The luxury jewelry store owner brought back her stunning “bougie white elephant” gift exchange after last year’s event sparked a furor over the unequal nature of the exchange.
Alexis Russo, the founder and CEO of Local Eclectic, treated her employees to a lavish gift exchange for the second year in a row.
The generous boss, who regularly shows off her lavish lifestyle online, bought and wrapped all the presents for the rest of the women to choose from.
This year’s luxury gifts ranged from a Dyson Airwrap to Hermes scarves – one of the most expensive items was a 14K gold ring worth $2,200.
Even though all the products were definitely “bougie,” people watching the gift exchange on TikTok were baffled by what some women walked away with.
She posted three videos about the long-awaited white elephant, one showing off all the gifts she bought and two videos about actually giving and stealing gifts.
During the energetic exchange, the women excitedly chose a gift to open as Russo recorded and giggled in the background.
The swap started off strong, with the very first gift being the coveted Dyson Airwrap – an item that was snatched several times during the swap.
Alexis Russo, the founder and CEO of Local Eclectic, treated her employees to a lavish gift exchange for the second year in a row
This year’s luxury gifts ranged from a Dyson Airwrap to Hermes scarves – one of the most expensive items was a 14K gold ring worth $2,200
During the energetic exchange, the women excitedly chose a gift to open as Russo recorded and giggled in the background
Other gifts included a woven Dragon Diffusion beach bag, a Chanel wallet, a Louis Vuitton purse and expensive Russo jewelry.
When the goods were unveiled, the women cheered and gasped for the precious items. But some clearly evoked more tension than others.
And while some viewers raved about Russo’s expensive purchases, others were quick to mention the unfavorable gifts that they thought were unhelpful or just plain ugly.
“Wait, what is that ugly, poop-shaped ceramic thing. I would feel ripped off,” one commenter said, referring to the third gift unwrapped during the festive game.
In fact, most of the silliness hitting Russo was focused on this gift: a $500 Helle Mardahl pot that many found strange and hideous.
In the video of Russo going through the gifts, she described the controversial candy jar as “unique” and “so beautiful.”
The most controversial gift according to viewers was a $500 Helle Mardahl pot, which many found strange and hideous
“That brown pot is awful, it doesn’t matter how much it’s worth,” one person wrote.
One commenter agreed: “I would be so sad if I got the brown pot.”
When one of the Local Eclectic employees peeled back the baby blue wrapping paper to reveal the unique jar, the room was filled with much less enthusiasm than the first two gifts.
One TikTok commenter said the jar looked like a ‘ceramic t*t’ and another user claimed that if he received it it would be the ‘last straw’.
Another gift that sparked outrage was a ceramic pot from Laetitia Rouget. The pink and white striped cookie container costs about $156.
“You’re all great sports because lord help me when I get the pots,” some claimed.
“The stony vase and cookie jar that would make me so upset if this was bougie,” said another, echoing the sentiment of ceramic hatred.
Without targeting specific unfavorable products, some viewers might not be able to participate in such an extravagant gift game.
“Expensive gifts make the stakes so high when you get something you don’t like,” one woman wrote.
Shocked by what she had seen, one person posted: ‘So… this was insane.’
The Dyson airwrap was one of the most popular items on sale at the second annual luxury gift exchange
Russo, who regularly shows off her lavish lifestyle online, bought and wrapped all the presents so the rest of the women could choose
One person said they had ‘not recovered’ from last year’s white elephant, when some employees were given designer bags and others received skin care.
In addition to this year’s white elephant, Russo shared that all of her employees received an expensive “bandana-wrapped gift with some goodies inside.”
Each of these packages included a Hermes Twilly scarf, a Loewe candle, a Slip sleep mask, a Susanne Kaufmann body oil, Bon Bon sour candies, and a Local Eclectic Jewelry Advent Calendar filled with 12 designer pieces.
These bundles were worth about $700 each.