In serious recovery mode after last night's 9th annual #kashlinxmas party! 99% sure everyone who attended has a serious #thisis30 hangover today. Can't wait to share all my tips for throwing the perfect holiday party later this week, hangover included! (hey, that's how you know it's a successful party.)

Can we talk about how Christmas is exactly two weeks away? SO. NOT. READY! A few weeks ago I felt really prepared on the gifting front and then I took a little shopping break after Cyber Monday and now I'm panicking. If you're freaking out too, make sure to check out my gift guides for the beauty maven,  jewelry lover, merry maker, and gifts under $50. Today I'm sharing my fave gifts from Nordstrom (some I may or may not have purchased for myself), tips for gifting ALL your friends, and what to get the guys in your life.

I legit love giving presents! The feeling of finding that perfect gift for a friend, sister, or significant other gives me such a feeling of accomplishment. Sadly, I've noticed as I get older, I'm more pressed for time during the Holiday season and thinking up (and purchasing) these individual gifts becomes harder and harder. Not to mention my friend group is growing which is awesome but, yeah, you get it. That's why I've come to love the "group gift" which is basically when I create the same basket of goodies for ALL my gf's, tweaking a few things to personalize. I promise it's not a cop out, it's an efficient AND thoughtful way to gift. It's also where holiday gift sets come in to play! Need an example? 8 group gifts coming your way:

ITEM #1. These mini Voluspa candles are THE cutest (plus, who doesn't love a Voluspa candle) - well the fact that they come in sets of 4 means I can buy two of them, break up the packaging, and have enough candles for 8 people.  

ITEMS #2 and #3. Enter this Clinique Tiny Temptations Collection that comes with 20 mini lipsticks. Most of my friends don't need 20 lipsticks but many of them would love 2! Here's where things get "personalized" - I pick 2 colors for each of my gal pals that they would love. Note, there's 4 extra lippies, so I treat myself!

ITEM #4. Since we're all in our 30s now, skincare (ie: hello, new wrinkles) is pretty much all we talk about. I'm always one to help a sista out, so these  Rodial Eye Mask make for a great treat. It helps that they come in sets of 8!

ITEM #5. Wine, another place to get personal. One bottle for each gal and tah-dah. 8 friends have just been checked off the nice list!

{madewell turtleneck from '15 - similar here // stila all day lipstick in 'fiery'}

For me, the toughest person to gift has got to be the guys in my life. It seems like they either have everything they need or don't really LOVE something like the way we love beauty products or new bags, you know? Enter: books, booze, and music. Every guy I know likes to peruse a good coffee table book when it's around but they never think to buy one for themselves. Booze may be obvious but instead of gifting a bottle of whiskey, this travel cocktail kit is super fun and different. It's a REALLY great gift for newlyweds to take on their honeymoons, too. And the Chrissy Teigen book, I bought that for myself as "a gift" from Andy.... haha. 

{nordstrom gift picks}