Gifts under $50 that’d I’d be excited to get

36 less expensive ideas (plus, last day for 20% off!)

Nov 28, 2023

Gifts under $50 are tough. Doesn’t it seem like everything is over $50 these days? I can barely leave my house without accidentally spending $50. So when I asked everyone on Instagram what they wanted to see in a gift guide next, the answer was pretty emphatically “STUFF UNDER $50”.

In case you missed it, paid subscribers got access to my first two gift guides: “Gifts for your friend who’s a lot like me” and “Gifts that are made by and support artists”. I really tried to include things at different price points in each of these, but the average gift between those two lists sits at about $115. So I get it! I didn’t want to include fast fashion or mall stores which made this 10x harder, but after digging through maybe 9,000,000 websites I feel like I scrounged up some good options.

Real quick: today (Tuesday, 11/28) is the LAST day to get 20% off an annual paid subscription to this newsletter! That also applies to gifting, so if you are planning on gifting a subscription to someone this season, now’s your chance to get it for $40 instead of $50.

Anyway! 36 gifts under $50 that’d I’d be excited to get:

Mary janes in red, Vestige, $30 — Honestly, I think these are a pretty great gift for the price. They come in other colors, too!
Art deco silver plated egg cup, Claude Home, $50 — I don’t know if I’ve ever loved an egg cup more?
Hand carved pillar candle, Salter House, $46 — I’ve never seen anything like this candle, which I think is what makes it a perfect gift.
Eucalyptus book jewelry, Fixed Air, $48 — What a pretty bookmark! Perfect for the friend of yours with a giant TBR pile.
Boat and Tote, L.L.Bean, $35 — I’m not sure if this actually qualifies as a “mall store” but I have two of these and I bring them everywhere. For an extra $8 you can have it embroidered with something funny (or not funny…mine’s just the letter A.)
Brass lighter case, Subtle Bodies, $40 — I’m secretly afraid of Bic lighters and use one of those rechargeable long ones that can’t light my thumb on fire, but I’d still be into this as like, a display piece.
Rose hair clip, Room Shop, $28 — Technically these have an alligator clip so you could pin it on a lapel, too.
Ribete espresso cup, Perla Valtierra, $45 — A work of art!
Silk bow hair tie, En Soie, CHF 15 (about $16 USD) — I got a couple of these when I was in Zurich and I love them!!! Full disclosure, En Soie only accepts orders over CHF 150, so you’d have to buy 10 of these and split them amongst your friends, but it still works!

“Eating sardines in Sardinia” tee, Courage Bagels, $40 — For your friend who’d rather be in the Sardinian sunshine this season.
Enamel stacking ring in poppy, Clare V., $45 — These are cute on their own or stacked amongst other rings.
J. Hannah for LACMA duo set, J. Hannah, $42 — I loved this collab; the colors were swatched from the 1671 still life “Flowers in a Glass Vase” by Dirck de Bray. They come in a very cute box, too!
Annabelle plaid tea towel, Heather Taylor Home, $26 — Hot tip: get 15% off anything on HTH with the code ALI15!
Hand knit balaclava, Etsy, $32 — There are like, 4 nights a year where wearing a balaclava would be *a little* appropriate to wear in LA, but for the rest of you guys, this one’s very cute.
Flower bonus block set, Blockshop, $40 — This little block printing kit includes five blocks to print with.
Rhubarb and custard napkins, Atelier Raff, $47 for 4 — I honestly think napkins and tea towels are the best gifts. They’re the type of thing you can’t have enough of.
Mother of pearl scoop, Gohar, $40 — I don’t know what I’d use her for, but I’d find something!!!
Day bottle, Bink, $38 — This is my favorite water bottle (I have two.) For an extra $12 you can buy an extra cap in a contrasting color (which makes it just hit $50!) Get 15% off with the code ALILABELLE.

Bow earrings, Cloaked in Confidence, $41 — These handmade little bows are so sweet and look so cute on. Just be warned, they don’t ship until 12/20.
Dior Addict Lip Glow in 01 Pink, Dior, $40 — This is my favorite lip product of all time. It’s hydrating, sort of glossy, and looks like my lips (but better.)
Blushing light bulb, Houses & Parties, $26 — A light bulb might be a weird gift, but this one is beautifully packaged and promises a “flattering glow”. I bet it’d be pretty for a bedside lamp!
Cece dish soap, Homecourt, $26 — You’re going to have to trust me that this fancy celebrity dish soap is worth it. IT SMELLS SO GOOD.
Brass bow decoration, Matilda Goad, $35 — I’ve given these as gifts before (and bought the medium size for myself.) It comes in a really big version, too!
Pearl taper candles, Amazon, $9.50 — Okay, I try not to buy from Amazon but these pearly taper candles are so pretty and so cheap, I’ll make an exception.
Salt cellar in thyme, Nickey Kehoe, $35 — Pretty kitchen things are always a safe bet.
Cotton touch socks, Falke, $27 — You might remember these from one of my past newsletters. These socks are such good quality and for $5 you can have them embroidered!
Miami French market basket, The Foundry Home Goods, $26 — I’d use it as a handbag.

Espresso maker, Gemini Express, $48 — It’s so cuuuute.
French bulldog salt and pepper shakers, Quail, $42 — I mean, again…art.
Perfume oil, Nemat, $40 — It’s a risk to buy a scent for someone, but these oils blend with the wearer’s body chemistry to create a unique scent, so I feel like it could work for anyone.
Ralph’s American Breakfast Tea, Ralph Lauren, $17 — I love Ralph’s packaging, it just feels so luxurious.
Small pleated tote bag in red, Pleco, $48 — These come in other colors and sizes too!
Tenugui, Tortoise General Store, $16 — These cloth textiles are great as napkins, tea towels, bandanas, or wrapping paper. I keep a few of them handy to use as table decor.
Illustrated deck of cards, Casa Lopez, $32 — I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier card deck? Each playing card is illustrated with something different.
Milk chocolate sardines gift tin, What On Earth, $13 — I bought these for clients last year and they were a big hit. The chocolate is French and not gross and dusty like a lot of novelty chocolates.
No waste oversized scrunchie, Ozma, $38 — It’s the perfect scrunchie. I have one in black and it’s probably my most-worn hair accessory.

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See you back here on Friday!

Ali

Gifts under $50 that’d I’d be excited to get

36 less expensive ideas (plus, last day for 20% off!)

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