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Christmas Gift Guide: Our top 10 gifts for £30 and under
After something more than a stocking filler but don’t have a fortune to blow up Santa’s chimney? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve edited down ten beauty products and collections that we rate no matter what the season, but some have been dressed up fancily for Christmas and look pretty rockin’. There’s also a restful and thought provoking read thrown in here to encourage some hunkering down by a fireside with tea/ G&T in hand during the frantic festive season (wear a sign with ‘zero interruptions’ around your neck for clarity). Let’s call it Christmas mindfulness. Anyway, here they are in all of their glory…
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Charlotte Tilbury Mini Celebrity Lipstick Charms, £29
You might look at these and assume that they’re lipsticks for Borrowers, but bear with me. Whether you tie them to the tree as intended or give them as a gift on the day, the recipient will soon realise that the three Hot Lips within (in richly pigmented red, nude and light pink hues) are far more punchy that their dinky packaging implies. Smooth, precise on application and as long-wearing as the real-deal, these will remain stashed into my clutch for the foreseeable. Tiny trinkets of brilliance.
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Marc Jacobs Night Owl Cracker Makeup Gift Set, £24
There’s no fluff or frippery here- just one of our favorite mascaras of modern times ( see our volumising mascara edit for a detailed rave review ), a jet black, laser sharp black waterproof liquid eyeliner pen and smudgy ebony gel eyeliner crayon. All in miniature, but all classic and brilliant. If you’re umming and ahhing over beauty gift sets, you can’t go wrong here.
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Nars Man Ray Love Triangle Makeup Gift Set, £20
I won’t make any smutty remarks about giving orgasms for Christmas, but if you want to treat someone to complexion enlivening makeup, this miniature Orgasm blusher and lipstick is not only artily packaged but the cheek colour in particular is a goer for most skin tones.
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Ouai to Go, £22
Pleasing pun aside, this chic hair kit will see locks through excessive Christmas party styling (holler hair oil), morning after birds nests (dry shampoo foam at your service), casual drinks dos (wave spray is waving) and turkey eating (hair ties). The set is 100ml travel limit friendly for new year transportation ease, and all three hair products smell awesome, so whenever your giftee wafts their lengths, they’ll think of you. Possibly. Either way, elegant, not overpowering.
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Peter Thomas Roth Insta-Max Mask Kit, £22
The PTR masks are loved by Sunday Facial devotees across the globe for their instantly refreshing, hydrating and clarifying effects, and you’ve got all three skin perks going on in this at-home facial stack. Catering to crater-like morning after pores, dullness and dryness, the Irish Moor Mud Mask, Pumpkin Enzyme Mask and Cucumber Gel Mask are just what the derm ordered if your host got up at 6am to defrost the bird and bossed charades until the wee hours.
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Kiehl’s Kate Moross Christmas Limited Edition Creme de Corps, £28
Kiehl’s Christmas incarnations are always beautifully executed with a vintage vibe, and this jolly take on a bathroom staple will be gratefully received if know a Creme de Corps devotee. If you don’t, it’s one of the world’s best selling body lotions, so any recipient will assume you have impeccable taste. Buttery, fast-absorbing and nourishing, it’s quite literally a balm for winter skin.
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Sukin Love Your Skin Sensitive Skin Gift Set, £25
If you’re buying for a reactive relative (not in that way), this is a safe and calming call. The full sized cleansing gel, moisturiser and night cream are infused with soothing chamomile and aloe, plus the gentle range is suitable for vegans. A three step routine that can’t go wrong.
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Sigma Power Pair, £29
The equivalent of a beauty powertool present, this soft flat kabuki brush and cleaning mat combo offers flawless foundation application and a thorough deep cleanse of your giftee’s entire brush collection in one neat package. The nobbly silicone mat is genius for swirling away makeup and grime, and the petite synthetic fibred kabuki turns its hand(le) to both cream and liquid base. It’s not the most festive of the bunch, but it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
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A Poem for Every Day of The Year compiled by Allie Esiri, £9.99
Sure, it looks Christmassy, but this absorbing tome will have you laughing, crying and reflecting from Boxing Day to Bonfire Night and literally every day in between (there are 366 poems to mull over). Grab a minute’s peace and devour a poem or three, or gift it to a mate or family member who needs a bit of glorious literary escapism. The inspirational Instagram quotes can give it a rest for a bit, methinks.
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Aromatherapy Associates Me Time, £18
On the subject of ‘me time’, this cheeringly illustrated doorway leads to bath and shower nirvana, by way of the Renewing Rose Oil within. A little goes a long way, and a splash in the tub or steam in the shower will clear minds and airways as well as leave skin soft and delicately fragranced.