GIFTS FOR THE SKINCARE LOVER
Lux Aestiva Jade Roller and Wildflower Oil, $115
Any skin care lover worth their salt will know about facial rollers but if they don’t? This is the one to introduce them to. Made of jade and with an incredibly soothing amount of weight to it, the Luxe Aestiva roller is the king of rollers. The concept of these babies isn’t new. They’ve been around in Chinese skincare routines since the 7th Century. Benefits include the fact that they stimulate the lymphatic system thus reducing puffiness and inflammation, tightening pores (especially if it’s nice and chilled when you use it), helping to reduce fine lines and assisting with pesky dark circles. And if you use with Lux Aestiva’s dreamy Wildflower oil you’ll be giving your skin a moisture, cellular renewal and circulation boost that feels simply divine.
Salt By Hendrix Lip Butter, $19.95
This one makes for an excellent stocking stuffer. Filled with a touch of colour and goodies such as shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter, argan oil, jojoba oil and vitamin E to name a few, this lip butter will ensure your lips are always silky smooth and ready for serious pouting. (Although it IS Christmas so you better not pout cause Santa Claus is coming to town).
Ole Henrickson Glow Brightly Radiance Boosting Super Set, $69
If you know someone who loves to glow, this limited edition set from Ole Henrikson ticks all the boxes. It includes their famous age-defying brightening Truth Serum, C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème (0.5oz), Banana Bright Eye Crème (0.25oz) and Goodnight Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Crème (0.25oz), this kit is worth much more than the sticker price and will literally brighten someone’s day (and skin).
Vice Reversa Microneedling skin fix patches, from $39.95
Those who love being at the forefront of new beauty trends will adore receiving these skincare gems. With origins in the K-Beauty space, these patches are targeted skin solutions which utilise innovative, dissolvable microneedles to deliver skin-saving ingredients to deeper layers of the skin (where they can help the most!). Think getting rid of fine lines, plumping skin and nixing pimples.
Hop & Cotton personalised skincare, from $58
What better present for someone who wants to take care of all their skin concerns than a skin care routine custom made just for them? You might need to purchase a gift card for this one because the lucky recipient of this gift will have to fill out a skin questionnaire so their products can be completely tailored to their needs. The best part is that instead of a billion products for each concern, the good skin fairies at hop & cotton just put all the good stuff you’ll need into a basic three-step routine so YOU can be lazy while your minimal products do all the hard work.
GIFTS FOR THE MAKEUP MAVEN
Bobbi Brown Highlight and Glow Highlighting Powder Duo, $130
When it comes to luxe makeup, Bobbi Brown continues to deliver with their gorgeous Christmas ranges. This highlighter duo is certainly no exception. Featuring gorgeously glittery packaging, and creamy smooth, highly pigmented powders, any beauty lover would jump for joy at finding this under the tree.
Charlotte Tilbury’s Magical Mini Brush Set, $95
Anyone who regularly reads my columns will know I’m a little bit obsessed with Charlotte Tilbury and when their Christmas collection comes out, you better believe I want to try it all. I was super impressed by their offerings this year, especially their Magical Mini Brush Set. Featuring her signature crimson and gold brushes in a glittery goddess style case, these are a must for any lover of makeup and travel. Brushes include a blush brush, eye blender brush, eye smudger brush and a lip brush. I get such smooth and even coverage from these brushes that I will recommend forever. Get in quick though because this will sell out. (Honourable mention goes to the CT Luxury Palette of Pops eyeshadows featuring a quad of highly pigmented glitter shadows to make any festive look pop. Because SO SHINY).
Benefit Vanity Flare Nude Eyeshadow Palette, $59
Your makeup loving mate will be able to create all the most stunning neutral eyeshadow looks with this one-stop-shop palette. Featuring the perfect selection of everyday nude shades, this palette is highly pigmented and ideal for creating those striking yet subtle alluring eyes for all occasions.
Eye of Horus Velvet Lips Collection, $38 each
I’m a sucker for a good lippy, and boy does this collection from Aussie brand Eye of Horus deliver. Lipstick lovers will fawn over the creamy, nourishing formula and dreamy pigmented colours available in this matte range.
Tarte Pineapple of my Eye Collector’s Set, $84
Sure it might not be the most compact of makeup palettes but goddamn it’s festively fun in an Aussie tropical way. This pineapple-shaped offering features a bevvy of Tarte’s famously bright and bold shadows in 24 new colours; two Amazonian clay blushes; a bronzer; a highlighter; Sex Kitten Eyeliner and a Lip Rescue gloss. It’s basically all your makeup lover giftee could ever want in one convenient, and cute as hell set.
FOR THE TIME SAVERS
Original Flat Lay Co London Bag, $43
Where has this been all my life? Anyone who has more than 1-2 items in their daily makeup rotation will love you forever if you get them this gift. Forget rifling through your cosmetics bag to find the one thing you need, and winding up dumping all your products on the floor and possibly messing up your space in the process. This handy bag uses a drawstring function so all you need do is loosen the string and voila! You have a circular mat on which all your makeup is visible at once. Choose what you need, do your thang, and then cinch it back up again, no tidying required. It’s the ultimate in a new category of products I like to call Luxe Lazy Girl Beauty.
Silke London Hair Wrap, $78
Did you know that tossing and turning against pillows that create friction on your hair is responsible for loads of annoying hair problems? Think thinning hair, frizz, split ends and breakage. Enter the Silke London Hair Wrap. This super glam turban-like wrap protects your precious tresses from all that bedtime damage. Get ready for strengthened and lengthened locks that are silky smooth… literally!
Vanity Collections Makeup Storage, from $27
For the makeup addict who has way too much product and nowhere stylish to store it. Vanity Collections features some of the most gorgeous storage solutions, from acrylic palette holders, to draw dividers, to makeup stands and brush holders. You can even get cosmetic cases to transport makeup in style. The makeup obsessed person in your life will thank you endlessly for this chic way to organise all their pretties.
FOR THE BEAUTY TECH LOVERS
Glimmer & Glow Lumiere Mirror, $219
Do you really want to impress the makeup lover in your life? Then get them the gift of light surrounding their own stunning reflection. The Lumiere Mirror by Glimmer & Glow has super bright lights with colour changing function (from warm to cool) to ensure perfect application every single time. It’s the perfect size to be portable but also to give you a high tech way to improve makeup skills and take amazing selfies.
Foreo UFO Smart Mask Treatment, $395
When it comes to skincare, the beauty lover in your life will know all about facial masks… but do they know about the 90 second Mask Treatment from Foreo? This little hockey puck-shaped device delivers all the benefits of a 20-minute sheet mask in record time, with the heating, cooling, vibrating and LED functions helping to infuse all the goodies much further into the skin than traditional treatments. This is the ultimate luxe gift investment for anyone who loves to take care of their skin but is time poor.
NuFACE Express Skin Toning Kit, $292
This mini facial toning device gently stimulates the surface area of your face and neck to improve facial contour and tone while improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. And this special limited edition rose gold incarnation is so darn pretty it’s hard to look away. Dipped in 18k rose gold, this is the ultimate in on-the-go facial toning equipment. The set also includes a Prep-N-Glow cloth to remove all makeup and impurities and exfoliate in preparation for the treatment. It also comes with a 24k Gold Gel Primer to prime the face to receive the current, with super luxe gold flakes for added firmness, and a stylish clutch. I’ve reviewed one of these devices previously and can honestly say that regular use has improved the firmness and tone of my skin, almost like a mini facelift! (See the review here.)
In her spare time, she likes long walks down the makeup aisle and performing in Brisbane theatre. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and TikTok @thebeautypalate.
