Friday 30 November 2018

Beauty gift ideas 2018

As my blog has always hadbeauty element to it, and it’s something I love writing and reading about, I thought it was only right to do a Christmas gift guide that focuses on beauty gifts: skincare, make up and fragrance. As with my other gift guides, some of the products featured here have been sent to me by brands and PRs for consideration to be included, but I’ve only actually included the ones I really love, and you’ll know because they’ll be marked with an asterisk.

Skincare

Some things can seem like a luxury or indulgence, and therefore aren’t the sort of thing people tend to buy for themselves – I think electric beauty items fall into this category, especially for me. This is why they make great gifts, and when Magnitone offered to send me their Bare Faced 2*, a sonic cleansing brush, I knew it would be the perfect fit for this gift guide. Mine is white and rose gold and it comes on a stand, with two different brushes and long-lasting battery. It has a couple of different modes and you can use pretty much any cleanser with it, which I really like. It also has a self-timer so you don’t focus on one area for too long, which is genius. I’m so impressed with this and you can pick it up for around £50 from various places, so it’s not too pricey if you have a skincare lover in your life.





Face masks are a sure winner for Christmas, I think. If you need a little filler present, sheet masks or single-use sachets can be picked up for as little as 99p (Primark have an amazing range, from Disney Princess sheet masks to cool K-Beauty style masks) but if you want something more substantial and maybe a bit more eco-friendly, get a tube or pot of face mask. L’Oreal do a fab range in glass jars – the blue one is my favourite – and of course everyone loves a Lush face mask! You’ll be able to find decent masks no matter what your budget is, and you can pick something that’s just right for the person’s skin type too.

Gift sets make great Christmas presents, especially if you're not too hot with your skincare knowledge. Boots always have some really good ones, especially from the likes of No7 and Soap & Glory, and stores like John Lewis and Debenhams have got some great ones from Clinique, Estee Lauder, Clarins and more.




Tropic, one of my favourite skincare brands in the world ever, also wanted me to let you know about their Christmas gift collections; I was over the moon when the gorgeous Deluxe Collection* arrived, and I think it's a fab idea if you want to really spoil the skincare fiend in your life. You can completely tailor it to the skincare needs, too. Every set comes with the Soothing Cleanser (my fave) and a bamboo cloth, the Vitamin Toner and Skin Feast, then you can choose what face mask and targeted skin treatment you want, AND you get a free Super Greens. It will set you back £98 - which is a saving of £60 - and it comes in a gorgeous gift box. There are loads of other gifting options: an eye set, a lip set, some body care and and men's gift set.

You might think buying someone a moisturiser, for example, is a bit boring – but if someone you love uses quite a pricey skincare item, then they probably cling onto the dregs and really put off repurchasing it. I know I do, anyway, so it can be a great idea to buy someone a top up of one of their favourite products. I love the Clarins HydraQuench Cream, for example, but it’s over thirty quid and I just can’t justify buying it for myself so when I receive it as a gift I’m always over the moon.

Don’t forget bodily skincare, too, because you can’t go wrong with a good pamper. Freshly Cosmetics sent over their Firming Body Cream* (£23) and their Revitalizing Body Scrub* (£16) - the packaging is really minimalist and cool, and both products smell and feel amazing. Freshly Cosmetics are all natural and 100% toxic free. One of my go-to brands for bodily skincare is (you can probably guess) Soap & Glory. Allllll the pink packaging and fruity scents. Love love love.


Make up

Even though make up is a really personal thing, I thought I’d show you some of the products that I think would make a really fab gift for your beauty-loving friends and family. For starters, I think eyeshadow palettes make a fab present because they’re quite substantial and long-lasting, and give the recipient loads of colours to work with – it’s something they’ll get a lot of use out, that’s for sure. iT Cosmetics wanted me to show you their beautiful Naturally Pretty Eyeshadow Palette* which is [PRICE] and full of gorgeous earthy colours. They’re buttery soft and easy to blend, and they’re all matte except for the one pearly colour that allows you to transform any of the shades into a shimmery eyeshadow. How clever is that?!




Lipstick, I think, can finish off a look – and there are great ones to be found no matter your budget for present-buying. I have a 90p lipstick from Primark that I absolutely adore, and wear just as much as my all-time favourite lipstick from Givenchy which comes in at an eye-watering £28. Some of my other favourite lipstick brands are Kat Von D Beauty, Bourjois and Rimmel, especially the Kate Moss collection.

Other

Perfume (and aftershave/EDT etc) genuinely makes such a special gift, and it really doesn’t have to break the bank. I’ve included some posh – and by posh I mean expensive – perfumes in my luxury Christmas gift guide but I wanted to share some here too, as fragrance definitely comes under the ‘beauty’ umbrella for me. The Body Shop do some lovely scents (Moringa is my absolute favourite) and they only cost about £9, and Primark do some perfumes too; don’t forget to check out places like Fragrance Direct, too, because you might be able to get a luxury perfume or a less-than-luxury price. Seksy Beauty aren’t a brand I’d ever tried before, but when they asked me to feature one of their new perfumes in this gift guide, I thought it was definitely worth a sniff. There are three scents and I opted for Elegance* which has a really classy bottle and smells really sophisticated and floral, and will set you back £35 for 50ml.



Beauty subscription boxes are a really clever Christmas idea, if you're looking to really treat someone - I'm a Glossybox subscriber, and you can get 1, 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions depending on how much you're looking to pay. I've never tried any other beauty subscription boxes, but have heard great things about the Tili Box from QVC, Birchbox and the Look Fantastic Beauty Box.



I mentioned electronic beauty items at the beginning of this post, but there are others which don't fit into the skincare bracket: decent hairdryers, rose gold straighteners and funky curling tongs don't have to cost the earth and can make a really great present for someone. There are also electric brush cleaners, electric toothbrushes and even sonic foundation brushes on the market too!

What beauty bits have you got your eye on this year?


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