Christmas Beauty Gift Guide 2018

Christmas is just around the corner and if like me you tend to leave present buying to the very last minute, that festive cheer can very quickly turn into present buying panic and the potential to get things seriously wrong, especially if the recipient is super hard to buy for, or in the habit of buying everything they want for themselves. Luckily enough though, beauty brands do Christmas gifting like no other, making it impossible to fail!

Not only that but their Christmas offerings are so good you’ll want to get them for yourself too. From stocking fillers to bells and whistles splurge worthy sets, this year is no exception and there are some fabulous well-edited gift sets that are guaranteed to put a smile on the face of your loved one this Christmas morning.

Here is my round up of possible pressies that not only look fantastic but they’re (usually) easy to wrap and there’s something to please everyone, be it the skincare junkie, the makeup fanatic or the beauty newbie. And not forgetting the men, I have some of my favourite grooming essentials from skincare to beard prep! Stocking Fillers Nuxe Christmas Cracker – Far more appealing than a paper hat and cheesy joke, this indulgent cracker features miniature sizes of Rêve de Miel Face Cleanser, Face Cream, Hand & Nail Cream and Huile Prodigieuse, a luxurious, heavenly scented dry oil infused with subtle skin-enhancing golden shimmer that replenishes moisture and leaves your skin with a sensuous lustre €12

The Body Shop House of Berry Bon Bon Delights Gift Set – The Body Shop is always a hit, especially with teens and tweens and the Winter berries scent is all things Christmas. Inside this cute woodland cabin box, are two fruity zingy treats, Berry Bon Bon Shower Gel and Berry Bon Bon Body Butter along with a Bath Lily (great for cleansing and exfoliating) €14.50

Clarins Festive Treat Cracker for Eyes and Lips – Two essential makeup products for anyone’s handbag. This has a miniature size of ‘Supra Volume’ Mascara and ‘Instant Light’ Natural Lip Perfector in 01 Rose Shimmer €15 This Works Sleep Tight Bauble – Give the gift of sleep this Christmas because, let’s be honest, none of us are getting enough of it! Housed within a Christmas bauble are three miniatures of their bestselling Deep Sleep Pillow Spray, Sleep Plus Pillow Spray and Stress Check Breathe In, a soothing rescue remedy to help you breathe more easily and calm your senses. All three work together to reduce the effect of stress in your day and to improve the quality of your sleep at night €16

Benefit Confection Cuties Holiday Gift Set – This comes wrapped and ready-to-give in a delicious cake-inspired tin. The set contains travel-friendly sizes of Benefit’s bestselling face primer, volumising brow gel and curling mascara. What more could you need! €19.50

NYX Professional Makeup Limited Edition Sugar Trip Lip Treats – With it being the season of mistletoe, pucker up with this ultimate indulgence for all lip lovers. This fab NYX limited-edition set features a Lip Scrub, Lip Balm and Lip Oil. Simply buff lips to perfection using the scrub, then treat them to plenty of extra TLC with the soft balm or silky oil €19.50

Vita Liberata Luxurious Tan Gift Set – For those who love the skin kissed look, this luxurious gift set contains two of Vita Liberata’s best sellers – their fabulous tanning mousse, to give skin a deliciously moisturised lasting bronzed glow and their award-winning Body Blur Skin Finish. Also, in the set is a Super Soft Gold Tanning Mitt. Natural and certified organic approved extracts are key to their formulas, which offer a conditioning skincare treatment that not only tans but gives you a flawless skin finish that combines natural looking colour, velvet soft skin and long-lasting hydration. Added bonus – the gift bag can also double as a luxury make up bag €29 Splurge Worthy Sets Clarins Pampering Body Gift Set – May your Christmas bloom with this indulgent pampering collection containing Tonic Bath & Shower, Tonic Body Balm, Exfoliating Body Scrub and Tonic Body Oil all presented in a festive blossoms beauty pouch. This would be perfect for anyone’s Self-Care Sunday ritual. The Tonic range refreshes the senses with the aromatic essences of Geranium, Rosewood, Mint and Rosemary. It’s divine, leaving your skin satiny soft €59

Beauty Subscription Box – These are the gifts that keep on giving far beyond Christmas. If you’re trying to find something for the beauty fanatic/newbie then either of these would will get the thumbs up! Glossybox is a monthly subscription box that brings you the very best beauty products with new brands, the latest product innovations and some old favourites too.

Each month you will receive five products delivered to your door. Starting at €14 (plus P&P), they offer a one, three, six or 12-month subscription. Another one for those who love natural and organic skincare is The Natural Skincare Emporium Beauty Box, again, a beautiful box of four/five 100% natural and organic beauty goodies delivered every month. Choose one, three, six or 12 months of beauty discoveries. The boxes are fully recyclable too. From €19.50 including delivery.

West Cork Beard Company Gift Box – The perfect gift for the bearded man (my husband being one!) This is a very attractive gift box containing a choice of two beard oils to moisturise and nourish and a peppermint and tea tree Beard Balm to gain control of those flyaway beard hairs €38

Clinique Custom-fit Daily Intense Hydration Skincare Gift Set – For the man in your life, a set of customized formulas to keep even the driest skins feeling smooth and comfortable anytime, anywhere. Non-drying Charcoal Face Wash draws out pore-clogging dirt and excess oil, while the luxurious Cream Shave provides a rich buffer against razor drag and nicks. A full-size, ultralight Maximum Hydrator delivers a 179% moisture boost for instantly plumper skin that lasts a full 24 hours. The perfect everyday kit for the man who likes to use skincare €45 bareMinerals Meteor Shower Makeup Set – I have recently started using bareMinerals makeup and I’m completely smitten with their collections, especially the Gen Nude Range. This gift set of their best-selling eye, lip and face products will take you anywhere! With complexion boosters for a radiant, rosy glow, a palette of 6 day-to-night Gen Nude eye shadows, a mascara for fluttery volume and a high-shine lip lacquer in the most flattering shade, you’ve got celestial beauty all wrapped up in a chic cosmetic pouch €60

Charlotte Tilbury The Gift of Magic Skin – I think we’d all like this one under the Christmas Tree! This gift set claims to make all your superstar skin wishes come true. This travel skincare kit has portable sizes of her world-famous moisturiser Magic Cream, enriched with Peptides and Hyaluronic Acid to help create a gorgeous glowing complexion, Magic Night Cream, a luxurious cream with my favourite skincare ingredient, retinol to help you wake up with the best skin of your life and a full sized Magic Eye Rescue to nourish your delicate eye area for a more youthful looking skin €65 (worth €132 so a great saving!)

Pestle & Mortar All I want for Christmas Gift Set – Buying skincare gifts for people can be tricky unless you know their skin type really well and you know what type of products they like to use. I tend to steer clear of this type of present however Irish brand Pestle & Mortar have put together a combination of products suitable for all skin types to combat dullness, reduce fine lines, calm the complexion and maintain optimum skin hydration. I think it’s safe to say we’d all like to receive this beautifully presented set. Containing Balance Facial Spritz, Recover Eye Cream, Pure Hyaluronic Serum and Hydrate Lightweight Moisturiser. While it’s most definitely the splurge end of gifting, it’s great value at €89, considering the recommended retail price is €119.00.

Happy Shopping!! Sherna x