10 Last Minute Christmas Gifts For Under R350

Christmas is around the corner and if you’re a horrible gift giver (like I am) then you may need a few ideas. I’ve not tried all of these brands out, but they seem like the best quality and are items I’d be happy to buy myself. Happy shopping!

PS I recommend ordering these this week if you have any hope of getting them by Christmas.

Sorbet: Drybar Curling Wand – R350

I don’t know enough about curling wands to know if my observations are accurate, however, it would appear that Sorbet has bought into the Drybar Curling Wand brand and created their own version. Sorbet has been adding a lot of new products to their range this year, including makeup which is rumoured to be made in the same factory as MAC (read – really good quality) so this curling wand has my eye on it.

Usually I have to GHD my curly hair straight and then GHD waves back into it! So I’ve been considering getting a curling wand for a while. If the Drybar YouTube reviews are anything to go by, this wand looks easy to use and is an affordable price as an entry point tool. Find the Sorbet Drybar Curling Wand at Clicks for R350.00.

Makeup Revolution’s Life On The Dance Floor Palette VIP – R255

I’d heard of Makeup Revolution a few times online but knew nothing about it. When it launched in South Africa, the public went nuts for it so I thought I’d give it a bash. They say the quality is really good and for R255 a palate – it’s a steal.

While I’ve exclusively been using Urban Decay palettes (1, 2 & Heat) for the past 2 years, but have found they had a lack of variety of shimmery. As someone who has no tattoos or piercings, I like to do glam makeup when I go out because it’s fun! So when I selected a glitter palette, it was the Life on the Dancefloor VIP Palette (meant to be with Mr John being a DJ!).

This has been a great edition to my collection and while the tones are definitely not as strong and long lasting as Urban Decay, it’s a close second and BRILLIANT at only R255!! Highly recommend this palette if you’re missing a touch of disco for your eye looks.

Humble & Mash Coffee Glasses – R250

I don’t drink coffee, but I love the look of these glasses. I’m pretty sure they can be used for other purposes like making desserts or other hot drinks (duh). So even though I don’t drink coffee, I figured they were worth sharing.

I’ve previously bought a Humble and Mash dinner set, which I love. The quality is great; it’s modern, are a touch heavy and elevate a good ol’ dinner party. These glasses are made by the same brand so I have confidence in the quality.

If you love coffee this might be straight up your street. Find this set of 2 x double walled latte glasses from Superbalist for R250.

MAC Fix Plus Mini – R180

MAC Fix Plus is the perfect gift for any girl, let alone a baby version that you can stick in your handbag!

This cooling mist helps set your make up and a quick “sprits” makes for a soothing refresher during hot summer days. I know makeup artists love it for weddings or events and I’ve personally bought the original, larger bottles a few times.

MAC has now released a mini version (30 ml), which is great for the girl on the go (and even better for travelling).

Find the MAC PREP+PRIME FIX+ MINI online now for R180.

Shelflife X Happy Socks – R149

Cape Town’s premium sneaker store Shelflife has had a cracking 2018. Filled with a number of local and international collaborations; it may be 3 weeks until the end of the year but they’re not stopping now! Squeezing in 2 more collaborations this December, this one, in particular, caught my eye.

The giant Swedish sock brand, Happy Socks, teamed up with Shelflife for the store to put their own spin on the polkadot best seller. These overspray dots and graffiti drips are a perfect marriage of the bold, bright colours of Happy Socks and Shelflife’s roots as a graffiti store. Enjoy these premium socks in 3 colour ways for R149.

Lindt Chocolate Bears – R55

These are good for stocking fillers if you want to either shop ahead of time OR add the odd treat. The Lindt Lindor Mint Chocolates that were released this year blew my mind, or should I say mouth? They were SO good!

But I also love these new Lindt teddy bears, because they’re cute, fun AND also contribute towards Lindt buying 11 100 school bags for kids in need!

If you buy two bears and sms the barcode numbers on the bottom, then you will assist in Lindt achieving their goal. Find them in a number of stores across South Africa, including the Lindt stores themselves (saw them last weekend in Tygervalley mall).

Fridge Monkey – R85

I accidentally found these on the Yuppie Chef site and I think they’re awesome! We have a spare fridge, just for drinks, and my GAD does it make a noise when things roll around! So I fully understand the attraction here!

“Fridge Monkey is a flexible rubber mat designed to clear up the clutter in your fridge by stacking bottles and cans into a pyramid.” Don’t think we need to say more than that!

They are 24.5cms by 10cms and are best for beers or mixers, however, they can also be used for wine bottles but obviously they take up a bit more space.

The Fridge Monkey is available on Yuppie Chef for R85 a tray.

Sugarbird Gin Baubles – R99

This would have to be a gift leading up to Xmas, or you could just hang them on the tree while Santa is visiting 😉 These are Sugarbird Gin Baubles! What a laugh!

Sugarbird and Makro managed to design, produce, fill, cap, ribbon, pack, ship and deliver nationwide 160 000 baubles in just 3 weeks – and all done by hand – to put it in perspective – that’s 6.4 tons of gin!

Perseverance, hard-work and innovative thinking, along with the support of family, friends and up to 60 folks from the Cape Flats working through the night for the final week, saw the incredible small business team win once again. 

You can get a set of 5 for R99 at Makro stores country side.

Spotify Premium – R5.99

Yip, you read right! Spotify is offering new users Spotify Premium for just R5.99. New Spotify users can sign up for Spotify free and upgrade to Spotify Premium for only R5.99 per month for the next three months, up until 31 December 2018!

I LOVE Spotify and have used it for a number of years (I worked at a UK agency so had a UK account), but I now have an SA account and premium is great because you can make your own playlists, have unlimited plays and NO ADS! Here’s my How To Use Spotify post if you want to know more.

I love Spotify so if you know someone who needs unlimited music, this could be a great gift for them.

Phone Ring – R99

I’m a HUGE fan of Pop Sockets, however, I was given a phone ring as a part of a Cadbury media pack. Not needing it, I decided to stick it on my Kindle which turned out to be SUPER useful! Particularly because we lie on our sides and having a ring around your finger provides more flexibility and stability than the traditional PopSocket. I still LOVE my Pop Socket! But there are more than one ways to use these things.

Superbalist has a number of them, I’m not super crazy about the current designs but I wanted to share the idea with you in case there was one that suited you for a little Christmas present.

Find this Phone Ring on Superbalist for R99.

Bonus Gift

Makeup Sharpener – R39

Guys may not know, but gals can’t use any old sharpener to sharpen their lip pencils, brown pencils or eye liners! While, sure, you can use one from high school that’s stuck in a stationary drawer somewhere, but it’s not advised. The arc of a makeup pencil is sharper than a regular pencil, shaving off less but at a steeper angle in order to save the product and create enough product to use without getting too sharp.

ANYWAY! Long story short, a make up pencil sharper is a small but helpful present that even us girls may forget from time to time. Find a makeup pencil on Faithful to Nature for just R39.