Jen K Hawkins

The things that make my life easier, more beautiful, or both

Gift Ideas for Favorite Things Party

Holiday

I’m going to two “Favorite Things” parties in the next week, and I always want to bring something good!! But I also want it to be something I truly love and use because my favorite thing about favorite things parties is just that, finding out the things people swear by and use themselves. In the past I’ve been to some that were beauty themed which was fun, this year they just have a price limit so I kind of love the possibilities that opens up.

It truly is a special time to get together with girlfriends and share – like the ultimate show and tell! I especially love when you get to wear pajamas…these cute ski ones were my go-to last year!

When I asked for your ideas on Instagram, here are the top ideas I received:

Here are some of my own ideas:

This quilted bag – it comes in so many colors, and everyone loves it. It’s a great size for a carry-all, a gym bag, a diaper bag, a tote for kid things you need to grab…I love it.

Who doesn’t love a Stanley? the 40 oz quencher is the coveted favorite, and it just came out in a leak- proof, flip straw version which I’m so excited to try. It also comes in a 30 oz, which might be better for you if you feel like the 40 is massive. I might stand corrected once I try that one, but currently my favorite is this 30 oz ice flow flip straw with the handle on the top. Both are available in so many good colors, and a good price point for a party gift. It was more novel in years’ past when it was harder to get your hands on one (I took it to a Fav Things party a couple of years ago and people went NUTS over it) but now I think people still love to get a new color way or a replacement for an old beat up one. Ya know, just in case they left it on top of their car one day and drove away, causing it to crash to the ground…yeah I did that. Twice.

Not to beat a dead horse talking about this pillow, but I feel SO strongly that anyone who doesn’t have one would love it, because it’s literally adjustable for them to make it however firm THEY want to sleep best. And on the off chance they already have one, I guarantee you they’re in love with it and would be stoked to have another in their house!

I’ve also mentioned this scent with this diffuser, but I think it would be a great favorite things gift so I’m bringing it to this post, too!

I always love a throw blanket, but only if it’s a GOOD one. I’d say you can’t go wrong gifting one of these – they’re SO soft. Or for a thinner but still butter soft version (I also love that these take up less space) this blanket that just launched is really great (trust me I know, I got to feel it all day with the girls at the first shoot with it!!) – use code JEN15!

I had this high frequency facial wand gifted to me and then have gifted it multiple times myself when there’s a skincare/beauty theme – it’s such a good gift for because it addresses various skin issues, so there always ends up being multiple people who battle for it!

UPDATE – I went to my first “Favorite Things Party” of the season (I have two more to go!) and I’m reporting back with the best gifts there! Here’s what I ended up with, and then I’ll list some of the other favorites, too. Also, not to toot my own Christmas horn but…my gifts went first! I brought 3 of the quilted bags I mentioned above, and won a prize because they got picked first! The structure of this party was that every brings 3 of the same item, and leaves them unwrapped so everyone can see what they are. Then, we all drew numbers and got to pick in order. Everyone goes home with 3 really awesome gifts! It was honestly SO fun and funny, and cool to learn about some new things people swear by! The price limit was $50 per gift, but people were awesome about taking advantage of Black Friday sales beforehand so we all got great value. The next two parties are the kind where you just bring one gift and wrap it, which is good news for my budget and also a fun dynamic of being surprised when you unwrap.

Here’s what I came home with:

  • This coffee table book, this body spray (IT SMELLS SO GOOD and it’s $8), an adorable hair claw clip shaped like a bow (which I needed), and Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm. Not only did I love every single thing in this gift, but the chocolate brown aesthetic was on POINT!
  • A new Skinny Confidential Ice Roller (I used to have one and left it in Seattle, so I was REALLY excited about getting another one without having to buy it!
  • This Oribe Set (I always love Oribe, and one of our friends who does hair is able to buy this kit for wholesale so it felt like a HUGE win value-wise!) I usually use this shampoo and conditioner I’ve told you about (both on sale right now!!), but I like to switch it up for the sake of my hair and Oribe is SO GOOD! I think any hair set like this would be amazing, I also think it would be so cute to combine some Dae products into a little kit (I especially love the dry shampoo and the taming wand!)
  • THIS CANDLE – this was a bonus gift my friend Kelsey gave me because she was sitting next to it with me and I could not stop smelling it all night. She said she had more at home and insisted I take it and I felt like I struck gold (why are my friends so good to me? I’ll never get over it). But the candle IS SO GOOD! And apparently it’s very slow-burning, so eve though it’s pricier it lasts forever! I wish you could smell it through this screen!!! I also love that it’s safe/non-toxic, since I’m dealing with lots of allergies and detoxing over here…that’s a story for the New Year ;).

Other gifts that were a big hit:

  • Someone gifted this cute little retro skincare fridge with some products inside.
  • The BruMate Tumbler went so fast – I love that it doesn’t leak and has a metal straw instead of plastic!
  • I can’t wait to try this mask, my friend who gifted it is a hair/makeup artist and knows all things skin! She said it’s so great for detoxing and minimizing pores.
  • I was bummed I couldn’t snag these toning pads, but I’m for sure going to try the soon! My friend Adrienne said the pads work miracles on wrinkles, zits, whatever! I have always loved these Dr. Dennis Gross wipes, and she said it’s like that BUT BETTER! I’ll report back!
  • This lip plumping gloss – apparently it’s AMAZING! Plumps your lips without needles – sign me up! My friend who gifted it tied it to a cute leather wine tote with her favorite bottle of white, such a cute girlie gift!
  • Someone also gifted a cute Santa mug with a $50 bill in it, which I thought was GENIUS and went so fast! There were also some really cool facial tools/wands that I didn’t get a chance to see the brands to link, but the girls who got them were so excited!

Also, major props to my friend Sandy for being a badass working mama and finding time to host the best party and bring so many wonderful women together!!! As someone who loves to host, I KNOW what goes into that and you killed it. LOVE YOU!

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