, for Summer, I did find something better: the MCM all-over body spray. You won’t get it housed in the backpack but you will get the fragrance in a whole new way to spray liberally, everywhere (even in your hair–argan oil adds moisture, too). For those who need to know, this non-aerosol spray has a responsibly sourced formula, and it’s cruelty, paraben, phthalate, sulfate, and gluten-free.
The Fragrance Notes:
This medium to light woodsy floral has top notes of raspberry and apricot, a heart of white peony, jasmine absolute, and violet leaf, plus a base of white moss, vanilla, sheer ambrox, and sandalwood. I’ve noted in past reviews that once the fruity top notes are gone, the floral heart is well-blended with the bottom notes. Everyone’s skin is different, and the Summer heat can make the scent more intense, but on my skin, it is a slightly spicy, unisex scent.
How to Use:
Spray liberally all over hair and body for an instant fragrance refresh. The spray can features the iconic MCM print to show off at the beach, pool, etc. I think the fragrance is alluring, matter what gender you identify with. It makes one of the great, shareable, little gifts. And I love that it is just $55 for a generous 6 fl. oz. at Nordstrom.com. It also makes a nice little splurge for yourself, especially if you already love MCM fragrance, You could say I’m all over all over spray from MCM.
Little Gifts With Lots of Bling:
I just discovered DIAMONBLISS. As someone who loves bling (who doesn’t?), this company offers affordable Cubic Zirconia CZ Diamond Simulant that really does look like the real thing. The setting, the sparkle! If you don’t tell anyone it’s not a diamond, they’ll think you really splurged!
I chose the 2-carat Princess Cut stone 14K Real Solid Gold Solitaire Necklace ($67 or $51 in 10K gold). It has a dainty 14K gold chain perfect for layering. But you can get it in white or yellow gold with the stone sized from| 0.5 to 3 Carats. Prices vary by size and whether you choose 10K gold or 14K gold.
this is a closeup photo I took of the 2-carat solitaire necklace I received. It is not the actual size
The dainty solitaire pendants are great for layering, which is a trend that is still very popular. These also make great gift ideas for now or for the holidays, birthdays, special occasions, etc. At the time I am writing this, everything on the Diamonbliss website (including rings, bracelets, earrings, and sets) was all less than $200 with plenty of pieces around $50 or even less. If you’re getting married, these would make great gifts for your wedding party too. Stock up on the Diamonbliss website (see link above) and Amazon.
Little Lifts That Light Up Their Life, Literally:
Melinda Kilchoer, an advocate of an organic lifestyle likes burning candles at home. But she particularly enjoys candles made of beeswax along with their sweet honey scent. When it comes to giving a gift, it’s not always the best idea to choose a scent unless you know that your recipient isn’t allergic to fragrance. Therefore, Kilchoers’ BeAmbiance candles make a great gift or a little bit of pampering for yourself. Each candle is beautifully wrapped and enclosed in a hard-sided tube. You’ll smell a bit of honey, but it’s natural and light. 