Finally I have the first of my proper gift guides up! And possibly my favourite one of all - £5 and under!
Gifts on a low budget can be hard to buy! They can easily end up looking generic or not very much at all. But thankfully I like to be savvy so I've scoured the internet and found a few good but cheap gifts that would be ideal for a friend, colleague, secret santa or just as extra stocking fillers. Hope this gives you some good budget ideas!
For more gift ideas you can find my Never Ending Gift Guide here.
Elegant Touch Candy Dip Nail Set - Holly Berries
£4.50 - ASOS here
First up a little gift that I instantly loved when I spotted it on ASOS. Not only is it perfectly seasonal but such a clever idea for nail art lovers. The reason why I love this set other than the vivid glitters is that it provides a solution to wearing full-on glitter nails without the hassle of having to remove them simply with double-sided sticky nail wraps. Yes, you simply apply the clear double sided wraps to your nails, peel off the backing and then dip your nail into one of the pots! You then can seal the glitter with any clear top coat and your done. Then for removal you simply peel off the nail wraps and clean up any excess sticky parts with nail polish remover. A very clever little set indeed. Also I'm pretty sure the wraps could be cut up and used over nail polish to create glittery tips or triangles of glitter. A perfect little extra gift or stocking filler.
Ciate Caviar Luxe Manicure - Gleam Rose Gold
£4.99 - Fragrance Direct here
Now this certainly was a bargain find as this nail set retails for £20! Meaning you can be certain of the quality and also give this as a main gift and look quite generous... especially if the recipient knows of Ciate. The set contains a beautiful full size nail polishes, a pot of caviar pearls and a rose gold funnel which is housed in a lovely pull-out drawer style box. I'd personally only use the caviar pearl over one nail as a statement nail but the pearls can adorn all the nails for a dramatic look... perfect for anyone that loves bold nail art or New Year's Eve nails. The set also comes in 2 other shades in the link above and other Ciate sets for the same price can be found here.
Baby Bunny Night Light
£4.00 - ASOS here
Onto a cute little gift for a big or little person as this is something that could suit someone in their 20's or a little gift for a baby/toddle in your family. This cute night light is perfectly formed and glows beautifully. It's quite small in size, as big as your hand I'd say, but perfect for next to the bed or on a dressing table or shelf. It's also battery operated with the batteries included meaning it's ready to go. Perfect for a child's stocking or to accompany another gift.
The Goddess Experience by Gisele Scanlon
£2.80 - 'New from' at Amazon here
Another bargain find here with one of my favourite books that I've mentioned so many times already on Makeup Savvy. This is part two of the Goddess Guide books (no need to have read the first one) and is one of the most unique books I've come across. This is perfect for the girl that's into everything - fashion, art, travel, beauty, interiors, food as it's an eclectic mix of topics in almost a scrapbook format... no page is alike in layout or style! It's basically a lifestyle blog in a book - but better! On Amazon new this is £7.00 but if you click 'New from £0.01' you will find larger sellers selling it for only £2.80 with free p&p. I've bought through this way many times on Amazon and had no problems so it's worth opting for the lower priced option.
The DIY Gift Hamper
Everything above cost exactly £5!
Ahhh I do love a little put together hamper! This not only shows how much you can make £5 stretch but shows the recipient you've put thought into their present. The theme I set myself here was to create a pamper gift set, so I first picked up some Reeses Miniature Peanut Butter Cups (these are sooo addictive!) which were only £2.00 from Asda. I then picked up some wintry socks and a face mask from Tesco from only £1.00 and finally to complete the gift a lovely fine bone china mug from 99p Stores... that as you may have guess was 99p - amazing value! All these items could be slightly switched up to suit who you are buying for... other ideas would be nice hot chocolate sachets, a travel size magazine, bubble bath etc. You can then wrap it up or like I have done above, place all the gifts in a nice gift box and finish it off with ribbon. A super cheap but thoughtful gift.
'Insouciant' Unframed Large Art Print by Leigh Viner
£5.00 - House range at John Lewis here
Were you thinking this had to be from Etsy at that price? Yes, I was pretty amazed myself when I discovered this gorgeous print was from the most unlikely place; John Lewis. This beautiful 40x30cm art print that is of great quality is from the affordable House range at John Lewis and is just a perfect gift for an arty friend either unframed or framed dependent on your budget. But trust me this is just one of many amazing prints that you can find from the House range here. I also loved this print and this print, oh and this! Just incredible value for money!
Small Framed Print DIY
Around £3.60 including frame
Another great budget gift idea for anyone creative or arty is to frame a typography or photo postcard. You can pick so many different designs from card shops and even Charity shops for under £1.00 or my favourite place - Paperchase where they're only 60p each. I've picked up multiple little typography sayings and quotes, plus illustrations from Bella & Boo and vintage photos of Audrey Hepburn and Ava Gardener. As for the frame, this could be from a charity shop and up-cycled with a lick of white paint or even sprayed gold or found in any discounted homeware store. The beautiful frame above was a serious bargain at only £2.00 from Homesense. Again this makes for a lovely gift that looks a lot more than £5.00 and shows thought and effect.
Hope this has given you a few gift ideas or items to put on your Christmas list!
My £10 & Under Gift Guide will be up on Friday. With my £20 & Under and For Him Gift Guides up the following week!
Fee xo.
