20 last minute gift ideas for the woman in your life.
Attention, men of Manchester. We know that you’re pretty hopeless when it comes to shopping. Perfectly intelligent men seem to be lobotomised the moment they walk through those automatic sliding doors. Some things to remember about buying gifts for the woman in your life. Juicy Couture sweat sets with writing on the butt are very 2005, and your mum will probably spray on a dab of the Britney Spears Fantasy perfume you got her and then leave it on her make-up table to collect dust next to that generic bath set. Don’t go down that road. In case you spent last Christmas Eve in a last minute panic trolley dashing around Debenhams, frantically try to remember what size your other half takes, and whether a dishwasher is an acceptable present at this late hour, we thought we’d put together a last-minute gift guide featuring 20 gifts chosen by women for women. You can be sure you won’t need to keep the gift receipt. You won’t be returning anything.
Lambswool Scarf
Oi Polloi NQ: £35 63 Thomas St, Manchester M4 1LQ www.oipolloi.com
This classy 100% lambswool, neck-based draught-excluder is designed by the fine folk at Oi Polloi and made by professional scarfers in Scotland. It’s got those fancy tassles on the end and, according to Oi Polloi, it can even be used as a picnic blanket providing the food you’re eating is long and narrow.
Streets of Paris Gown As seen on naughty Nigella Lawson, this silky gown has a sophisticated style that is sure to make your lady feel like a million quid. It’s screen printed by hand, using up to ten screens to achieve depth of colour, and finished off with complementary soft pockets, lapels and robe tie.
Oklahoma: ÂŁ59.99 74-76 High St, Manchester M4 1ES www.okla.co.uk
Manchester Bee and Crystal Jewellery Earrings: £15.99
Ring: £14 Bangle: £15.99 These beautiful and delicate pieces, featuring an open style ring and bangles with matching stud earrings, are made with gold plated metal, enamel and crystal. It’s a fancy one alright.
Oklahoma 74-76 High St, Manchester M4 1ES
www.okla.co.uk
Albert Adria Turrons
The range of Albert Adria turrons at Lunya are ideal for anyone with a sweet tooth. But if your lady loves a tipple, there are quirky flavours like red wine, mojito and pina colada, so she’ll love these.
Lunya: ÂŁ11.95 each Barton Arcade, Deansgate, Manchester M3 2BB
www.lunya.co.uk
Golden Pod Sea Salt Caramel Who doesn’t love chocolate? Especially when it’s a golden chocolate pod with dark chocolate pearls filled with molten caramel delicate flakes of sea salt. Lush.
Lunya: £13.95 Barton Arcade, Deansgate, Manchester M3 2BB www.lunya.co.uk
A Guide to Pairing White Wine With Food Tea Towel
Which lady doesn’t love wine? And if she loves to cook, this comprehensive wine and food pairing tea towel which matches 34 wine styles to 56 food entries will make her the sommelier of her own kitchen, not to mention earning her ultimate knowledge-bragging rights. Additional information on acidity, body, and sweetness for each wine ensures wine mastery is at her dish drying hands.
Magma: ÂŁ10.99 24 Oldham St, Manchester M1 1JN www.magma-shop.com
Bon Bon NQ Gift Vouchers
If you fancy chocolates for your fine lady, there’s really nowhere else to go. From the only chocolatier in Manchester to sell handmade chocolates produced on the premises, this boutique offers a rolling collection of truffles, bars and salted caramels made in store, alongside a selection of the fine chocolates from around the world. All bonbons are crafted from world renowned Valrhona chocolate (favoured by Marco Pierre White, Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsey), and are filled or infused with inspired flavour combinations like stilton and caramel or coconut and lemongrass. Chocolates are created with the finest ingredients and without preservatives for a pure, fresh taste. If she has a sweet tooth, chocolates from Bon Bon are an absolute must. 9 John St, Manchester M4 1EQ
www.bonbonchocolate.co.uk
Unicorn Shower Cap We super love this. Who doesn’t want to be a unicorn in the shower? The perfect gift for the quirky girl in your life and a steal at that price.
Thunder Egg: ÂŁ6.50 Afflecks Palace, 22 Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JN www.thunderegg.co.uk
Unicorn Jewellery Dish Ask any girl and she’ll tell you that there’s nothing more frustrating than having a lovely set of rings and nowhere to put them but an old box or bedside table. So this fabulous unicorn jewellery dish would not go amiss.
Thunder Egg: £9 Afflecks Palace, 22 Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JN www.thunderegg.co.uk
Rumours - 36th Anniversary Vinyl Edition If your lovely lady is a music mogul, Piccadilly Records is the place to go. We might have Apple music and Spotify but we know there’s nothing quite like the warm crackle that a vinyl record gives. Rhino is commemorating the 36th anniversary of one of the most popularalbums of all time. Rumours, the iconic 1977 Fleetwood Mac album, has been bought over 40 million times globally. By way of celebration, Rhino is releasing brand new luxurious special editions of the band’s masterpiece and you can get your hands on it as the ultimate Christmas gift.
Piccadilly Records: £16.99 53 Oldham St, Manchester M1 1JR
www.piccadillyrecords.com
Bunny Ear Headphones And if she’s on the go, these headphones will make her music purr. These Rose Gold Kitty headphones in collaboration with popular DJ, Zara Martin have been carefully crafted to deliver a crisp, superior sound quality blended with the signature Skinny Dip style. The purrrfect product for all true party animals.
Skinny Dip: ÂŁ35 intu Trafford Centre, Manchester, M17 8AF www.skinnydiplondon.com
The Butter Bear Bath Bomb LUSH: £2 intu Trafford Centre, Manchester, M17 8AF or Arndale Manchester M4 3QA www.uk.lush.com
There isn’t a woman out there who hasn’t coveted the fizzing bath bombs, gloriously gloopy face masks and beautifully scented bubble bars that LUSH has to offer. If you want something really special, we’d recommend The Butter Bear bath bomb which is infused with silky vanilla scent and comforting cocoa powder. Guaranteed to make your lady’s morning shower a little more, well, buttery
Amber Noir and Bergamot Candle
Fig and Sparrow: ÂŁ22
Nothing beats a sweet smelling home over the Christmas period. Treat the leading lady in your life to one of these trendy candles. It’s said to be an aphrodisiac too. Steady.
20 Oldham St, Manchester M1 1JA
www.figandsparrow.co.uk
Marbled Concrete Ring Dish
Form Lifestyle Store : £12
This isn’t just any old dish. This is a marbled concrete dish handmade by Copper & Solder. It’s a versatile little plate that can be used for a number of things. Perfect as a pillar candle base, coaster or ring or jewellery dish. It’s exclusively handmade in the UK and the girl in your life is bound to love it. 6 Bradley St, Manchester M1 1EH
www.form-shop.com
Manchester: Legacy of the World’s First Modern City We found this snazzy new print that chronologically organises Manchester’s colossal legacy, key events and inventions from the year 1653 to present day. It is a celebration of Manchester as a cultural capital and leading city and it makes for a very unusual gift to any proud Mancunians out there. Definitely one for the Manc missus in your life.
shop.thesenseofdoubt.com : ÂŁ21.24
Festive Stocking Charm No gift guide would be complete without something sparkly. Pandora have introduced a beautiful limited-edition collection of Christmas charms, bound to make the lady in your life feel special. From the Festive Stocking pendant to covetable locket necklaces that can be engraved, Pandora is a fail-safe option. It beats raiding the over picked racks of H&M, and nothing says I love you like a pendant that, well, quite literally says I love you.
Pandora: ÂŁ35 intu Trafford Centre, Manchester M17 8DF or Manchester Arndale M4 3AQ www.pandora.net/en-gb
Fit Bit Zip From Fitbits to foam rollers, intu Trafford Centre has something for every yoga yearning, trainer taste and fitness fancy. Whether the lady in your life is gung-ho about improving her health regime or just a fitness junkie in general, there’s plenty of good stuff to gift her with this Christmas. Choose from items like the Fitbit Zip which will track your lady’s fitness level or the limited edition sports collection from Savannah Miller that’ll keep her looking every bit the part. For gymspiration galore, there’s no better place to shop.
Savannah Miller Fitbit: £49.99 Various locations at intu Trafford Centre www.intu.co.uk/shop/brand/fitbit
Macrame Wall Hanging Workshop
Beaumont Organic: £45 49 Hilton Street, Manchester, M1 2EF www.beaumontorganic.com
Skip spending tons of money on expensive wall hangings and have your leading lady make her own instead. Beaumont Organic in the Northern Quarter offers classes on how to create everything from unique plant wall hangings to macrame knots to decorate your drab looking living room. No
experience is needed for this workshop and at 45 quid you won’t be breaking the bank either. You’ll have a wall hanging in your home that forever reminds you of Christmas 2017 and that’s a beautiful thing.
Veuve Clicquot Champagne and Customisable Arrow Tin Exclusive to Selfridges this Christmas, Veuve Clicquot’s customisable destination gift boxes are the winning ticket. The iconic bottle comes in an arrow-shaped tin, which is personalised with a city or town of your choice, as well as the distance of your chosen destination from Reims in France where Veuve Clicquot is produced. A stylish gift for the home as well as the wine rack. It’s the ultimate offering for any champagne-loving lady.
Say it with Champers at Selfridges: £54 Selfridges & Co, intu Trafford Centre, Manchester, M17 8DA
London Hilly Fields Medium Zip-Top Multiway Most woman have a strong relationship with their purse(s). Is your girl the type to pack absolutely everything into her bag? We’re talking mints, plasters, pens, old ticket receipts, a scarf and an extra jumper just in case. We’ve found just the thing for your bag-loving lady - the Radley London Hilly Fields Medium Zip-Top Multiway. Head down to the Radley store at the intu Trafford Centre for plenty more bagalicious Christmas ideas.
Radley: £62.30 106 The Dome, Manchester M17 8DF www.intu.co.uk/traffordcentre/stores/radley