The best and worst thing about the holidays is gift-giving. While nothing beats gratuitously bringing joy to your friends, finding the right present for each of their unique personalities is tricky. Christmas bazaars can become overwhelming, and purchasing in mall sales end up giving you common items that might come off as unsentimental or impersonal.
Lucky for you, we took it upon ourselves to look for gifts that will give your favorite people in the world an unforgettable holiday.
For the aspiring Instagram celebrity who’s always posing
We all have that one friend who lives and breathes with their smartphone at the ready. It may annoy us sometimes, but we respect their craft and their eye for beauty. Here are gift ideas that will help their OOTDs and IG feed as much as they will strengthen your friendship.
Luxury Frames from Vision Express
GF Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 634-0684
Specs and shades upgrade the way you look in more ways than one, and you can never really have enough.
Instax Camera from Wonder Photoshop by Fujifilm
2F Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 621-0741
This latest update to Fujifilm’s Instax line comes with a stylish square format reminiscent of the original Polaroid. This Instax hybrid mixes the control and composition of a digital camera with the tangible fun of that direct photo print Fujifilm Instax cameras have been known for.
For the fangirl/boy who’s still watching cartoons in their 20s and beyond
They’re not immature or troublemakers per se, but these Peter Pans of your life always find ways to pull you into an adventure. These people usually live a lifestyle as active as their imagination, so we’ve gathered some toys and kicks that’ll please both aspects of their personality..
Trinkets from Yiippee
GF Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 795-9595
We all need a little color in our lives, and Yiippee has plenty to share. The Tinyblox pencil case is like a mini Lego toy you can lug around whether you’re eight or 30. The foldable water bottle is made of rubber material that can be rolled up once you’ve emptied it, and the key wooden puzzle is a great way to pass the time while taking a break away from your screen.
Sneakers from Secondwind
2F Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 946-5029
These ON CLOUD sneakers from Secondwind boast their @CloudTec sole that makes for a smooth run for any type of terrain, and a V-shaped molded heel that allows for a snug fit that adapts to your foot.
LEGO Architecture Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
GF Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 720-8589
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum or The Guggenheim is known as one of the most significant architectural icons of the 20th century because of its avant-garde design. With LEGO’s Architecture line, you can give the scaled down LEGO version of the museum for your friend to display on a shelf. The LEGO architecture line also has other world famous landmarks like the Louvre, the United States Capitol building, the Burj Khalifa, and more.
For the amateur food blogger with an active Yelp account
They love food and sweets as much as they love you, and that is the highest of praises that will ever come from this type of friend. In return for their affections, here are sugary confections to convey their importance in your life.
Brazo de Remedios from La Brazorria
GF Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 0917-3953529
With the fluffy meringue and creamy egg yolk filling, La Brazorria offers the Filipino creme-filled log cake in all its traditional glory. Nothing fancy, just sweet gooey goodness.
Lunch at La Maripili
GF Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 0916-5588413
Known as one of the original champions of churros in Manila, a meal at La Maripili will offer indulgent dishes like their black truffle pasta and quatro quesos y salsa verde. Treat your foodie friends here for a hearty lunch and they’ll appreciate it more than any item you could gift them.
For the techie who lives and dies by their MacBook Pro
These are the friends you go to when you’re about to upgrade your phone or when you finally have the budget for that new laptop. They may use a lot of jargon you can’t seem to understand but at the end of the day, they give you advice much more reliable than a Google search.
Universal adapter from Flight 001
2F Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 950-3663
This cute adapter isn’t just universal, it’s also award-winning. It nabbed the Red Dot award for best designed travel adaptor thanks to its eye-catching colors and sleek but functional design.
Moshi Urbana Mini Sakura Pink laptop bag from Switch
2F Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 477-6391
The Moshi urbana mini laptop bag offers a more sophisticated style of carrying your Macbook around. Designed like a signature handbag complete with an easily detachable leather strap, this beautified laptop case also secures your gadget with padded pockets that cushion your device from shocks and bumps.
For the friend who binge watches Youtube makeup tutorials
These are the friends who make sure you always look and smell your best. With a degree from YouTube’s makeup gurus, they’re the ones who educate you about the importance of skincare and brows on fleek. Treat them to one of these fragrances or services for all the times they’ve helped you get that date or land that job.
Fragrances from Fresh
2F Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 946-6939
Wearing the right fragrance makes for a lasting first impression, and if your friend lives by that rule, no
cheap perfume will do. Give them tasteful perfume that doesn’t attack your sinuses. United Colors of
Benetton’s Pink Eau De Toilette gives off a subtle floral-fruity scent with notes of bergamot, tangerine,
and passionfruit, while Anna Sui Luck Wish is like a spray of fairy dust with the aromas of frosted lemon, floral heart of freesia, and orange blossom.
Ooh La Lash
LGF Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 0922-7958251
Give the gift of brows on fleek and lashes that could blow you away with brow threading and lash
extension services from Ooh La Lash. They use mink hair for their lash extensions so it’s really light on your eyelids and a golden thread for your eyebrows to complete the special treatment.
Serums from Skin Station
LGF Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 635-4245
Support your friend’s newfound obsession with skincare while steering them away from harmful experimentation with unfamiliar products. Here are some dermatologist-approved products from Skin Station that they can use to ward off wrinkles, acne, and more.
For the caffeine connoiseur
When it comes to coffee, a cup a day is never enough for this type of friend. Hot or cold, bottled or artisanal, as long as it has caffeine they will drink it. Sometimes you worry about the state of their health, most of the time, though, you just enjoy their company.
Holiday Bundle from Yamato Bakery Cafe
2F Corte Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 795-9595
Yamato is best known for pastries like the green tea croissant, but its holiday bundles also offer some of
the best tea and coffee drinks to go. Just pick your poison from these three.
Syphon Set from UCC Clockwork
2F Corte Ayala Malls The 30th, 30 Meralco Avenue, Pasig City
Tel. 946-6518
The key to making good Syphon Coffee is the heat and the style. This syphon set from UCC will help your third wave coffee-loving friends with both its charismatic design and conventional gas heating that offers better control of the temperature while making coffee.
Read more:
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Writer: ANTHEA REYES
PHOTOGRAPHY NICCO SANTOS