Foolproof Family Holiday Gift Ideas for 2011

Hopefully you're getting down to the last few people on your list, but sometimes those people can be the most important people on your list! I always find that unless I know exactly what my mom or one of my siblings wants, they're often the ones I spend the most time mulling over Christmas gifts for--and I do my shopping gradually all year round! Obviously these ideas could be used for a spouse or partner, too ;)

I'm a huge gift giver and I've been told I'm pretty good at it, so I thought I'd do a quick post offering super general, foolproof gift ideas for some of the most important people in your life--your family!

Mom or Mother-in-Law
Mom or your mother-in-law can be a tough one, especially if she's the type to say, "Don't get me anything!" year after year. Obviously you can't neglect your Mom of your spouse's mom! The problem is, you may have absolutely no idea what she'd will really enjoy receiving. And if you're purchasing for your mother-in-law, especially if you're newly married, you really want to go the extra mile to get it right. One of the things this year that I saw and instantly thought--that would be perfect for my Mom--was Votre Vu's Winter Wonderhands gift set. The set includes 3 sets of their amazing lip balm/moisturizing cream duo tubes in both their original formula and the rose-hued lip balm formula. Both the lip balm and moisturizing cream are amazingly hydrating. Votre Vu is also amazing when it comes to branding their products with sophisticated packaging. To put it frankly, these product will not look cheap!

I haven't had the opportunity to review Votre Vu's Winter Wonderhands gift set, but I did recently review their Forget the Baubles ... Get the "It Kit" gift set, which included their lip and and Duette. You can see my review HERE.  

You can purchase Votre Vu's Winter Wonderhands HERE. 

Fathers, Brothers or Brothers-in-Law
Brothers and fathers. I find they're the most difficult ones to shop for on my long list of Christmas peeps. Why? Because they're so darn picky and not good at telling you what they like!!! :) But, if you're looking for one nice gift to get your brother or brother-in-law that he's sure to thank you for, if not right then after he uses it, I would suggest one of the Art of Shaving's fabulous shaving sets. Hubs and every other guy I know that's tried their shaving cream swears by it. The Art of Shaving's shaving gift sets range from $25 to $150 and include everything from shaving cream to amazing razors. 

Hubs did a review on their shaving cream a while back which you can view HERE. 

You can view all of The Art of Shaving's Gift sets HERE.

Sisters or Sisters-in-Law
I find that, of all my family members, my sisters are the easiest to shop for--mostly because I know their beauty likes and dislikes. But, maybe your sister is a pain in the neck and doesn't tell you what she likes or maybe you're just getting to know your sister-in-law. One gift I've personally purchased for a few women in my family (hopefully they won't see this post) is Zoya's Color Box gift sets! The Color Boxes include 3 4-free gorgeous polishes packaged snuggly in pretty velvet boxes--amazing presentation! Zoya offers 12 different color combinations as well as the option to purchase an empty box, which would allow you to assemble your own box if you wanted to--though it would be just under $10 more plus shipping. It may be easier as well as more economical to just choose a pre-assembled color box because the combinations are great and it'll save you the headache of trying to choose individual colors for someone else. How will you choose between the 12 combos? My advice is match the color box to your sister or sister-in-law's personality. If she's punky, outgoing, and wears lots of color check out the Spectacular Sparkle box. If she's fairly demure and tends to prefer a French mani over color, look to the Soft Grays, Beautiful Beiges, or Delicate Pinks. If you're looking for a super tried-and-true choice that almost anyone could appreciate I'd suggest either the Classic Reds or Rich Reds. There are also boxes that include green, purple, hot pink, and grayscale colors. These are priced at $24 and come with free expedited shipping for the pre-assembled boxes.

I love this as a gift! I hope I get one for Christmas--did you read that HUBS? The Bold Pinks and Classic Purples are the only ones that don't have colors I don't already own! *wink* *wink* I've done a bunch of Zoya swatches over the last year, but sadly I've barely put a dent in all the ones I have to

You can view all of Zoya's Color Boxes HERE.

Update 12/10: You can see my spotlight post on the Bold Greige Zoya Color Box HERE. 

So there you have it! Those are my foolproof suggestions for family members. Obviously you could use these suggestions for co-workers, friends, or relatives as well. What are your foolproof gift suggestions for family members?