Wish List: Eight gorgeous gifts and some vintage vibes

Seeking festive inspiration? Esther N McCarthy picks tech gifts, along with Irish and sustainable present options

Thu, 09 Dec, 2021 - 18:56

Esther N McCarthy

Wooden this be great?

I absolutely adore the look of these 3D wooden topographical maps (above). Outcrop founders Aran and Maeve Pudney are creating them in Co. Sligo, after relocating from New Zealand to Maeve's hometown. the pair create intricately carved maps that become portals to the places close to your heart. A wonderful gift idea, as they can be customised to include places that are unique to you, as well as adding dates and names.

Find out more at www.Outcrop.ie with prices starting from €135, which includes free shipping.

Music to our ears

Anyone thinking of getting Airpods as a Christmas pressie? We got an iPhone user to try out the new Apple AirPods 3rd generation for two weeks and loved the pocketable little beauties. The charging case is fab, fits in the pocket and looks very cool. The pods click in magnetically to charge and they lasted about six and a half hours on one charge.

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB

We love the fast charging feature too, we got an hour of battery life from five minutes of charging the pods in the case. Super features include spatial audio, so watching a movie or TV show is a joy. If you want to blast your favourite tunes in the gym, these are sweat resistant.

Here are the top ways you can enjoy a green Christmas

The best thing our reviewer found? Because the stem is shorter than the previous generation, it didn't catch on her facemask.

€199 from www.apple.com/ie/ and various stores nationwide.

Eco-designed skin care

One of our favourite brands here is NUXE. The multipurpose dry oil was our gateway drug. The textures and scents are a small bit addictive - beware.

They have luxury gift sets from €16-€49 that are eco-designed, and 100% recyclable. The range features multiple quality vegan products for guilt-free gifting.

Find out more at https://www.nuxe.com/

Made up for Skinmade

If you have anyone who loves looking after their skin on your To Buy For list, check out The Fraunhofer Institute's personalised skincare brand Skinmade. They recently launched their four Problem Solver serums. There is a smart serum to individually treat the causes of wrinkles, blemishes and acne, redness and irritation and pigmentation. (Dear Santa, can I have them all?)

Fragrance-free and suitable for all skin types, Skinmade is led here in Ireland by one of the queen of skin experts, Eavanna Breen, and they are available from www.Akina.ie or instore from Akina Beauty Clinic, Leeson Street, Dublin, all retailing at €65.

Scent-sational gift idea

A beautiful fragrance is always appreciated on Christmas morning. For her MUSC NOIR is the new fragrance from Narciso Rodriguez. It says it's a tribute to the powerful mystique of a woman’s inner beauty and her innate sensuality. (Wait until after a feed of Brussel sprouts and see how powerful her mystique is then.)

This is as good as it gets though, a rare musc oil is at the heart of the original for her. and how stunning is that bottle? 30ml is €55, 50ml, €81 and 100ml is €111.00, available from pharmacies and select department stores nationwide including Arnotts, Brown Thomas and Shaws.

Blooming marvellous

You can't go wrong with flowers, my friends. Be blooming marvellous with Ireland’s highest rated online florist. We love that they send a video of every order so you can be sure it's perfect.

They'll also send a personalised gift card, plus a same and next day service to all 32 counties. It's 100% Irish-owned and has the highest approval rating on Trustpilot and Google Review. Arrangements start at €54 plus a delivery fee of €7.95

www.flowers.ie

Preloved phones? Good call!

Get green kudos by choosing a gift from an Irish and family-owned tech service brand. PAIR Mobile offers a selection of gifts for the technophile or clumsy person in your life. Try a preloved phone, with a free 12-month warranty.

Preloved Phones Pre-loved will not mean un-loved for your Christmas giftee. PAIR Mobile’s full range of preloved smartphones has been rigorously tested and refurbished with premium parts only. PAIR exclusively use Huawei and Samsung Original parts and even their preloved iPhones get the 5-star treatment with only Grade A parts used.

Even better, if someone has a cracked screen, pop the gadget in the post, they'll fix it up and send it back, good as new. Repairs start from as little as €25.

Buy from one of the brand’s locations across Ireland or online at pairmobile.ie

Vintage vibes

Go vintage and procure something really special, like this gorgeous pair of elephant bookends, €25.