Gift Guide: The 18 Best Holiday Beauty Gifts

Working in the beauty industry, I basically see every single holiday beauty gift that exists, months before they come out. We're talking hundreds of gifts. So ever since September or so, I've been mentally bookmarking the very best ones, and now, I'm sharing them with you: These are my absolute favorite beauty gifts of the season. They're the ones I'd want, they're the ones I'd give, and they're the ones your BFF, sister, mom, or let's be honest, you are sure to love.

Happy shopping! 

1) Tarte Greatest Glitz Collector's Set and Portable Palette: Every year, Tarte consistently has some of the very best gifts, all with some seriously crazy values. They have a ton of good stuff this year, too, but I especially loved this one because it contains three separate eye and cheek palettes that are removable, so you can throw one in your bag if you need to. All in all, there's 34 eyeshadows, three blushes, a mascara, and a lip gloss, all in a box with a pull-out drawer and a big mirror. It's $322 worth of stuff for less than $50. WHAT.

2) DryBar 'Peace on Earth, Good Hair To All' Set: You get a (really good) pro dryer, a blowout-preserving shower cap (the same one I use!), clips, a round brush, a heat protecting product, and a dry shampoo/texturizer. Basically (and I speak from experience, here), it's a blowout-lover's dream.

3) Kiehl's Creme de Corps Whipped Body Butter: The cult favorite body cream gets all dressed up for the holidays in limited-edition packaging designed by Costello & Tagliapietra. (Seriously, have you tried this stuff? It's so rich--like frosting--but not at all greasy.)

4) Sonia Kashuk Four-Piece Starstruck Brush Set and Rising Star Brush Cup: Allow me to let you in on a little secret: Sonia's brushes may be sold at Target, but they're just as good as the super expensive ones. I honestly don't know how she does it, but the quality is ridiculously good and she also manages to make them pretty. And pretty brushes are fun! This limited-edition brush set and its coordinating brush cup are done in gold glitter stars. I couldn't love them more.

5) Charlotte Tilbury Mini Lipstick Charm Set: I remember there were audible squeals in the beauty-editor-filled room when Charlotte introduced this adorable set of three teeny lipsticks with beautiful rose-gold-and-beribboned packaging. Totally the cutest thing ever.

6) Fresh Rose Face Mask: Fresh makes some of my very favorite masks. They are the ideal combination of luxurious and effective. This one now comes in a limited-edition jar decked out with a gorgeous design by artist Jo Ratcliffe.

7) Tocca John Robshaw Candle: One of my favorite home textile designers has designed a line of candles for Tocca. Perfect marriage of delicious scents (this one is a tropical pineapple-pomegranate combo) and killer packaging. 

8) Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy Set: I love the graphic, colored tubes, and the price is niiiice. (Even nicer if you give them out individually as stocking stuffers!)

9) PMD Microderm Pro Device: Microdermabrasion is one of the most effective and most frequently recommended in-office treatments for improving fine lines, dullness, and texture. It really works, but it requires consistent sessions, so it can get really expensive, really fast. This home device essentially recreates the exact treatment at home. It's not cheap, but if you love microdermabrasion, this basically pays for itself in just a couple of treatments.

10) Harry Josh 2-in-1 Ceramic Marcel Curling Iron: Harry Josh is a super talented hairstylist (he's responsible for the heaven that is Gisele's hair), an amazing human being (I've known him for years and he's always so generous and sweet), and turns out, he's also a freaking genius. He invented this iron, which is just so, so smart. You can use it as a traditional clamp iron for defined curls, or slip the clamp off to transform it into a wand iron for a more relaxed, beachier look. 

11) Sephora Liquid Luxuries Sephora Sampler: Sephora has done a version of this gift set for the past few years and it's always one of my favorites. Since fragrance is so intensely personal, it's always tough to buy it for another person. Enter this box, which comes with samples of 15 of Sephora's most popular scents and then a certificate for the recipient to bring into the store and redeem for a full-size bottle of her favorite one.

12) SK-II Butterfly Edition Facial Treatment Essence: Yes, it is expensive, but it's almost entirely made up of the pricey, mega-antiager Pitera, which moisturizes and boosts cell renewal like crazy. People (with really, really great skin) absolutely swear by this stuff. Plus, the bottle has butterflies on it! ;) (If you want to try the less-pricey, butterfly-free version, here you go.)

13) Mary Kay Sheer Dimensions Powder in Pearls: I'm all about a great highlighter--especially one that's embossed with a pretty pattern. Love that this one isn't overly sparkly and has a flattering pink tint.

14) Stila 'Sending My Love' Set: Stila makes some of my all-time favorite makeup, so I was immediately drawn to this pretty gold-and-purple box loaded with five eyeshadows, plus an eyeliner, highlighter, blush, bronzer, and lipgloss.

15) Deborah Lippmann 'Roses in The Snow' Nail Color Duo: This comes with two full-size polishes--a pinky-nude and a sparkly rose--that you can wear alone or layer. The snowy/wintery box is so pretty, too.

16) Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick Palette: Smashbox makes some of the most creamy, long-wearing, downright awesome lipsticks. This palette comes packed with 25 of their best colors, plus a lip brush.

17) Diptyque Oliban Scented Candle: Show me one person on this planet who says they don't love Diptyque candles and I'll show you a liar. I always fall hard for the holiday editions--they're so freaking chic.

18) Marc Jacobs Decadence Fragrance: Yes, I know I just said that it's hard to buy fragrance for other people, but this one is by MARC JACOBS and IT'S SHAPED LIKE A PURSE. So, kind of foolproof, no? It's also got a great, very sexy plum-jasmine-woody scent going on, but really, that may be beside the point, because...IT'S SHAPED LIKE A PURSE.

What's your favorite beauty gift here? And are you going to get it for a friend...or yourself? Tell me below!

Don't miss my other gift guides: the best gifts for little girls, little boys, and book lovers, plus the hottest holiday toys and what's on MY holiday wish list. 

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