If giving gifts to loved ones makes you feel all fuzzy inside, then getting a good deal while doing so will only sweeten the deal. The festive season brings with it mini versions of beauty items, bundle offers and special edition sets, all of which make perfect presents. The Beauty Beat has compiled some of the best festive gift sets that will help you get more bang for your buck.
1. Tarte’s Treasure Box Collector’s set is both gorgeous to look and extremely good value. The set has everything you need for a full face of glamorous make-up — a 24-piece eyeshadow palette, blushes, bronzers and a highlighter. There is also a storage compartment with a full-size eyeliner and travel sizes of mascara and lipstick. Dh295 at Sephora.
2. The NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream Vault is a lipstick lover’s dream come true. It contains 24 of the brand’s best-selling shades and 12 new colours; that’s 36 shades from peachy tones and beige nudes, to hot pinks and vampy reds. Dh350 on glamazle.com
3. Laura Mercier’s Bisous Lip Glace collection is so cute, it could double as baubles on a Christmas tree. This set comes with five lip glosses that have a high shine and are ultra moisturising. Shades include Rosegold Accent, Wildflower and Cosmic. Dh239.
4. Skincare brand Murad’s Joyful and Radiant Kit is sure to impress a beauty enthusiast without much effort. The gift box contains three of the brand’s Environmental Shield line that protects skin against free radicals, pollutants, and environmental aggressors — Essential-C Cleanser, Advanced Active Radiance Serum, and Essential-C Day Moisture SPF 30. Dh430 at Areej.
5. One of our favourite body care brands of the year, Prismologie, has released an adorable festive kit with travel-sized items. The box contains five hydrating products — the Ruby and Cedarwood invigorating body scrub, the Jade and Vetiver restorative hand exfoliate, the Diamond and Neroli purifying body cream, the Rose Quartz and Rose comforting hand cream, and Sapphire & Oud relaxing foot cream. Dh120 on prismologie.com
6. The Practically a Pro gift box from Bloomingdale’s is sure to make the beauty know-it-all in your life very happy. It contains some amazing products such as the Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture palette, Lime Crime Velvetines lipstick in Sasha and the By Terry Stylo-Expert Click Stick. You can forgive yourself if you don’t know what any of those things are; but take it from me, this is worth the splurge. Dh959 at Bloomingdale’s.
7. I love a good mini and the Show Beauty mini finishing spray and dry shampoo are both great stocking fillers. They will surely become handbag staples, perfect for whipping out before the office Christmas party. Dh90 at beautysolutions-me.com
8. Make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury’s high-end and classy beauty line was made to be gifted and the Beauty Icons kit even more so. It contains mini version of the Magic Cream, Full Fat Lashes mascara, Wonderglow primer, a lipstick in Penelope Pink and the iconic Lip Cheat liner in Pillow Talk. Love it! Dh325.
9. One of the best gifts I ever got as a teenager was an acrylic box with pull-out drawers and secret compartments full of make-up. It was from a discount store, and probably not the best quality. Rest assured Sephora’s Into the Stars Palette — with 130 shades for the eyes, face and lips — is a much better choice for the budding make-up lover in your life. Dh199 from Sephora.
10. No make-up collection is complete without the extremely popular Beauty Blender to pull it all together. This festive gift set is a steal as gets you one original Beauty Blender and three others in shades of pink and purple. It also comes with a cleanser sample and a crystal holder that can be used to perch the sponge on to dry. Dh260 at Sephora.
