My Twelve Gifts of Christmas guide focuses on individual products that I think would make awesome gifts and includes detailed reviews and personal thoughts, so in a way it’s quite different to a standard Christmas gift guide which is why when Most Wanted – a publication created by the people behind VoucherCodes.co.uk – got in touch and asked me to share a post suggesting a few gift ideas to suit three budgets (£10 and under, £30 and under and £50 and under) I thought it’d be a fab idea as I haven’t had anything similar planned. They asked me to include suggestions on how to pick the perfect gift, but to tell you the truth, I’m really not very good at buying presents generally; the only time I’m ever good is when it’s a woman who likes beauty products, then all of a sudden I blossom into the original shopping guru who can pinpoint the most perfect beauty gift. Therefore, I thought I’d focus this guide on purely beauty products and stick to what I know!
£10 and Under
I really struggled with this category as I think it’s quite hard to find a decent beauty gift for less than a tenner without heading into individual product territory. I’ve therefore only selected 2 gifts for less than £10, but I’ve also included one for just a few pounds more in the next category up.
ELF 32 Piece Festive Eyeshadow Palette
This mega palette of shadows comes in two variants – Cool and Warm – the latter of which is pictured. The Cool option is full of surprising yet “winter appropriate” brights, whereas the Warm palette is a neutral lovers dream. Being a neutral lover, I zoned straight in on this one and I can’t believe it’s just £6! Total bargain.
Weleda Almond Facial Starter Kit
Weleda’s almond range has a bit of a special place in my heart, as it was one of the first kits I was sent during pregnancy to try and combat my crazy skin, which, for the first trimester, was dry, cracking and extremely sensitive. The almond range is soothing, gentle and very kind to skin, so if you’re buying for someone with tricky skin, why not introduce them to this gorgeous range of products. The starter kit is £9.95.
£30 and Under
This was a much more comfortable category to hunt in, as most decent gifts fall into this price bracket and you can happily get a good selection of products in gloriously festive packaging for less than £30.
Murad Hydration and Radiance Kit
I’m religiously using a couple of Murad products at the moment, and have been since I left hospital as I’m staying at my mum’s and being generally rather lazy, so my usual skincare is out of access and the Murad bits I’m using are doing a great job at filling my skincare void. This kit contains a lovely selection of miniatures that make a great introduction to the range, and it includes a sample of their newest launch – the Pore and Line Minimizing Hydrator – which is *amazing* for fussy skin types like mine. This kit is £12.99.
Elemis Indulgent Treasures Gift Set
I couldn’t possibly write up a gift guide and not include something from Elemis now could I? Who wouldn’t want to wake up on Christmas morning to something gorgeous from this brand? You can’t get a lot more pampering than their Indulgent Treasures Gift Set, which includes four amazing products designed for a solid night of R&R for the bargain price of £25.
Real Technique’s Sam’s Picks Brush Set
This awesome edit of brushes from the Real Technique’s range would make an ideal gift for any make-up lover/brush obsessive as it contains six gems that will slot straight into even the most chock-full make-up kit. I’ve reviewed this set previously so I won’t go into another rave about how great these brushes are (and they really are!) but for £29.99 they’re a total steal working out at less than £5 per brush.
£50 and Under
Now we’re on to the final category, which in my opinion is a little more luxury and probably reserved for the most special people in your life. I’ve included four gifts in total, all of which I desperately want, so hopefully they’ll have the same appeal for you too!
NYX “All I’ve Ever Wanted” Box
Honestly, how can anyone not take a moment to just stare at this amazing colour edit? Beautiful shades teamed with everything you could possibly need for a good injection of colour makes this a wonderful gift at just £32. You get 72(!!) eyeshadows of varying finishes, blushers, highlighters, contour shades, lip colours, brushes, a bronzer and a face powder. Just gorgeous.
Butter London Backstage Basics
The Butter London cuticle kit is still one of my all-time favourites, so this selection of nail maintenance products really appeals to me. You get a base coat, top coat, nail file and polish remover, but what I especially love about this gift is the fact that you also add a nail colour of your choice to the set, making it a really customisable gift that any nail fan would be thrilled with, although keep in mind that I think you have to purchase the colour on top of the set, so it might make things a little more expensive. You get the four products for £33.
Nails Inc Message in a Manicure Set
If the sensible basics of the above set aren’t doing it for you, how about this stunning collection of Nails Inc shades complete with nail transfers for bespoke manicures and pedicures? I really think I’d struggle to actually use these products and would instead want to frame it and look at it all day. There’s a great colour selection – definitely something for everyone – and this is a lot cheaper than I expected it to be at £45.
Mac Stroke of Midnight Lip and Cheek Bag in Pink
Mac are “E-VIL” when it comes to Christmas sets as they make them so pleasing to look at that I end up wanting absolutely everything, regardless of whether I actually have any use for the products or not. However, this set of lip and cheek products are all in varying shades of pink, so obviously I would definitely have plenty of use for them all as I’m pink obsessed when it comes to both lip and cheek products. Anyone similar will weep for this beauty, although it’s right at the top of my price bracket at £50.
There we have it! A couple of cheaper ideas, three in the mid-range and four luxury selections to hopefully give you a bit of inspiration for the beauty lover in your life.
*I was compensated to write this post.
love the brushes