Christmas 2018 – Beauty gift guide

Now if like me you spend hours in the drugstore looking for a new shampoo and testing all the sunscreen consistencies this beauty gift guide is for you! Loving all things beauty isn’t vanity, for many people, it is simply a way to take time for themselves and relax alone. Some of those gifts may be exactly what your stressed partner or your sleep-deprived new mum friend needs. Trust me, you will score brownie points with anyone who deserves a bit more self-care.

1 – Pretty Iconic by Sali Hughes

My first beauty gift is actually a book! I am a self-confess skincare addict yet I am helpless when it comes to a smokey eye, so I had to learn to look decent with minimal makeup effort. A big part of my love for beauty products is the educational and scientific aspects it involves. If you want to look decent but cannot afford a team of professionals to help you, you need to do your homework and Pretty Iconic by Sali Hughes is a perfect place to start!

Sali Hughes investigated generations of beauty products and compiled the creme de la creme into a very detailed book. You will learn the story of each product, how it works and how to use it. Pretty Iconic is the encyclopedia of beauty.

2 – Real Techniques makeup brushes

As I mentioned above I am not that great at makeup, I like to keep it as simple as possible and even then I need help! Being a sucker for a good tool, I am addicted to the Real Technique makeup brushes. They are affordable and good quality!

My personal favourite is the Real Techniques Expert Face Makeup brush which I use almost every day to apply my concealer. They also do great essential brushes packs which would be a great gift option for anyone who likes to wear makeup.

3 – Lush bath products

I touched on it at the beginning of this post, in today’s lifestyle many of us do not take nor have the time to relax alone for a minute. It could be a 2019 resolution: dedicate more time to relaxation and self-care. Now, nothing screaming more ‘blissful relaxation’ than a hot bubble bath. Last year I told myself I would make time for one bath per month, no more as I (we!) also have the environment to protect and showers are much better for that. Well, guess how many baths I had in 2018? Four. Yep. Four.

However, I made them count with the help of Lush bath bombs and oils. Their products are fun, relaxing and environment-friendly! Self-care for you and green-care for the planet!

4 – Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette

Unfortunately, I am not the owner of gift number 4, the rather famous Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette. However, people who have been lucky enough to try it rave about it! It is very expensive but the quality of the powders is amazing, giving you a Photoshop-like natural glow and each pan lasts for ages.

I have one of their highlighters and I feel like a beautiful unicorn each time I use it, so I can only imagine how bronze-goddess-like it must feel to use more of their products.

5 – Clarisonic facial brush

I proclaimed my love for the Clarisonic facial brush many times before. In fact, I even dedicated an entire blog post to review my trusty 6-year old Clarisonic. It is expensive but it works and will make anyone who takes their skincare routine seriously very happy.

The Clarisonic facial brush is perfect if you want to treat someone special and I would recommend it to anyone who may have a challenging skin or is preparing for a big event (wedding?). Regular usage will improve the skin texture and tone and the device last for years so it is a good investment.

Need more gift inspiration? Here is a travel gift guide and an interior one.

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