Gift Guide: Sweet Tooth

So, in a stark contrast with my previous gift guide (ahem, here) I bring you something a little sweeter.

A lot sweeter, actually!

Terrifyingly, the average person puts on a maahooosive five pounds around Christmas, but who can blame us when there are so many gorgeous treats around?! It really is rather difficult to stay in those size 8 skinny jeans when faced with a selection box and copious glasses of champagne... Lord help me!

Anyway, there are very few girls- or, indeed, boys- who would not thank you for something sweet on Christmas day so here are a few suggestions that are sweeter than honey.

Who? The sweet tooth is pretty much any boy or girl who goes gaga at the thought of a big bag of fudge or weak at the knees when faced with the Selfridges food hall (me? of course not...)

What does a sweet tooth love? Chocolate, biscuits, cup cakes, marshmallows, meringues, baking, sweet smelling goodies, gummy sweets, macaroons, cocktails- if it's sweet, they shall take it. 

Aah, easy peasy, so what's out there this Christmas?!

1. Hotel Chocolat The Yule Buche Collection (with slate) £25
2. The Biscuiteers Little Shoes Tin £30
3. Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth Cookbook £8 from Amazon
4. Black Cherry Candy Cane 99p each at Mrs Kibbles
5. Salted Caramel Drinking Chocolate £6.50 by Artisan du Chocolat
6. Laura Mercier Creme Brulee Candle £29
7. Art of Mallow Salted Caramellow Marshmallows (available here- such lovely flavours!) £2.75
8. Individual Alternative Mince Pie by Hotel Chocolate- so tasty!
9. Gingerbread Cookies white chocolate fusion bar £3 at Artisan du Chocolat
10. Harvey Nichols "Fashionista" hamper- £75 (contains chocolate toffee, chocolate and nut biscuits, red berry tea bags, Baci di Nama chocolate hazelnut biscuits, marzipan fruits, wild flower honey, pink grapefruit marmalade and sauvignon blanc)
11. Fauchon Macaroons and Champagne gift set €37

Gift Guide 2012: The Cosy Cutie

Hello there ladies and gents, feeling festive yet? If not... Look away, for this post is about to get as festive as Buble's Christmas album (which has been on loop since the 1st of November)...

Following my initial Goth Girl gift guide, this one is for a slightly girlier girl, less about edge, more about choccies and woolies!

Who? She's the easy going girl, whatever you buy her, she'll love it. She's the one who ooh's and aah's at all the latest festive knits, and she loves nothing more than curling up in her pyjamas, hot choc in hand and a bit of Gosling ont telly. 

What does she love? She loves everything about Christmas, to be honest. She is a family girl, and is always smiling and chirpy. She loves gingerbread men, cool fair isle sweaters and everything that is a little bit kitsch. She is also rather partial to a few cheeky eggnog lattes in Starbucks. She is a cosy cutie pie, at the end of the day.

Where does she shop? Everywhere, really, she is not particularly fussy, but she loves Urban Outfitters around Christmas time, and Jack Wills' jammies are her absolute vice. She is crazy for cosy winter warmers and knows that Christmas is the best time to indulge, be that in delectable chocolates from Hotel Chocolat or super sweet marzipan body souffle.

Oh, but, what do I buy her?!...

1. Brrr-illiant hat by Markus Lupfer at Whistles £55
2. Fair Isle leggings from Jack Wills £29.50
3. Gorgeous little mittens by Jack Wills £24.50
4. HILARIOUS Feminist Ryan Gosling book at Urban Outfitters £8.99
5. Incredible "Woodzip" Candle by Popup Paris at Harvey Nichols (literally smells like an open fire!)
6. Little choccy gingerbread men from Hotel Chocolat £6.50
7. The Cookbook collection by Philosophy (the most incredible smelling minis ever!) $30
8. Love sweater at Miss Selfridge £39
9. Cosy fair isle slippers at Accessorize £20
10. Limited edition Christmas sweater by Isabel Marant at Net-A-Porter £350
11. Delectable chocolate honeycomb treats from Artisan du Chocolat £19.95
12. Super soft cream fur snood from River Island £30
13. Smoothie Star body cream from Soap and Glory (it literally smells like marzipan- yum!) £10.50

Mother's Day Gift Guides: Yum Mum

by Shona Wallace, @SWfashion_

Nothing makes a woman feel better than chocolate. Fact. 

Okay, that's maybe not the case for everyone, but I personally have yet to be faced with something so stressful that a Nutella-smothered digestive wont fix. And a box of tangy or creamy or crunchy chocolates is all the more stress-relieving and uplifting. Thus, mother's day is the perfect excuse to buy a tonne of choccies for your mum, with every intention of pinching one yourself.

Or you could go down the cake route. Buy them at the Hummingbird or go all Nigella and make a delicious cake yourself (by, ahem, Nigella). A coffee and walnut number always goes down a storm!

As far as sweet treats goes, however, I would happily give birth if it meant my kiddies would buy me macaroons from Laduree- the rose ones are just heaven! Failing that, i'd happily take the "All About Mum" Sleekster from Hotel Chocolat... Presumably I can still eat them despite being a proud mother of none?

SHOPPERS TIP! If you're buying your mum some chocolate, always go to Artisan du Chocolat in Selfridges. They have the best selection of chocolates ever, and their salted caramels and golden chocolate pearls are delectable. The best part? The Selfridges concession often gives out freebies! The embarrassing part? I think the shop assistant recognises me as I visit so frequently...

(make Mother's Day extra sweet at Laduree, Hotel Chocolat, Artisan du Chocolat, Mrs. Kibbles, Nigella, Hummingbird Bakery and Notonthehighstreet.com)