Triona McCarthy’s Christmas Gift Guide

One of our favourite Irish beauty columnists and broadcasters, Triona McCarthy, talks us through her ultimate Christmas gift guide, with a little added insight into her fun-filled, busy life. Here’s what she’ll be hoping for, and what she’ll be buying for her nearest and dearest this December.

ME, ME, ME
I’ve a wedding dress to fit into in 2016, so this Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scales, €119.99 might be a start at least! It tracks weight, body fat percentage and BMI over time as it automatically uploads all of your stats to Fitbit.com and organises it into easy to understand graphs and tables. My fianc? Will, my Mum and my bridesmaids can all use it too as it recognises up to eight’different users automatically. Look, it’s a start okay!

MY MUM MARGARET
My Mum Margaret is the best Mum in the whole, wide world!?I know lots of daughters say that about their Mums but my Mum really, REALLY is! Having brought up eight children herself – not easy when my Dad died nearly fifteen years ago – but now she helps me with my two. They say mothers and daughters are closest when daughters become mothers, and I can vouch for that. My Mum is a bath person as opposed to a shower person, so when I saw this Champneys Relaxation Hamper, €84 – full of treats from the Heavenly Days Relaxing range like bubble bath, body cream, a candle, hand cream, foot cream and cosy fluffy socks – I knew I had to get it for her to recreate the indulgence of a spa break at home.

MY DAUGHTER MINI
We are obsessed with In the Night Garden in our house. Maxi, my two-year-old, loved it and now Mini my one-year-old has also developed a full blown addiction so I have to get her this super-soft huggable In The Night Garden Lullaby Igglepiggle,?27, although I have a feeling her big brother will be battling her for it! When you squeeze Igglepiggle’s hand, you hear lullabies and watch his cheeks glow softly in different colours as he gently sways along to the music.

MY BEST FRIEND MELANIE
Melanie and I are a little obsessed with lip-themed objects like ?our? Lulu Guinness collection of lips bags, so I know she’ll adore this Seventeen Pop Pink gift set, €22, containing a range of cosmetics in this cute lip tin filled with a Cheek Stamp, Gel Nail Colour, Lip Crayon and Skin Wow Highlighter. Hmm, one for me, one for you, one for me!

MY BEST FRIEND MARY
Mary Beltrante is like a sister to me; I’ve known her for as long as I can remember. We grew up next door to each other and we were inseparable as kids. Mary lives in New England in the US now and runs her own PR company. She’s a committed vegan and passionate about natural skincare; she’s actually developing her own range at the moment. Anyhoo, she’ll love this Liz Earle Radiant Skin Classics skincare set, €32 of bestselling botanical heroes like the multi award-winning Cleanse & Polish, Instant Boost Skin Tonic, and Superskin Moisturiser with natural Neroli.

MY BEST FRIEND MAUREEN (My BFFs name has to start with M clearly!)
I was on Facetime with my other BFF Maureen the other day – I’ve known her since my first day at boarding school and now she lives in Boston – and she was saying that she’d like a new ‘signature scent?, so I know just what I’ll get for her. The Fragrance Sampler Gift Set for Her, €50, featuring eight amazing ladies’ fragrances from Jimmy Choo, Hugo Boss and Paco Rabanne to suit every mood, season and occasion.?Once you’ve tried them all, select your favourite and redeem the voucher included for a full-size fragrance in any Boots store. Amazing.?If there are any guys reading this, listen up! Your girlfriend will totally dump you if you don’t get her a good present and this is a great gift that won’t break the bank or your relationship. In fact, this is perfect for your Mum, sister, your best friend, or any woman in your life.

TRICIA
Sorry, I just had to pop this last little one in for my late sister Tricia.
I know, she’s been gone for the last five Christmases, but I still see things I just know she’d love.?Tricia was an amazing artist and loved anything a bit Etsy-ish and actually collected Russian Dolls – I have them now – so this Aroma Home Russian Doll Hottie, €29, would tickle her pickle.?I can just picture her face if I was to gift her this; her eyes would light up and she’d get all animated and then she’d put her head on my shoulder affectionately.?This huggable hottie, simply needs to be popped into the microwave for a combo of comforting warmth with a relaxing lavender fragrance to soothe a tired mind and body.

All products available in store at Boots and online at Boots.ie

Boots offers great value for Christmas shopping. Reward yourself with redeemable advantage card points while you shop in store/ online / via The App or mix & match with 3 for 2 gifts.