It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - part 1

Yeah, yeah. It's still November. Thanksgiving hasn't even happened yet. Whatever.

It's raining here. I am wrapped in a blanket, listening to Sufjan Stevens singing festive songs, and eating dark chocolate-covered almonds. If that isn't Christmassy, I don't know what is.

So I thought I might show you a few highlights I unearthed while browsing for potential gifts. That's ok, right? Blatant hypothetical consumerism? They are really pretty presents, I promise!

For the bookworm:

Image from Penguin

Let's face it, if you're going to buy someone you love a book, you might as well make it the most beautiful book you can find. And it probably doesn't hurt if it's generally considered a masterpiece. I think Penguin Clothbound Classics fulfil that brief. Personally, if someone was to buy me that gorgeous copy of Northanger Abbey, I wouldn't be devastated. And I'm eyeing up The Hound of the Baskervilles for a certain someone else...

Read all of those already? Don't feel the need to update your old copy of A Tale of Two Cities with something a little jazzier? Similarly ornamental to the Penguin Classics, but rather more obscure, are Persephone Books. 100 neglected books from the early and mid-20th century, mainly by women writers. Each with a gorgeous endpaper chosen from a vintage fabric design.

I already own The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett (which is being adapted for TV), Saplings, by Noel Streatfield, and Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.

I know a certain horror fan who I think would love ghost story The Victorian Chaise-longue, and for newlyweds (of whom I know many) Persephone recommends 'homage to married life' Greenery Street.

For the beauty junkie

You know who I mean (hello sister mine! And mother mine! Oh. And hi me!). People who like nothing more than opening a Christmas stocking to find a perfume they've been spritzing themselves with at every airport duty-free and beauty counter for the past year.

For years now I've worn the same perfume, and finally, this summer, I decided it was time for a slight revamp. So I ambled over to Sephora, told the scary overly made-up lady I liked fresh, citrussy but a tiny bit sophisticated scents (I have a way with words, right?) and lo and behold:

Image from here

The catchily titled Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Mandarine-Basilic. I love it. And when I mentioned it to my mother the other day, she got quite over-excited about its sister perfume, Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune - which apparently smells of grapefruit, blackcurrant, patchouli and vanilla.

As for my little sister, there are few things that make her as happy as unwrapping a ton of Benefit goodies.

You can never go wrong with Benetint

I'm canvassing opinions on this highlighter and this cute little travel set.

And in the meantime, I'm lusting after a few more shades of Essie nail polish. Because. Hello. Navy nails for winter? Navy nails in a shade called Bobbing for Baubles?

Or, indeed, Midnight Cami?

Images from Essie

That's what I call festive.

Next up: Presents for little people, presents for home-owning nesting people. And, if I can ever, ever overcome this hurdle, presents for my dad.