Christmas shopping – some look forward to it, some hate it. The truth is that finding the right gift for someone can be stressful. Although everyone is different, beauty products are a particularly safe category. I’ve put together the following list of tried-and-true items that will be sure to please the beauty lover in your life.
Skincare
My pick for this category is anything from Sunday Riley. This brand makes luxurious, effective, everyday-appropriate products that are a joy to use. My personal recommendations would be either Good Genes, a lactic acid treatment, or C.E.O. Glow, a facial oil that contains vitamin C and turmeric.
I’d also recommend gifting a lip mask this holiday. My current favorite is the Fenty Skin Plush Puddin’ Intensive Recovery Lip Mask, an ultra-thick balm that comes in four flavors. Of all the lip masks on the market, this has quickly become my favorite due to the texture.
Makeup
When it comes to gifting makeup, I’d recommend sticking to things like blush (my favorite), mascara, and lip products – with a few exceptions – unless you know the exact shade in other categories.
The Nudestix Nudies Blush Sticks make the perfect gift – they come in extremely blendable, creamy, and natural shades that I can’t imagine anyone disliking. I like the matte ones, and my favorites are Bare Back and Sunkissed Pink.
For liquid blush, definitely consider the new Hourglass Unreal Liquid Blush, a weightless, serum-like blush that plumps skin. It adds a beautiful glow and lasts all day. On my fair skin, I loved the shade Scene.
Another liquid blush I’ve been enjoying is the Ciele Blush & Protect SPF 50+ in the shade Behati. It’s very lightweight, melting easily into the skin – and the added benefit of SPF will be a huge plus for many.
My final blush pick is a powder product from Benefit Cosmetics – the Dandelion Blush. It’s a baby-pink shade that went viral before we even used that word in that context. It’s universally flattering and brightening, and comes in adorable packaging.
This list would not be complete without mention of the gorgeous Charlotte Tilbury. The new Exagger-Eyes Volume Mascara comes in a beautiful glass bottle and is smudge-proof and flake-proof, and gives a false lash effect. It’s an amazing product that’s also on the expensive side, making it an ideal gift.
Also from Charlotte Tilbury, I suggest the Pillow Talk Big Lip Plumpgasm. This product instantly makes lips look 93% plumper, with a glass-like finish. It comes in two shades – fair to medium and medium to deep – and is the perfect complement to any makeup look.
Base makeup can be a bit more tricky to give as a gift, but if you’re confident about the shade, the Ciele Tint & Protect SPF 50+ would be a delight to open on Christmas morning. It’s dewy enough to look just like skin without getting overly oily. I love setting it with Ami Cole’s Skin Melt Loose Powder, which is mattifying but not crumbly or drying.
Finally, the Huda Beauty #FAUXFILTER Under Eye Color Corrector has been making the rounds on YouTube and Tiktok with rave reviews. It’s always exciting to receive something so hyped up. In this case, the hype proves to be for good reason. I have it in the shade Cherry Blossom and I love it.
Hair
If your gift recipient has any texture to their hair, it’s always nice to surprise them with specialty hair products from a brand like DevaCurl. Many of us won’t purchase these for ourselves but highly appreciate receiving them. The Mist of Wonders Leave-In protects all hair textures against combing damage while also softening and strengthening. You might also consider the Curlbond Cleanser, which relinks broken bonds (after all, bond-strengthening technology is currently all the rage). I can vouch for both of these as I’ve been using them for the past few months on my fine curls.
An even safer option for hair is an oil like the Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil. Quite viral on TikTok, this product will work on any hair type, any length, any texture. It is extremely versatile and may be used on wet or dry hair.
Fragrance
I’m only including two fragrances in this article since I’ve written extensively on this topic, but they’re really good. Grace de Monaco, a subsidiary of the Princess Grace Foundation, USA, recently launched a new fragrance, Promenade Sous Les Étoiles. With notes of bergamot, jasmine, Rose de Mai absolute, patchouli, vanilla, musk, and more, it’s an opulent, richly feminine and complex scent that’s also easy to love. It comes beautifully presented, making for an excellent gift. The best part? 100% of all proceeds go directly to the foundation.
Iceland visual artist Andrea Maack’s Ceramic is a unisex option, with refreshing notes of apple, freesia, white and purple flowers, and musk. To me, it smells like wearing a freshly laundered white tee shirt straight out of the shower. I genuinely think anyone would enjoy this scent.
Happy gifting!
