(Not Quite) Last Minute Gift Ideas: Flashback Beauty

Cue the wrapping paper! Cue the bows! Bring on the ribbons, the gift bags and the tissue paper!  We are now smack dab in the middle of shopping season or for others the shopping is done and the wrapping is next. Personally, I am somewhere in the middle.

I found some things by chance which technically counts as super early shopping. We did a little Black Friday shopping after post-food comas wore off and got a good deal or two. I’ve done the morning shopping before but never stood outside in a line or ran to grab something specific. I am not a morning person in general so I have no reason to deal with anxious people wanting a Furby (or whatever else is the newest MUST find toy) or a $5 hoodie.

All crazy shopping aside, I love putting together gifts with a theme.  This is also a way I’ve found can be a money saver.  It somewhat depends on timing but if you give yourself enough of it, a more elaborate theme is possible.  For the last minute ideas, having a sense of your local stores and being willing to pay overnight shipping also helps.

All the old -school patterned denim and 80s and 90s colors that I’ve been seeing lately has me thinking FLASHBACK! Well, sorta flashback. I’m clearly a little off at times with this.

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net via Krista (Yarnalone) on Pinterest

Now I have Prince’s 1999 stuck in my head.

Ok, back to the gift idea….

1. Start with one brightly-colored, dual-layered, snap-latch fronted Caboodle.

Source: Uploaded by user via Krista (Yarnalone) on Pinterest

I still have my original one AND a smaller one that I got a little while later. Plus I hit jackpot at a garage sale a few years ago and picked up two more. (Yes, I have a lot of makeup, etc.) You can get new versions of the “Classic Cases” to keep the old school vibe but they have updated styles too.

2. Add several Lipsmackers.

Source: fantastic-flashback.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

These three were, and still are, some of my favorites.  I remember thinking the Coca-Cola ones was the coolest too. They have a bunch of different flavors now but I find myself going back to my default ones.

3. And some Love’s Baby Soft

Source: jill-abeautifullife.blogspot.com via Gina on Pinterest

4. Finish with a revamp of Jane Cosmetics.

I loved Eye Zings eyeshadow by Jane. It was great pigmented eyeshadow that held up really well for me.  Then Jane went away (cue sad trombone) but now the cosmetics are back!

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Disclaimer:  All items mentioned in this post were mentioned due to good memories. None of the companies contacted me regarding this post nor was I compensated in any way.

Because they look like dead Tribbles and they are ugly

Darth Husband usually does not give hints or let me pick out any sort of presents. Usually there is some sort of funny element like the time he FIRST gave me a bag of fruit. THEN I got the fancy blender w the individual travel mugs AND the giant tank o’ spouted greatness. (The spouted tank of greatness worked extremely well once for margaritas and now lives in the cabinet. Travel mugs = great deal esp for oddball things blending mini batches of spaghetti sauces.) This year he broke tradition and I know somewhat about one gift.

I’m getting new slippers. WOOHOO! I needed new ones because my furry – yes furry, purple and white ones are worn out to the point where the base of the right one falls out. Before it falls out it is a combo move of slide back in, mash a bit, walk around until I end up w a quasi flipper and repeat. Darth Husband also thinks that they like dead Tribbles and they are ugly. I disagree but will wear them until the replacements arrive. I did the same thing w the prior slippers – the aqua blue ones w the beaded penguin couple (from Avon) that eventually started sliding off my feet only when I was on the stairs. Vengeful footwear is not fun!

In the summer I run amuck barefoot to the point where Darth Husband genuinely gets concerned that I’m going to have to pull rocks out of my feet. See, I LOOK for the rocks on the driveway and more times than not I’m fine.  However, when it starts getting cold out our floors get cold. (There are two areas in the house with carpet and by carpet I mean the tacked down carpet. We have area rugs and runners that the pets like to throw up on around the house.) Cue the slippers.

So this is the practical gift I’m guessing and my buying new pjs has solved the pj debate (grey/pink for one and blue for other) so that won’t be part. I grew up in a household where you gave hints and one of those hints always ended up true. Even with this being the 5th Christmas together, I still can’t get him to crack. He just has no idea what he is getting… unless he had discovered my hiding spots!

Does gift giving mean total surprises, hints accepted, or “here buy me this thing “for you?