What do you buy the person you love? Whether it’s a sibling, a close friend or a partner, buying a gift can leave you scratching your head, making notes 3 months in advance and trying to find the little book you wrote it down in.
I completely understand the frustration with trying to find the right gift for that person, therefore I wanted to offer some age-appropriate gift ideas, ones that will resonate with someone entering their thirties.
Well, you can’t get them on the property ladder, but these might be the next best thing…
Edifier Tabletop Bluetooth Speaker
On your special day you might want friends and family around in the garden, on a cosy garden sofa and with the parasol blocking the sunlight, but the one item missing in the mix is something to play music on. You don’t want to drag out a laptop and a phone never quite creates a clear enough sound, so why not a speaker?
The Efidier TableTop speaker can easily connect to either your phone or laptop via Bluetooth, meaning you can easily set your Spotify party playlist in motion. The wooden enclosure and retro buttons makes it look like something from the 1950’s.
Plus, it can quickly and easily be charged via USB from the laptop and can play music for ten hours, so you don’t have to worry about it going flat half way through. I was honestly surprised by how powerful the sound system is.
Renata Knitwear Cream Sweater
Renata Knitwear have produced an absolutely gorgeous V-neck sweater, made from 90% pure Merino wool and 10% cashmere. This means it has the cashmere effect, however it performs better than pure cashmere in preventing shrinkage after washing or pilling.
The independent brand launched in Worcester, with the focus on producing quality over quantity and avoiding the ‘fast fashion’ movement. They wanted to produce a cashmere sweater that would last you a lifetime and you can tell by the quality.
Beyond the cream colour, which I think is the best, they also offer the sweater in tea rose, new blue and red. If you opt for cream then it costs £70, while the other colours are priced at £80, with different designs. They also offer free delivery on all UK orders.
This is the perfect luxury gift for a woman in your life who loves something equally fashionable and comfortable for the fast approaching winter months.
Dragonfly CBD Gifts
CBD, derived from industrial hemp, is more than just a buzzword. The cannabinoid is being utilised for multiple purposes, while Dragonfly CBD have it available as oils, lip balms, serums and moisturisers.
The Lip balm, quite critically in my eyes, has SPF included, being SPF 15, while it’s priced at £4.95, making it a low cost item if you know someone who is heading off on holiday. But obviously, make sure to check the rules with taking CBD abroad before putting it in the bag.
The hydrating body moisturiser is 100ml and contains jojoba oil, which is antibacterial and contains plenty of antioxidants, which will help to fight off free radicals.
The serum is a critical aspect in the beauty process, often skipped out for just a moisturiser, but I would strongly recommend using this before applying a moisturiser if you want to keep your skin looking young and healthy.
If trying CBD oil for the first time, remember to drop it under your tongue and hold it there for a couple of minutes before swallowing the rest. Not everyone can stomach the natural flavour, so for this reason you can also get flavoured alternatives, available as either anise, cinnamon, orange or peppermint.
Joby Vlogging Microphone
If the person you’re buying for is a keen vlogger or blogger, if they like to record content on YouTube or they’ve simply discussed potentially doing this down the line, then this could be the perfect piece of equipment for them.
The Joby Wavo microphone is compact and portable, meaning you can either set it up on your laptop or take it with you attached to your camera. It has a super cardioid pattern system which helps to focus on the vloggers voice.
It will also isolate unwanted vibrations thanks to the Hytrel Double Point Duo-Lyre for superior sound quality. This is a brilliant step-up from using your mobile phones internal audio system.
Black Polarised Sunglasses
If you’re buying a present for a cycling addict then look no further than biking accessories. As someone who has a lot of cycling friends, I cannot state how much all of the various items cost, therefore a birthday or Christmas is the ideal time to get these as a gift.
The Panda Optics Cove2 black polarised sunglasses offer 100% UV protection, they have an orange mirrored effect and they will significantly reduce glare.
They have a lightweight frame made from thermoplastic materials, while they’re priced at £62.
B’Liev Protein Shakes
I’m a former gym addict and being someone who used to train all the time, one of the biggest costs was getting all the protein into the diet, therefore every birthday or Christmas I would ask for whey protein as a present.
These pre-made protein shakes are amazing as they don’t need to be kept in the fridge, they have 20 grams of protein in each bottle and can easily be taken with you to the gym or to work.
They come in three great flavours, being blueberry muffin, cookies & cream and chocolate brownie. All of them are plant based, meaning they’re 100% vegan and they’re high in fibre.
They also have added MCT powder, great for recovering your energy levels. They’re also low in sugar, something some pre-made protein shakes sometimes slip up with.
RINGANA Travel Set For Men
When it comes to going on holiday, you have the dilemma of finding all the cosmetic essentials you need, as well as hoping they’re all available in under 100ml bottles, which can be an absolute nightmare.
With the RINGANA Fresh travel set, you get the see-through travel bag, complete with a 20g soap, serum, moisturiser, body milk, foot balm, hand balm, body wash, shampoo, 50ml ‘stay fresh’, deodorant and tooth oil.
Plus, they can just take away the items that are necessary for them, so if they won’t use the tooth oil or foot balm while on holiday, they can leave these out or swap them for something else to take abroad. The bag is spacious and ideal so you don’t have to swap over to the airport bags, which always drive me insane.
The serum contains orange hydrosol and feels great on the skin, before the application of the smoothing moisturiser for men, leaving your skin calm, smooth and ready for the day ahead. The microbiome friendly shampoo has a slightly different texture to what I’m used to, almost gel like, with a subtle scent and added prebiotic sugar compounds to add nutrition to your scalp.
Bobby’s Gin
All you need to do is mention ‘gin’ and you know it’s a great birthday gift! The Dutch-Indonesian brand uses juniper, fennel seeds, coriander and rose hip to create their beautiful flavours.
The gin comes in a 70ml bottle, at 42% alcoholic volume, perfect if they’re looking to get a little merry on their special day. A bottle of the award winning dry gin is available for £31.90.
However, if you’re working to a tighter budget, then no fear, as Bobby has you handled. They now offer cans of their gorgeous beverage, served as either gin and tonic or gin with pink lemonade.
I have to admit that the pink lemonade one was to die for! At £3.49 per can, you can order the amount that works to your budget, available on DrinkSupermarket.
Lot No40 Rye Whisky
Are you ready to add some hairs to your chest? The Lot No40 Canadian Rye Whisky packs a punch and tastes incredible, while the bottle oozes quality as well.
You may catch on to the tasting notes of rye bread, vanilla, spice and orchard fruits. I didn’t realise up until recently how many friends love whisky, or maybe it’s something that happens in your thirties, but suddenly it’s become an absolute must as a birthday gift idea.
Produced in a single copper pot still, this Canadian beverage has softly floral notes, while you may even smell a little caramel.
The Spice Kitchen Tin
I have received a Spice Kitchen tin before, being the Indian Spices, which I fell in love with. It contained all of the key ingredients you will need, a recipe book and it came in little tins like you would get when ordering a thali.
This is the gin botanicals tin, ideal for those that love gin but fancy learning some recipes themselves. They can pour themselves some vodka, then add all the key ingredients to create various different flavours, all detailed in the booklet that comes within the tin.
If gin isn’t their cup of tea, they also have a middle eastern & African tin, as well as a world spice blend, so they can cook the food that inspires them. On top of all this, it’s a small independent business that you’re helping to support.
Made By Coopers Bath Salts
It’s Sunday evening, a day to relax before the busy week ahead, so the ultimate tool is a soothing bath with some candles lit and soft classical music playing overhead. But the one item missing from this scene is some bath salts.
These aren’t just about adding a nice aroma to your bath, which is obviously an added bonus, the Himalayan and Epsom salts help to ease aches and pains, while they also treat certain skin conditions.
On top of that, the Made By Coopers Sleepy Head Bath Salt Blend contains organic lavender and frankincense essential oils, perfect to help you relax and strengthen the skin.
Chocolate Lovers Gift Box
Because who doesn’t love chocolate? With my family staying over in a few weeks, can you imagine their face when I pull out a selection of chocolate spreads?
This pack of three is the ultimate indulgent gift for chocolate fiends, all containing organic ingredients. A smooth dark cacao hazelnut spread, a crunchy hazelnut cacao spread and a smooth hazelnut & cacao spread, all 200g, they’re luxuriously packaged and make for the perfect present.
They’re vegan friendly and palm oil free, while they only use high quality cold extracted oils and the taste is unbeatable.
Fireheart Coffee
In more recent years, we have begun buying my brother-in-law coffee beans, as he loves making it up fresh, while we’ve started to order great tasting ground coffee ourselves, opting to move away from the options available at the supermarket.
The Fireheart Coffee Palace Blend has tasting notes of dark chocolate, Morello cherry and candied orange. The combination of cherry and dark chocolate is absolutely dreamy for me, while the actual taste matched the description.
You can order this as whole beans, coarse, medium or fine. All sizes are available as a 250g pack for £9.95, as seen in the picture, while you can also order 1kg if you order them as whole beans.
Roques O’Neil Boost Hair & Body Wash
If I head online to order some shower gel or shampoo, I feel guilty about ordering something lavish or spending extravagantly, but when it comes as a gift then you can enjoy it without the guilt.
The Roques O’Neil Therapie Boost Natural Hair & Body Wash has fresh and crisp balsam notes, citrusy aroma and will leave you not wanting to get out of the shower.
Priced at £20, this is a luxury gift without breaking the bank, while it’s also the ideal gift if they want to pamper themselves or take some time out for TLC.
Arran Lochranza Mens Bath & Shower Gel
Arran are brilliant at making luxurious gift ideas and this is certainly right up there. The 300ml bottle of bath and shower gel utilises the scents of patchouli and anise.
Patchouli has a musky earthy scent, while anise is that scent you get from liquorice. But it’s not just about the aroma, this shower gel also contains pro-vitamin B5, which binds hair follicles and moisturises the scalp.
The cleansing formulation will leave your hair smelling great and feeling fresh for the day ahead.