Gift Guide for Men - How to Find Gifts for the Men You Love

How do you find gifts for men who have everything they need? 

My husband and my father, two of the most important men in my life, both claim that they have everything they need. This makes finding gifts for them extremely difficult. With the holidays fast approaching, I better get a clue. Wouldn't an easy-to-follow gift guide for men be nice right now? Here's one that helped me, and perhaps you can use it too.

What does he NEED?

Despite what he tells you, what does your man need right now? Because, c'mon, everyone needs something.

My husband insists that he has enough shoes, but his sneakers are torn and his boots are worn out. Because he actually needs a pair of sturdy, comfy shoes, I plan to visit shoe stores like Schuler Shoes, a family-owned store that sells comfortable shoes for men, women and kids. In addition to multiple locations around the country, Schuler Shoes is now online, making shopping extra easy.

Maybe you should look into his closet, and examine his everyday stuff like shirts and ties. Perhaps you will find something he actually needs?

These Merrells are from Schuler Shoes. They are perfect for hiking.

 

Okay. He really doesn't need anything. But what does he want fantasize about?

Asking a grown man what he wants is a bad idea, because a grown man (with an income) can afford anything he wants. Asking him what he fantasizes about, however, is better.

And if your man has smarts at all, he better fantasize about you -- you in anything from Victoria's Secret, licking whipped cream, with your eyes closed...okay, I'm going on a tangent :O)

You, in anything from Victoria's Secret, makes the perfect present for him.

What does he value?

Look through his belongings, and you will find what your guy values the most -- keepsake that he has held onto forever. Perhaps his letter jacket from high school? Awards he neatly hung on the wall? Or one of the first apple desktops from the 80's?

A man's keepsake defines who he is. Giving him something similar tells him that you have done your homework.

Some men prefer simple gifts, like a family photo.

What fills up his 5-To-9?

Besides sleep, how does your man spend his free time? Giving him something that helps with his hobbies will certainly make him smile.

My husband likes to work out. Therefore, a workout shirt is perfect for him.

What does he laugh at?

Men's sense of humor puzzle us. But then again, our passion for beauty products puzzle them too. Regardless, men love being entertained. So entertain your man with things that he finds funny.

You might not understand his humor. But at least you know he will like the book.

 

 

Can you believe the holidays are already here?

 

How do you find gifts for the men you love?

  

SLEEVELESS SHELL - AN OUTFIT POST

I bought a black-and-white sleeveless shell (from Charlotte Russe) two years ago. 

** Sign ** 

Never knew what to do with it. 

But on Sunday, because the sun was out and I felt inspired, I hastily -- so I can catch the sun break --  put together a couple of way to wear it.

What do you think? Yay or nay?

Added a big belt to create a waist

Left it open for an easygoing look. Gave it a flash of color with the turquoise accessories.

 

VALENTINE'S DAY DATE NIGHT IN

Life after baby involves a constant struggle to give up what couples enjoyed before.  A simple date night, for example, becomes a difficult evening of extra costs (sitter), ceaseless worrying (let's call the sitter, for the tenth time) and a few other things of emotional stress. 

For my husband and I, we have only gone out alone one time - yes, you heard me right, ONE WHOPPING TIME - in the past six months.

To honor Valentine's Day, we decided to have a date night.  But instead of out, we stayed in.

We didn't order pizza and wear pajamas like the ordinary.  In fact, hubby made dinner and desert that were quite extraordinary.  We even decorated the house and dressed ourselves up, as if we were going to a nice restaurant. 

As the baby soundly slept, we dined and wined ourselves to our heart's content.  It was no less romantic than any of our previous Valentine's dates.

Life changes after a baby, but life still goes on.  With a little effort and creativity, any couple can reinvent romance and take themselves back to the way they were - at least for a couple of hours.

Valentine Themed Decorations.

Steamed crab for dinner.

 Of course, the baby monitor never left our sight.

All dressed up, no where to go, but that's just fine with me.

Decadent desert: home-made creme brule

OLIVE OIL AS NATURAL MAKEUP REMOVER

Some stuff are so cool they can be used many different ways.  Olive Oil is definitely one of them.  

I've been a long time fan of using olive oil in the kitchen, but a few years back, instead of investing in expensive makeup removers, I started using olive oil to remove my eye makeup.  The results were so good that I stuck with this natural and wallet-friendly habit ever since.

 Here is what I normally start with, quite a bit of makeup on the eye:

Add a few drops of olive oil onto the napkin ....

And after a couple of swipes off of the eye .... Gone!!  Heavy makeup is off!!

Leaving my eye bare, fresh and clean

A great, natural and inexpensive way to take off makeup.

LIP GLOSS MIXED AND MATCHED

We have all made the mistake of buying lip gloss in the wrong color. Maybe that's why I have so many of them? Instead of rushing to the store and spending money on a newer one, I've smartened up and started mixing and matching what I already have.

Here's a gloss I purchased on ebay. I was looking for a very light pink at the time. But unfortunately, against my darker skin tone, the color seemed too light.

































MAC Lip Glass in "Florabundance"

Here's a gloss I bought for the Christmas party last year at Victoria's Secret. I wanted something that was vibrant and eye-catching. Unfortunately, this color is a little too "punchy" on my skin.

































Beauty Rush by Victoria's Secret in "Punchy"

This summer, when I was getting ready for a Girls' Night Out, I decided to mix the two. And the color was neither too light nor too bright, a very pretty but neutral pink that looked good with my skin as well as any color of outfit.

















Lip Gloss Mixed and matched

See? You don't have to waste money on beauty mistakes that are easily fixed with a little creativity. Just look at the pallets that you already have, and perhaps you can gloss up something that works?

LET IT RAIN!!!!

For those of you who think I'll be depressed in the rainiest city in the states: YOU ARE WRONG!!!! Even though it does rain a lot here, my city is F.A.B, especially with so many cute rain boots in the stores. These days, we no longer have to settle for the plain, black rubber boots for drizzly days. We have rain boots in all kinds of colors, shapes and brands. Plus, they are functional too.

Fashion plus function? Score! And you know what? Let it rain! So I can show off my new rain boots.

Here are some cute ones I recently found on amazon:

Coach Signature Peony Black and Gray Fur Rain Boots $139.99

Juicy Couture Women's Stormy $137.00


Michael Kors Logo Black Print Rubber Rain Boots $99.99

Photo Credit: http://www.amazon.com

A TRICK TO TRADE: CLOSE, TONE AND MINIMIZE YOUR PORES

Everyone knows the essential steps to a facial: clean, exfoliate, steam, mask, tone and lather on the cream.

If you have an At-Home facial steamer, you know the bliss of reclining on the couch, feet on the coffee table and letting the hot steam pamper your face.

**SIGH!!!!** Life is good!!!!

We steam to open our pores so that when we mask all the dirty bits are taken out, leaving our skin fresh and clean. But after the pores are open, they must be closed in the end. To achieve this, you can wash your face with icy cold water.

Another good practice is to use a toner. Although not necessary, toners even skin tone and also minimize pores.

So here is the trick to trade: if you are strapped for time, store your toner in the fridge. When you need to close the pores with cold water, just use the cold toner. This way, you knock 2 birds with one stone: close and tone.

Pampering can sometimes be time consuming. That's what tricks are for, right? And on The Girlie Blog, we are all about trading these tiny, good tricks.

Happy Facials!!!!

WEDDING PICTURES SCRAPBOOKING: A TRULY CREATIVE WEDDING PRESENT

Among the silver-rimmed China, stacks of Bed, Bath & Beyond gift cards and wads of cash, we had one wedding gift that stood out from the rest. It was a hand-crafted, home-made scrapbook by one of my bridesmaids.

Each page resembled, all of them in chronological order, my wedding weekend, a sequence of the most beautiful days in my life!

From the wild night out in NYC for the bachelorette party, to the endearing rehearsal dinner, to the tearful ceremony before the joyful afterparty, all the memories were captured by photo prints carefully laid out on each page. Plus some fun words to caption each photo, making every captured memory even more flavorful.

Today there are so many web sites who can create a beautiful, shiny album with advanced graphical design by simply clicking your mouse. They are easy, fast and well-done. But none of them competes with one of my closest friend's wedding gift - a truly creative and personal way to celebrate the weekend of a lifetime!

It is a gift that costs no more than the heart that put into it, and therefore it is priceless.

SHRINK IT AND PINK IT: GADGETS FOR WOMEN

I don't have an ipod, my laptop is like a thick log, and after my phone broke I just borrowed hubby's beat up cell. Needless to say, I'm not the most savvy when it comes to everyday technology. Even though I work in IT, I was probably the last person to learn of blue tooth.
What can I say? I am the ultimate girlie girl, and I just don't care about the latest and greatest tech gadget.
On NPR one day, I heard news of tech companies that reach out to female audience (yes, girlie girls) by concept of "shrink it and pink it". And after some research on the internet, I must say that some of these shrunken pink things look more like designer accessories than genius engineering.
Want a preview of these smart products with smart design? The list below can impress even a behind-the-technology girlie girl!

RECYCLE THOSE HOSE

I know there are body shapers out there that claim to tuck your middle and flatter your behind. And I am sure some of them work really well. In fact, I bought one before my wedding and it did serve its purpose. With a dress, especially my puffy wedding dress, my body shaper worked well. But one problem I have with it is that when I wear pants, its short legs keep rolling up my legs. The uncontrollable rolling up was uncomfortable.

One day my pantyhose tore on the bottom. Right when I was about to throw them away, it dawn on me that the control top pantyhose can serve as a body shaper if I cut off the legs. And that I did!

Not only does this double the use of my pantyhose, I can comfortably shape my tummy and booty without suffering discomfort.

I suggest you give your old hose a try. If it doesn't work for you, no problem. They are just garbage anyway.

GIRLS NIGHT OUT IDEAS

Although snuggling on the coach with the hubby is one of my favorite weekend activities, a girl just has to go out and be seen some time. When I first moved to Seattle, I was nervous about not having people to go out with. And Seattle is such a fun city! Luckily I found a group of girls with similar interests.
Come Girls' Night Out! And surprisingly, it has been happening once each month. Most of the time we go to bars and clubs, but to spice things up, we have created quite a list of themes:

- Biker chic night
- Sex and the City Night
- Pot luck
- Funky wigs and cool hats
- Games and Spa night (for girls night in)
- Cowgirl's Night

I'm sure there are many more creative ideas for girls' night out. The point is, you don't have to go with the typical night at the club. Spice things up with a creative theme! It'll be more fun than you are already anticipating!

CASH ONLY

The last time I saw my credit card bill, I nearly choked to death.
I owe how much?
Ever since then I completely changed my spending style - from swiping to cashing.
I know not everybody can change their credit card habit to cash-only. But perhaps you can adopt this creative way of saving for only one week? Perhaps you will see its benefit?

First, How much cash can you spend a week?
Let's say that your take home is $2000 a month.
Let's say that your...
Rent is $600
Bills are $100
Student Loan is $100
Groceries is $300
Savings is $600
Left over: 2000-600-100-100-300-600=400

Your spending cash each week would be 400/4 = $100

In the beginning of each week, take out $100 cash. That is how much you have to spend for the whole week, and no more. Need spending ideas? Friday Happy Hour, early morning Starbucks runs, quick sandwich from the deli...You get the idea.

If there's left over after the weekend, good! Put the extra in a piggy bank, the next week, you get another $100.

To be honest, I was amazed at how well I managed my money this way. Because I can literally see my hard-earned cash get away, I was so much more careful about my spending. I even added a few rules: no Starbucks until Friday, eating out only once a week...you get the idea. I've always been on the impulse, but the cash-only method has been working really well. If I can do it, so can you...so go on, give it a try!

CREATIVE FIRST DATES

Before finding my handsome, most wonderful prince (AKA. hubby who is working on his radio controlled airplanes in the other room), I kissed a lot of frogs. And of course, there were a lot of first dates. Most of them filled with nervous laughs, uncomfortable fidgeting and digging deep into the brain to think of something to talk about.
As if first dates weren't bad enough, some of them were just awfully boring and predictable - food, movie, food, movie, food, food, movie...
However, I did have a few that were more creative and worth suggesting:
1) Ice-skating (first date with hubby)
2) Cooking class
3) Hiking at the park, which had some easy trails
4) Baseball game
5) Pub Crawl