GIFT GUIDE 2016: Beauty Gifts!

by - November 30, 2016



I thought about giving each of the categories of Skin Care, Hair Care, Bath & Body, and Fragrance their own posts, but I felt like that would only encourage me to get way too out of hand with my picks for each category so I streamlined everything and chose either things that I've tried or things that either have a phenomenal reputation or have been highly recommended to me by people I trust. Sounds good, right? So if you want to check out my picks for each of these categories, keep reading!




In my opinion, the #1 best gift any skin care lover could get this season is the Sunday Riley Power Couple Duo Total Transformation Kit, which includes their Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment and their LUNA Sleeping Night Oil - by far the most highly praised products from the brand. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!

For me, I think you really can't go wrong with the First Aid Beauty Winter Skin Savers set, because it's good for all skin types, gentle, and will pack a huge punch of hydration for winter skin that definitely needs some more TLC. Perfect.

Next I chose the Origins Prep & Mask Set for two reasons. First, I love all three of the masks included here and I genuinely think that they're great skin care options. Second, I think a mask is a very pampering step in your skin care and some of the best gifts are the type that encouraging pampering yourself.

You guys know that VICHY is one of my favorite skin care brands of 2016 and it was actually really hard for me to choose which of their gift sets to highlight, but I found myself pretty firm on choosing the VICHY Aqualia Thermale Light Gift Set* because I think that any added hydration for winter is a huge plus. And because I know that all three of the products included are absolutely great!

Again, it's all about pampering. I think the Dr. Jart+ Masking All The Way Sheet Mask Set is a really great gift idea - whether you give it all as one or split it up and give a mask or two to all of your skincare loving friends - because there's something about a more luxurious sheet mask that is just lovely to lay back and enjoy using.

When I was thinking about a larger, high end skin care set, my mind went straight to Clarins. For me, Clarins is a brand that never lets me down and always feels like something really special, which I think is important when it comes to gifting. I chose the Clarins Holiday Beauty Piece Collection, which does include a skin care and makeup products, mostly because I know I would love to find this under my tree.

Finally, I went with the Paula's Choice RESIST Travel Kit for Normal To Dry Skin* because I think it's a great gift to share with someone who maybe isn't as into the beauty community and isn't familiar with Paula's Choice. The RESIST line has consistently impressed me and this is a line that I think is perfect to share because it has such consistent results.


Bath & Body gifts are pretty common around the holidays, but I wanted to choose some that I think are above and beyond those big sets you might be seeing everywhere at the moment. 

First, I chose a set from one of my personal favorite lines for this type of product, which is the Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Sleep Lather & Lotion Set in Lavender Vanilla. I love the products from B&BW Aromatherapy line and this is by far my favorite scent to use in the evening when I'm trying to relax. Pamper. Always pamoer.

Next, I chose the Philosophy Two Piece Fresh Cream Holiday Set because I feel like you almost can't go wrong with the Fresh Cream scent. Even friends of mine who are pretty sensitive to scents love this one and can't get enough of the products. Philosophy puts out some really great holiday products, but this will always beat them out for me. 

Everyone's heard of the Bum Bum Cream lately, right? Well, I've stuck my nose into that jar more times that I can count and the scent just gets me every time - and to boot, it's been really, really highly recommended. The Sol De Janeiro Brazilian Beauty On The Go Set includes the coveted Bum Bum Cream as well as the Brazilian Kiss Cupuaçu Lip Butter, a great pair!

So... If you've read this blog pretty much ever, you had to know this was coming. The L'Occitane Shea Butter 5 Piece Set includes some of my absolute favorite products ever - with the best scent in the world. I swear, I'm obsessed with L'Occitane Almond products and think it's a perfect gift for any occasion. 

Finally, the ACURE Organics Aromatherapeutic Argan Oil Set includes 3 different aromatherapy argan oils in the scents Citrus Ginger, Coconut and Rose and can be used all over the body for hydration and fragrance that will help to influence your mood. Did I mention pampering? PAMPERING!


Can we talk for a moment about the $500 Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer? Because... it's a $500 blow dryer. I mean, I feel weird recommending it... but this is a beastly gift if you've got someone in your life who loves their hair - and the budget to pick it up. I had to include it, if only based on its beastliness. 

A little less of a beastly kit, but still pretty spendy and interesting, is the Let It Blow! It's DRYBAR To Go Set, which claims to be the Ultimate Travel Essentials Kit and includes a blow dryer, detangling brush, 2 clips, shampoo, conditioner and a travel pouch. Again, for the hair lover, I think this is a great gift idea.

A little less spendy for the hair lover is the living proof. Perfect Hair Day Travel Kit, which contains 3 products that I absolutely love - shampoo, conditioner, and styling treatment. Such a great little kit.

... Can we tell that talking about hair is not my forté? Hmmph! Moving on!

The JULEP Royal Suite Gift Set is SO gorgeous and I feel like any nail lover would be happy to be gifted this. JULEP really knows how to do a holographic polish and this set includes 6 gorgeous shades of holographic nail polish is a really great formula.

The AMOPE Manicure Gift Set is a great option for the nail lover who likes to do their own manicures at home. It includes the buffing tool, a cuticle oil, and a carrying pouch that's great for travel as well! In the past, AMOPE has really impressed me and I suspect this set will be no different.

Finally, another great option to either keep together or split up among giftees is the Kiel's Three Piece Hand Cream Set, which includes the scents Coriander, Lavender and Grapefruit. Kiel's hand cream is very, very good and one that I would definitely recommend.


When it comes to fragrance gifts, I feel like it's best to go with options unless you're picking out something you already know she'll love, so I mostly went with sets that include a lot of different options. One note I have, though, is that you should definitely be careful when buying fragrance for someone to be sure that they don't have a sensitivity to fragrance, because that can make for a pretty shitty gift.

First, I chose the Beauty Boutique Fragrance Sampler, which I've received as a gift in the past. What's great about this is that you get samples of several perfumes and a voucher to go and get a full size bottle of your favorite. The selection of fragrances is great and I really think it's a good bet that she'll be able to find a favorite in this set.

Next I went for one that I think is a pretty damn good bet, which is the CLEAN Reserve Travel Spray Layering Trio. CLEAN fragrances are really impressive to me in that they're so soft and... well, clean that I've never met someone who really doesn't like them. I also like that these are small spray bottles rather than rollerballs... but that's just preference.

The next set I chose is one that I actually have never smelled or even seen in person, but it was so fascinating to me that I wanted to highlight it. The 7 Virtues Custom Blend Box is a set that allows you to create your own fragrance using essential oils ethically sourced from countries that are trying to rebuild after war or strife. I love the idea of a really beautiful gift from a company that is doing something good for the world... and I think a lot of people will like to receive that gift as well. 

The only gift I chose for this section that isn't a part of a wider set for this list is the Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black Gift Set. The reason I chose it is really simple... I love this scent and I have yet to talk to anyone who doesn't love it as well. This set, which includes an Eau De Parfum, Hand Cream, and two clutches, is just really lovely... And if anyone is looking for what to buy me for Christmas, here's a wink and a nudge.

The reason I chose the Atellier Cologne Necessaire Nomad III set is because I've been so overwhelmingly impressed with everything I've smelled from Atellier Cologne so far and a few of my favorites are in this set. There's something so rich and layered about each of these fragrances, making them feel truly unique and really, really interesting. These fragrances are definitely one of my favorite discoveries this year and I just wanted to share.

Finally, another set of some of my favorite fragrances of all time and something I'd absolutely LOVE to find under my tree is the Tokyomilk Dark Fragrance Wardrobe Discovery Kit. This set contains 6 bottles of favorite Tokyomilk Dark fragrances - and I love 'em all. If the person you're buying for likes rich, dark, sexy fragrances I think this could be a really good bet.


Ahhhh buying for guys is a pain, isn't it? Or is that just me? I know that all of the men on my list are some of the most difficult for me to buy for, but I went through and picked some skin care and fragrance gifts that I think would be perfect - especially for the guy who isn't quite sure how to take care of his skin.

The only fragrance I chose is actually really a selfish choice. I chose the Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb Haute Couture Edition because this scent is just exactly what I want my guy to smell like - and the bottle is really, really cool on this one. I just love the scent of it that much. So really, my recommendation is to buy your guy a fragrance that you think he'll like and that you want him to smell like.

A couple of years ago, I picked one of these sets up for my boyfriend and he loved it, so I had to include The Art Of Shaving Unscented Initiation Kit. This kit includes Pre-Shave Oil, Shaving Cream, and Aftershave Balm as well as an old school shaving brush, and the quality on all of the products is really, really good!

I went for the Origins Best Of Both Worlds Travel Set for two reasons. The first is that I love Origins as a brand and I think the quality is really at gift level - and it includes the Drink Up Overnight Mask, my all time favorite Origins products. The second is that this really isn't a gendered set, which I love.

I decided to go with the Foreo Ultimate Grooming Kit For Men because I really wanted to include a tool in this gift set and I think the Foreo is a great one, particularly for a guy who maybe isn't really used to an intense skin care routine. This is the spendiest in this list, but I think overall quite impressive.

Like with the women's skin care gifts, I wanted to include a Paula's Choice product in this list, so I went with the PC4MEN Travel Kit, which really does include everything that he needs for his skin care routine and gives him a chance to try out a bran he might not be familiar with. I do believe my boyfriend will be getting this set under the tree this year!

Finally, I chose the Beauty Boutique Men's Grooming Sampler because I think this is a great way to give a guy in your life the chance to try out some products, choose his favorite, and pick up a full size of the one he likes the best. This set includes products from Biotherm, Clinique, Clarins, Shiseido and Lancome so he'll have some options of really high quality products to choose from!


Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd there you have it... This selection of beauty gifts was really fun for me to choose and I really do think there are some great options for everyone from the beauty newbie to the hardcore beauty junkie on this list!

Happy gifting and thanks for reading!

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