Gift Guide for Christmas or Anytime

 

Buying the right gift can be a nightmare for some people. If the man in your life needs some help, get him to read this.

BEAUTY

I have been very privileged to try many different beauty treatments and products this year. I only wrote about those that suited my skin or improved it in some way.

PAMPERING FACIAL

If you want to buy a really special pampering facial for someone you love, I highly recommend heading to Elaine Butler Doolin’s BESPOKE BEAUTY in Donnybrook Dublin. GG drove me there in a torrential downpour and sat in a coffee shop while waiting. Yes, he is a keeper! 

I am also obsessed with the Simone Mahler cleansing balm she gave me.

HERO PRODUCT

I recently wrote about Irish Company PESTLE & MORTAR and their HYALURONIC SERUM which is amazing for plumping and hydrating.   I know that they have a special offer for Christmas with four miniatures of their products in a box for €85.

 

EXPERIENCES

THEATRE TICKETS

We love going to the theatre and most recently went to The Snapper in The Gate, but are regulars in The Viking in Clontarf which has never disappointed…ever. Our last visit here we saw the wonderful Don Wycherley in ‘My Real Life’. Check out your nearest theatre for gift vouchers and support your local amateur shows too.

WINE COURSE

For your drinking friends.

I do not pretend to know much about wine, but I love drinking it. Maybe I need to do a wine course, so I can join in with the conversations about bouquet and grape varieties.

Check off-licences for courses near to the lucky recipient.

GIN EXPERIENCE

Now I have written about the benefits of drinking GIN before and a bottle of gin is always a welcome gift. I can recommend Aldi’s Boyle Gin for €24 and I know O’Brien’s have a fabulous gin sale at the moment with Hendricks at €33.

Gin lovers will be interested to hear about the Gin Experience Dublin being held next April 12^th and 13^th at Dublin Castle, a tasting event created exclusively for ‘ginthusiasts’ in the company of some of the best gin producers from Ireland and abroad. €10 of the €40 entry fee goes to the charity DEBRA. Tickets can be bought via the event website www.ginexperiencedublin.com

 

MEMBERSHIP/SUBSCRIPTION FOR A YEAR

There are many options here:

We bought a year’s DUBLIN ZOO membership for our daughter and her family. They used it often enough and brought friends, but the named and photographed person has to be there on every occasion, it cannot be shared. I had hoped we could put our grandson’s name on the card, so that we could bring him and so could his parents, but that was not possible.

But many theatres and galleries offer a certain number of free and highly reduced tickets with membership. But do your homework and make sure it is a real saving.

For example, the limitless CINEMA ticket does not seem to be worth it, according to an article I read in the Irish Times during the year.

But a year’s magazine subscription is a wonderful idea. There are plenty of Irish magazines out there, but one of my favourites (yes, they included me in an article on older influencers, so I am biased) IRISH COUNTRY MAGAZINE can be delivered to your device or in print form to your door with prices starting at €49. Worth a look definitely.

 

Follow my insta stories or my FB on overthehilda over the next few weeks as I will be sharing more of my GOOD BUYS.

Happy Shopping, my friends, and do not get stressed. Remember Christmas is about spending time with your loved ones more than anything else. I realise that many of these are presents that I would like to receive, so if any of my family read this…..

 

Hilda xx