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Holiday Gift List 2020

Here are my suggestions for your 2020 Holiday Beauty Gift List! They range from luxe to budget friendly gifts. In this guide, I've included a mix of products from the major beauty retailers in Australia (Sephora, Mecca Cosmetica/Maxima, and Priceline). Overseas, they can be found at Sephoras and other major retailers. I haven't included prices as prices differ from country to country.


They are beauty centric, because I just love beauty products and I think most people do too. Both ladies and gentlemen appreciate great self-care/self-pampering products. It is a lot easier than buying a toaster or a clothing item.


So my list is divided into:

  • Advent Calendars

  • Luxe Makeup Gifts (I consider anything from Sephora and Mecca Cosmetica/Maxima as "LUXE" or "High End")

  • Skincare Sets

  • Fragrances and Home Fragrances

  • Beauty Accessories

  • Stocking Stuffers

I hope you find some inspiration from this guide. A thing to note, 2020 and COVID19 has put a lot of people out of jobs/income. SO, this is a very trimmed down version of my past Christmas guides. Ideally, choose brands that have partnered with charities like The Body Shop. That being said, if you can afford, I think the gifts I have picked out below will bring a smile and loads of appreciation from your loved ones.


Holiday Gift List 2020


 

ADVENT CALENDARS


Advent Calendars are great. They are fun to open and a great way to discover a range of products from the brand. Some that I recommend are the Body Shop ones, Mecca Max, Kiehl's, Fresh Beauty and By Terry. Though most calendars are meant to be opened from 1 December, I'm sure they are still welcomed as Christmas Gifts.

 

LUXE MAKEUP GIFTS



Just a few picks of what I call Luxe Makeup Sets. I love anything by Hourglass, NARS, Urban Decay, By Terry, Becca, It Cosmetics and Anastasia Beverly Hills. Also who can pass up on a super pack of Beauty Blenders? No one, they are ex compared to copies BUT SO MUCH BETTER!




Too Faced always comes in top with super cute sets.




Laura Mercier is another LUXE brand that I like and this year, they have gone with a different theme: "Ballet à Paris Holiday Collection". Think soft tones and pastels. It is a pretty collection.


From palettes to limited edition packaging for their translucent setting powder, you can pretty much gift the whole lot and get loved for the next 12 months. Shop it here: https://www.lauramercier.com/ballet-%C3%A0-paris-holiday-collection/



As you might know, I am a huge fan of Bobbi Brown. It was the first makeup brand I ever tried. I had to look professional for my first job out of University and I chose Bobbi Brown because the brand was one of the first to have foundations for Asians (and others of ethnic background i.e. non-white).



There are gorgeous palettes and sets to choose from. What I like about the collection is not just the gorgeous packaging, but also that the colours are all very wearable for day and night. Shop the Bobbi Brown Collection here: https://www.bobbibrown.com.au/



For my vegan friends who love makeup, I like to turn to Tarte Cosmetics. You can always find something lovely from Tarte. They offer everything from eyeshadow kits to skincare kits. It is a good brand and the quality is consistently good (I'm never disappointed by Tarte. They work well for me). Shop them here: https://tartecosmetics.com/en_AU/home




Other brands I would recommend are Fenty Beauty, Nudestix, Pat McGrath!




Huda Beauty also has a huge range of sets. I highly recommend the Nude Light Obsessions Kit and Nude Medium Obsessions Kit. These kits cost less than the actual palette on its own. Shop Huda Beauty at Sephora or Huda Beauty.com

 

Skincare Sets


Skincare sets are also a really great way to go if you are familiar with the skincare concerns of the giftee or if your giftee is just a skincare junkie (as a lot of people are these days). Skincare sets work for both Women and Men. Everyone loves good skin!




I've picked the above skin sets based on reputation of the brand and value for money. My picks are:



IS Clinical is a new brand that I have just gotten acquainted with. They have two great sets.

1. NEW YEAR SKIN CLEAR: The brands best-selling products to reveal your glow RRP $325.00

Benefits:

Gentle, effective cleansing with mild exfoliation

Diminishes the appearance of uneven skin ton and blemishes

Helps revitalise the appearance of aging skin

Cool, soothing hydration


2. TRIPLE CLEANSE: A luxurious spa-worthy cleansing experience RRP $175.00

Benefits:

Gentle, effective cleansing with mild exfoliation

Powerful botanicals help to refine and balance skin

Helps to hydrate and protect the skin barrier



Of course, I can't leave out my beloved Murad Skincare. These products have such great actives and they work really well. You can shop these cute gift boxed sets at https://www.murad.com.au/holiday-gift-guide




Of course, Queen of the skincare/selfcare sets would be The BodyShop. Anything and everything is lovely and certainly would be appreciated. I did a separate article on the Christmas Offerings from The Body Shop which you can read here. Note, as with prior years' they have teamed up to donate a portion of sales proceeds to a charitable purpose. Read more about that in my separate article (click here).



 

Fragrances and Home Fragrances



I find myself turning to Jo Malone on a yearly basis for Christmas gifts. It is just too easy. They have a great Christmas collection this year. Colognes, candles, diffusers, bath oils and more. Plus the scents are all unisex. So when I git a couple, they get excited ("oh two new scents for us to share!").



This year, there are special edition bottles in an art-deco inspired designs. The roasted chestnut candle is SO good.

You can shop them at https://www.jomalone.com.au/

They do gift wrapping and custom engraving as well.



I love Nest Fragrances (more affordable) and Maison Francis Kurkdjian (Ultra luxe). For candles and home scents, Diptyque and Fornasetti are fabulous too.



Glasshouse Fragrance has really knocked it out of the park this year with their Christmas Collection. The scents are so yummy and generally around baked Christmas treats.



Click above to see the A Tahaa Affair candle with Spinning Carousel in action. It is a vanilla and caramel scented candle.



 

Beauty Accessories


The FOREO UFO is such a cool gadget! It combines heat and cold and LED treatment to add to the masks that you use it with. The FOREO Bear is for firming and lifting. Shop FOREO here (https://www.foreo.com/). Their cleansers are also super cool and you can choose a specific one according to your skin type.



Featured above is my collection of beauty gadgets. FOREO is well represended as you can see. Others that I would recommend are The Hitachi Hada Crie (continously updated there is a newer model now that I have linked), Skininc Optimizer Voyage Tri-Light++ and the Finishing Touch Flawless Facial Hair Remover.


The advancement in technology these days make these gadgets worth it due to the multiple functions that they have.

Hair Styling Tools

Another gift that I am sure to please would be hair styling tools. Dyson Hair is the leading name in hair styling tools, especially the hair dryer (above I have the limited edition gold leaf version) and the Dyson Airwrap. More affordable tools can be found at Hot Tools and of course, the wondering DAFNI Allure - this is the original comb style ceramic styling tool of which there are many copies. Trust me, go with the original, the DAFNI. I've tried copies and none can compare. The DAFNI ALLURE is the gadget at the bottom. It is rechargeable. There is also a corded version.


There is now a limited version of the Dyson Airwrap in Copper. It is SO pretty! The one I have is the fuchsia and silver one. This version also comes with a very handy carrying case. You can shop Dyson Hair at: https://www.dyson.com.au/



Other cool gifts that fit in the accessories range are MAKEUP BRUSHES. Besides ZOEVA's brushes, I really like Mecca Max's affordable brush range (here in a special Christmas set) and the It Cosmetics Brushes. I first discovered how good they were about 5 years ago and haven't stopped since. Super soft and easy to clean. The Beauty Blender is the best sponge out there, so if you are gifting, I suggest splurging on the original beauty sponge.




It was the year of the pearl hair clips... I mean, styled well, hair clips add a special something. Here's my little collection. I bought most of mine from Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie.


The Body Shop gave me a set of hair pins that I just needed to highlight here. These are so cool and empowering.

Silk pillow cases are the almost like the nom de guerre of luxe these days. Above is the latest in silk pillow case technology. This is a silk pillowcase that is going to change your life if you suffer from acne. Ethically made, environmentally friendly, hypoallergenic and made for all skin types using zero chemicals, this works with the use of 22 Momme 100% Mulberry silk and anti-bacterial natural silver ions to help maintain skin’s moisture, treat acne and give your skin a natural glow. A WORLD-FIRST, this silk pillowcase helps eliminate 99.7% of acne causing bacteria in just 30 days and it lasts for up to 18 months (with the appropriate care).

The Silvi Pillowcase is available in a standard and king size for $89 each and is available to purchase from www.mysilvi.com



Another brand that I rely on for silk pillow cases is Slip Silk. They have an extended range of silk eye masks and even silk scrunchies. The packaging is always on point and the quality is excellent. They even have silk face masks! You can shop them at https://www.slip.com.au/



 

Stocking Stuffers


Stocking stuffers are EASY. Depending on your budget, there are just so many choices now. Above are just some of my picks. Some of them also serve as Christmas tree decorations (value for money). I like the ones that come as Christmas Tree decorations, you cover your tree in them and let guests pick which ones they want. So fun.


 

So I hope you enjoyed this article and found it useful.


I'm pretty much on my social media platforms in some way or fashion 7 days a week. I hope you enjoyed this review.

我希望这篇文章有用！ 谢谢你的阅读。 我几乎每天都在社交媒体上，所以请订阅我的社交媒体平台！


You can find me at:


Do follow me on my Instagram @teacupofmakeup_luxe, I do loads of demos and vlogs on there



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