We know that choosing a Christmas gift can be very tough, especially for those hard-to-shop-for people on your list. Instead of getting something that will either be re-gifted or sent to the charity shop, read on for our practical Christmas gift guide, where every pretty present is £20 or under.

A Practical Christmas Gift for Her: Jewellery Stackers

Almost everyone loves and owns jewellery so get them the gift of organisation in name of John Lewis’s Jewellery Stackers, £12 to £18. They are the practical, space-saving way to store all those bejewelled pretty pieces. The Jewellery Stackers come in four different types: a stacker with a lid (the chicono-must Christmas buy), £18; a three-section stacker, £12; a four-section stacker, £12; and a 25-section stacker, £12.

A Practical Christmas Gift for Anyone: the Wooden Cookbook Stand

Why? The Cookbook Stand, £18, stops you from having to look down for the recipe’s next step or from getting the cookbook all dirty. Whether you just give the stand or pair it with that new cookbook you bought for the budding chef on your list, it’s the perfect practical Christmas gift everyone will love and use.

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A Practical Christmas Gift to Keep Warm: Slipper Boots

Because it’s so chilly inside our homes, give her a nice pair of Bedroom Athletics Marilyn II slipper boots, £20, to warm those always-freezing feet. No matter what age she is, she’ll appreciate the comfort and warmth those bedroom boots provide. They are practicality made perfect for this winter.

A Practical Christmas Gifts for Him: Passport Cover

Available in either camel or black, The Manhattan Passport Cover, £18, is the ultimate practical gift for the man on your list. And we know how hard men can be to shop for!  He’ll keep his passport safe and clean with this cover. Now, you can scratch one more off your list.

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By Christina Caicedo

Among the many hard-to-please people on our list are kids. Little girls and boys, especially aged 7, are too young to handle the grown-up gadgets but that doesn’t stop them from wanting an MP3 player or a digital camera for Christmas, now does it? If ‘Santa’ is going to give them a gadget (and prevent the groans of disappointment on the big day and not to mention, a burning bill), have ‘him’ take a peek at our Christmas gift guide for kids, featuring boys’ and girls’ MP3 players and digital cameras.

Christmas Gifts for Girls

For your little budding photographer, why not buy her a real girls’ digital camera, such as the Hello Kitty Digital Camera in Pink for just £24.95. It comes with three face plates, pink, blue and black, a preview screen and photo-editing software. Plus, this pretty girlie digital camera can hold up to 79 pictures and she can record videos, too.

Girls’ Digital Camera requirements (to avoid tears): 2x AAA batteries

Perfect Gift for Girls: 7+

If she’s more into music, get her a girls’ digital camera in pink, of course. The Girl Gear MP3 Player, £19.95, comes with three pink face-changing plates, 2GB internal memory (around 96 hours of music) and earphones.

Girls’ MP3 Player requirements (to avoid tears): 1x AAA battery

Perfect Gift for Girls: 7+

Christmas Gifts for Boys

At £19.95, the Sprayground MP3 Player is more of boys’ MP3 player (i.e. it comes in more boy-friendly colours). Along with three face-changing plates, this MP3 player stores 64 hours of music (1GB of memory) and the earphones are included.

Boys’ MP3 Player requirements (to avoid tears): 1x AAA battery

Perfect Gift for Boys: 7+

If photography is more of his thing, the Vivitar 5022 ViviCam Digital Camera in Black, £29.95, is sure to put a picture-worthy smile on his face. A boy-friendly digital camera, the Vivitar 5022 ViviCam gives him: 5.1 mega pixels, 1.8” LCD screen, 8x digital zoom, an anti-shake function, auto flash, along with 16GB of internal memory and Vivitar Experience software.

Boys’ Digital Camera  requirements (to avoid tears): 3x AAA battery

Perfect Gift for Boys: 7+

By Christina Caicedo

Keeping with our Christmas gift set trend, we have put together another lovely list, featuring the most luscious bath and body gift sets, for both women and men. After all, who doesn’t want to smell delicious or be smothered in skin-saving moisture?  Plus, gift sets give you more, which is a fantastic way to save a few pretty pounds and to really spoil someone with lots of softness.

Bath and Body Gift Sets from £16 to £20

For under £20, you can give someone the gift of smelling fabulously festive with two of Philosophy’s Christmas gift sets: Holiday Hostess (top), £16.50, and Holiday Greetings Mailbox (bottom), £18. The Holiday Hostess gift set comes with Sugary Cinnamon Icing Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath and Body Lotion. While, the Holiday Greetings gift set includes Brown Butter Cookie Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath, Coconut Macaroon Body Butter and Pink-Frosted Cookie High-Gloss, High-Flavour Lip Shine.

Where to Buy these Beautiful Bath and Body Treats and other delights: John Lewis, Selfridges, HQhair.com or call 0870 990 8452 for stocklist details

Or you could help someone on your list shower away grumpy mornings or tired evenings. The Christmas Grumpy Cow Duo gift set (top), £16, is made to perk someone right up with a citrus-infused Uplifting Bath & Shower Gel and Body Lotion. To relax, the Christmas Knackered Cow Duo, £16, is perfect. Containing lavender and eucalyptus oils, the Relaxing Bath & Shower Gel, along with the Body Lotion, is deliciously comforting.  Or for £2.50 more, you can give the Knackered Cow Trio Set (bottom), £18.50: Relaxing Bath & Shower Gel, Relaxing Body Lotion and Travel Candle.

Where to Buy these Beautiful Bath and Body Treats and other delights: Cowshed

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Bath and Body Gift Sets under £15

If you are looking for something to buy for the hard-to-shop-for men in your life, this section has a few sweet things for them.

Philosophy has three yummy Christmas treats at £13 each: Glow and Behold (right), which comes with a Citrus Shampoo, Shower gel & Bubble bath; The Gingerbread Man (left)or Girl (middle), which includes a Foaming Bubble Bath & Shower Gel. They make a divine bubble bath or rich shower gel (for the blokes) and that’s something everyone can use after the hectic holidays.

Or treat him to an oil rub. Aromatherapy Associates Heavenly Oils gift set, £14, which includes two limited-edition bath and shower oils, Silent Night and Clear Dawn, is a refreshing treat and a generous stocking filler, too.

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Another man-friendly present, American Crew Classic Essentials Travel Kit, £7.50, is a perfect way to save cabinet space. This gift set provides everything he will need and want: Daily Shampoo, Stimulating Conditioner, Classic Body Wash, Precision Shave Gel and Post-Shave Cooling Lotion.

Where to Buy these Beautiful Bath and Body Treats and other delights: Aromatherapy Associates, HQhair.com and Lookfantastic.com

By Christina Caicedo

If you want to get started on Christmas shopping for the beauty addict(s) on your list, check out our fabulous (and mostly frugally priced) cosmetic gift set guide.  There is a Christmas gift set ready to spoil someone, whether you are a spender or a saver.

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Cosmetic Gift Sets from £20 to £25

The All That Glitters gift set from nails inc. London, £20, gives some lucky person on your list three gorgeous glitter-filled shades, Electric Avenue (silver glitter), Park Lane (lilac glitter) and Chelsea Square (pink glitter). (If you like these, you will love their Crystal Cap Nail Polishes, £15 each, as a little treat for yourself or to splurge on someone else.)ddfdsfdsdffdfdfd

Or for £25, you can shower someone with an eight-shade gift set from nails inc. London called Collected Works, £25. It features eight of their best-selling (and need-now) shades: The Thames (chic grey cream), St. James (pillar box red), Victoria (dark cherry red), Jermyn Street (the original ‘greige’), Clerkenwell (rich dark teal), The Mall (metallic navy violet), Birdcage Walk (delicate pink nude) and Draycott Terrace (hot pink).

Cosmetic Gift Sets from £11 to £15

Topshop’s Set of Three Lip Polishes gift set, £14, will make you the savvy Christmas beauty shopper. One box comes with Cherry Picker and two limited-edition shades, Chiffon and Cracker, and the other box (photo: right) comes with Iced Coffee, Coral and Truffle. Because someone on your list can have pretty lips on a penny-pincher’s budget. Make sure to browse their other gorgeous gift set delights! They are a chicono-must.fdsfdsfds

Let’s face it, everyone needs a new brush set. For just £12, you can give e.l.f’s Limited Edition 10 Piece Brush set. This glorious Christmas gift set includes: a Blush Brush, Foundation Brush, Brow Comb & Brush, Eyelash & Eyebrow Wand, Eyeliner Brush, Concealer Brush, Eyeshadow Brush, Smudge Eye Sponge, Lip Defining Brush and Flawless Face Brush. Now, they can bin those old (and probably icky-by-now) brushes.

Cosmetic Gift Sets Under £10

For the budding make-up artist (or someone who just can’t get enough shadow), e.l.f. Limited Edition 32-Piece Eyeshadow Collection gift set, £9, will spoil someone with shade choice. Another pretty plus, with the range of hues, they will always be on trend!

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To keep lips lavished in moisture this winter, go for the budget-beauty-buy: e.l.f. Hypershine Mini Mobile Lip Charms gift set, £5. Just attach these lovely space-saving lipglosses to your mobile and change them whenever you like. Because there are eight different (and delicious) lipgloss shades, this is the epitome of a cosmetic gift set of choice. There are many more gorgeous Christmas gift sets from e.l.f. so make sure to have a peek!

By Christina Caicedo

Christmas is a time for giving and a perfect time, if any, to go green. One way you can have a green Christmas is by buying green gift wrap. Yes, chiconomistas, you can save the planet and save some money, too. (Think about how much you spend (and waste) on gift wrap and gift tags!) Nothing merry or prosperous about that. So, let’s get down to some eco- and wallet-friendly gift wrap.

Green Christmas Idea No. 1: Fabric Gift Bags

One of the easiest ways to wrap gifts in a hurry is a Christmas gift bag. The Clever Baggers have got several fabric gift bags with drawstrings that come in sheer silver and gold or printed, from £2.77 for 10 to 29 bags. From small to medium, there is a green bag for any size gift. Because they are a bit see-through, take some recycled paper, newspaper or fabric gift wrap and use it as tissue paper to cover the gift. Then once the green gift bag is opened, toss the paper into the recycling bin.

Green Christmas Idea No. 2: Fabric Gift Wrap

If green gift bags aren’t your thing, try fabric gift wrap. Nigel’s Eco Store carries some lovely green gift wrap. Depending on the size and shape of your Christmas gift, there is a way to wrap it with their four gorgeous designs, Dolls from Moscow, Daisies and Dragonflies, Bicycles and Baskets, and Delightful Dandies, £3.95 each.

Green Christmas Idea No. 3: Green Gift Tags

Perfect for your fabric gift bags and gift wrap, green gift tags from Nigel’s Eco Store, £1.99 for a pack of four, will make you the green queen. Unlike ordinary Christmas gift tags made from recycled paper, these green gift tags come with a tiny peg, instead of sticky tape, to clip it onto the gift.

By Christina Caicedo

Although we love to see a fine dust of snow on the ground, we don’t want to see that colour on our skin. You know that icky neon-white hue plaguing our limbs, which we can, thankfully, hide under trousers and jumpers? Soon, it will be on show because Christmas time means parties and parties mean dresses and dresses mean showing icky white limbs. Before you head to the nearest tanning bed, which isn’t good for you, smooth on a natural-looking self tanner.

Sienna X Professional Self Tan has one of the best self-tanning product ranges, at chicono-must-buy prices. If you don’t want to pop in for their famed spray tans, go gradual (and go naturally gorgeous) with their Extremely Natural Self Tan Lotion, £19.95. (The price is around £10 less than most luxury self-tanning brands.)This self tanner has 8 per cent DHA, meaning no embarrassing streaks, along with green tea and Calendula plant. Plus, its formula is alcohol and paraben free.

And what would Christmas be without a little sparkle? Sienna X Professional Self Tan Extra Sparkle in Gold or Silver Shimmer, £4.95, sprays out a lovely glint to give you a bit more glow. At chiconomise HQ, we love to apply it along our shins, arms and on the décolletage where the light would naturally fall. For under a fiver, it’s never been easier to look more fabulous.

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Or you could buy the chiconomise fave: Sienna X Professional Self Tan’s Tan & Glam Bronze with either the Gold or Silver Shimmer, £14.95. The Xpress Yourself Tanning Mist, which comes with this two-for-one deal, tints skin in two to four hours. Another guilt-free-glamour plus, it’s not tested on animals and has no parabens.

Now we can get a natural glow from a self tanner, without it gorging our notes.

By Christina Caicedo

At chiconomise HQ, one of the many things we look forward to during the festive season, besides a few much-needed days off, is the opportunity to glam it up at a Christmas party. Because the rest of the time, we are more concerned about being warm rather than looking hot. So in the spirit of giving (and saving), here are our top Christmas party make-up essentials that’ll make you look as fierce as the weather.

Christmas Party Make-Up: The Eyes

It’s all about sparkle for Christmas beauty. The easiest way to wear it is with the right eyeshadow. Go for the stay-put pretty power of cream eyeshadows and liners. They are perfect for when rain or snow threatens your festive face. We love e.l.f.’s Studio Cream Eyeliners, £3.50 each, which can be used as eyeshadow, too. Pair Metallic Olive with Copper or Gunmetal with Purple. Remember beautiful Christmas make-up means blend, blend, blend.

Next, smooth on the silver eyeliner. Avon’s Luxe Lace SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pen in Silver, £6, really opens up the eyes when placed along the inner corners and is the epitome of won’t-budge beauty. The pen is available on October 28^th from a representative or online and comes in Black, too. To finish off this party-perfect eye, go long with your fave mascara or read this post for our top two choices.

Christmas Party Make-Up: The Lips

The two-in-one wonder for a tenner, Avon’s Pro Colour & Gloss Lip Duo gives you both a lipstick and lipgloss, along with more space in your clutch bag. Depending on what shades you pick for the eyes, go light on the lips with Perfect Nude or Blossom. Or if you want a darker shade, apply the less-intense lipgloss instead. After all, Christmas make-up is meant to be gorgeous, not garish.

Christmas Party Make-Up: The Cheeks

For the cheeks, we think a blush duo will give you more choice and you can blend them to make the shade you crave. Stila’s Blusher Duo, £6.50 (RRP: £18), gives you a bit of pink with a bit of peach, along with quite a bit of savings.

Now, you’ve got the perfect Christmas party make-up and some money leftover for a dress!

By Christina Caicedo

While we enjoyed the Indian summer, we knew that it wouldn’t last. (Though, we wished it would!) To get through this autumn and the oh-so-cold winter, you need some warm and comfortable thermal wear.

At BritishThermals.com, you can get ladies’ thermal underwear, such as a thermal vest, £6, and panties, £5, available in black or white. The thermal panties are more like shorts so they prevent your thighs from turning that icky shade of chilly pink. Both of these fit nicely under your clothes and keep you warm during a long commute or when you go to the park. Alternatively, you can get an old-school thermal Long Jane for just £7. They’re also available in black or white.

Or to get more warmth for your money, check out their budget-buy thermal wear (i.e. cheap thermal underwear). You can get two oh-so-pretty camisoles for £9. Pair these with two thermal Long Janes, £10, and you’re set! Bear in mind, both only come in white.

If you have a family, they also have thermal underwear sections for men, girls and boys. Another plus for penny pinchers, they have budget thermal underwear for men and kids. Make sure to check the clearance section, too!

Oh, and we didn’t forget about your freezing feet. Buy three pairs of thermal socks for £3, available in pastels or black. Our chicono-must is the Women’s Heat Holders thermal socks, £6. Never again will you suffer from chilly feet. They also have a men’s thermal sock section, as well. You can wear them to work but we prefer them for night. Grab a pair for both you and your special someone. You won’t have a pair of freezing feet invading your warm side of the bed again!

By Christina Caicedo

The countdown has begun, its 10 weeks till Christmas and we all need to plan how we are going to do our shopping. This time last year online shopping had taken over the high street beating them on price and convenience, but now a new type of discount online shopping is becoming more prominent due to its bargain deals. Auction sites such as Mad Bid offer rock bottom prices, but are they really better then online stores.

The main attraction to online auction sites are the huge discounts, however there are other charges added to the price you bid, these include VAT, shipping costs and you need to buy bid packages varying from £20 – £250 depending on how many bids you want. In some cases you could pay more than you would on a normal retail site for smaller items, however bigger items such as T.V’s and cars can still be grabbed with a little bit of luck, at a huge discount.

One of the main drawbacks with auction sites is the time you have to put into snagging your bargain buys. The general set –up encourages you to bid more by re-setting the one minute timer every time someone bids unlike other online auctions where there is a set time. This can prove very time consuming unless you chose the option to automatically bid for an item for you but then you do run the risk of paying a lot more then you would have wanted.

For all you busy chiconomist’s online biding sites may not be the way to go due to the time you need to invest and for every good deal you get, you could of paid that little bit more and had all your Christmas shopping ordered quicker then it took you to get that one item. Even though these massive discounts make us chiconomist’s shaking with excitement you could get an equally good deal compared to the high street buy just shopping around online.

By Hannah Vickers

There is no doubt that really good beauty tools give us the talent of hair and make-up artists.  And today, we have some tools at budget beauty prices, of course, that are more like treats!  Perfect for autumn’s beauty trends and Christmas party glamour (we know, it’s only October), these beauty tools are staples that no chiconomista should be without.

Beauty Tool: e.l.f. Eyebrow Stencil Kit

It’s all about the brows for autumn 2010. We are talking about full, not crazy brushy, brows. (Crazy bushy isn’t pretty. No matter what the catwalk queens say.) To fill them like a pro, go for our frugally priced beauty tool of choice: e.l.f. Eyebrow Stencil Kit, £1.50. The four stencils are incredibly realistic and suit almost any face shape so changing your brow shape is simple. Use your fave eyebrow pencil, gel or powder and fill away! For Christmas, use the stencil closest to your actual brow shape for a more toned down look.

Beauty Tool: Goody Simple Styles Spin Pin

Two months ago, we did a post on these must-buy Spin Pins. Since then, we’ve seen many of our writers sporting the trendy buns in the fashion mags. For just £4.99 at ASDA, this beauty tool will help you bun it like a pro, too. Twist your hair into a bun, insert one Spin Pin into the base of the bun, using a clockwise motion, and then insert the second pin alongside the first one. Soon enough you’ll forget about the nightmare of having to deal with many hairpins because these Spin Pins have 20-pin, stay-put power. Check out this beauty tool’s guide inside the packet for more pretty ideas that you can use during the party season.

Beauty Tool: Mini Curling Iron

Curl your hair on the go by using Travel Smart by Conair’s Mini Pro One-Inch Ceramic Curling Iron,£17.35. This is the perfect mini beauty tool for creating a loose wave over the eye that you see with most of this season’s buns. It definitely makes the look less severe and more soft. Also, it’s the go-to tool for touch-ups when rain or even snow ruins your holiday hair.

By Christina Caicedo

Here we go again, heading back indoors and hibernating for another 6 months to await the return of the sun. Having spent the summer in a bucolic hideaway, returning to our urban pads can feel grey and uninspiring.

But this time, we have a new variegated tool in our arsenal to help keep the winter blues at bay. H&M, who have been offering savvy women cutting edge trends at rock bottom prices for years, have set their sights on a new Home collection.

That’s right girls, the purveyors of all things stylish now offer bewitching bow-tied laundry hampers, snuggly soft throws, and even voluptuous velvet pillows for your Boudoir.

Now we can be as clever accessorising our home as we are with ourselves. And for those of us that love change, H&M will be launching 3 collections this winter and rolling out new products every two weeks so you wont even have time to get bored!

We love their multicolored striped shower towel, a steal at £ 12.99, and matching hand towel at £ 4.99, a perfect way to brighten up your senses after your morning shower.

Compare that to Missoni bath towel at £ 24 (on sale) at House of Fraser and you’ll feel like a thrifty goddess!

These budget friendly prices can be found in person at H&M stores throughout the UK or you can let your fingers do the walking on H&M’s site here.

By Sarah Malter

It’s easy to find ways to cut back on the luxuries in life, but when it comes to essentials like food we seem to be less money savvy. Sure we can collect coupons for the weekly shop, but what if we could just skip the supermarket altogether?

Well you can, if you ‘grow your own’! Home grown grub is having a revival right now as shows like Channel 4’s The River Cottage plus the gloomy recession have sparked a trend for DIY food.  Not only is it cheaper and much more convenient, it’s also healthier too.

Don’t have a huge garden? No worries, growing your own can take place in a plant pot on your windowsill. The Garden Superstore stocks plant pots in every shape, size and colour imaginable and prices start at just 5p!

Now you’re convinced you want to grow your own, what can you grow? Surprisingly over winter the choice of plants that grow is huge, with everything from beans, peas and lettuce to onion and asparagus being perfect options.

The easiest plant to grow however is garlic. Groups of ready-to-plant garlic bulbs are available for just £3.99 from Thompson Morgan. The £3.99 pack will be big enough to keep regrowing and will keep you garlic forever. A good saving considering one clove can cost you upwards of 30p at the supermarket. If you feel like being super savvy with your money you could even sell some bulbs on to other gardeners, maximising your grub’s profit potential!

So come on Chiconomistas give growing your own a go and save time, money, and long trips to the supermarket.

Already growing your own grub? Tell us your stories on the forum.

By Kat Ramsingh