If you’re still scratchin’ your noggin for just the right gifts, think beauty and bliss! Here’s our annual picks of favorite beauty sets and spa-inspired gifts for everyone on your list!
Gifts of Practical Beauty
Got a beauty hound on your list? Give her a gift that appeals to her feminine side but comes with a dose of practicality.
For the organizationally challenged: Soho Beauty Cases, $9.99 to $29.99 at Target. She’ll love the fun of getting her beauty stash in order with these totally feminine, totally affordable beauty cases. Available in various sizes, colors and patterns.
For the perfect “do” obsessed: Zoe Polka Dot Hair Dryer, $29.99 at Target. Cute, lightweight and perfectly adorable, these dryers come in other fun colors with matching flat irons also available.
For the gal who loves to dabble: Value-packed boxed sets from Sephora, $15 to $52. Inspire her creative side with the Sephora Color To Go Red Edition, Tarte The Jewelry Box, Sephora Beauty In A Box: Sparkle Till Dawn or Urban Decay Decay Beauty In A Box.
For the ultimate glamour girl: Claudio Riaz Double-Sided Brush Collection Set, $950 at Barneys. It’s the one, the only makeup brush collection for the true beauty snob. Each brush is painstakingly shaped to the contours of a woman’s face by celebrity makeup artist Claudio Riaz himself. At select Barneys New York stores and barneys.com.
Gifts of Body Bliss
Spa kits, baskets and collections, oh my! You’ve got a lot to choose from (and that’s a bad thing because?) so look for products that capture the recipient’s passions and personality.
For the tree hugger: Indulgence Set or My Little Spa Experience, $21-$24 at Wembé Amazonian Soul. Pure, simple and fiercely eco-friendly soaps made from plants and certified organic ingredients from the Amazon rainforest. Individual soap cubes are perfect little stocking stuffers (starting at $7 each). Available at wembe.com.
For the farm girl at heart: Smooth as a Duck’s Butt Gift Handcrafted Burlap Tote at Farmhouse Fresh, $11 with handpicked products inside. Suggestions: Whoopie Cream Shea Butter for Body, Splendid Dirt Mud Mask and Nectar Bath Pure Whole Milk Soak, $20 to $30. Even the rough-and-tough tumbled gal in your life needs a little TLC and she’ll have an absolute blast with this line of fun-loving face and body products. Buy it at farmhousefreshgoods.com.
For the purist: Eight Body Wash & Moisture Ginger Lime Gift Set, $60. Created from a recipe handed down from a savvy mother to an innovator daughter, the eight core ingredients found in these products work in synergy to soothe skin and senses. Available at eightbodymoisture.com.
For Type As (and Bs and Cs): Lifetherapy Chill Collection Set, $143. Truly the ultimate gift for the lovable yet tightly-wound gal in your life, this mood-driven line invites the recipient to embrace life and just chill. Collection includes ultra rich body creme, pulse point oil roll-on perfume, hydrating body lotion and everyday hand creme. Get it at lifetherapy.com.
Gifts for Home Indulgence
Think of as candles as an impersonal gift? Think again! Candles can capture a mood fitting for even the moodiest of people on your list. Show your thoughtfulness with these illuminating beauties. All candles available at select Barneys New York stores and barneys.com.
For the drama queen: D.L. & Co. Black Dahlia Candle, $35. When lit, this deep amethyst scalloped glass candle sets a dramatic mood with hints of black pepper, jasmine absolute and amber.
For the diva: Tocca Cleopatra Candle, $36. Delicate notes of cucumber and grapefruit create an atmosphere fit for a queen.
For the city slicker: Barneys New York Fire Island Beach Candle, $45. Notes of oaks, pine needles and holly spiked with scents of the beach take the receiver far, far away.
For the entertainment diva: Byredo Parfums Bakers’ Guild, $65. Thank her for throwing one rocking holiday party with the aromas of orange, star anise, ginger and clove bud.
For the sensitive artsy type: Joya Orange Blossom Musk Candle, $48. A Barneys exclusive, this candle speaks to the art appreciator through a captivating base created by ceramic design artist Sarah Cihat. The organic candle fills a room with the scent of honey suckle with undertones of orchid and honeysuckle.
For the beach comber: Le Labo Calone 17 Vintage Candle, $60. Think sea breezes with hints of amber and geranium, all captured in a vintage tin holder. All it needs is a bow!
For the woman who deserves fresh cut flowers every day: Editions de Parfums Un Gardenia la Nuit, $140. Cracking the candle mold, this artful piece was created under the nose of fine perfumer Frederic Malle and is so strikingly accurate in its scent, you would swear someone was holding a fresh cut bouquet of gardenias under your nose. Comes in a fire red, bullet-shaped base with no logo or distraction from the heady scent. More on Frederic Malle home fragrances.
