Teen Gift Guide

This is not a paid promotion but some items have been gifted.

It’s that time of year again, where I take you through some Christmas gift ideas. I’m doing two gift guides this year, this one is for teens of different ages.  Primarily girls, as I have two of them so I kinda get what they like to receive. Here are some of the things that I am gifting my girls including some smaller stocking filler items. I hope this helps give you some ideas this year, as I know how easy it is to draw a blank sometimes.

OK, makeup first, and the one brand I know my daughters have been lusting after since our recent US trip and many visits to Ulta and Sephora…HUDA. If you are looking for a fresh well-curated, brilliant colour payoff make-up collection then I implore you to hunt out HUDA.

I mean….come on, those colours!

It is such gorgeous makeup, the formulas are brilliant! We swatched many of them whilst we were away, and it was these 9 shade eyeshadow palettes that we all lusted over in a big way.  I’m not brave enough for the brighter shades, but for teens, they are perfect. My eldest does a really cool bright eye.  I’m also gifting Nia these demi-matte and matte cream lipsticks and there are two matte and metal liquid shadows, which I must admit, I would love, so I may gift those to myself. HA!

I’ve been so impressed with these HUDA finds that I think I’m going to do a more thorough review of these in the new year.

Do you have daughters that are in that experimental makeup stage? Well, when I saw these Instant Eyeshadows from Eye Majic I was curious to see what they were.

Well, Eye Majic are colourful sponge-like applicators with pressed eyeshadow on them.  To use them is simple, as you press the applicator on the eyelid and orbital bone area.  Once the shadows have transferred you can then use a brush to gently smoke out and soften the look.  From smokey silvers, violets, blues and golds, there are lots of colour choices. For me, I think for teens who are wanting to initially experiment but don’t yet have the skill, they are perfect.  Makeup is one of those things that if a person thinks its fun (as I know both of my daughters do) they enjoy trialling and testing out new looks and colours. Above are two examples of sets available, a 5 pair pack at £5.99 and the Instant Eyeshadow Ponytail Scarf giftset – £ 29.99.  Which is 4 different eyeshadow combinations, black eyeliner and fashion-match ponytail scarf.

Next up are two products I picked up from Scentsational. They have a fantastic range of cosmetics, hair care and fragrance products at discounted prices, perfect for the lead up to Christmas. I opted for the Gucci Flora Eau De Toilette which is a pretty delicate scent, ideal for a teen and Nougat London Velvet Shimmer Powder – Cherry Blossom.  We spotted a spray just like this in the US and both of my daughters loved the look of it.  You spray the mist of delicate shimmer powder across your skin for an instant radiant glow. This light shimmer is perfect for the decolletage , shoulders, arms and legs, I’m sure it will look lovely under the lights this Christmas or sun in the summer.

After a disastrous visit to a salon for false nails (Prom disaster!) my eldest has finally taken my advice to just grow back her own nails and use ready to wear nails for a more dramatic and party look occasionally. Plus they are much easier to take off compared to glitter and gel.  So I know these Kiss gel look glitter nails are going to well received. They look very professional, as do these false eyelashes also from Kiss -£7.99.

This next gift I think is so special, especially for a travel-loving teen or adult come to think of it. It’s from El Camino, meaning road or path. Do you remember I travelled to Spain to experience the Camino pilgrimage walk? Well, El Camino, the word and the company is a representation of the path you’ve travelled around the world. I’m so here for that idea!  I thought as my eldest (17) is closer now to having travelling adventures with her friends, and even a gap year in a few years, this would really come into its own.

I was asked by El Camino if I wanted to review one of these bracelets for my teen gift guide and I choose this handmade double black bracelet (£31.99) with a silver coloured clasp. It feels like a waxed cord, strong and robust.  You can then add beads or ‘steps’ onto it, as you explore and travel. Of course, you can also receive them as gifts.

There are a few different styles of beads that can be added. I included two silver beads one USA one, one of our favourite places to travel as a family. It has the ‘United States of America’ printed on the silver bead.  Then added something a little different which was a custom-made bead or ‘step’.  It says Leeds Festival (Nia’s first big music festival) as I wanted to give another idea of what this bracelet could be used for, if your teen is a music lover.  You can see a couple of dark spacers ‘small steps’ on there as well, these are made from coconut and can be bought from them in packs for £5.99. El Camino also surprised me with an Atlantic Ocean Step, which we have flown over many times from the UK to North America.

I’m so excited for my daughter to see this, and yes I am keeping this as a surprise for her on Christmas day.  I think it’s a much cooler way of collecting memories as she starts her adult life on the journey that she makes.

We are a music-loving household, so far the girls have embraced learning new instruments and we all love going to see bands and concerts together. One instrument they’ve both said they’d like to give a go is the drums. We don’t have room for a traditional set, I’m sure lots of people have that issue.  I also wanted to have the option of headphones…especially in those early stages of learning! Well, this is just the perfect way that teens and tweens (even younger) can give drums a go. The Medeli DD60 Drum Machine is from Rimmers Music priced at £69.99 though it’s on offer currently. 

The Medeli DD-60 is a fantastic portable practice drum kit. It has 4 light-up pads, which can teach you to play, and is super lightweight meaning you can take it with you anywhere. It has 50 built-in rhythms for you to play along to, and 20 coach songs which can help with your playing.

Stocking Fillers

Ok, let’s move onto stocking fillers, which I have in the past found really easy, but as the girls get older, finding things that are affordable and that the girls will love and use is tricky.

I opted this year a selection of chocolate, and for a K Beauty sheet mask, which are a real treat in our house.  These Too Cool For School Egg Cream Mask for hydration, are £6.50 from Boots.  The Hydrating Sheet Mask (available as firming or pore-tightening too) has been created with egg extracts, coconut water, niacinamide and other botanical extracts to deliver the ultimate hydration and nourishment for brighter skin.

This is actually perhaps a more unusual one, but for a beauty lover, it is such a cool idea. A hand mixing palette (£15) from Makeupbox LDN. I know my eldest daughter lightens and darkens her foundation hand mixing it with up to three different ones and so this I think is going to really help her do this, without having to have the mix on the back of her hand.  It is designed to slip easily and comfortably onto the hand, and allow you a space to create bespoke colours.

Something a little different now, but it’s been an idea I have been talking about with my daughters for some time.

This is not just ordinary underwear but Modibodi creates period-proof underwear.  and have launched a teen range, Modibodi RED. The underwear is designed to be totally leak-free and help girls feel more confident, no matter the time of the month. We are very conscious about alternatives for dealing with periods, and I think this underwear is a fantastic alternative to other things you can use.  There are lots of styles and colours available including more short style of pant.

So there you go, I hope you loved my teen gift guide of 2019, I think I have a really good mix of items that should give you lots of ideas. I’ll be back tomorrow with my last guide which is one aimed more at home and eco-conscience people, with some beautiful thoughtful gifts I have compiled.