The ultimate beauty lover’s guide to Christmas gifting

Giving the right gift at Christmas isn’t necessarily about how much money you have to spend.

Play your cards right and you can elicit an inundation of gratuitous praise from even your most surly relatives. 

Plus, we think it’s always a good idea to plant some seeds of inspiration in the minds of your potential Secret Santa by having your own Christmas wishlist at the ready.

Maybe you’ve got your eye on some party season makeup, or Christmas scented candles, or perhaps advent calendars are a tradition in your family.

Regardless of how you like to celebrate this joyous time of year, we’ve gathered all the best beauty buys on offer for Christmas, so you can just sit back and relax on the big day.

Luxe Christmas gift ideas

The Secret Skincare Gift Card

‘The Secret’ is an amazing personalisable prescription skin care service. It’s perfect for the family member with skin issues or someone who needs a little extra help getting their head around all things complexion-clearing. Customise your gift with the brand’s extensive range of gift cards that allow you to gift as small as $100 or splurge all the way up to $1000 on a loved one of your choosing. A word to the wise – choose carefully.

$100 - $1000 at The Secret

Dr. Dennis Gross DRx Spectralite FaceWare Pro Pearl

If you’ve always had evil plans to terrify everyone you know with a Mike Myers-inspired face mask, then can we turn you to one of the best light therapy offerings on the market? This limited edition version of Dr. Dennis Gross’ award-winning LED mask features pearlescent face panels and retains the same wrinkle-banishing and acne-clearing features of its predecessor. 

$620 at MECCA

Dyson Supersonic™ hair dryer

Always had a wandering eye for the sleek style of a Dyson Supersonic hair dryer? Christmas is the ideal time to snag one of these lightweight hair heroes for either yourself or a loved one. Sure to win you brownie points, or just a solid investment when it comes to maintaining hair health, this highly-engineered piece of tech dries strands with inimitable speed without the threat of inflicting heat damage. 

$599 at The Iconic (Plus, free gift with purchase)

Samson & Charlie The Ultimate Anti-Ageing Skincare System

This homegrown hero has all your bases covered. The Samson & Charlie The Ultimate Anti-aging Skincare System boasts 10 new additions to a skin care routine targeted to treating mature skin. Vegan-friendly and packed full of skin-brightening and rejuvenating active ingredients such as BHAs, antioxidants, vitamin C and much more, this set is about to reveal your most youthful-looking complexion yet.

was $541 now $375 at Samson & Charlie

SULWHASOO Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream Set

Luxury Korean skin care brand Sulwhasoo has built a reputation for creating glowing, nourished skin thanks to their iconic ginseng range of skin care goodies. Treat yourself and sample the full range, which includes full-size products as well some travel-friendly picks too.

$332 at Sephora

FOREO Skincare Secrets: UFO mini 2 Holiday Gift Set

Get your face ready for the new year with this FOREO UFO 2 mini gift set that incorporates five of the brand’s best-selling mask serum formulations. Your facialist will be begging for attention after you add this nifty piece of tech to your skin care routine. 

$319 at The Iconic

NuFACE Mini® Hydrate + Contour Kit

We know, we know, all anyone on TikTok can talk about is the benefits of using a gua sha, but when it comes to facial sculpting we like to pull out the big guns. Tone, lift and contour, while firmly serving your fine lines and wrinkles the eviction notice they deserve with a speedy sculpting sesh utilising the NuFACE Mini.

$318 at MECCA

GHD gold® limited edition styler gift set

Honestly, we’d love to receive a GHD anytime of the year but when the brand brings out their limited edition Christmas range, we start chomping at the bit. This year’s all about a warm pewter hue reminiscent of a celebratory glass of champers. Designed to optimise your hair styling routine for speedy straightening (or a loose beach wave if you’re so inclined), this tech-savvy gadget delivers hair-friendly heat styling. 

$315 at The Iconic

SK-II PITERA ESSENCE ANDY WARHOL Limited Edition Gift Pack

Undoubtedly, receiving an SK-II gift set would be wonderful any time of year. But this Christmas, the luxury skin care brand has collaborated posthumously with pop artist icon Andy Warhol to create a truly special regimen. Bathe skin in the refreshing signature Facial Treatment Essence formula, and sample the Facial Treatment Clear Lotion, Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser and SKINPOWER Cream. Everything in your new skin care routine comes housed in an “All Is Pretty” limited edition cosmetic case so you can travel in style too.

$289 at Sephora

YSL Libre Eau De Parfum 90ml Gift Set

The Yves Saint Laurent Libre Eau De Parfum 90ml Gift Set is luxe but practical, packing a full 90mL bottle of the iconic Libre perfume, an adorable purse-friendly 7.5mL mini, and a Tatouage Couture Velvet Cream lipstick in the classic 206 shade. A delight to receive on Christmas day but undoubtedly a mainstay in anyone’s collection regardless of the time of year.

$260 at David Jones

SkinDNA® Genetic Test

If you’re obsessed with the science behind DNA-led Skin Care then you need to try one of these genetic testing kits, which allow you to optimise your skin care routine based on your own DNA. Forget spitting in a tube because this mess-free kit simply involves a routine cheek swab before you ship your test off to the lab and patiently await your results. We promise you, it’s going to be hard not to nerd out on this one if you're a die hard skin fanatic. 

was $299 now $249 at BIOMIMIC Skincare

Under $200

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Makeup Secrets Makeup Kit

Charlotte Tilbury is responsible for some of our favourite limited edition Christmas makeup palettes, but we need to talk about the celebrity makeup artist’s limited edition makeup kits for a second. We’d be remiss not to mention Tilbury’s iconic Pillow Talk collection, because let’s be real it’s a sell-out for a reason. Nab yours (or one for a favourite family member) while stocks last because trust us when we say they won’t. 

$195 at Charlotte Tilbury

ZOEVA Together We Celebrate Makeup Brush Set

In the market for a new set of makeup brushes or just sick of seeing your sister dab her foundation in with the same crusty old beauty blender? Then get your hands on this illustrious set of makeup brushes that could turn even the most novice of makeup applicators into a pro. You’ve got a selection of face tools for buffing, blending and powdering down your makeup and a full set of eye brushes to tackle just about any eye look your pretty little head could imagine. 

$189 at Sephora

M.A.C Cosmetics The Ultimate Trick Mini Lipsticks Vault

If you’ve got a M.A.C lipstick stan in your family or you just have trouble choosing a shade, then this vault of some of M.A.C’s best-sellers should be on your radar. Featuring iconic hues such as ‘Ruby Woo’, ‘Mehr’, ‘Chilli’ and ‘Lady Danger’ there’s a lil somethin’ somethin’ for everyone. 

$160 at M.A.C Cosmetics

SkinCeuticals GLOW DUO Bon Bon

Honestly, if Christmas bon bons we’re routinely filled with some of our favourite skin care buys, then we’d probably be a little less passive aggressive at the dinner table every year. Forgo awkward photos in paper hats pretending to be enthused about plastic trinkets and indulge in the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum and SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel instead. Your skin can thank us later.

$149 at Adore Beauty

Diptyque Mini Candle Set 5 x 35g

Selecting a Diptyque candle is an undertaking. The pricey burners can be expensive at the best of times, but come Christmas the luxe brand does us a favour and gives candle lovers a range of their best-sellers all neatly packed up in beautiful Christmas wrapping. So even if you’re too chicken to splurge on something so daring, you might not feel quite so indulgent gifting your mum something she’s really going to enjoy throughout the year. 

$120 at MECCA

Sol de Janeiro Holiday Edition Biggie Biggie Bum Bum Cream

Bum Bum Cream is a treat (can we talk about how addictive the smell is?), but it’s even more of a treat when it’s doubled in size thanks to this holiday edition packaging. Plus, how often are you going to get to say the phrase ‘biggie biggie bum bum’ in your life? Life is all about opportunities and this is one we would implore you to take. 

$118 at MECCA

Under $100

CIRCA Jasmine & Magnolia Candle & Diffuser Gift Set

Embrace the calming scent of ylang ylang, frangipani, jasmine and magnolia this holiday season with this candle and diffuser set from CIRCA. We all know a candle is a winner when it comes to easy gifting, but make it look like you put in a little bit effort and present this thoughtful olfactory pairing to a loved one you actually like. 

$90 at Sephora

L’Occitane My Almond Routine

We love giving people offerings from the almond range at L’Occitane because, in all honesty, you haven’t experienced pure luxury until you’ve doused yourself in the silky heaven that is the brand’s shower oil. Round out this delicious body pick with the French heritage brand’s body balm and hand cream in the same signature almond scent, and it’s pure heaven. 

$89 at The Iconic

Wella Professionals Fusion Trio Pack

If you’re spending the holidays relaxing every other part of your mind, body and spirit, then why not extend the same level of love to those damaged lengths you’ve been walking around with all year. The Wella Professionals Fusion Trio Gift Set targets breakage and damage by utilising silk fibre technology for strong, resilient strands.

$54.36 at Ry.com.au

Under $50

The Beauty Chef BRIGHTER BOOST Holiday Kit

Beauty Chef goodies are always a delight to introduce into your daily wellness routine, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. Forgo all the toing and froing between the brand’s award-winning formulas and just do yourself a favour and sample the whole range of skin-brightening ingestibles they’ve got on offer. 

$49 at The Beauty Chef

Dr LeWinn’s Line Smoothing Complex Gift Pack

Get your vacay skin care routine down pat with this travel-friendly case and regimen that targets the first signs of ageing. Say buh-bye to fine lines, wrinkles, tired eyes, dehydration and a lack of firmness with this simplified complexion-perfecting kit. 

$46.99 at Chemist Warehouse

Manicare® Salon Thermal Sonic Cleanser

The Manicare® Salon Thermal Sonic Cleanser is a little bit cool. No seriously, this little purple facial cleanser doesn’t just clean the crap out of your clogged pores, but it also comes equipped with a warming functionality that allows you to open you pores and hone in on your skin’s problem zones. All that pimple-causing bacteria is quaking in its boots. 

$44.99 at Chemist Warehouse

Finishing Touch Flawless Facial Hair Remover

It’s 2021 and we’re ignoring the myth that women don’t have body hair. Instead we’re opting for discreet hair removal options that don’t cost an arm and a leg like the Finishing Touch Flawless® Facial Hair Remover. Target all those tricky-to-reach places like the upper lip and between your eyebrows, or give pesky chin hairs the swift decapitation that they deserve (seriously, where do they come from and why does this keep happening to us?). 

$29.99 at Chemist Warehouse

Bondi Sands Everyday Skincare Collection Gold’n Hour vitamin C serum

While you may have thought that Bondi Sands was dedicated to giving you a beautifully bronzed complexion all year round, now they’re adding a bit of glow back into your life too with the Bondi Sands Everyday Skincare Collection - Gold’n Hour vitamin C serum. Boasting three impressive skin brighteners (stabilised vitamin C, kakadu plum and licorice root extract if you didn’t know) to target uneven and dull complexions, it’s a standout from the brand’s new skin care collection. ‘Scuse us while we blind the haters with the mere sight of our glowing visage. 

$17.95 at Bondi Sands

After a perfume this holiday season? Give the gift of smelling good this Christmas with these fragrance gift sets.

Main image credit: @kimkardashian