(upbeat music)
- Hello, lovely people.
Thank you so much for clicking on this video
and for watching the Vlogmas 2020 series so far,
which you have definitely done right?
Today, I thought we could all do with a little festive joy.
Although our celebrations this year
are going to be markedly different
and we're perhaps a little further away from our loved ones,
we can still share with them and ourselves in love,
thanks to (bells ring)
(hands clap) presents.
Capitalism it has its plus points.
I'm semi-kidding.
If ever there was a treat yourself moment here,
it's 2020, the whole thing, the whole year, all of it,
every bit of it.
This year's gift-list video is brought to you by Polaroid.
However, when it comes to the other items,
although some were sent to me as gifts,
some are just things that I bought myself,
some of the things that I just happened to have
lying around the house.
But no matter what, these are all my own opinions.
I am freely just saying exactly how I feel, that is it.
We're going to start with a holiday classic
and something that our family Christmas
just wouldn't be the same without, traditional sweet treats,
especially panettone beloved by my wife.
God, that smells so good.
Funnily enough, both Claudia and my mother
are obsessed panettone,
and cannot have Christmas without it.
I say Christmas, the thing is so big it generally lasts
until my birthday at the end of January.
My birthday's the 25th of January if you were wondering.
And this is my PO box,
where you can send me a birthday card if you wanted to.
So Claudia has some kind of let's say gluten issues,
in that whenever she eats it,
like her stomach just goes pfft, massive.
It's also really painful for her but she lives with it
because she would rather eat things that have gluten in
than things that don't.
I've tried really hard guys, okay, I've really tried.
Last year, I got her a gluten-free panettone
and to be honest, even I had to admit
that that was not a good trade.
It was just a kind of really, really stodgy cake,
which is not what panettone is, no, no.
Panettone is basically a really light
and fluffy sweet bread.
Someone's gonna correct me in the comments
and be like, no I think you'll find it's a cake.
But I think it's a bread.
And you can get modern versions that have chocolate in,
but the traditional classic version has dried fruits in it.
I actually really like to collect panettone tins,
especially the beautiful, old-looking ones.
And last year's one, I actually keep my hair rollers in.
Here it is, here's my hair roller tin.
The joys of that is that it makes
my hair rollers smell delicious.
And thus, my hair always smells
like some kind of sweet treat.
I like it, I like it a lot.
So yes, not only is this an excellent gift,
in that you get something edible,
which is always I think really good for people
who seem difficult to buy for.
For instance, I'm probably difficult to buy for
I think my friends would say.
In that there's not a lot of things that I want really.
And I'm quite picky as well.
(Jessica chuckles) So if I want something
it has to be the right version of it.
So I should probably pick it myself.
So I should probably just buy it for myself.
So it's better just to give it me things that I can use up.
I don't even remember what panettone tastes like.
For those of you just joining us,
I've not been able to eat gluten for the last 15 years.
And here are some other delightful, traditional sweets.
We have got sugar-free candy cane, yeah.
Lovely Florentines, which Claudia has already
eaten half of 'cause she's like on a
sweet treat kick at the moment.
And this nougat, which I actually bought for my mother
whilst we were in Rome, but it's still in date.
And I haven't seen her since then to give it to her.
So she's getting it for Christmas.
(bell rings) These two are bought
from a local farm shop though.
And it's really worth looking into
your local farm shop online
because a lot of them are doing hampers
for delivery this year.
And it's a really nice way to help local small businesses
to stay in business.
I think it's really useful
that even if you're buying something that is branded,
is from a quite a big company,
to then find a smaller company that you can buy it through.
Like if you were buying an expensive camera
to buy it from a smaller camera shop in your local area,
rather than to buy it from Amazon,
even though Amazon sell gosh, darn everything.
'Cause I just think it's really lovely,
especially in 2020, when so many businesses are struggling
to be able to help out your local businesses.
Again, here we have some absolutely stunning packaging.
And I mean, sweet treats, you really can't go wrong
because either the person really loves it
and then gobbles it up and yum done,
or they don't, and then they can regift it.
And really you should always think about
the regifting potential of your presents.
But it will never end as a thing that kinda clutters space
and eventually ends up in the bin.
And I am very excited eat this sugar-free candy cane,
which I will eat once I've taken my brace out.
Yes, I know, I have a brace for the third time in my life.
Does anyone else with EDS
or another hyper-mobility type of thing
find that they have really strong teeth and bones,
'cause everything else is so flexible their teeth just move?
My teeth managed to crack off the fixed retainer
I had set behind them.
So here we are pop-in, pop-out braces.
Okay, are you ready to learn about,
not only the sponsor of today's video,
but my absolute favorite present of the year.
It is the Polaroid Lab.
In today's digital world, we don't do a lot
of printing out of photos.
Now I love creating photo books,
but going through the process
of actually printing out your photos
just seems incredibly tedious.
I mean, you have to choose which ones you want.
You have to send them all to be developed.
You wait for them to arrive.
You look through them and choose the best ones.
What a faff.
Which is why I need to talk to you
about this pure genius of a gift idea.
The Polaroid Lab starter set.
This little wonder allows you to print your own photos
from your phone.
And you don't need to be a professional photographer
to make them look great.
Although I bet even professional photographers
would actually like this as a gift actually.
This little printer is all about capturing
really meaningful moments, not just perfect shots.
It's definitely difficult to buy a gift
for a creative person.
What object can you possibly give them
that will spark their arty mind?
Wonder no more.
With this bit of tech you can give them an experience.
So, you simply take a photo on your phone.
Position it on the app.
Use the Polaroid Lab's three-lens system
as your digital dark room and voila,
beautiful moments, you can treasure
and then turn into ornaments on your Christmas tree.
You could even pop a photo
into your Christmas cards this year,
sharing a special moment with a person
who means so much to you.
And, because it's actually a physical thing to hold,
they're going to treasure that photo so much more
than if you just WhatsApped it to them.
Let's be honest, there are hundreds of photos on our phones
that bring us joy, but we just kind of never look at
because they're locked away.
I mean, I only just worked out how to log into my iCloud
and delete all of the terrible shots I didn't want to keep,
but couldn't delete from my phone
because they're on there, confusing.
And in doing so, I found pictures
that I wish I looked at more often.
Does that sound like something you would be interested in?
It's definitely something I'm interested in.
I've even now asked all of my family
to buy me Polaroid film for Christmas.
Well my friend you're in luck.
Polaroid are offering not just a discount code
for my subscribers, but an amazing competition
where you can win your very own Polaroid Lab,
perfect for gifting or even for keeping to yourself.
Just saying.
To enter, all you have to do is share
a really special moment on Instagram,
alongside #myholidaymoment.
Tag my Instagram handle @Jessicaoutofthecloset
and make sure you're following both me and @Polaroid
Polaroid we'll then select 10 lucky winners
to receive their own Polaroid Lab starter set.
The competition will close on the 17th of December.
So go, go, go do it, do it, do it.
Win one for yourself.
I love it.
I'm not even kidding.
I was going to give this to Claudia,
but now it's a treat yourself 2020 present for me.
Let's talk about underwear instead.
I know underwear is a pretty tricky gift
to get right for someone else.
So I would advise this one as a gift for you
because you deserve it, probably.
Especially if you're subscribed to my channel
because we are so close to 800,000, which is my 2021 goal.
So, you know, subscribe and then tell a friend.
If you're a fan of 1950s or forties fashion,
or just pretty things in general,
then you will love this set from What Katie Did.
So lovely.
Based around the normal designs that they have
for their 1940s lingerie.
However, for this special map edition
they have added some elastic in the back,
which makes it much easier for different body shapes,
because obviously we're not all the 1950s ideal.
And they've also added some elastication
to either side of the loop.
Now I already have some of their knickers,
which you will be seeing potentially
in a video that comes next week about vintage underwear.
If I can actually get that finished.
Just one of the many project videos I'm working on.
There's another one coming on the 1st of January,
which is like a really big project video,
but we'll get there, we'll get there.
Anyway, this one has elasticated loops,
which I think is wonderful
because from using their previous knickers
it can be a little tricky if they are not elasticated to.
Fun fact, post-World War II escape maps
were cut into lingerie, blouses, dresses.
So this set cut in the kind of style of the era
is just a perfect homage to that.
Indeed, my grandmother recycled her own parachute
for impromptu dinner parties on the front line,
which is the most Nana thing I've ever come across.
One should always be prepared darling.
The vintage map is digitally printed
onto their lovely peach satin that they have
in a range of other styles that are much plainer,
if you're into more plain style.
But I just think this is a really fun
little holiday edition, holiday gift
and you can spend hours staring at it
trying to read the names of things,
work out where you are.
So yeah, that's a pretty easy gift for yourself.
Let's talk about another easy gift.
If you don't have a lot of money this year
and you quite wanna send something to your friends
that is fun and crafty and like you miss seeing them
and you just wanna spread a little joy into their life,
then I think a really great way to do that
is to take like an old newspaper, bits of card,
colored paper that you might have lying around,
or in this case old sheet music
and chop it up into what can become paper chains,
favorite decoration of the Victorians at Christmas.
Also me.
Look how gorgeous this is.
Look at that, look at that.
They're fantastic, you can string them over the tree.
You can put them around your windows.
You can hang them from the lights in the ceiling, anything.
They're really versatile, great, easy to use,
maybe even on the stairs.
So many ideas.
There's so many things that you can do with them
and they're super, super cheap as a present.
So highly recommend, highly advise, go ahead, have a try.
Up next, is a series of books that I'm really excited about
from Vintage Classics.
So this is a major retelling of many sort of fairytales
and stories that we probably all know,
but given a feminist twist.
"A Fairy Tale Revolution" reimagines
some of our favorite stories,
but for more modern children.
From acclaimed writers, such Malorie Blackman,
Kamila Shamsie, and Jeanette Winterson.
These tales do not star any passive princesses
or macho princes riding into swoop and save the day.
Also no unconsenting kisses 'cause that's weird.
Rather than the happily ever after of princess finds prince,
these are much more liberated stories.
The books area a beautiful hardback edition
and they're really great for reading with kids,
or having slightly older children read to you.
I mean the only children in my life
are under the age of three,
so this is definitely a read to situation.
but I'm very much looking forward to when my nephew
is old enough to actually read a book by himself.
Because let's be honest, these will be
the books I'm giving him.
They feature gorgeous silhouette-style illustrations
from Laura Barrett, which have been adapted
from the vintage designs of Arthur Rackham.
They have beautiful bright covers,
which I think kids would really enjoy.
And it's just lovely to see characters like Cinderella
being the agent of their own fate.
And "Hansel and Greta" is I think genius.
It's actually about how the siblings become eco warriors
trying to save the woodland.
I see what you did there with that name.
Next up, we have a lovely set from Etsy Shop,
the vintage boxes.
Now I have been trying to fill out
my brooch collection recently,
which I know is a wild thing to do
while still living in a building site,
as you saw in the last video.
Yeah, it's, it's fine, everything's fine.
It's fine, it's fine.
Every time I open my makeup drawer
somehow there's just dirt everywhere.
It just falls from the ceiling at random times.
I'll just be having a bath
and then a bit of plaster falls on my head.
Why am I doing this again?
Who thought having a project house was a good idea?
Oh me, oh.
Learn from my mistake kids, don't try and remodel
an entire house during a pandemic.
So the vintage boxes currently only ships
to the UK and Europe, but I'm pretty sure you can find
something like that in America if you're American based
or you have friends in America.
And they're really gorgeous.
They're little items that are either vintage
or vintage-seeming, vintage-feeling per se.
I mean, let's thank the 1980s revival of 1940s fashion
for the fact that we still have lovely things.
However, they've since launched a lovely box set
called Pins, Pennies, and Postcards,
which is going to ship internationally.
These small packages, each contain a vintage
or vintage-style brooch, a vintage postcard,
and a pre-decimal British penny.
Very kindly, they also sent me absolutely lovely scarf.
I think it will go with a lot of things I have,
and I'm very, very thankful for.
All right, the next thing is kind of random,
but kind of great.
It's a scoopy spatula.
So when I was 17, I paralyzed both of my arms.
I know, stop me if you've had this one already.
And one of the things that happened after that
was that I got an occupational therapist,
who took me to the special center,
where they have disability items.
And you just kind of walk around
and choose the things that work for you,
or they show you different things
that they think will work for your situation.
And one of those things was that they brought up,
"Oh, but she can't lift heavy pans."
And even though my arms are obviously markedly better
than they once were, they are still very droopy and floppy,
and picking up a pot of boiling water
is a terrible idea for me.
So, what they had at the time
were these special type of spatulas and scooper things,
where you essentially just scoop things
out of the boiling water,
rather than lifting up the whole pot,
pouring away the boiling water
and then you're left with the thing.
At the time, I was just like, no, no can't cope, no.
And I didn't get one.
And I kind of regretted it afterwards.
Mainly I just got other people
to do the boiling water thing for me.
I just noped out of that one.
However, I've recently found on the market though,
they have so many of these items that previously
we would have looked at as being disability items
or items for the elderly.
And actually, they're just available for general purchase.
This one, I saw in TK Maxx and I was like,
"You know what? I'm at a place in my life
where I think this could be useful.
I'm 31 and I need a scoopy spatula, yeah."
And wow, what a revelation,
what a revelation the scoopy spatula has been since then.
I can do pasta, because I can scoop the pasta out
and it drains, genius.
Or serve some decent roast vegetables.
Whereas to put that on the plate,
I used to have to kind of get someone else really
because if I tried it would just go on the floor.
To lift up whatever I cooked them in
and then I kinda flick 'em off.
Now I just, scoopy spatula.
And finally, I would like to introduce you to
some of the nicest brushes that have ever touched my face.
Also the box is shiny.
I'll be honest when it comes to makeup,
I'm pretty ignorant of the rules.
Like I'm aware that you're supposed to
change your brushes often.
But how often?
Like a toothbrush often, or less, or more?
And also cleaning them.
I do that, but then they kind of just stay wet.
Life is very confusing.
The thing is makeup products run out.
So obviously you know when to replace them.
Or you know, you just reach into a bag one day
and go, "Jesus, I was in school when I bought that."
Don't worry, that's not me.
It is my wife though.
I need to Marie Kondo her.
This signature collection from Bobbi Brown
contains some of their best selling brushes.
There are five full-sized brushes
and they actually work really well,
and make my makeup look nice.
Always grateful for that.
There is a full-coverage face brush,
which I've not really been a brush person before
for foundation I must admit, and they do take
a little bit of getting used to.
And I'm still not sure about the whole sweeping
or cycling or like weirdly blobbing.
I'm learning.
This is supposed to be a blush brush, but it's delightful.
And it's so nice on my face that I just use it for powder.
The angled face brush for contouring.
And then we have an eyeshadow and a smoky eyeliner brush.
They're lovely.
They're so soft.
You know when you can kind of use something
and it's sort of expensive
and you realize why it's expensive.
And that it actually works much better
than the cheaper options that you may
or may not have bought from a Malaysian roadside store.
But yeah.
So when Bobbi Brown kindly sent me this,
not the artiste herself, although that would be quite cool,
along with this delightful, vitamin-enriched face base
that makes my skin feel like really expensive butter.
Honestly, I can't stop touching my face.
Thank you so much for watching my 2020 gift list.
Don't forget to join the Polaroid competition
and be in with chance to win your own amazing lab.
I think is just such a fantastic gift
and a fun thing to play with all the time, to be honest.
We should all have one.
They're great.
What fun at parties,
when we're allowed to have parties again.
And we just sort like sit down
and you put your phone on top and then any picture comes out
and there are all the developing pictures,
and you have to like mix them up amongst your friends
and guess who took which picture and which is which.
Oh, what a fun thing that will be.
Friends gathering together.
It'll be fine.
2021 here we come.
Let me know in the comments
what the most interesting gift is
that you have purchased for a friend, family member,
acquaintance, work colleague,
or someone that you actually really dislike,
but just feel like you're obligated to give them a gift,
'cause I would love to know.
And I shall see you in my next video.
Hopefully coming out in two days time.
Yeah, because hey, I'm actually kinda doing okay
with this Vlogmas thing.
It's happening, we're moving, we're going.
I've got some big project videos that I'm working on.
Maybe too many.
Maybe should've thought that through.
But also I stress myself, but it's fun.
I do enjoy it.
And I really just like making stuff for you guys.
So, thank you so much for watching.
I'll see you in the next video.
(upbeat Christmas music)