When it comes to making gift giving easy and, dare we say, even fun, beauty brands have it in the proverbial gift bag. The holiday season is when cosmetic companies package their wares festively, often with a few bargains thrown into the mix, as products are creatively grouped. It can be an economical way to give extravagantly to a loved one or try out some new offerings for yourself. Here are a few suggestions to make this year’s gift giving merry and bright.
The Scent of Christmas
Jo Malone has reissued their Ginger Biscuit cologne from the 2013 Sugar & Spice collection just for the holiday season. Encased in a luxurious, limited-edition amber-hued bottle, this spicy, seasonal scent features ginger as the top note, warmed by a base note of tonka with accents of vanilla and almond.
$225 for 100 ml, $46 for 10 ml travel size | www.sephora.com
The Luxe Factor
Though the brand is offering this collection only with a $150 Estée Lauder purchase, the aptly-named Holiday Blockbuster is curated for the luxury beauty aficionado. The stylish, cranberry red bag is stuffed with a range of Estée classics and limited edition offerings: Advanced Night Cleansing Gelee, Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex, Revitalizing Supreme + Youth Power Creme, a seven-shade eyeshadow palette, two limited edition lipsticks, and one limited-edition lip gloss, among others.
$115 with any $150 Estée Lauder purchase | www.esteelauder.ca and major airports.
Light Up the Holidays
The Silk’n LED Face Mask is an in-home spa treatment that helps combat signs of aging, heal acne, and revive dry skin. By emitting different wavelengths of light, it offers unique benefits for the skin. Simple to use and mess-free, the mask delivers a professional spa facial at home.
$299 |www.silkn.ca
Holiday Shine
Kérastase’s newest collection is all about achieving silky, smooth, shiny locks. The Gloss Absolu Holiday Travel Set boasts a limited-edition Bain Hydra-Glaze shampoo, Insta Glaze conditioner, and the Glaze drops for glossy tresses at home or away.
$97.60 ($122 value) | Kérastase.ca, Sephora.ca and select Kérastase salons
Glam Glow
Perfect for those who want to create a glamorous look all year round, the Watier Prisma Donna collection set features a nine-color eyeshadow palette, an essential face palette complemented by a lip gloss in the Lumière stellaire hue.
$130 ($157 value) | www.shoppersdrugmart.com
Christmas Cheer
Celebrate the holidays with these cocktail-inspired lip balms. Omy Laboratories brings tasty relief to your lips with this shiny trio of Negroni, Paloma, and Punch flavors.
$49.99 |https://omycosmetics.com/
Lovely Locks
Ideal for reviving all hair types and styling needs, the Moroccanoil Treatment Stocking Stuffer is available in both original and light formulas. Tuck one into a favorite one’s stocking or into your on-the-go bag.
$27 for 25 ml |www.sephora.com
Citrus for the Season
This sumptuous Josie Maran body-care collection includes travel-sized Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter in Topless Tangerine, Sugar and Argan Oil Body Scrub in Topless Tangerine and the Fine Fragrance Mist in Topless Tangerine.
$57 ($79 value) | www.sephora.com
Glam GalorE
Benefit’s Glam Cube advent calendar is a 24-day smorgasbord of beauty treats from across the brand’s collections—think brows, lashes, cheeks, skincare, and a few stylish accessories thrown into the mix. Imagined for Benefit fans or those wanting to sample it all.
$201 ($440 value) | www.sephora.com
Festively Packaged
This limited edition set of Water Drench Cloud Creams from Peter Thomas Roth is both skin and budget savers. Two full-size day and night creams are formulated with 30% Hyaluronic Acid Complex along with Pentavitin® ingredient technology to boost hydration for up to 72 hours.
$73 | $162 (value) | www.sephora.com
Revival+ Ultra-Nutrition Set
Marcelle’s value-packed Revival & Ultra-Nutrition set features a hydrating and firming skin care regimen for mature skin. The set includes anti-aging day cream, anti-aging night cream, retinol and probiotic night serum, and moisturizing cream cleanser—all of which are hypoallergenic, fragrance-free and paraben-free.
$59.99 ($101 value) | www.marcelle.com
Holiday Travel Buddies
Henry Rose, the environmentally friendly fragrance brand co-created by American actress Michelle Pfeiffer, has value-paired two of their popular scents for this holiday season—Flora Carnivora (8 mL) and Dave EDP (10 mL). Dave’s notes—Chantilly Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Cocoa Shell—are warm and spicy, while Flora’s notes—Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Vetiver—are floral and fresh.
$68 ($103 value) | Exclusively at www.sephora.com