Sooo I think I may be a little late with this gift guide! However as men are notoriously hard to buy for I'm hoping you've put off buying for the men in your life!
But as it is cracking on for Christmas itself I've made sure all products can be purchased through express delivery in time for Christmas, click & collect services or bought in-store. Hope you enjoy this gift guide... I actually had fun putting it together which surprised me!
Fragrance
First up, Fragrance! Whether you're buying for a man or woman fragrance can be tricky to get right. Going for something they have previously worn is always a safe bet. But if you want to get them something new a good little tip is to search for it on Fragrantica here (a huge fragrance database/review site) where there will be suggestions of similar scents. I personally think there are a few stand out fragrance lines for men that are quite safe. Calvin Klein or Paul Smith would be my first choices - both affordable and with non-typical masculine scents. My favourite from CK is the above fragrance CK One Shock (£18.00 for 100ml - Superdrug here), it's worth smelling, but I also like CK IN2U (£12.99 for 50ml - Fragrance Direct here) which is a lovely zingy citrus everyday kind of scent.
For more special occasion scents or if you want to spend slightly more then my instant recommendation would be Raco Rabbanne 1 Million (£35.99 Gift Set - Fragrance Direct here), this is seriously dreamy, in fact I know woman that wear this because it smells so good! Just opening the aesthetically pleasing gift set above made me appreciate how much of an amazing scent it is. Very sexy and alluring... so one to gift your partner over your dad! As for fragrance for teens this can be slightly tricky, you don't want it to look cheap or go for the wrong brand that they will see as uncool. I personally think Ted Baker works well here and though it is aimed at men they have a few younger looking gift sets that are very affordable. The above Ted Baker M Gift Set cost me only £9.99 from The Perfume Shop here.
*Fragrance Direct are currently offering free Express Delivery with order over £40*
*The Perfume Shop are currently offering Next Day Delivery for only 99p*
Skincare & Toiletries
Onto to skincare/toiletries now. This is a present you need to think about more than just opting for a boxed gift set because I think to most skincare for men is pretty boring. Above I went for 3 products from The Body Shop, a Hair & Body Wash (£6.00 - The Body shop here) because a lot of men use shampoo on their bodies?! So a 2-in-1 product is great, a Maca Root Shave Cream (£5.50 - The Body Shop here) and a Hemp Hand Cream and Nail File Duo (£6.00 - The Body Shop here). The little duo isn't specifically aimed at men but the Hemp scent is very unisex and most men do require a hand cream from time to time in winter and a nail file is always handy. For the man that is maybe into his skincare that slight bit more or would be interested in trying out different skincare then Lush is a great place to look and the black packaging is a plus. As for dads I'd look at brands such as Clinique, Origins or Clarins as they all offer nice skincare sets for him.
As for genetic skincare sets, such as the one above, I'd leave that for the person you don't often see/don't know too well! Also opting for a set that includes a body wash will ensure they will get some use out of it. The above Nivea Men set cost me around £5.00 from Boots.
Clothing & Shoes
I was a bit unsure whether to include this category but clothing is a nice gift to give and as long as you know the persons size or include a gift receipt you will be fine! My first choice when it comes to gifting clothes would be a jumper, the above is a lovely chunky knit from Tesco that only cost £20 - opting for something without a pattern but with a good knit is probably your best bet! As for teens a good gift is a branded T-shirt - anything from Hype or Vans should be a winner!
As for shoes this can be tricky if you don't know the persons size! So a quick look or phone to someone will probably be needed. Above I've selected what I feel are quite a safe bet for Dad's, these are known as Driving Loafer (£12.00 - ASOS here) or basically 'Dad shoes' as I like to call them. These are an acceptable slipper that can be worn outside or of course driving in - my dad loves these! Also if you know a man that actually embraces Christmas with open arms then a novelty Christmas Jumper may be just the thing! Asda has been my favourite place for them this year, I especially love this fireplace jumper in which you actually place your phone in the centre so that it looks like a burning fire?!
Accessories
Accessories come in the form of socks, wallets, pens etc etc. My favourite place for this is TK Maxx or Homesense - in fact the above Osprey Wallet was from TK Maxx and cost only £16.00. If you have to go down the socks route then a boxed trio of branded sock is nice or if you are willing to opt for express delivery with ASOS or have a very handy Premier account then their Waffles Socks (£8 for 3 pairs - ASOS here) are the best quality ever. Talking of ASOS the above Ted Baker Leather Brogue Pen which is very nice indeed, is now amazingly reduced to only £11.00 here!
Books
Books I feel are a very Christmas-y gift to give! If the person you are buying for is into cooking then a none typical cookbook could be the ideal gift to give. Above are two quirky but great cookbooks: The American Cookbook (£7.95 - Amazon here) is possibly the best cookbook I've looked through! It includes so so many recipes that I personally want to try out along with great photography, plus the recipes are in UK measurements opposed to U.S cups that need converting - very handy. As for The Burger Book (£9.99 - Amazon here) this is definitely suited to the man that is in charge of the BBQ in summer or always opts for a burger when eating out, again so many recipes that will have the person drooling! For more serious cooks I'd highly suggest anything by Ottolenghi.
As for other books, slightly geek-y science books are fun, above is a nice hardback book called What If: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions (£4.99 - Amazon here)... which I've actually been reading through even though I have zero interest in science! For a very laugh-out-loud read I'd suggest The Timewaster Letters by Robin Cooper (£5.24 - Amazon here) and anything by Terry Ravenscroft (Amazon here) which follow a very similar line of humour. As for motivational books if you know anyone that's a business owner or is a bit of an entrepreneur I highly recommend both books by Duncan Bannatyne here, such great inspiring reads.
DVD's
DVD's are another typical gift to give and a great last minute present as Tesco and Asda have quite a large selection. My favourite gift would be to give a series on DVD, but only the first series or a box set of 1-3 maximum so you don't end up wasting your money if they good like it. Top DVD box sets would have to be Breaking Bad (£8.87 - Amazon here) or Game of Thrones (£16.00 - Amazon here). Nature or travel DVD's are also a good choice for many - you can't go wrong with anything narrated by David Attenborough when it comes to nature; from Frozen Planet and Human Planet to Natural Curiosities and David's latest series - Life Stories. As for Travel my favourites would be Stephen Fry in America (£6.99 - Amazon here), a really interesting watch and Billy Connolly's Route 66 (£4.70 - Amazon here).
Another gift idea when it comes to DVD's is picking up a stack of retro classics that would be nostalgic for the recipient. Above I've included Gremlins but classics such as Ghostbusters, The Goonies and Short Circuit are all great for anyone born in the 80's. Amazon of course stock all of these but it's worth looking in charity shops for new dvds!
Sweets
When it comes to Christmas chocolate I'm all about American Candy, it's just something different and a bit more fun than handing over a tub of chocolates. Above is a selection of American candy that I bought in Tesco, most stores now stock a good range but if you have a larger superstore near you with a World Food aisle then it's worth a visit! You can also find a few American products such as Nerds and Tootsie Rolls in Pound World stores!
Another product I really like is the Monin Syrup sets that are the same syrups that are used in Starbucks and Costa Coffee drinks. You can buy both the Coffee Syrup set and Cocktail Syrup set for around £8-10.00 in Dunelm Mill stores or Lakeland.
Savoury Food
For foodies, savoury is probably the better option. A Cheese Platter presented on a piece of slate with crackers makes a nice gift. For longevity and so you can buy in advance Cheese truckles are a good choice and look nice in their different coloured wax. Also Camembert in a ceramic Camembert Baker makes a nice gift, both Tesco and Waitrose offer these for around £8.00. Also an assortment of nuts such as pecans, cashews and peanut can make a nice gift.
Miscellaneous
These are just a few random extras I liked the look of that could possibly give a few more ideas. First up probably my favourite ever inexpensive gift that's ideal as an extra little present - a Head Massager. These literally cost a few pound and can be found all over the place. The sensation of these is very weird but strangely nice and something the recipient will be making everyone try out on Christmas Day! Next up something I was expecting to be a total gimmick but was pleasantly surprised. I'm talking about the Air Hover Hockey Set! This comes with everything you need to play Air Hockey on any flat surface, the puck cleverly hovers with the use of batteries and it's all together well made. I spotted a few of these sets online for £10+ but Home Bargains currently stock them for only £2.99! Another range of gifts that are on a similar line and are great to try out on Christmas day are Ridley's gifts, these come in retro look packaging and can be found in John Lewis and Debenhams. My favourites are the Balloon Modelling Set, Tablet Tennis Set and Pinball Game (you can see the selection at John Lewis here).
Lastly thinking towards the new year a planner or calendar can make a nice but practical gift. I personally like the look of the above Marvel Retro Classics Calendar (£6.29 - WH Smith here)... if you know a Marvel fan you also need to check of the amazing canvas' B&Q currently have in-store! Or a nice Moleskine 2015 Diary is a good safe option.
Hope this has been a helpful gift guide!
Fee xo.
