Beauty Shelf: Gift Guide

The perfect cleanser, lip balm, candle, brush, bath oil, and hair towel to gift. Plus why I'd steer clear of gifting make-up.

Dec 05, 2023

Beauty gifts are tricky to get right. There are colour and formula preferences, skin tones, skin types (including sensitivities to certain ingredients or products), and existing routines to navigate.

The gift-giving principle - nabbed from Hannah Louise Poston - I set out a couple of weeks ago is perfect: buy the most exquisite version of a thing someone already uses and loves. Not the thing they never knew they needed. Not the trendy item. The safe bet, but the best of its kind, the one they’d never buy themselves.

Make-up

I’d warn against gifting make-up. Colour cosmetics are so tied to personal preferences - what’s the chance of choosing the shade of lipstick, blush or eyeshadow someone would choose for themselves, and therefore the shade they’ll actually love and wear? - and people often have wildly varying preferences for other products like mascara, setting powder, and primer.

At Christmas time, brands attempt to address this by packaging up a collection of fan favourites, or the same product in a few shades, in holiday kits. But those kits mostly feature dinky minis that don’t exactly evoke ‘the most exquisite version’ of a thing; they’re often cheap-feeling, plasticky bits that’ll likely end up in the bin or swimming about in the back of a drawer. (Note: I’m talking specifically about make-up sets here; skincare kits often offer better value, and I recommend cleansing and candle sets below.)

Instead, what about a gorgeous makeup brush? Rephr and Sonia G make the softest hand-made Japanese brushes that will last forever with the right care. You can’t go wrong with a multi-purpose shape that could work for a variety of steps, like Rephr’s Brush 04 or 05 (all brushes are 50% off right now, including the excellent sets such as the Flagship Brush Set for USD$39) or Sonia G’s Mini Base (foundation, concealer, cream blush, bronzer or highlight; I own this one), Cheek Pro (bronzer, blush, powder), or Master Face (bronzer, blush, powder; I own this one).

Another option: A high-quality makeup bag, like this one from Status Anxiety or one of the great options from Etoile Collective.

Skincare

Another highly-personal category, stick to safe bets like a cleanser or lip balm. My top pick is the most luxurious cleansing balm I’ve ever tried: Elemis’ thick, melty, gentle, effective, sensorial Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm. It’s one of the best examples of the loveliest version of a thing.

The holiday set - a trio of different scents - is excellent; the ‘minis’ aren’t small, and it’s better value for money than the full sized balm. I’m currently working my way through the final tub from last year’s set.

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At a lower price point, Go-To’s Juicy Gel is the best gel cleanser to wash your face with in the morning and/or use as a nightly second cleanser. The texture is perfect and the scent makes me look forward to using it.

Finally, I will always recommend the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask - the original Berry is the safest choice unless you’re confident your gift-receiver would prefer another flavour. The holiday sets, especially this one, are genuinely excellent but currently out-of-stock online at Sephora, so check in-store.

Candles

I bought a Le Labo candle with a birthday voucher this year, after spending years wondering how good a $136 candle could possibly be, and refusing to fork out $136 of my own money to find out. As it turns out: really good. The throw - ie how much you can smell the candle when it’s both lit and unlit, and how far it ‘throws’ that scent - is impressive, it burns evenly, and the personalised labels are a special touch. I’ll clean out the glass vessel and use it to hold makeup brushes when I finish burning mine.

The discovery set would make a gorgeous gift. Or for a scaled down candle-related gift: a luxe snuffer, candle care set (this is very well-priced), or box of matches.

Bath

I take my baths very seriously. For years, I was loyal to the perfect bath oils from an independent Southern Highlands business - the range of scents, strength of scents, nourishment, and price were all spot on. Then the brand went out of business. I stocked up on the final bottles scattered at stockists around Sydney, and meted out the doses.

This year, I’ve been on the hunt for replacements. Most bath oils are expensive, make hardly any difference to the bath/your skin, and/or smell like nothing once they hit the water. The Soap & Glory Bath & Shower Oil and Bath Milk are nice, well-priced options (great Friendsmas/teen/stocking stuffer gifts), and the L’Occitane bath products are lovely but fairly expensive for what they are.

Then, a few weeks ago, I stumbled across Sunday Rose and I couldn’t believe my eyes: after years of searching, here was another little Southern Highlands brand with bath oils in the same bottles as my old favourites, for the same price ($29). The scent options were different, but similar.

I bought six online and sure enough: they’re just as good. I wonder if they took over the old brand (the business name and branding is different). Regardless, I am genuinely ecstatic. As someone who spends many, many hours a week in a bathtub, these oils are important to me.

All the scents are lovely, but I especially like The Highlands, English Pear, and Teak and Orange. They are the perfect gift - the flowers or fruits suspended in the oil are beautiful. The candles are also great, and the gift sets look lovely.

Hair

An Aquis Hair Wrap cuts down airdrying time, absorbs a lot of moisture, and lasts for years and years. I’ve used mine a few times a week for a decade, and it’s noticeably better than cheaper dupes.