The ultimate Holiday gift guide for the healthy foodies, fitness buffs, girly girls and food photographers!
You. GUYS.
It’s ALMOST DECEMEBER
Liiiike, I’ve got an advent calendar AT THE READY.
But, that means that you should PROBABLY get on that Christmas shopping thing. Why does it creep up on my EVERY YEAR?!
Just like last year, I put together a gift guide of some of my favorite things from the kitchen, for the gym rat, for the girly girl and for the food photographer!
You’ll find images and links to all my fav things below and I hope you get some ideas to give to your loved ones.
You know..or, yourself 😉
I won’t tell
My Kitchen Must Haves
1. Silicone Spatula Set – These spatulas are used on the reg’ in my kitchen. The flexible silicone makes it REALLY easy to scrape out the VERY last smear of cookie dough from the bowl. Plus, their dishwasher safe! The perfect stocking stuffer for the avid baker in your life!
2. Cookie Scoop – You like cookies, I like cookies, everyone loves cookies! I love the spring handle of this cookie scoop because it makes the perfect, round cookies EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. I can’t think of ONE person, who might enjoy baking even a TINY bit, that doesn’t need this!
3. Inspiralizer – The Inspiralizer makes eating veggies WAY more fun, and this brand turns even sweet potatoes or butternut squash into noodles in a SNAP.
4. KitchenAid Electronic Kitchen Scale – If you know a thing or two about gluten free baking – and if you don’t, now you do! – you know that getting the EXACT amount of flour is KEY for perfect results. I state to weigh the flour in ALL my recipes! Don’t risk having a baking disaster by hoping you’ve measured correctly – get a scale and weigh it out! I use mine daily! Do you know someone who is dabbling in the gluten free world? (or really, any kind of baking!) Save them the heartache (and wasted money!) and get them a kitchen scale.
5. Kitchenaid 3 Cup Food Processor – If I could write a love poem to my small food processor, I WOULD. You can make sauces or dips in it, chop herbs or nuts…basically you can do anything that your lazy-person self hates doing. Maybe that’s just me. But, seriously, major time saving tool right here!
6. Kyocera Ceramic Knives – They are SO sharp (just ask the bandaids on my fingers) and make slicing ANYTHING a breeze! I am obsessssed with mine!
7. Cuisinart 5 in 1 Griddler – This is one the coolest little contraptions around. You can keep it upright, and use it as a panini press, or you can flatten it and use it as a grill or griddle! Do you know someone that loves to make a big ol’ pancakes and fried eggs weekend breakfast? This will save their life! PS: DISHWASHER SAFE PLATES. Have you ever tried to put a traditional griddle in the dishwasher? DON’T.
8. KitchenAid Non-stick Pots and Pans – This is preeeety self-explanatory. You know someone that cooks right? Of course you do – we all gotta eat! Make them have super-success all the time by getting them some great quality, non-stick pots and pans!
9. KitchenAid 4.5 Court Classic Stand Mixer – If you’ve ever baked ANYTHING before, you’ve heard about the KitchenAid stand mixers. Well, peeps, they live up to the hype! If you’ve got a baker to buy for stuff their stockings with those silicone spatulas and then make their WHOLE holiday with a surprise stand mixer! Think of all the cookies you’ll get as re-payment!
10. Blendtec Designer 625 – I realize this is a pricey item, but I have to include it because I use mine so often. You can make a morning smoothie in 30 seconds (with no chunkies!), you can make your own nut butter (!!!), soup, dip, slushy adult beverage (<3 <3 <3) you name it – this Blendtec can do it! Plus, it says friendly things like “that looks tasty!” Feel good food at it’s finest!
Gifts For The Fitness Buff
Kettlebells – Swing around a few of these to get both a cardio and weight workout, AT ONCE. Plus, they don’t take up a lot of space so they’re great to keep around the house for those days where you can’t get to the gym but need a big calorie burn!
2. Trutein Birthday Cake Protein Powder I am 110% in major <3 with this protein powder. I FOR REALZ think about how I get to go home and eat my Birthday Cake protein powder when I’m squatting at the gym. It’s the only thing that get’s me through it. It’s gluten free, lactose free AND naturally sweetened…Did I mention it actually tastes like cake batter?! If that’s not your flavor, I also have (and love!) Lemon Meringue Pie and Cinnabun! If you know a gym-junkie they need this protein powder in their life!
3. Tanita Body Composition Scale – This is the scale I use because I freaking love how I can tell what kind of weight I’m gaining (or losing if that’s what your goals are!) You program this scale with your age, gender, height and activity level and then step on it. It’ll calculate your weight, how much percentage of that is muscle, how much is fat, your water levels and a TON of other cool stuff, in just a click of a button. Plus you can program it with quite a few people to keep track of the whole family!
4. Femme Fitale Fitness Gloves – I have owned my leopard print fitness gloves for AT LEAST 4 years, and they’re still in tact! The quality is AMAZE and all the designs are SO cute! Who said you can’t look cute AND have a great workout!
5. Versa Gripps – Like the gloves above, I have owned my Versa Gripps for YEARS. I have the “fit” version, made for small hands and wrists. As I do have small hands/wrists, I don’t have very good grip strength. Versa Gripps wrap around the bar and allow you to lift SO much more weight without pain. They’re WAY easy to maneuver than traditional lifting straps!
Gifts For The Photographer:
1. Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan – Editing the final photo is where the magic happens. You can get your budding food photographer a monthly subscription to both Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, and watch them be SO pumped about the food photos that THEY took!
2. Collapsible Reflector/Diffuser Set – A good photo is ALL about the light – and that means sometimes you need to manipulate it a little bit. This set comes with the tools to do it and it is a MUSTMUSTMUST for the beginning food photographer!
3. SanDisk 64 GB Memory Card – Your giftee (is that a word?) wants to take photos right? But where will they STORE said photos? UMMM on a memory card! This memory card has a lot of space because, if they’re anything like me in the beginning, they will take ALL the photos.
4. Plate To Pixel – This is THE food styling book that helped me a ton! The more resources to learn, and gain inspiration from, the better and this book is one of those that every want-to-be-food-photographer MUST have!
5. Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 Lens – This is the very first lens I bought, and still use a TON today! MANYMANYMANY food photographers use this lens because it’s inexpensive, and gives you GORGEOUS results.
6. Canon Rebel T5i – This is ALMOST the camera body I started out with, just a little bit newer as my model is now discontinued. For a DSLR, this is a cheaper model and a great place to start to learn just HOW to use a DSLR. If you know someone who wants to get started in food photography, this is a great learning tool before spending a ton of money – and it still takes awesome photos!
7 Canon EF 100mm F/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens – This is the lens I upgraded to, and I now use it in combination with the 50mm as discussed above. This is the lens that lets you get THISCLOSE to the food, and really creates that mouthwatering-need-it-now food photo! If you know someone who has practicedpracticedpracticed, and is ready to take their photos to next level, they NEED this lens!
8. Canon EOS 6D – This is the camera body I now use after I broke my Rebel. It’s a pricier camera but it takes crystal-clear photos. I also love that it’s a full-frame camera, so I’m able to see so much more of my scene than which my previous starter camera. Like the 100mm Macro lens, if you know someone who wants to kick up their photos, they are going to fall crazy in love with this camera!
9. Manfrotto Tripod with Horizontal Column – I never used to be a “tripod person” until I got THIS one…and now I LOVE IT! Using a tripod allows me to take dark, moody photos without sacrificing picture quality. I love this one because you can swivel it to go horizontal for overhead shots!
Gifts for the girly-girl
1. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion – Ever stayed out late, came home and looked in the mirror and SCREAMED because all your eye makeup had melted off your face? OF COURSE YOU HAVE. Seriously, put this on under your eyeshadow and you can dance all night, accidentally fall asleep in it and have it look perfect the next day. Not that I’ve worn makeup to bed….BAD MAKEUP ARTIST.
2. Isinis Brush – You’re all wondering how a HAIRBRUSH can make the list, and why it’s so special right? Have you ever tried to put your hair up in a cute ponytail but then the bristles of the brush give the area around your scalp these weird bumps, and it’s not all smooth? THIS DOES NOT. It has super soft bristles that give you a super-sleek up-do. This is perfect for your busy on-the-go girlfriend who wants to look super cute, and not spend tons of time!
3. MAC Vanilla Pigment – This is another very light, shimmery powder that I wear every.single.day. I brush it just along my cheekbones and down the middle of my nose. It gives you a really gorgeous, natural glow. You will LOVE IT.
4. Amika Hair Straightener 1. How fun is the zebra print on this? Amika makes tons of awesome, funky designs (I have the zebra!) and they straighteners actually work! You can control the temperature which I LOVE, and they heat up in 30 seconds. 30 seconds to perfect, silk, flat hair? Sign me up! You too?
5. Tweezerman Eyelash Curler – Anyone who knows me knows that I am OBSESSIVE about my eyelashes! I have tried ALL the curlers out there, in hopes of finding one that would give me lasting curl without breaking off my eyelashes. This is the one that all the pros use – and it holds a curl!
Safe and Non Toxic Makeup/Skin Care Favorites
This year I started focusing on what I put ON my body as opposed to just what I put IN it. I LOVE BeautyCounter products and wanted to share my favs! These would all make AWESOME stocking stuffers!
6. Volumizing Mascara – I NEVER thought I would find a non-toxic mascara that I loved as much as my toxic version because I am eyelash OBSESSED! But this one is AMAZING. My lashes look SO full, it doesn’t smear and it really holds my stick-straight eyelashes nice and curly!
7. Tint Skin Foundation – I used to use a toxic foundation that was SO light you could airbrush it and I LOVED it. When I tried this foundation, it rivaled it! It feels SO light, it doesn’t look heavy at ALL – no cake faces – and it lasts ALL day! Plus, it’s hydrating and a tube lasts for months!! I wrote a post on it HERE
8. Touchup Skin Concealer Pen – Probably my FAVORITE BeautyCounter product. I have crazy dark circles under my eyes and this covers them with almost NO product. One tube lasts me a good 3-4 months and it matches my skin perfectly. I wrote a post on it HERE.
9. Powder Blush Duo – I use Tawny/Whisper and I think it works for A LOT of skin colors!
10. Eyeshadow Duo – I use Pearl/Champage to create my “signature look” (if you’ve seen any photos of me, you know what this is!) The eyeshadow lasts all day, goes on smoothly and doesn’t get all gross and creasy!
Nourishing Cream Cleanser – This is what I use to wash my face day and night! I love that it doesn’t have a scent, it washes ALL my makeup off, and you just need a SMALL amount! It lasts FOREVER.
Nourishing Cream Exfoliator – I use this in place of the cream cleanser once or twice a week. It keeps my skin really clear and clean looking and I love that the exfoliator beads aren’t too big and harsh feeling!
Nourishing Day Cream – I use this after I use the cleaner/exfoliator. It doesn’t feel greasy, yet it really moisturizes my face and keeps it feeling like that all day long! Like the cleansers, I like that it doesn’t have much scent.
Brightening Facial Mask – This is one of my “skincare secret weapons!” I use it once a week and it really truly does leave your skin looking SO much brighter and SO clean and fresh! It dries in 5-10 minutes, so it’s quick, easy and SO worth it!
Balancing Facial Mask – This is my other secret weapon. Just like the brightening mask, I use this once per week. It gets rid of the oiliness/impurities in your skin and leaves it looking SO clear. Make sure you moisturize A LOT of this one because it really gets EVERYTHING OUT!
I hope you found some awesome gift ideas! Merry Christmas ya’ll! <3
This post contains affiliate links, but I only recommend products that I actually use and <3. Thanks for supporting FFF!
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