To celebrate the holidays, “5 Things We Love” will be devoted to gift ideas through Dec. 24. Today: What to buy for the hard-to-please teen. Next week: Gifts for your kupuna.

1. Musicians’ castoffs make bracelets

Celebrities, fashion, charity and recycling are a winning combination with Wear Your Music’s line of bracelets made from guitar and bass strings used by major rock and country stars, including Foster the People, Avril Lavigne, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson and Ziggy Marley (parents can pick from the likes of Eric Clapton, Nikki Sixx, Joan Jett and Toby Keith). Each bracelet is made from recycled fine silver and used guitar strings donated by the artist. Prices start at about $100, with a portion of the proceeds going to a charity of the artist’s choice. Recycled guitar string rings in black, red or silver, without any star connections, are $4.95 each or $13.50 for a set. These and other "rock recycled" products are available at www.wearyourmusic.org.

—John Berger

2. GoPro cameras catch the action

Even in the ever-changing digital realm, few gizmos say cool with quite as much panache as a GoPro camera. Weighing less than 3 ounces, the camera can be mounted on helmets, attached to surfboards, bicycles and airplane wings, and taken underwater — you name it, it has probably been there. The tiny video camera has elevated "point-of-view" shooting into an art form and in the process turned GoPro users into the stars of their own homemade movies — and potential YouTube sensations. Prices range from $199 for the basic model to $399 for the cinema-quality version. Available at T&C Surf Designs and other stores that sell cameras.

—Mike Gordon

3. Custom sneakers make statement

Navigating teendom means maintaining a fine balance between fitting in and having enough individuality to be cool. No doubt a pair of limited-edition, made-to-order sneakers by Jeff Berman’s TAPS (TheAlternativePrintStudio) will do the trick. Go to fishcake gallery, 307C Kamani St. in Kakaako, and pick from among 15 designs — 13 by Berman and one each from artists Hans Loffel and Peggy Chun — for printing onto classic high-top or low-cut canvas sneakers. Prices are $85 to $95, with orders ready in about three days. Berman also works with custom designs. Email the artist at jeff@tapsprints.com.

—Joleen Oshiro

4. Shu Uemura’s colors sold online

I was sad when Shu Uemura pulled out of the American cosmetics market, but now the brand is back online in a big way, with a 2012 holiday makeup collaboration with designer Karl Lagerfeld. The Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura collection includes palettes, lipsticks, eyeliner, nail color, eyelashes and applicators. I particularly love the Prestigious Bordeaux eye and cheek palette with Lagerfeld’s selection of velvety, glamorous colors in pale and deep purples, soft browns, brick gold for eyes, some with a subtle or bold touch of glitter, and deep coral rose for cheeks. You don’t even have to work hard to create drama. Even a plain Jane like me had to say, "Wow!" looking in the mirror after I was done. The only problem is, introducing these rich, pigmented colors to a teen means she’ll never go back to drugstore brands again. The palette is $65 at www.shuuemura-usa.com.

—Nadine Kam

5. Big volume from a small item

For a tiny present that packs a punch, the Boom Cube speaker ($11.95, As Seen on TV Store) clips on to a key ring or backpack and pipes out music from an MP3 player or smartphone with surprising volume and clarity. The 1 1/2-inch cube comes in black or white with a USB port connection cable for recharging.

—Donica Kaneshiro