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Christmas Is Coming! Insanely Cute Beauty Stocking Filler Ideas For Under £15

It's the first day of December! Christmas is now officially upon us as we open the first window of our advent calendars and start putting up our Christmas trees. If you haven't done so already, it's time to turn your attention to Christmas shopping. Whether you are buying for family, friends or within a Secret Santa set-up, we all know that when you end up doing the maths, we always spend far too much on presents. This year, I have decided to move house just before Christmas, meaning that all of my present-buying budget has gone into a deposit- YAY! As a result, this Christmas is going to be 'toned-done' (as much as I can), so this post serves as a way to show that you can get incredibly cute Christmas gifts on a budget.

Budget-But-Brilliant Alternatives to Beauty Advent Calendars

As we creep towards the end of November, the Christmas music is already playing in stores, present-buying is underway and people are starting to snap up their advent calendars ahead of the 1st December. Beauty advent calendars seem to be bigger than ever this year, with seemingly every brand under the sun launching their own windowed treats for you to indulge yourself in. Whilst technically you do end up 'saving money' due to the amount of products inside, with most calendars starting at £40 (minimum!), it does seem like an extortionate price for sample-sized products- half of which we probably won't use/ don't want. What happened to the good old few quid choccie ones, eh?! If your budget can't quite stretch to these calendars, here are a few options which will give you a bit of indulgence each day of December whilst saving a few pennies to spend on Christmas gifts.

Choc On Choc: The Ultimate Personalised Gift Destination For Chocolate Lovers

When it comes to finding the perfect edible gift, my only two real options have only ever been baking or Thorntons personalised chocolates. I can remember first discovering popping into the local Thorntons shop in High Wycombe and finding out that you can personalise your chocolate gifts. The icing writing on chocolate figurines or blocks was the pinnacle of personalised gift shopping, but after years of it being around (and the chocolate not even tasting that great), I think it's time that some alternative gift inspiration came to light. Whilst looking for presents for my chocolate-loving boyfriend, I came across Choc On Choc; a chocolatier website that offers personal gifts with a unique twist.

Blossoming Gifts: The Inexpensive, High Quality Flower Delivery Service I've Been Waiting For

I have always been incredibly close to my Mum and Nan. When I moved away from home to sunny Brighton four years ago, I really missed them. I missed being able to see them whenever I wanted, and I missed being able to treat them to little gifts every now and then. When you live away from home, picking up little presents is fine until you realise the cost of postage is probably more than the gift's worth, and ordering bouquets online seem extortionate if you're used to picking up a bunch from the local florist on the way to visiting family. Treats like these become limited and only reserved for birthdays when (as a student) I could only afford to 'splash out' a bit; it becomes very expensive to send a little present 'just because'. When Blossoming Gifts got in touch, I thought they were going to be another one of these flower delivery services who charge £40+ to deliver a bouquet to your loved ones. A quick browse on their site told me I was so wrong; I think I've just found the online florists I've been waiting for all this time.

I Just Love It: Quirky, Personalised Gifts For Those Who Have Everything

You may have seen on my social media that last Thursday I went to London to make pizza with gift gurus, I Just Love It. The whole idea of the marvelous evening was to make personalised pizzas in line with the brand's notoriety for personalised gifts. Genius, eh?! Aside from stuffing our faces with carbs and washing it down with bubbly, getting to grips with the products they sell was just as big a pleasure. It can often get quite tedious trying to think of original, thoughtful presents for occassions like Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries, so a helping hand from brands such as I Just Love It is always welcomed!