My favorite things: A list of amazing gifts for women

A few of my blogging friends have put together gift suggestions that serve a dual purpose. First these are great suggestions for gifts and frankly the hardest part of shopping is deciding what to buy. Second, any item purchased through one of these links will also support the blog at no additional cost to you. Amazon pays a small commission when a reader follows a link from here or any other blog when the link results in a purchase.    You can also use the Amazon search bar on the sidebar of this blog if you know of something specific you want.  Since you would be buying there anyway, searching from here just helps me make a little bonus.

I put together a list of my favorite things.  Honestly, my favorite things list is way better than Oprah's; look who she chose for President.  I don't buy myself much but when I do I like it to be something I will use for a long time.  Generally speaking, things that last longer are higher quality and yes a bit higher priced.  Still, I would rather have one nice bag or great shoes than a variety that don't hold up as well.  The items I am recommending here are all things I have purchased or would love to have as a gift.  Hopefully you might see something here that would be perfect for a wife, girlfriend or hey women how about treating yourself.  Here is the list:

This is a fantastic coat.  I have one, or rather had one, I should say.  My daughter took it from me and now seems to believe it is hers.  If you are looking for a gift this is a great option.  Michael Kors tends to run on the small side so I would not suggest going smaller on this coat.  This is a really flattering coat that looks great on women of all sizes.  I originally went looking for a Michael Kors coat after Sarah Palin was spotted wearing one in the famous Thanksgiving turkey massacre video.  She had a similar Michael Kors coat paired with a Burberry scarf.  Amazon has a nice knock-off if yo don't have a couple hundred laying around to shell out on a scarf.  See Premium Pashmina Plaid Shawl Wrap Scarf - Sand and a little nicer version here 100% Cashmere Scarf.  Together the combination looks really amazing but the coat does look great alone.

Next on my list of amazing things for women is the Ugg Coquette slipper in either black, Women's Ugg Cozy II Chestnut or the awesome new color Women's UGG® Australia Coquette-9--Bomber Jacket.  They have them in all sizes so the links really just take you to the color.  I have the black and am now on my second pair.  These just feel amazing on your feet.  I wear them with jeans out or with anything around the house.  I also highly recommend the Women's UGG Bailey Button Boot.  These look great and are so warm and toasty I hate to take them off.  Both the boots and the slippers run very large.  I buy a size down and they fit perfectly.  They only come in whole sizes so if you are an 8 1/2 buy the 8's, etc.  I think I will be looking to get the new bomber jacket color in the coquettes this year.



The new Kindle 3G wireless is also something I have been wanting for quite a while.  I have the Kindle app added to my laptop but I really feel as though I am tied to my computer enough as it is.  I also have it added to my blackberry but the screen is just too small to make that something I would use regularly to read a book.  Here is what I love about digital reading though, the books are available in a matter of a minute.  When Decision Points (which is great by the way) became available at midnight, I had it 12:05 AM.  I didn't have to wait to make a trip to the bookstore and hope they still had a copy.  I didn't have to wait until Amazon's free shipping finally got here. Books are cheaper and there are a lot of classic books that can be downloaded for free.  The savings makes this purchase one that will pay for itself quickly.  This is one amazing invention and something that will be a necessity in the future.

Ok, so don't choke on the price of this gorgeous black wristlet.  That is the bag I would choose if money were no object.  For most of us that isn't the case.  I do, however, think a really nice wristlet bag is one thing I absolutely can not do without.  I carry mine everywhere and find it all that is really necessary when I make a run to the store or really almost every trip I make anymore.  I almost never carry a pocketbook anymore but the wristlet goes with me everywhere.  Here are some really nice picks if an $800 little black bag will bust the budget.  First, this Cole Haan Gramercy Clara Wristlet,Black, is really beautiful and much more reasonable at $128.  It also comes in Dark Aubergine which is very pretty too.  Another nice choice is this Latico Cris Cris Pocket Wristlet which comes in right under $100.


Fragrance is always a matter of personal choice but there are some great perfumes that smell incredible on everyone.  I love the new perfume LOLA by Marc Jacobs and the bottle is just adorable.  This would be one of my top picks for a new perfume this year.  I usually wear Dkny Be Delicious By Donna Karan For Women.  which I love for its' clean fresh apple scent.  A great choice for a younger woman is Vera Wang Princess By Vera Wang.  This is one of my daughter's favorites so occasionally I use a spray or two of hers.  This smells delicious and I can't imagine a woman of any age not enjoying it.  Of course some women don't go for perfume at all.  If they do, however, these are all great choices.   For men Acqua Di Gio By Giorgio Armani  smells incredible as does my all time favorite PACO RABANNE By Paco Rabanne .



























Some great beauty choices for stocking stuffers or just a nice treat.  First off is the Nars blush/bronzer duo in the provocatively named "orgasm."  I have been wearing this blush, which has a nice pinky-peach glow for years.  I saw it in a beauty magazine listed as a color Jennifer Aniston wears.  It doesn't make me look like her but it gets me a little closer anyway.  Seriously, it is a nice blush in a very pretty, flattering shade.  Next up is one of may favs by Smashbox their hydrating perfecting powder.  This is a little pricey but worth every penny.  Once again, after I bought this my daughter actually used her own money to buy herself some as well. There is no higher testimony to the worth of a product than watching my daughter actually buy it herself.

A great stocking stuffer is the Tweezerman slant-tip tweezer.  These are the best, you would never ever buy another brand after using them.  Also on the stocking-stuffer list is Rosebud lip balm, awesome stuff.  Last on the list is the slightly pricey Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Firm Resolutions kit.  I got a few samples of the peel included in this kit recently and was shocked what a difference it made in my skin.  Although this price might seem a bit high, it is actually a really great value and a heck of a lot cheaper than having a peel done by a Dermatologist.  I am planning on buying this after having tried the sample.

Amazing Belgian chocolates for those want to give the best to your favorite chocolate connoisseur.  From a great review:
 If it is possible to fall madly in love with a box of chocolates, then the assortment is the perfect place to start such an adventure. These chocolate are named after Leonidas Kestekidis, who definitely knew how to create chocolates for the true chocolate connoisseur. 

When he moved back to Belgium he not only married his true love, he created chocolates the world now adores. When you taste these chocolates, your taste buds will also finally know true chocolate happiness. Whether you try one of these with a cup of coffee or tea or enjoy one as a daily indulgence, these will impress. 

Sounds incredible to me.  I have always wanted to try these so maybe this year I will give them a try.

Still my all-time favorite cookbook.  I have tried a lot of these recipes and they make the patient cook into a gourmet chef with ease.  Last Thanksgiving I shared a couple recipes from this book and that post is one that is frequently searched on the blog or found through google.  This is not a cookbook you will use everyday but for those special occasions it is undoubtedly my favorite.

For one that will become dog-eared from daily use there is nothing better than Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006 or the original itself Joy of Cooking.  Another great cookbook that I use constantly is Julia Child's The Way to Cook.  These cookbooks are invaluable to anyone who wants to learn and master the fundamentals of cooking.


I have been looking at Wacom pen tablets for over a year now.  While I find it amazing what can be accomplished on the Wacom Cintiq, the $1000 price tag is just out of my league with one kid in college and another one headed there soon.  I finally broke down and bought this great starter tablet because the sale price ($56) was really too good to pass up.  That is my little Christmas present to me.

This is the review  that sold me on this model:
For as cheap as this little tablet is, it does a GREAT job! I purchased it to have an extra travel one; I have a larger Intuos that is PHENOMENAL (I won't lie, it is much more sensitive and because it is larger it is much, much, much more precise) but the problem is that it is totally unsuitable for a mobile lifestyle. This little cutie works excellent for the things I do on the fly. 

Considering that I am a professional digital imaging specialist who uses my tablets constantly, I hope you'll take this advice: for those of you who are weekend enthusiasts or whom are just getting started and perhaps may have never used a tablet before, this is a good one to purchase. It does just fine for most applications and is sensitive enough to do the average things. Once you've totally become addicted to it and know for sure that it suits your needs, maybe then save up and get a larger Intuos.

I can't wait to get this little device up and running. After spending most of the day putting this list together I think I got myself in the shopping mode. Hopefully something I have listed here helps those of you looking for a great gift or a nice treat for yourself.  Happy shopping!

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