This holiday season allow yourself to splurge a little – try a new scent, sample a new ice cream or bring fantastic chocolates to your hosts – after everything we’ve been through during the past year, we deserve it.
Happy New Year!
Celebrate
Having kids (of all ages) over for the holiday? Nothing will make them happier than a bottle filled with mini chocolate snacks from all the favorites Mars brands, such as Snickers, Bounty, Twix, Mars, Milky Way and more.
Looking like a champagne bottle, Celebration suits any occasion and will keep everybody happy.
NIS 40 for 310 grams.
Available in stores around the country.
Stay optimistic
Local premium chocolate brand Max Brenner presents a special Rosh Hashanah “Always optimistic” gift box that is full of goodies – including Chinese pecans rolled in nougat and cocoa powder, a bar of white chocolate filled with hazelnut cream, waffle crunch and caramel bites, milk chocolate thins, chocolate truffles, almond chocolate and hazelnut spread – each packed in its very own lovely decorated box or jar, and all packed in a beautiful cookie box.
The boxes that you get the chocolates in are, as always with Max Brenner, a sweet memory that will stay with you for many years. NIS 206.
Intoxicating ice cream
Vodka brand Van Gogh launches for the first time a special project with Otello Ice Cream chain offering three new flavors based on Van Gogh’s popular vodka flavors: Acai, pineapple and double espresso.
The pretty gift box will include the three flavors, three mini-bottles and shot glasses. NIS 115.
Get it through Wolt.com or in select ice cream branches.
Nostalgic aromas
Premium ice cream chain Anita joined forces with upscale perfume and lifestyle brand Jo Malone London, and the two are offering a very unique gift box that brings to mind nostalgic memories of family holidays. The box includes a limited edition of ice cream flavored with pear cooked in red wine, coupled with iconic Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia scent as well as other iconic scents. Also offered are three special mini-size Jo Malone perfumes. NIS 170 at Anita stores and NIS 180 via Wolt.
My hero
Adam Driver is the presenter of Hero – Burberry’s new perfume launch for men. The enigmatic and adventurous actor embodies, according to Burberry, the spirit of the scent – strong yet reserved, powerful but full of compassion, athletic and creative. This is the first perfume by Burberry with perfume creator Ricardo Tizzy Riccardo Tizzy. The flask is beautiful and the scent fresh and long-lasting. NIS 429
More than just gorgeous
Michael Kors continues to deliver with his newest scent for women: Super Gorgeous! A very fresh and wild scent that is perfect for the fall. Michael Kors Super Gorgeous opens with bergamot and mandarine, middle tones of jasmine, iris, citrus flowers and ylang and base with cedar, tonka beans, sandlewood and more. Excellent. The flask is very elegant. NIS 399 for 200 ml and NIS 299 for 50 ml.
Very intense
Tommy Hilfiger launches a new scent for men – Impact Intense, a very masculine scent in a masculine flask. The Impact scent is a blend of apple, with deep wood and amber, as well as some patchouli that balances everything. Impact Intense Eau De Perfume NIS 319 for 100 ml and NIS 219 for 50 ml.
Smells like the future
Launched recently Phantom by Paco Rabanne is a Woody Aromatic fragrance for men. Top notes are Lavender, Lemon Zest and Amalfi Lemon; middle notes are Lavender, Apple, Patchouli, Smoke and Earthy Notes; base notes are Vanilla, Lavender and Vetiver. But the main surprise is the silvery robot-like flask – that is not only a collector’s item but also has an NFC chip in the stopper that will let you enter a whole world of digital content with your cellphone. There are interactive filters, video games, music downloads and more. Fun gift for a young tech enthusiast. NIS 360 for 100 ml.
Spread the love
Local Dead Sea cosmetics company Ahava opens the holiday season with a collection of gift packages for everyone. They offer a special 3% discount for ordering online at ahava.co.il, and 2+1 offers in their shops, as well as 40% discount on the fourth item. I love them. The gift box collection includes 10 different ones with prices beginning at NIS 349.
Very chic
Local cosmetic company Chic offers a triple gift pack that includes 100 ml. body lotion, 100 ml. hand cream and 100 ml. foot cream in three spa scents – Lavender, Vanilla-Patchouli and Musk. NIS 35.
Available in the Mashbir and other perfumeries.
See the difference
Based on vitamin C and essence of Ginseng root, the Hlavin gift pack offers a special holiday gift pack from the company’s orange line. The pack includes spray deodorant, with no parabens or aluminum, hand cream for dry, irritated hands, and rich body cream, as well as a small hand towel. NIS 60.
Available at Superpharm stores and other perfumeries.
Very good deal
Sacara offers a limited-edition beauty pack starting at NIS 39. There are four different packs – one with cosmetics, one with makeup items, a min-pampering box and a home pack. The mini pampering pack includes Dead Sea cosmetics hand cream and foot cream, body lotion and face mask.
Info: sacara.co.il/
Oh so pretty
Sebocalm the derma-beauty company joins the celebrations offering holiday packs for different needs, such as one for mature dry skin antiaging, with vitamin C booster, cloth mask with collagen and cloth mask with hyaluronic acid, SPF 25 day cream, enzymatic peeling mask and retinol night cream, all packed in gift cosmetic bag for NIS 279 instead of NIS 470. There are less-expensive options to choose from starting at NIS 199. The really lovely thing about them are the boxes, designed by Gisele Dekel. Enjoy.
They are available for anyone shopping online at sebocalm.co.il.
Apples and tomatoes
Korean Cosmetics have arrived in Israel and Korean company Tonymoly now offers designed gift boxes for the holiday. One of the boxes, the “Happy Apple Gift,” includes six happy items: Tomato mask for even skin packed in tomato-shaped jar, cloth red-wine facial mask, apple hand cream, apple lip balm and KissKiss toiletries bag. Order online and they offer to add a hand-written card. The price is right as well: NIS 115 instead of NIS 199.
There are more options to check out at www.tonymoly.co.il
Funny socks
Some people show their creativity in choosing crazy socks. For them the perfect gift can be United Oddsocks, a giftpack of the British humoresque sock brand that allows one to choose non-matching socks, some with colorful patterns and others black with white sentences to match the mood of the wearer. There are many different patterns and sizes to choose from and they are smashing. NIS 79.90 for six pairs.
Available only at www.swagg.co.il and in the store at 12 Haomanut Street, Netanya.
Honey cakes
1. Lehamim
Uri Sheffeth’s Lehamim is the obvious winner in most baking feuds. Named one of the best bakeries in New York after winning the hearts of Tel Avivians, this fantastic bakery continues to add new breads and cakes to its collection, making it very heard to choose. For the holiday their round honey challah, with seeds on top and a lovely ceramics dish in the middle to pour their honey and nuts into – is a must (NIS 65). But do not neglect their excellent apple and almond cream Babka (NIS 49) or the honey and citrus cake with pecans to die for (NIS 89).
To find a branch near you go to www.lehamim.co.il
2. Patisserie Shiriz
Located in Givataim, Patisserie Shiriz goes all the way offering sweet cakes for a sweet New Year. We absolutely loved their Bee Sting Cheesecake (NIS 72) – a very good classic cheese cake with small “cups” filled with honey. Delicious. Other options include honey and date cake, Cheese and pomegranate cake and more.
To order call (03) 555-8988; at 108 Katzenelson, Givatayim.
3. Paris corner of Kfar Saba
The most surprising holiday cakes we sampled this year belong to Nomili boulangerie-patisserie. Pastry chef Dan Kelly and his partner Tammy Live returned from Paris and brought the flavors to their café and bakery. We enjoyed the breads and pastries but for the holiday do try their krantz cake with apples and cinnamon (NIS 42-NIS 44).
Nomili (09) 766-2616; at 24 Weitzman, Kfar Saba.
4. Honey sweet
Maison Kayser, the French-style boulangerie also presented a very pretty collection for Rosh Hashanah based on honey, apple and pomegranate. The collection will be sold through September 9. We loved the honey and pecan cake – that was a little too sweet but very moist and delicious (NIS 49). Another good choice was the apple cake with calvados, cinnamon and crumble (NIS 79), a perfect coffee cake on all accounts. Don’t miss their pomegranate challah (NIS 23) to be sold throughout September.
For orders and more information go to www.kayser.co.il
5. Gluten-free
Looking for an easy recipe for a gluten-free honey cake for the holiday? I did and am glad to say I found an even better solution. Having family members who are sensitive to gluten, I am always looking for recipes, especially before holidays. This year Biga café chain solved the problem for me offering a couple of gluten-free honey cakes – one traditional and one with apple, that are both tasty and very traditional in taste. NIS 42
Available in all Biga Café branches around the country.