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‘Tis the season for gift giving on a budget. Gift giving doesn’t have to be expensive. Our Low-Cost, High Joy Gift Guide is here, and our editors are sharing some of their favorite gifts that won’t break the bank. From a $30 bar soap gift set that has been used for centuries to a $35 pop-up book from Hermès, these gifts are both affordable and chic.
For the latest episode of the Who What Wear podcast, Editor in Chief Kat Collings sat down with editor Eliza Huber and associate editor Yusra Siddiqui to chat all things gift giving. In the episode, our editors share their favorite low-cost gifts they’re giving to their friends and family this holiday season.
For excerpts—and a few of the items they shared—from their conversation, scroll below.
I think we should start with a gift category that’s pretty universal to anyone you might be gifting, gifts that pour back into yourself, help relaxation, and promote loving up on yourself. What are your top picks for giving the gift of chill?
Eliza Huber: I have one. It’s called a Gua-Shroom. It’s like a gua sha shaped like a mushroom. Immediately when I saw it, I was like, “I have to put this in this gift guide. It’s so cute.” It actually is derived from traditional Chinese medicine and designed to encourage lymphatic drainage. [It] can help to offset those results that come from partying over the holidays.
EH: I personally am really excited to try this six-piece soap set. They’re egg-white facial soaps. I totally stumbled upon these during this research, and they look incredible, and the reviews are absolutely wild. They’re made in Belgium and have been used for centuries. It’s a really gentle alternative to intensive skincare products if you want something simple or have sensitive skin. They’re by a brand called Kalastyle, and it’s basically just really simple bar soap made with chamomile, and you replace your normal face soap with it.
Yusra Siddiqui: I have something that I really love: these Sandy Liang socks. I know everyone’s like, “Robes are a boring gift. Socks are a boring gift.” If you find a special enough pair of socks, I think that’s such a special gift because when I’m buying socks, I feel like I’m just running to Target or H&M and getting simple socks. A special pair of socks is a small sartorial delight that adds something to an outfit. Even when you’re lounging at home, I would love to be wearing a pair of Sandy Liang socks.
Let’s move on to the next category that we’re calling Custom Job—aka personalized custom items. I feel like it shows you put in that extra effort for the gift. I’m curious what your favorite picks were in this category.
YS: This is my personal favorite category. It just makes them feel extra special, the time and effort that goes into it. You can get creative, whether it’s putting their name on it or initials [or] a unique quote that they say that’s an inside joke. Out of the options we put, I’ve actually gifted the Papier recipe book, which you can customize the text.
Kat Collings: My favorite in this category is customizable matchbooks. I think people are into doing these for weddings. I’m also into the idea [of] just [doing] it as a gift for your home. It’s kind of like merch for your house.
Let’s move on to the Little Luxuries category, gifts that feel luxurious but won’t hit your wallet like one. What affordable options do some of our favorite higher-end brands have to offer?
EH: One of my guilty pleasures is just scanning luxury-brand websites and trying to find the cheapest things and seeing what they are. Obviously, a lot of them have beauty brands, which can make this easy. You could get a nail polish or a lipstick, and that’s one great option. Some have nonstandard items that are so interesting and different, maybe things that you wouldn’t expect to find at the corners of Hermès or Louis Vuitton. I’m personally really into this Dries Van Noten refillable lipstick case that we found for $38. The designs are all inspired by different Dries [Van Noten] fashion collections and runway collections and are super unexpected.
EH: There’s also a really fun $35 Hermès pop-up book that we found that features all of the iconic scarf drawings, but in 3D. It’s perfect for putting on your coffee table for decoration because it is that iconic Hermès orange.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Next, check out our interview with Who What Wear’s beauty director on holiday makeup must-haves.
