The Her Campus National Editors write about products we love and think you’ll love too. Her Campus has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase. All products are in stock and all prices are accurate as of publication.
For me, Black Friday falls into the same category as airports and student-bars on a Wednesday. Enjoyable but equally stroke-inducing experiences. This year, I was more willing to indulge in the consumerist holiday than ever before by going to the pinnacle of November sales – the Oxford Street Zara. If you have seen the recent videos circulating on social media of girls in said Zara auditioning for the Gladiator sequel, you will understand that this is no exaggeration.
If you are not as brave as I am and didn’t make it to the jaws of hell this Black Friday, all hope is not lost. Here are some post-Black Friday/Cyber-Monday present ideas that you can add to your Christmas list.
1. Charlotte Tilbury Value Holiday Gift Sets
I hate to accept that Charlotte Tilbury make exceptional makeup products, primarily because I cannot afford most of them. However, nothing will ever compare to my Pillow Talk shade 2 lip liner. If like me, you’re looking to upgrade your makeup collection from the drugstore products you bought in 2016 when faded eyebrows were still a thing, then Charlotte Tilbury’s Holiday Gift Sets are perfect!
2. Build Your Pandora Me Bracelet
Since I discovered at age 15 that asking for jewellery for Christmas is actually a very low-risk investment, I can’t get enough of it. Unfortunately for those funding my wish list, since this realization, the net-cost of my requests has gone up slightly. Thankfully, Pandora has a solution. Their Build Your Pandora Me Bracelet allows you to choose a band and two charms, whilst saving up to 37%. That’s 37% more you can use to ask for something else… like the Charlotte Tilbury Value Holiday Gift!
3. EGO Ugg Dupes
Gone are the days when it was mortifying to admit you had an off-brand product, welcome the year of the dupe. From fake Real Techniques makeup brushes, to a New Look take on the Superdry cropped jumpers that were popular half a decade ago. At 14 I would give a performance better than Emma Thompson in Love Actually to avoid admitting that anything I had wasn’t authentic. I think that it is such a positive shift in the fashion industry to start embracing dupes, and even going as far as making it cool to share them. So, I present to you the perfect Ugg dupe from EGO.
4. Subscriptions
Having a subscription for anything outside of Condé Nast feels like such a ridiculously grown-up thing to do that I can’t think about it for too long. Yet, I write this, as the proud owner of a Pret subscription. Yikes! Granted, I threaten to cancel my subscription every month so that they beg me to stay and shower me in more discounts. I wouldn’t say I have gone as far as extreme couponing, but QR code by QR code I am becoming converted to the world of memberships. So, this Christmas, I have decided to ask for one of these memberships to be paid for the new year. A gift that keeps on giving.
5. Treatments
Scoring tens on both practicality and enjoyment, asking for any kind of treatment for Christmas is essential in student life. Personally, I have asked to have my haircut paid for by my grandparents. This a) saves them the trouble of having to try and relate to someone born after the advent of Bluetooth, and b) gets me a free trim. I have strategically scheduled this haircut for the day before I come home for Christmas. It would be such a waste to not let my entire family tell me how good I look and ask if I’ve changed something. To which rather than replying, I will instead do a little twirl and whip my hair around whilst trying to supress the Cheshire Cat grin emerging on my face.
So there you have it, a more deeply considered list than 90% of my essay plans. Of course, these suggestions aren’t just great for receiving, they’re also great for giving, and I would strongly recommend any of these as a gift for a loved one. More importantly however, I will be forwarding this article to all of my relatives this year in the hopes of planting some inspiration.