Wish List: Eight glorious gifts that are the pick of the bunch

Esther N McCarthy enjoys the glow factor of candles, lamps and glam giftsets, and checks out artisan hampers

Check out this gorgeous giftset. It’s called Sarah’s Favourites and includes two Impressed bowls, the small Impressed vase, Impressed plate and Impressed cocktail plate, Impressed cheeseboard, two tealight holders, and the Impressed heart dish. 

The 'Sarah's Favourites' giftset.

Sarah McKenna handmakes all her pottery in her Bridge Street Studio in Dundalk. 

She tells us: "It is important to me that the impact my work makes on the planet is as low as it can be. 

"I now have fully plastic-free and recyclable packaging and use as many recycled components as possible. Each package is completed with a drawing of a motif from my designs."

The full set is €250, also available to mix and match with individual pieces starting from €20, see SarahMcKenna more information.

Spotted online, these handcrafted palm-free soaps from O’Carrolls Irish Gifts. These are handcrafted and an artisan gift pack of three soaps is €15. Find out more at CarrollsIrishGifts.

I love the shape and size of this table lamp, and the gold is a bonus. It’s €69.99 from Homesense.

The Christmas 2022 giftset collections are starting to land — and we love The Prodigieux Collection by Nuxe, €40, below. 

Besides the iconic products, this year’s offerings are completely eco-designed, with 0% plastic and 100% recyclable cardboard. The Nuxe giftset is available at stockists including Arnotts, selected Boots, Cloud 10 Beauty and all major pharmacies nationwide.

Another giftset that caught our eye is this Shiseido Vital Perfection Holiday kit, it’s got the uplifting and firming cream, clarifying cleansing faom, treatment softener, ultimate power infusing concentrate and — wait for it — a Christmas ornament! Fabulous. It’s €132, available from Arnotts and pharmacies nationwide.

We’re delighted to hear about some cracking Christmas treats that the English Market are pulling together. The traders have been busy preparing and curating a selection of local food presents, crafts and unique extras to make gift-giving easy this year. 

This artisan food hamper is from On the Pig’s Back, yours from €55. Visit www.onthepigsback.ie to view the full range of options available for delivery nationwide and see corkcity.ie/en/english-market for more gift ideas.

Irish sustainable luxury candle brand The Home Moment have collaborated with the tree-planting charity Hometree so that €1 from every candle you buy goes to the tree help to rewild Ireland. 

Matt Smith, CEO of Hometree Charity, says: ‘Hometree has planted over 150,000 pioneer trees like Scots pine, willow and alder, while hundreds of people have contributed time and resources to the vision of incorporating more trees into the Irish landscape, bringing all the benefits that woodlands create. 

Every euro goes towards creating a landscape in which people and forests flourish, together.’ Find out more at www.hometree.ie and shop the full range of candles at www.thehomemoment.com 

thehomemoment.

Cork candlemaker Ester Murray has some beautiful offers for Christmas. 

Our favourite? This giftbox of four candles. It includes cranberry, orange and cinnamon; chestnut and vanilla; Christmas spice; and cinnamon scents. It’s €30.50 from Ester’s Aromas at Estersaromas. 
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