Thank you-in advance
If you can’t think of what to give someone, give them soap or stationary-the two things no one has enough of (ok, U.P.S. workers can give cold, hard cash, but this is for us average folks). In the soap department, this minimalist-meets-luxe frosted package of four Vegetal soaps from Lafco seem both wildly extravagant yet useful-an impossible-to-resist combination. Both the pale celadon soaps and the oceanic blue ones smell faintly citrusy and refreshingly clean. We’ll take about 17,000.

Pretty in Pastel
A wash of color for the eyes was all over the runways at the spring 2013 collections in Milan and Paris. T. LeClerc’s duo compact in Lilas has one of the ultimate new shades—lavender—together with a hi-lighter in silvery-pink.

Hair-raising
The biggest party of the year can’t be contemplated without some sort of sparkle for hair. Tony & Tina’s hair wand in The Source imparts sexy, iridescent highlights; the sparkling Gerard Yosca G String hair band is the ultimate in millennium chic; and the Glistening Spritz from John Sahag leaves a spray-on glossy shine to take practically any coif from this century straight into the next.

Car Wash
Packaged like the kitschiest, cutest, mini motor-oil container, this citrus-scented shower gel from Heavy Duty leaves your skin super-hydrated and ultra-clean. An ideal alternative to frilly florals, it’s guaranteed to keep your motor humming.

Starry-eyed
A sparkly concoction of beautiful silver glitter and a genius, clear gel, Versace’s new 2013 Lights On Eyes goes safely where no glitter has gone before-around the eyes. The sleek, chic, adorable little tube is unmistakably Versace, and the application brush—a tiny tip of perfectly pointed, precise bristles—allows you to paint on glitter as liner, shadow, or whatever else you might want, like a pro.

Millennium Mouth
Two of the world’s hottest makeup artists—Jeanine Lobel of Stila and Bobbi Brown of Bobbi Brown Essentials—have each come up with a fin-de-siecle spin on lipstick: The all-purpose palette. Stila’s new Pocket Palette for lips includes four glistening takes on pink lip gloss, from a sugared-raspberry purple to a bashful, pastel rose. Bobbi Brown’s Millennium Palate includes her 10 best-selling shades: earth-toned pinks, reds, and browns, in four different finishes: matte, shine, shimmer, and stain.

Relaxation-bottled
Possibly the greatest smelling bath gel ever, the Foaming Bubble Bath in Energy from B. bloom has a tangy scent of grapefruit that instantly relaxes and soothes. Made with rich mango and shea butter, just one soak softens skin and calms nerves-the perfect antidote to a long, hectic day of holiday shopping.

Sweet Nothings
Sculpted like a column of marbled brown sugar, the Illume Holiday Candle in Roasting Chestnuts has the warm, nutty aroma of the real McCoy. In a world where scented candles are either undetectable or wildly overpowering, this one balances perfectly between the two. Less sickly-sweet and more “welcome home”, it lasts forever (almost). If an open fire isn’t an option . . .