Buying Christmas gifts is hard enough, but buying gifts for tweens and teenagers is particularly difficult. They're too old for toys, some things are too old for them, and then you're left with the 'ole gift card standby. If that isn't your fav idea for a gift (I like to wrap things! Sue me!) I'm making a few holiday gift guides for 2014 for all the difficult to buy for people in your life, and I'm getting specific!
First up, what to buy for tween and teenage girls for the 2014 holiday season:
This Stila set is fantastic. You get 3 sheer lip glazes, their fab signature Kitten shadow ($18 by itself!), a beautiful rose gold bangle from Baublebar (great quality) and a $10 giftcard to their website, which has $10 items on Fridays, a 15% off your first purchase when you sign up, and tons of sales/coupons throughout the year.
Tip: You can easily split this gift. Example: Give the niece who loves makeup the eyeshadow/lipgloss and 22 year old niece whose tastes you're unsure of the bracelet and gift card. Or pair the lipglosses, which feel like 3 items, with the card and the shadow with the bracelet. The gifts appear more equal this way.
A fantastic little set, perfect for breaking up into stocking stuffers. This is also a great little sister gift from a brother who is also young or just can't afford much. It is a good value, great for any tween or teen girl since the scents are sweet/fruity and the products are colorless, and they are truly great products that have quite a bit of a cult following. This is a great gift for under $10.
Many teenagers are budding chefs. I think the skill of being able to cook for yourself is something very valuable, quite literally valuable when thinking of all the money you save cooking for yourself instead of going out to eat or ordering in, but also exponentially healthier. This is a great book for those already interested in cooking, or seniors in high school about to leave for college. You can pair it with a personalized or funny apron, fun cooking utensils, or a giftcard to the grocery store.
This item is a bit pricier but is something a teenager may not think to ask for. They have a million pictures on their Instagram pages and sitting in their smartphones, but a wireless printer like the Canon SELPHY (I didn't make that name up) which comes highly rated with affordable ink/paper is a great way to actually print those photos out. I used to love hanging polaroids in my room, and this is a leap forward that combines our digital word with tangible photographs of day's past. Pair it with a scrapbook.
Note: There are cameras that print instantly like the polaroid style Fujifilm Intax ($60) but the paper comes out to $1 per image! Polaroid has an Instant Print camera for $200 but the digital photos are not great quality. It doesn't require ink but paper comes out to .50 cents per image.
This may seem pretty boring and utilitarian but the tweens I know are glued to their electronics, and those batteries drain quickly, and are weaker and hold less of a charge over time. In comes the portable phone chargers... yikes! There are a ton! The basic thing to know is yeah, there are $10 chargers that will charge your phone one time, but this is the second best selling portable charger on Amazon, is only $37 and will likely give your iPhone about 5 full charges before it itself needs charging, according to customer reviews. It works for any phone or electronic and can use the phone cord you already have. It is on my Christmas list!
At the time I write this Amazon has this listed as $30, but I bought ours at $36. It may look like a knockoff of a much more expensive speaker, and I'm not saying that it isn't, but the reviews are telling that this speaker is just as good. It does take a bit longer to turn on than it's $200 counterpart (which my parents own) but it is spectacular. It pairs with any iphone or ipod or anything with Bluetooth to pipe out an intensely loud and great quality sound. Another fantastic gift for someone going to college soon! It also comes in red and blue.
I love the Listography books, but this one in particular is great for tweens/teens who are fleshing out who they will become and looking toward adulthood and their futures. It is only $14 and each page gives you a prompt to make a list, like "Places I'd Like to Visit" or "Classes I'd like to take" etc. The first listography book I think may be inappropriate depending on your relationship to the person, there are a couple of "Celebrities I'd like to have sex with" type prompts in that particular book, but this one is safe! Either way, I think these are books best kept private, like a diary, unless invited to read them. At $14 it is a very unique gift for any teenager.
With daily prompts like "step on this page" or "spill on me" this is certainly a different kind of journal, but a cool one none the less. This is great for creative types, but not necessarily artsy people. It is really fun and a great departure from writing about the French Revolution and doing Algebra.
Inkodye is incredible, easy, and fast. After smearing on a packet of clear dye to fabric, you place objects—safety pins, flowers, or even a negative image printed on transparency—on top and then place the fabric into the sun for 15 minutes. The dye develops everywhere except under your objects, leaving an amazing project that is permanent once washed.
This kit makes a pouch for $20 but the packets of dye are $3 at Joanns or Hobby Lobby (40% off coupon holla!) and make great stocking stuffers. Full bottles are $12. I have never used their detergent, just my regular detergent and it turned out fine.
Etsy seller RigbyandFable has made this awesome printable (meaning you can print it yourself or take it to Kinkos, etc.) for $8 for a 4"x6" or $15 for an 8"x10". I recommend buying a pack of watercolor paper at Michael's with a coupon or on sale and trimming them down to 8"x10" if you're printing at home. You'll get a great looking artsy quality to the print. Gift it in a frame from Walmart, Target, or even the $1 store. I'm considering purchasing this because for $15 I know at least four people who would adore it. I just see this as a fantastic inspirational quote for a 16 year old boy, but maybe that's the Ron Swanson in me.
I hope you found something wholeheartedly awesome in this list, I know a few youngin's on my Christmas list this year who will be happy as all heck!
