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Let’s be honest, shopping for your mates at Christmas can be a bit of a mission. Will they like it? Will they try to return it the next day?

Or worse, will they hit you with that awkward ‘Aaaah, I love it… thanks?’ face while you slowly cringe into your Bailey’s hot chocolate and question all your life choices.

But if you’re buying for the wanderlust-filled friend – you know the jammy one who has always got a trip on the horizon and a passport ready to go – Nere has you sorted.

Nere is an Aussie-born brand that makes travel gear that’s practical and super stylish, with a huge range of jet-setting must haves at affordable prices.

In fact, their range of travel necessities start from as little as £9.99 – perfect for stocking fillers.

From bag charms and water bottles to crossbody bags and even packing cubes, Nere has all the gifting inspiration you could need to upgrade your loved ones’ Christmas without breaking the bank.

And hey, maybe there’s a few treats in there for you, too. After all, we all deserve a treat…

Looking to find some affordable gifting inspo? Explore our top stocking filler picks from Nere below.

Nere Christmas stocking stuffers

Mini Bondi Tote Charm

A bag charm is a cute way to add some personality to your pieces, and the Mini Bondi Tote Charm is less than a tenner. Available in a range of colours, you can use it as a handy place for your keys, earbuds or earrings.

shop £9.99

Insulated Water Bottle

The Insulated Water Bottle is ideal for staying hydrated as you travel. From an Orchid Pink to a Panna Cotta Yellow, there’s plenty of colours on offer, and the smart design can keep you icy water cold for hours.

shop £19.99

Bondi Nylon Crossbody Bag

Yours for just £24, the Bondi Nylon Crossbody Bag offers spacious, hands-free convenience when you travel and quick access to what you need, keeping your valuables closer to you for added security. It's also got RFID protection for added peace of mind.

shop £24

Stori 3 Pack Packing Cube

The Stori 3-Pack Packing Cube set features a small, medium and large cube, allowing you to neatly separate clothes, accessories and essentials. These durable, lightweight cubes also come in a variety of vibrant colours, so you could even stock up and colour-code your luggage.

shop £19.99

Stori Mini Case

Boasting a hard shell for added protection, self-repairing zips and a roomy interior, the Stori Mini Case is the perfect choice for storing valuables like electronics.

shop £19

Caype Mini Organiser Case

This sweet mini organiser case comes equipped with a quality hard ABS shell for added safety and security, multiple internal compartments to store your essentials and a strap for sleek and easy carrying.

shop £29

You can’t go wrong with somethin travel-related in our opinion…

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If you’re anything like us, you’ll be looking for the cheapest ways to stay cosy this winter.

And while layering up like the Michelin Man might keep us warm, it’s hardly the comfiest way to spend an evening on the sofa.

Thankfully, Dunelm is here to save the day and our heating bills.

The affordable homeware brand has a whole range of draught excluders that are not only seriously effective, but stylish enough to become part of your room’s decor.

Plus, with prices start from just £3.50, keeping cosy can cost as little as your morning cup of coffee.

We know draught excluders might sound a bit old-school, but sometimes the classic methods are the best.

Homes, especially older ones, lose a surprising amount of heat through the tiniest gaps under doors and windows. If you’ve got a front door nearby or live in a breezy hallway flat, you’ll definitely feel the chill creeping in.

A good draught excluder blocks cold air in its tracks and helps keep the warmth inside.

Ready to find the perfect one for your home? Explore our top picks from Dunelm below.

Dunelm draught excluders

Catherine Lansfield Kingsley Matt Velvet Double Sided Draught Excluder

This Catherine Lansfield Kingsley draught excluder offers excellent double-sided protection for even more cold-weather protection, and comes in six bold shades including ochre and teal. 

shop £12

Chenille Spot Draught Excluder

We love the rich texture of this Chenille Spot Draught Excluder, priced at just £10 and available in pink, olive, natural and blue. Fashioned from fabulously soft and smooth chenille fabric, it's a lovely choice for keeping your home warm this winter.

shop £10

Clara Draught Excluder

Simple yet sleek, the Clara Draught Excluder comes in an ink blue or emerald green, and has rave reviews. 'Fab way to cut energy,' GG said in their review, while Nicole added: 'The house is a lot toastier.'

shop £9.80

Floral Jacquard Draught Excluder

Dunelm's Floral Jacquard Draught Excluder boasts rich tones that are perfect for winter, and the intricate florals have a serious William Morris vibe to them. 

shop £14

Henry Highland Cow Draught Excluder

Sweet and snuggly, the Henry Highland Cow Draught Excluder is a lovely choice for adding some personality to your home. Its soft textured exterior effectively seals draughts and traps heat, making it perfect not just for doors but also for windows.

shop £16

Teddy Bear Double Draught Excluder

Soft and fluffy, this Teddy Bear Double Draught Excluder is ideal for keeping cold draughts at bay, boasting an ultra soft, shaggy texture that looks just as good as it feels.

shop £20

Linford Stripe Frilled Draught Excluder Grey

Available in grey and blue, the Linford Stripe Frilled Draught Excluder features a frilled edge and a striped design that will complement any decor.

shop £16

Barkweave Ochre Draught Excluder

The Barkweave Draught Excluder costs just £8.40 and features rich ochre tones that will make your home decor pop. Better yet, the removable cover cover can be washed to keep it fresh.

shop £8.40

How better to keep you spaces warm this winter?

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We know that with age comes fine lines and wrinkles, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But, if you’re craving a fresher or plumper complexion and feel squeamish at the thought of needles, this L’Oreal serum could be a serious game-changer for you.

The L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Filler Hyaluronic Acid Serum, yours for just £12.99 on Amazon, has hundreds of glowing reviews from shoppers who say it’s their solution to wrinkles and fine lines.

And while we’re not one for hyperbole, we feel it’s important to note that many shoppers have insisted this serum is like ‘Botox in a bottle’.

L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Filler Hyaluronic Acid Serum 30ml

The L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Filler Hyaluronic Acid Serum has hundreds of glowing reviews from shoppers who say it's their answer to wrinkles and fine lines. It ustilises 1.5% pure concentrated micro-epidermic hyaluronic acid to deliver an intense boost of moisture for smoother and more hydrated skin.

shop £12.99

Formulated with 1.5% pure concentrated micro-epidermic hyaluronic acid, this serum delivers an intense boost of moisture, combining two types of hyaluronic acid for maximum effect – macro and micro molecules.

While macro molecules sit on the skin’s surface to provide an instant surge of hydration, the micro molecules penetrate deep into the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin to plump and reveal a fresh, lit-from-within glow.

The lightweight formula isn’t greasy on the skin, either, and sinks in quickly, making it easy to create the perfect base for your morning makeup routine or sleep soundly without spoiling your pillows at night.

The serum may make a lot of big promises, but with over 700 five-star reviews on Amazon, it’s fair to say it delivers.

‘This is like botox in a bottle,’ one reviewer wrote. ‘I have noticed a massive difference in my skin. You won’t look back once you start using it.’

‘It’s like botox without the needles!’ Added another, insisting the serum visibly reduced pores and firmed her skin within a week.

‘This stuff really is magic you feel it tighten within seconds of applying none greasy fast absorbing really is magic in a bottle,’ A third praised.

‘I’ve bought this several times now and it’s become a must-have in my skincare routine. It goes on my skin beautifully and makes it feel so smooth and hydrated. I’ve definitely noticed my skin looking better since I started using it.

Costing under £15, now seems like the perfect time to snap it up. And with the festive season right around the corner, we’re ready for our skin to feel as plump as the Christmas turkey…

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Reports of workplace bullying are on the rise, with UK employees seeking therapy to deal with nightmare bosses and unsustainable work culture.

A survey of almost 3,000 accredited therapists, shared exclusively with Metro, found 41% had seen an increase in clients wanting to discuss problems related to bullying at work.

The research, from the British Association for Counselling (BACP), suggests office bullying has evolved from school-like taunting to more insidious acts that leave employees with a ‘sustained feeling of discomfort, anxiousness or dread’.

This comes ahead of the release of BACP’s annual Mindometer Report on November 13 – a survey that measures the opinions and attitudes of the British public towards mental health. 

BACP accredited therapist Jodie McCormack tells us it’s ‘mostly bosses and managers’ that are the ones bullying their employees, as they let their own ‘pressure’ and stress around deadlines trickle down to those they oversee.

‘Everyone seems to be under an increasing amount of pressure,’ Jodie, an integrative counsellor, says.

‘Managers feel the strain of their own workloads and this is filtered down to employees who are expected to complete a lot in a short amount of time whilst feeling undervalued and unsupported. This leads to poor communication and tension that can quickly escalate.’

When it comes to the ways in which her clients are bullied, Jodie tells Metro some have been excluded from important meetings, decisions and social activities, been given ‘unrealistic workloads’ with no assistance, been spoken to in a ‘demeaning manner’, ‘threatened’ with job loss and blocked from applying for promotions. 

‘A number of people also mention being treated differently due to prejudice or bias, and many comment on the misogyny they face in the workplace, often highlighting the lack of understanding management have and having their needs overlooked when requesting reasonable adjustments,’ the expert explains. ‘There are also reports of inadequate support when returning after sick leave.’

Jodie acknowledges that there is still ‘obvious and overt’ bullying taking place at work, with people being undermined and criticised in front of others, but it’s the ‘insidious’ behaviour that causes the ‘most upset’, as it can be harder to prove it’s happening and takes longer to resolve.

The subtle bullying manifests both in-person and online and not just during the 9 to 5 – some employees have told her they feel ‘harrassed and overwhelmed’ by communication they’ve received outside of their working hours via private messages.

But perhaps the saddest part of it all is that many of Jodie’s clients who have raised the issue of bullying at work have found their concerns being ‘dismissed’ by senior staff members as merely ‘management style’ or ‘banter’. 

‘People describe management being friendly with each other both inside and outside of the workplace, leaving employees feeling they have nowhere to turn and are too afraid of job loss or things not improving to speak up,’ she says.

As such, it’s no surprise that two thirds (63%) of BACP therapists had noted an increase in clients taking time off work for ‘stress and burnout’ – two words that are often used to describe bullying, according to workplace counsellor Pallvi Davé.

‘Both men and women report bullying at work, but sometimes the language used can be different. In my experience, women tend to name it explicitly, while men bring it to therapy in terms such as burnout or stress.’

It’s not only bosses who are bullies…

While Pallvi agrees with Jodie that workplace bullying is more often than not ‘manager led’, some of her clients have reported peer to peer bullying as well.

The majority of these peer issues have been due to exclusion and workplace cliques, which Pallvi says often starts because of ‘perceived favouritism’ or colleagues feeling threatened by someone outperforming them.

And those in very senior positions aren’t exempt either, as ‘upward bullying’ can occur from subordinates to seniors, as ACAS states on its website.

Examples of this include staff being disrespectful to management, refusing to complete tasks, spreading rumours, constantly undermining someone’s authority, making them look unskilled or unable to do their job.

What to do if you experience bullying at work

ACAS advises thinking through what you’re experiencing and working out whether the behaviour is unintentional bullying or deliberate bullying.

‘Sometimes, what seems like bullying might not be. Before you take any other action, you could talk it through with someone you trust. Talking it through can sometimes help you see the situation in a different way,’ they advise.

If you come to the conclusion that you are being bullied, Pallvi urges people not to dismiss it.

‘We so often dismiss ourselves when we feel treated badly and overlook unacceptable behaviour by providing our own justifications for it. Call it out to yourself first.’

Next she recommends becoming familiar with your workplace’s policies and workers’ rights, and documenting every incident.

Jodie seconds this, saying: ‘I would advise anyone to keep a dated, written record of any incidents that take place and any witnesses that may have been present.’

She knows that bullying will leave many feeling powerless and afraid, but states the importance of taking some of your power back.

‘It can feel frightening, but I’d encourage speaking out and seeking support. Sometimes, with issues like communication, people can be unaware that they aren’t communicating effectively, and an early conversation can go a long way to resolving any issues and helping them to see how they can improve.’

She adds: ‘It’s also a good idea to contact your Union Representative and anyone else who can offer support within your workplace. You can begin to consider what you would like to do going forward and your Union Rep will be able to support you in any informal or formal meetings you have and guide you through next steps if you wish to make a formal complaint.’

In addition to getting support from your union and telling HR, Pallvi suggests people also confide in ‘someone’ so they don’t feel so alone, be it a friend, relative or even a therapist. 

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