Part 1 of the 2019 Glow Journal Beauty Gift Guide detailed the very best beauty “stocking fillers”- gifts priced roughly $35 and below that don’t compromise on quality. Part 2 sees us graduate to limited edition holiday gifts priced between $40 and $80.
As noted in Part 1 of the Gift Guide (which you can read here), and as per previous years, these Guides came to be after identifying a gap for a beauty gift guide that contained no stock imagery, told you something about each product beyond its name and price and, arguably most importantly, featured absolutely no sponsored product placement.
Not one product in this gift guide has been included as a paid advertisement. I personally reached out to every single brand and retailer included in these guides because I love their products, use their products and would be proud to gift any of their holiday offerings to a loved on.
Catch up on Part 1 of the 2019 Beauty Gift Guide here.
I’ve noted, ad nauseam, that NARS include the most value in their holiday offerings each year.
NARS 2019 Holiday Collection is Studio 54 themed and includes new, limited edition disco themed products as well as items from the brand’s permanent collection housed within limited edition holiday packaging. The All Access Powermatte Lip Pigment Set falls into the latter category (although I should note that two of the shades are limited editions, but dupes can be found in the existing colour range), containing three Powermatte lip pigments (amongst my ALL TIME favourite matte liquid lipsticks- they’re incredible) inside a sequin embellished pouch.
The real value in this is that the set retails at $75AUD, despite a lone Powermatte usually costing $40AUD. That means you’re getting three liquid lipsticks and a purse for the price of LESS THAN TWO liquid lipsticks.
Shop here: NARS All Access Powermatte Lip Pigment Set, $75
While we’re on the NARS 2019 Holiday offering, these gifts fall into the former category- limited edition products formulated to fit the Studio 54 theme.
The NARS Audacious lip formula is a forever-best-seller and repeated-award-winner thanks to its rich pigment and smooth texture, so the holiday season sees the brand deliver said formula in disco themed packaging in four essential shades.
The NARS Disco Dust Lipsticks are a new, strictly limited edition formula delivering multi dimensional shine with a surprisingly comfortable glitter finish unlike anything I have ever seen before.
Shop here: NARS Studio 54 Audacious Lipstick, $52
Shop here: NARS Disco Dust Lipstick, $52
As we’ve discussed in the past, the Sali Hughes philosophy states that one should spend their total budget on the smallest possible gift- a luxury and/or cult beauty product will be wildly more appreciated than a bumper chemist-brand eyeshadow palette.
YSL and Armani Beauty are the brands I always turn to for gifts that fall neatly into this category, as their products are as luxurious as they are infamous, and their respective Holiday collections always feel festive without looking gaudy.
This season sees YSL repackage their best-selling Rouge Pur Couture lipsticks and Touche Éclat brightening pens in festive starry packaging, while Armani deliver a limited edition gold-infused liquid lip colour- a twist on classic Armani Red, now featuring subtle gold reflects.
Shop here: YSL Beauty Rouge Pur Couture High On Stars Edition, $57
Shop here: Armani Beauty Lip Magnet Gold Mania Gold-Infused Lip Colour, $58
Shop here: YSL Beauty Touche Éclat High On Stars Edition, $70
Hourglass’ Holiday collections are always great for the beauty lover who respects the art of a limited edition holiday beauty gift, but prefers a product that doesn’t look nor feel overtly “festive.” This year’s collection features limited edition sets as well as best-sellers in limited edition packaging, with 2019’s theme being “Ghost”- star products housed in transluscent and silver packaging (you will see this Ghost packaging appear again in Part 3 of this year’s Guide).
The Hourglass Confession Lipsticks feature, without a doubt, my all time favourite lipstick packaging (you cannot mimic a case of that shape), and the Ghost theme breathes new life into this old favourite (you receive two interchangeable shades that can each be inserted into the lipstick pen), while the Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow Collection (the most foolproof shimmering eye colour of all time- you can literally swipe them on with your finger, they require that little thought) is as high on value as the aforementioned NARS set- three eyeshadows priced at $70 in total, instead of their regular $44 per piece.
Shop here: Hourglass Confession Lipstick Duo – Ghost, $55
Shop here: Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Eyeshadow Collection, $70
More glittering lipsticks and eyeshadows! Bobbi Brown’s Holiday collection is slightly obviously festive than that of Hourglass, however the “Luxe Gems” theme still has year-round appeal.
The Luxe Eyeshadows come in three jewel-inspired shades (Royal Sapphire, Citrine and Opal Moonstone), each of which are intensely pigmented, finely milled and multi-dimensional.
Shop here: Bobbi Brown Luxe Eyeshadow Rich Gemstone, $57
The brand’s Luxe Liquid Lipsticks are given a holiday makeover in the form Rich Lustre, a collection of three colours in high shine glitter finishes, while the Luxe Jewel Lipsticks are an entirely new, limited edition, pearl-infused formula.
Shop here: Bobbi Brown Luxe Liquid Lip Rich Lustre, $56
Shop here: Bobbi Brown Luxe Jewel Lipstick, $56
More lips! This time, the lippies are in kits. We love a lip kit!
MAC always make wonderful shiny holiday gifts, and one their star sets (no pun intended) for this season is the Lucky Stars Lip Gloss Kit which contains three glistening lip glosses in your choice of neutrals or pinks, housed within a metallic beauty bag.
Shop here: MAC Lucky Stars Lip Gloss Kit, $49
Not a lip kit, but certainly a kit WITH a lip product in it, is the ILIA Discover Clean Colour Set. ILIA make stunning products, and this kit of travel-sized ILIA best-sellers is the perfect gift for your naturally beautiful friend who doesn’t love bright nor full coverage makeup, but really loves clean, fresh beauty products. It’s also a wonderful introduction to the brand if you’re yet to experience ILIA’s cult products.
Shop here: ILIA Discover Clean Colour Set, $58
That friend who has a lip gloss in her handbag, on her desk, in her car and in her other handbag will LOVE Bobbi Brown’s Glossy Lips Duo. Buy her two of them so all bases are covered.
Shop here: Bobbi Brown Glossy Lips Duo, $40
Palettes always look impressive (even the cheap ones), so don’t fall into a trap this season- always choose quality over quantity (or, in this case, size). You will not find a single chalky shadow on this list.
The Innisfree Mood Up Party Palette is neutral while still festive (sparkles make everything festive) so it’s perfect for anyone in your life who is wary of bold colours but maintains respect for the season, while the Stila Blue Realm Velvet Eyeshadow Palette may look intimidating, but the shadows that live within it are surprisingly wearable (if neutral queen Kim Kardashian can wear royal blue eye makeup, so can you).
Shop here: Innisfree Mood Up Party Palette, $72
Shop here: Stila Blue Realm Velvet Eyeshadow Palette, $46
ONLY purchase this product for those who will appreciate and play with a variety of the colours within it. They don’t have to use every colour, because no one has ever used every colour in any eyeshadow palette (except maybe a quad, but that’s different), but please do not buy this for your boring friend. No offence to her. She is beautiful and she has such a great personality, but this isn’t for her. It’s a beautiful palette and it deserves to be loved. Don’t waste it.
Shop here: Mecca Max Over The Moon Eyeshadow Palette, $40
I will remain forever floored by how beautiful the quality of Mecca’s signature line products are given their price point. I rate the Mecca Max liquid highlighters amongst several high end products in the same category, yet they are so accessibly priced. The Mecca Max Spark Seeker Liquid Light Trio includes three full sized liquid highlighters in three different hues- divide them up amongst your friends and look like a hero, or pull a Wattsy and keep them in your kit.
Shop here: Mecca Max Spark Seeker Liquid Light Trio, $40
You know who else is delivering glossy, highlighted (high-lit?) skin this festive season? FRANK. The Shiny Things Kit, as its name suggests, contains shiny things- a Rose Gold Shimmer Scrub (my feelings about Frank’s shimmer scrubs are well-documented… I stockpile them), Rose Gold Illuminator, Shimmer Lip Scrub and Shimmer Lip Gloss.
The brand’s Iddy Biddy Face Party Kit is equally excellent albeit less sparkly, containing travel sized versions of five of Frank’s best-selling face products.
Shop here: Frank Body Shiny Things Kit, $49.95
Shop here: Frank Body Iddy Biddy Face Party Kit, $49.95
For skin that glows even beneath your (or your gift recipient’s) highlighter, opt for one of these brightening skincare sets.
Ole Henriksen’s O.M.G. Oh My Glow Brightening Set contains four vitamin C-enriched products formulated to brighten the complexion (one of which being my all time favourite eye cream- Banana Bright), while the Kora Organics Get The Noni Glow Skincare Set will give you Miranda Kerr quality skin, naturally.
Shop here: Ole Henriksen O.M.G. Oh My Glow Brightening Set, $79
Shop here: Kora Organics Get The Noni Glow Skincare Set, $70
Whenever I’m asked what my Holy Grail beauty product is (for context: once a day), I reply with “Alpha-H Liquid Gold.” I love it as much today as I did when I was introduced to it in 2011. My introduction to my beloved actually came in an Alpha-H holiday gift set, thus it would be remiss of me not to pay it forward.
This is the kit that changed me.
Shop here: Alpha-H Hall Of Fame Skincare Starter Kit, $72
Really kitchy, but actually really great. Sephora’s in-house brand, Sephora Collection, have always made really amazing individual masks. This winter-themed holiday gift set contains 8 (8!) of their all-time best sellers in the masking category.
Shop here: Sephora Collection Where Is The Penguin Mask Set, $42
Also on the very-good-in-house-brands from, Mecca Cosmetica make BEAUTIFUL skincare- consider it the slightly fancier older sister of the aforementioned Mecca Max.
The Hydration Staycation set contains the line’s Hydrating Moisturiser and Hydrating Eye Cream and is basically just a one way ticket to plump juicy glowing skin, while the Perfect Pair includes a Nourishing Hand Cream and Lip De-Luscious Glide (aka two products that literally everyone loves). You can’t go wrong with either of these.
Shop here: Mecca Cosmetica Hydration Staycation, $75
Shop here: Mecca Cosmetica Perfect Pair, $45
If you were to tell me you had only ever tried one Innisfree product, I would place good money on that product being from their Green Tea Seed collection.
The Green Tea Seed Serum and Green Tea Seed Cream are Innisfree’s all-time best-selling products, and each Holiday season they release them in a strictly limited edition jumbo size. Go forth.
Shop here: Innisfree Holiday Green Tea Seed Serum, $54
Shop here: Innsifree Holiday Green Tea Seed Cream, $52
You know what else is green, natural and hydrating? Hemp! The Body Shop’s Winter Protection Hemp Expert Moisture Pouch is a beautiful Christmas gift despite it being summer in Australia, containing a Hemp Hand Protector, Hemp Body Moisture Protector and Hemp Lip Protector. Dry skin does not discriminate based on season.
Shop here: The Body Shop Winter Protection Hemp Expert Moisture Pouch, $55
Haircare often doesn’t get a look in when it comes to gifting, which I think is a real shame as it’s a great opportunity to gift something that someone may not ordinarily spend much money on. Be a good person and replace your friend’s Home Brand 3-in-1 situation with this VERY luxe Alterna haircare duo. It has Caviar in its name.
Shop here: Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Multiplying Volume Haircare Duo, $69
I talked about Glasshouse’s exceptional Christmas collection in Part 1 of this Gift Guide, and I am nowhere near done. One of their holiday scents is Night Before Christmas, which blends blackcurrant, plum, lemon and lavender. I like it best in the form of this fragrance diffuser.
Shop here: Glasshouse Fragrances Night Before Christmas Dancing Sugar Plums Fragrance Diffuser, $49.95
Another Glasshouse Holiday scent, which I’ve chosen in candle form, is named Christmas Cheer. It smells like pavlova with lots of fresh citrus on top.
If you can’t decide which Glasshouse holiday fragrance is your favourite, opt for the Christmas Mini Candle Trio which, as its name suggests, includes three mini candles. Trio is three.
Shop here: Glasshouse Fragrances Christmas Cheer Passionfruit & Lemon Myrtle Candle, $49.95
Shop here: Glasshouse Fragrances Christmas Mini Candle Trio, $55.95
Another very delicious-smelling (but not tasting) Christmas scent is Balsm & Fir by Palm Beach Collection. Its top notes are Citrus, Bergamot and Nutmeg, its heart is Florals, Cinnamon and Clove, and its base is Spice, Balsm, Vanilla, Cinnamon and Wood. I’m salivating.
Shop here: Palm Beach Collection Christmas Balsm & Fir Candle, $42.95
If you prefer to put your favourite fragrances on your body instead of your table, you’ll love this year’s Jo Malone London Christmas Ornament as it houses a miniature Grapefruit Cologne and Wild Bluebell Body Crème.
If you really are more of a fragrance-for-home person, opt for Diptyque’s mini Protection Candle. It’s almost too pretty to burn (but worth burning for its house-filling notes of warm green pine).
Shop here: Jo Malone London Christmas Ornament, $45
Shop here: Diptyque Protection Candle 70g, $56
