Festive spending tips: how to make your December pay last till January
December 18th 2019
Whether you’re shopping for friends or family, looking to spend £15 or £100, we’ve got all budgets covered in our Christmas gift guides this year. We’ve already brought you our favourite stocking fillers and gifts under £30 and next in our series, are the best gifts around for £50 and under. From Urban Decay to Trinny London, these are the products we’d recommend clicking ‘Add to cart’ on.
A good lip balm is a skincare staple for many all year round, but come winter, lips can be in need of a more intensive treatment to help bolster their defences. Enter this smoothing, plumping and nourishing treatment from Omorovicza to provide a seasonal upgrade to a tin of Vaseline or pot of Carmex. Containing conditioning ingredients such as shea butter, eucalyptus oil and hyaluronic spheres to smooth and re-hydrate, it feels cooling and ever so subtly tingly to serve as a treat when used on its own, or as a nourishing base for lipstick or gloss.
When it comes to beauty brands that appeal to a wide range of different skin types, Pai never fails to deliver in our experience. A favourite among the sensitive, the combination and the oily in the GTG office, there’s just reason for why this gift set’s wangled its way on to many of our Christmas wish-lists. Featuring its Camellia & Rose Gentle Hydrating Cleanser and Cloth, Chamomile & Rosehip Calming Day Cream and Rosehip BioRegenerate Oil, it contains a calming cocktail of daily essentials to suit pretty much anyone.
There’s nothing trickier to buy for someone than fragrance in our experience. However, this 5-piece set from Penhaligon’s makes for the perfect way to cover all tastes and perfume penchants. Containing 5ml bottles of Halfeti, As Sawira, Empressa, Oud de Nil and Lothair in its beautifully designed Christmas box, the collection houses a variety of notes that reflect the exotic ingredients that passed in and out of London’s docks at the end of the 19th century. Think rum, silk, spice and tea - it’s inspired by exploration and encourages the same scent-wise, in whoever receives it.
MAC’s Snowball Holiday Collection really is a feast for the eyes and its comprehensive stick, gloss and liner kit could hold the secret to a long lasting red lip. Containing the cool red matte Hooray for Holiday Lipstick, Joy to Enjoy Lip Glass and Kiss Me Quick Pro Longwear Lip Pencil housed in a stunningly designed shattered glass effect makeup bag, it takes the stress out of creating a statement pout this party season.
A planner that’s created to help when life doesn’t quite go to plan? It’s quite the revelation and yet, it makes perfect sense. Giving the traditional diary a modern day twist, it encourages a sense of empowerment, fun and proactivity in those who write inside it thanks to additions such as a fear journal to identify the things holding you back, pocket-sized pep talks for when you need some instant reassurance and colouring-in pages and reward stickers to help take the seriousness out of your to-do list. Plus with each planner purchased, you’ll get an invite to creator Kerry Lyons’ secret Facebook community, a free-from judgement space in which you can share and vent with people going through similarly stressful and uncertain life stages. It’s made our blank-paged journals look pretty prehistoric in comparison.
If you’re shopping for a mama-to-be, the gift of a restful night’s sleep is the stuff of dreams. And while this won’t perform miracles, this set of treats for bed and bathroom will certainly help make the journey to some shut eye a whole lot smoother. For weary heads, a few sprays of the pillow mist will suffice; for bellies, a generous slathering of the brand’s award-winning Tummy Rub Butter will help moisturise and protect; and for bath, the set’s Bath and Shower Oil will soothe tired limbs. Sounds blissful for both bump and mum.
Trinny Woodall’s new makeup range made a huge splash when it landed last month and its stackable, cream-based products make for a really handy way to pick ‘n’ mix your way to the perfect gift. Dubbed ‘the ultimate face-framer,’ the Drama Queen Stack’s highlighter/contour combo makes for an effective way to soup up anyone’s sculpting skill set.
Ideal for the fitness fan in your life, this box of goodies helps to fuel both body and mind. From nutritional snacks to anti-fatigue body washes and water bottles, it features a wide range of different workout boosting pick-me-ups month on month. There are two options available: either a subscription (£29) or a Trial Box (for £32). While the contents of the former are kept tightly under wraps until it arrives on your doorstep, it’s a surprise worth waiting for judging by the wide spectrum of brands featured in its previous boxes.
This 7-piece limited edition collection of base, eye and finishing brushes and sponges contains all the tools needed to expertly define eyes and emphasise features. Containing a new Bronzer Brush, Contour Brush, Domed Shadow Brush, Shading Brush, Smudge Brush, Miracle Complexion Sponge and Miracle Eraser Sponge (designed to mop up eyeshadow fallout and mascara flakes - genius!), they’re also incredibly soft to the touch too.
Filled with 20 new metallic eyeshadows ranging from brights to neutrals, this impressive palette of eye-catching foils provides a full spectrumed assortment of colours to give eyes a high shine edge. Creamy in texture, immense in colour payoff, it’s equal parts glam and practical.
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