Additional reporting by Mai Truong
Our extensive guide offers great gift ideas for everyone on your list—without breaking your budget. We love them so much that we don’t feel bad about buying ourselves a little something this holiday season.
For the Tech Nerd:
Dodo Classic for iPad 2/3/4 Case, $59.95: With its slick and classic book design, the Dodo Classic case is a perfect accessory for the iPad.
Zakka Adjustable Tablet Stand, $75: The Zakka Adjustable Tablet Stand helps users navigate their tablets with ease.
Wolverine Twin Rollers Handheld Scanner, $54.95: The size of a ruler, this handheld scanner lets users scan documents, photos and anything with a smooth surface onto a microSD card at 600dpi.
Wacom Bamboo Connect Tablet, $79: Bring creativity to life with the Wacom Bamboo Connect Tablet. Light and perfect in size, the tablet is good for use at home with a desktop or on the go with a laptop.
For the Photo Addict:
Fisheye Camera from Lomography, $49: The fisheye camera from Lomography offers a new perspective on photography and its size makes it great for road trips.
Photo Lens from Photojojo, Macro $20, Tele $20, Fisheye $25, All Three $49: Available in macro, fisheye and telephoto, these three lenses give new meaning to phone photography—and gets great results on all types of camera phones.
Canon Lens Mug from Photojojo, $24: The Canon Lens Mug from Photojojo looks exactly like a real Canon lens. Just be sure to hand the barista the mug and not the actual lens!
Bobine Cord from Photojojo, $30: Ever wonder how to take a group picture without asking someone else? Here’s your answer! The Bobine Cord acts as a bendable tripod for your iPhone or Android, and as a bonus, doubles as a phone charger.
Tokyo Dreamer Strap from Photojojo, $20: Jazz up that old camera strap with the Tokyo Dreamer Strap from Photojojo. All you have to do is pick your favorite color.
Polaroid Instax Mini from Urban Outfitters, $125: This has to be instant gratification at its finest! The Polaroid Instax Mini pops out credit card size images with just one click.
For the Fitness Freak:
Therm-O Water Bottle by aquaovo, $29: With its beautiful, eco-friendly design, the Therm-O Water Bottle by aquaovo gives a whole new definition to water bottles everywhere.
iPod Shuffle, $49: The runt of the iPod collection, the iPod Shuffle may be small in size, but it provides more than enough music for any workout.
eko Superlite Travel Mat in Brilliant from manduka.com, price: Perfect for keeping up with yoga when traveling, the eko Superlite Travel Mat takes up virtually no space.
Everlast Cardio Fitness Bag Kit, $79.99: We love that this kit includes an adjustable, freestanding bag, gloves and a cardio fitness boxing DVD.
For the Beauty Queen:
Jurlique Lavender Hand Cream, $25 for 40 ml: Protect parched winter hands with this luxe hand cream. The lavender scent is super soothing and the vitamins and oils promise to provide long-lasting hydration.
Sephora by OPI Tinsel Town Four Piece Set, $19.50: For the girl who can’t get enough nail polish, this set offers two trendy shades and two basics to expand her collection—just think of the festive combinations you can come up with.
Kate Spade Sprinkles Mini Nail Polish Set, $28: This limited edition set offers two solid and two glittery polishes. The glitters can be layered on top of the solids or worn alone as an accent nail—so chic.
Sephora Collector’s Edition Fragrance Sampler for her, $75: Sephora’s sampler offers 10 popular fragrances, each in its own mini bottle (great for decorating a dorm desk or vanity!). The best part: it comes with a voucher that can be redeemed for one of the 10 at your local Sephora.
For the Fashionista:
Ban.do Happy Duo Headband Set, $25: Headbands are great accessories, especially for holiday parties. This set comes with a sparkly one and a satin one, to be worn alone or together.
BP. Chunky Knit Infinity Scarf, $24: Keep your best friends toasty with this chunky knit scarf. The winter months are bound to get colder, and this circle scarf (in Green Splash, Pink Rose or Purple Rosea) adds a pop of color to a basic outfit.
Aerie Perfect PJ Pant, $29.95: These plaid PJ pants are cozy enough to sleep in, but chic enough to hang around the suite in too.
Anthropologie Iced Dew Bracelet Set, $38: These holiday-ready bracelets come in a set of four, which can be mixed and matched with just about any jewelry.
Thursday Friday Home Keyring in Teal/Cloud, $65: Made of super luxe fox fur, this posh furry ball will dress up any handbag, or double as a key ring.
Stila All is Bright Lip Glaze Set, $25: These gloss pens will become a necessity for your most glamorous friend for all of her holiday parties. The collection, which includes both nudes and brights, offers every sheer hue needed for beautifully shiny lips.
AHAVA Body Care Ornament, $10: This decorative ornament, which houses AHAVA’s Mineral Shower Gel and Mineral Body Lotion, is great for winter-break pampering. Plus, its mini size (1.3 oz each) makes it perfect for taking on trips.
For the Guys:
For the Bookworm:
Paper Source 2013 Mini Date Book, $24.95: Brighten up dreary winter weather with this neon pink date book. The leather cover, silver-lined pages and bright color make even recording homework assignments and deadlines less painful.
Russel + Hazel SmartDeck, $26: This crisp “deck” has plenty of room to record responsibilities, plans, deadlines and notes. With one of these on your desk, you won’t forget a thing!
Viktor & Rolf: Fairy Tales, $19.95: A cute coffee table-esque book is the perfect pick-me-up, especially with charming fairy tales and gorgeous illustrations.
Reused Cotton Border Knit Washable Slippers by MUJI, $16.25: Absolutely perfect for those lazy, rainy days at home (and washable slippers are a must in Asian households!).
MoleSkine Large Shell Case, $70: Protects valuables and fragile items from being ruined when on the go.
Armani Code Gift Set by Giorgio Armani for Men, $79: We love this gift set of scents that will turn heads.
Tie Bar from thetiebar.com, $15: Spice up a boring tie with just a hint of bling. Tie bars add the perfect touch of classy.
Alarm Dock by Jonas Damon, $40: Wake him up in style with this vintage-meets-modern alarm clock dock by Jonas Damon. It is designed to house an iPhone or iPod Touch.
Knock Knock It’s Going to be Ok Guided Journal, $16: For that stressed out friend, this guided journal offers a cathartic space to purge out all worrisome thoughts. The colorfully designed journal features reassuring quotes and plenty of space to write.
Keep books in order C. Wonder Foo Dogs Book Ends (Set of 2), $58: Keep books in order (and well-guarded) with these foo dog bookends. Buy them in white for a more classic, basic look or try giving them in red, blue or orange for something a little funkier.
Stocking Stuffers:
Poketo Pattern Pocket Notebook, $4: With the lined front side and black back side, your friends can jot down New Year’s resolutions, to-do lists, or anything else in these adorable notebooks. And they’re small enough to fit in any purse.
Urban Outfitters Animal Friend Phone Charm, $6: These phone charms are so fun! Plug the animal charm into the headphone jack (when you’re not listening to music) to add a little extra pizzazz.