The Ultimate Gift Guide For The Beauty-Obsessed In Your Life

Whether you’re on the hunt for a Secret Santa present, a stocking filler or something bigger, you’re likely to have your work cut out selecting a perfect gift for the beauty enthusiast in your life.

From makeup and skincare to nails and hair, it’s a minefield out there. So we’ve taken the effort out this year to make an exhaustive list of the ultimate beauty goodies from all the best brands. This is actually what I, R29 UK’s resident shopping writer (someone who tries and tests products all year long) would actually buy. We’re talking Charlotte Tilbury, Trinny London, The Ordinary, Glossier, and much, much more across a wide range of budgets.

Has your giftee been complaining about the price of salon manicures? Treat them to a 10-piece set of high-quality OPI polishes in the season’s top trending colours, from berry reds to milky neutrals, and including the viral fave, Bubble Bath.

Anyone who has ever been on Beauty TikTok knows how major this gift is. It includes constantly sold-out Beauty Light Wand highlighter/blush in a mini size, mini Lip Cheat lip pencil, mini Collagen Lip Bath lip gloss and full-size Matte Revolution lipstick, all in the brand’s iconic shade Pillow Talk for the perfect, shimmery, nude-pink glow.

Phlur is a household name for fragrance lovers, but unlike the viral Missing Person Eau de Parfum, Father Figure is still a little more under the radar — and under appreciated, according to R29’s beauty editor, Megan Decker. It’s a vibrant green scent that plays between notes of fig, cassis berries, sandalwood, orris root, Madagascan vanilla, musk and patchouli to create a lush, lightly sensual fragrance.

Augustinus Bader is big bucks beauty for good reason: It’s science-backed stuff that really works, earning a spot in many a beauty editor’s own bathroom cabinet. With this set, your giftee can try out a full routine (and several brand bestsellers) without you totally breaking the bank (or at least, compared to the eye-watering prices of the full-set products).

Penhaligon’s Luna Eau de Toilette is the perfect mid-winter scent. It opens with spicy and zesty notes of orange, lemon and bergamot and finishes with a warming, woody-floral heart and base of rose, jasmine, balsam fir (yes, the tree traditionally used as Christmas trees!), musk and ambergris. Our shopping writer compares it to her dream December day: Waking for a crisp winter walk before heading home to bake orange slices for a DIY garland and burn her favourite spiced candle, all while singing along to carols. Plus, the ribbon-adorned bottle will look beautiful on any dressing table.

Waxing appointments can get expensive. With this pain-free, at-home IPL device to hand, you never have to shell out for a torturously painful session again. Our shopping team has given it the seal of approval, having tested the Lumi from chin to leg.

Freezing temperatures, damp conditions and aggressive central heating can exacerbate frizz and flyaways, but sleek pillow cases like this satin pair can help reduce them significantly.

We love these because, unlike other cream glitter makeup, Glossier’s formula is super fine and buildable so you can easily alternate between a natural glow or an intense sparkle, whether you’re using it on your eyes, lips or cheeks.

Trinny London’s stackable skincare, which is tailored to your skin type, is worth the buzz. In this kit, you get everything you need for glowing, hydrated skin: Better Off (an exfoliating AHA gel cleanser), Boost Up (30% vitamin C serum), Reveal Yourself (an AHA exfoliant) and Bounce Back (a peptide moisturiser).

This Works has combined two of our favourite things in one product: its dreamy sleep spray scent (a mix of lavender, chamomile, patchouli and vetivert oils) with the magical mind- and muscle-relaxing properties of sea salt. Pour into a hot bath for the ultimate TLC evening.

Calling all uncoordinated curl lovers, you can finally get the big, bouncy hair of your dreams without all the arm ache and confusion. The Wavemaker sucks your hair in and curls it for you so all you need to do is hold. We love that the barrel is clear so you can see when the hair is ready to be released.

Of course, not everyone can justify £150 on one hair tool, which is why we’ve included a similar rotating device from Revamp which is £90 cheaper and is highly rated (it has a 4.7 out of 5 star rating and over 140 reviews on site).

TikTok is all over pheromone perfume with wearers claiming to fend off attention when wearing it. The science behind pheromone scents making others more attracted to you has been found to be inaccurate by experts, but Liquid London’s For Everyone is still an enticing scent that we can’t stop reaching for. More so because, like other “skin scents” (musk-heavy perfumes that smell like you but “better”), it’s an everyday fragrance that is equal parts creamy, salty, warm and clean (as we said, like your skin just emphasised). Fans of Glossier You, £57, take note. 

Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush is a brand bestseller, loved for its intense pigment, long-lasting colour and blendability. It also lasts for ages (a little goes a long way). Mini versions of this product are a great idea, especially when you’re getting two matte blush shades: Wisdom, a mauve plum, and Virtue, a soft terracotta, plus two Positive Light Liquid Luminizers in Magnetize (a light gold) and Transcend (a rose gold).

Ever since testing Blink Brow Bar London’s at-home brow tint kit, it has become one of our favourite brow brands, especially for its Clear Brow Gloss and Ultra Slim Definer, both of which made our best brow products list. (You can find them in this handy gift set.)

Though we may have tried and tested plenty of dupes, we always come back to the original. Drunk Elephant’s D-Bronzi Drops is our go-to for creating a faux sun-kissed bronzed glow, even in the middle of winter.

With notes of ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, caramel, roasted hazelnuts, tonka bean and vanilla, Jo Malone has made a fragrance that’s sugar, spice and all things really, really nice. In fact, it smells so good you’ll want to eat it. Spritz on your wrists, your hair, your scarf, around your room — everywhere you want to bring some warming seasonal cheer.

Designed for curly hair of varying thickness, this brush has a fanned-out design and flexible bristles. Together, they help gently untangle knots and lessen frizz without pulling at delicate strands. It also helps to evenly distribute product (even on wet hair).

Ever since testing this out, I’ve been obsessed — it’s like a tall glass of water for dry and dehydrated skin: Intense moisture with a cooling sensation that feels really nice after a long day being blasted with central heating.

If your hair is lacking in the curl department and you’re too lazy to faff around with a curling tong, Mermade has got you covered. Simply twist damp hair around the silk-covered rods and you’ll wake up with mermaid-worthy beachy waves.

When in doubt, you can’t go wrong with a Body Shop gift set. This one includes everything needed for nourishing dry skin: a shower cream, body butter and a hand balm made with organic, virgin coconut oil from Samoa and shea butter from Ghana. Both are sourced through The Body Shop’s Community Fair Trade programme.  

While the bigger size of this fan-favourite is often sold out, you can still score the mini size, which is perfect as a stocking filler. It’s a mix between a primer and a highlighter. It has a light, gel-like texture that melts into the skin instantly (thanks to all the water in the formula: 75%) and it offers the skin a smoothing, lit-from-within, your-skin-but-better gleam that’s super natural. You can either wear it alone for a makeup-less look, under foundation to boost the glow or on top of your base as a highlighter. For a more in depth review, read our Saie deep dive here.

While certainly more expensive than your typical mascara, for those in the know, Vieve’s Modern Mascara is worth it. Fans rave about its separation and staying power, as well as the lack of flakes, smudges or dark marks around their eyes, even after a long day of wear. Plus, the gold bottle looks and feels luxurious. Perfect for gifting!

What’s the point of treating them to all this lovely makeup if they can’t set it in place? Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray is a beauty industry fave for good reason — it’s ultra lightweight, soothing and moisturising, and is designed to make your skin feel better thanks to the aloe vera and Japanese green tea infused into the formula. There aren’t many celebrity makeup kits without this in them. And if you feel it isn’t very exciting a gift compared to the rest of the list, Charlotte Tilbury’s beautiful packaging feels ultra luxe.

No matter how much you love your manicures, it’s always easy to forget to treat and hydrate your nails, especially on the go. Now, with this in your bag, you never have to lie to your manicurist again.

This is the perfect gift for the lash lover in your life. Maybe with three full-sized and one travel-sized tubes of Benefit’s bestselling mascaras, they’ll give up their falsies for good?

Giving the Dior Addict Lip Oil, £32, a run for its money is e.l.f. Saving you £24, this unassuming tube offers glossy hydration and a sheer, natural-looking tint to your lips.

Skincare lovers know how annoying washing your face can be. It’s easy to find yourself drenched, water streaming down your arms and into your hair (especially annoying if you have a fringe). With a headband and arm bands made from towelling material, your can nip that problem right in the bud (and do a Flashdance tribute in the bathroom mirror at the same time).

Fenty’s innovative cream-to-powder formula creates dazzling, lightweight and buildable shimmer and is available in a range of shades designed for all skin tones. What’s not to like?

For a lip balm that really feels like it’s doing something to your lips, try Pleasing Big Lip. It’s infused with cayenne pepper to give a tingling, plumping feel, while shea butter, coconut, jojoba, sunflower oils and beeswax nourish and hydrate. Plus, the really big applicator is super satisfying to quickly swipe on.

Three of The Ordinary’s best-loved products in miniature sizes that I bet any beauty fan would be keen to open, whether they’re a beginner trying to build up a routine, or a pro stocking up their bathroom cabinet.

I personally hate the sensation of lip gloss if its too sticky so this sparkly lip balm which gives lips a pearlescent sheen is the dream. I’m not alone in loving MAC’s limited-edition offering — it’s already gone viral on TikTok.

For the friend who never leaves the house without a scrunchie on their wrist, “just in case”.

Prada’s Paradoxe is a constant favourite for its light, delicate floral scent that feels modern and fresh.

This feels like velvet on the skin, it’s so smoothing. I’ve definitely seen a distinct change in how my makeup looks with this underneath. It lasts longer throughout the day and lends a subtle glow.

For a luxe, at-home spa feeling, you can’t beat having your own facial steamer, especially one as compact and easy to use as this (I can easily slot this away in my tiny bathroom cupboard). Skincare is said to absorb better and I’ve definitely found it easier to extract the gunk from the pesky blackheads around my nose (sorry).

Talking about luxe, at-home spa vibes, this is the perfect gift for the skincare lover who already seems to have it all. Herbar is all about mushroom-powered and adaptogenic beauty, which is why its gua sha tools (stones used to relieve tension and increase circulation) are shaped as mushrooms. Available in tiger’s eye, dalmatian or calcite, they could also work as home decor. To use your ’shroom gua sha, in the 360 Set, you’ll receive the brand’s popular adaptogenic Face Oil, Face Nectar serum and pouch of Skin Pearls (supplements packed with fungi and botanical extracts).

Sol de Janeiro mists are constant bestsellers, not only because of the affordable price points, but also its dreamy scents. No. 62 is the same fragrance as the brand’s cult-favourite Bum Bum Cream: A warm and tropical blend of pistachio, almond, jasmine petals, sandalwood and salted caramel accords that really is summer in a bottle.

This travel-friendly haircare kit it our deputy beauty director Jacqueline’s go-to for holidays. It includes everything you need for your daily cleanse and conditioning, plus deep conditioning and hydrating treatments for sun-fried or chlorine-damaged hair.

A trio of pout-plumping essentials and a mirror from the one-and-only Jennifer Coolidge? She who has given us so many iconic lip-pursing roles for the last two decades, from Legally Blonde and A Cinderella Story to The White Lotus? This really needs no explanation from us — you need it and you know it.

Rich and enticing, you’ll want to keep coming back for more of this gourmand scent, which is a blend of sweet vanilla and praline, warm and spicy saffron, and earthy, sensual oud. It’s like an intense combination of two bestselling Kayali scents, Vanilla Royale Sugared Patchouli and Yum Pistachio Gelato.

For the hot cocoa lips, you can’t beat Glossier’s Limited Edition Balm Dotcom in — what else? — the shade Hot Cocoa. I love the new packaging, too. The smooth, rounded-edge applicator is a definite upgrade to the last squeeze-end tip.

Winter is a time to upgrade your self-care, and whether you’re buying for a loved one or treating yourself, an oil diffuser should be high up on your list. Technically this isn’t a beauty tool, but I've been using mine religiously every night as I do my evening skincare. With this filling the room with delicious fragrance (I love Neom’s new Christmas oil range and especially the Cosy Nights blend) and a few candles flickering, my bathroom feels like a little bubble of calm and serenity, which is a must when battling the winter blues.

From nourishing hair masks and soothing hair serums to every single type of brush you could ever think of, this gift set is truly a hair lovers dream.

This is the ideal treat for anyone starting a natural beauty or plastic-free journey. It includes a natural, refillable deodorant, nourishing body wash bar, and comes packaged in a recycled washbag.

Often, neutral or earth-toned eye palettes are warm toned. Huda Beauty’s Pretty Grunge palette takes inspiration from the ’90s with a selection of cool-toned matte, shimmer and multi-chromatic foil shades designed to be layered and blended up into cool, smokey designs.

Plumping lip glosses that also nourish and hydrate your lips? Yes please. Sets like this are great if you’re putting together multiple stockings or your own mix-and-match gift sets.

For good quality, simple skincare that won’t burn a hole in your pocket and does away with the extra frills of packaging, additives, or fragrance, we love The Inkey List.

A good makeup artist is nothing without their tools and the same can be said for at-home beauty novices. Set them up for success with an eight-piece set that comes in a very handy tin to store them in.