Today brings with it Part 2 of this year’s annual Glow Journal Gift Guide, a carefully considered selection of limited edition beauty gifts priced between $40 and $80.
As covered in Part 1, Stocking Fillers, these guides exists to deliver you with gifting options divided into price ranges (as there are few things more frustrating than scrolling through a gift guide, deciding on a product then realising it doesn’t sit within your budget), that physically tells you something about each product, is free from stock imagery (as how can one know the writer has even seen the product in person, let alone used it, if the image has been pulled from a website) and, arguably most importantly, free from any sponsored product placement.
I hope you enjoy reading these guides as much as I have loved curating them for you.
You can read on Part 1 of the 2020 Beauty Gift Guide here.
Charlotte Tilbury products really make me feel festive year ’round, which I imagine is due to the packaging looking and feeling so luxe and almost 1920s boudoir, Old Hollywood inspired (the products themselves are of the highest quality and Charlotte Tilbury are undisputedly one of my favourite colour cosmetics brands of all time, but I think for beauty to truly make one feel “festive” it does come down to the experience of use ie. packaging, a festive shade range and so forth).
The brand’s Holiday collections sit amongst my very favourites year after year. My picks from the brand’s 2020 festive offering, most of which are riffs on existing formulas in new, sparkling colours, all take their inspiration from precious jewels- K.I.S.S.I.N.G. (which is one of my all-time favourite lipstick formulas) in Super Starlet, Charlotte’s Jewel Lips in Walk of No Shame (a high shine lip gloss to be worn on its own or as a topper for lipsticks) and Charlotte’s Jewel Pot in Pillow Talk (a creamy eyeshadow designed to be smudged onto the lid with a finger).
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G. in Super Starlet, $40
Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Jewel Lips in Walk Of No Shame, $46
Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Jewel Pot in Pillow Talk, $48
The Mini Filmstar Bronze & Glow is a really great example of a pre-existing product, shrunk down to travel size, that still feels really festive to use despite being a formula that has sat in the brand’s permanent collection for years. Filmstar Bronze & Glow has long been one of my favourite bronze and highlight combinations, and this miniature version is the perfect introduction to the brand or addition to your travel kit.
Charlotte Tilbury Mini Filmstar Bronze & Glow, $50
Tom Ford are one of a very, very tiny handful of brands from which I’ve included permanent line products as gifting options. I tend to stick to limited edition holiday collections in these guides for length’s sake, but Tom Ford products are so, so beautiful to both use and wear that I can’t imagine their products being greeted by anything other than elation.
Tom Ford’s Lip Colours are the perfect reflection of my own beauty gifting philosophy, one I learnt from reading the work of Sali Hughes some years ago- gift the smallest possible item with your entire gifting budget. A beautiful, luxurious lipstick, something most wouldn’t purchase on a whim for themselves, will become a treasured possession, while a bumper holiday hamper of low quality bath bombs et al will likely be pushed to the back of a cupboard until they expire.
My favourite Tom Ford Lip Colours are Spanish Pink and Jasmin Rouge, however if you can get your hands on the limited edition Balm Frost, which is from the brand’s Soleil Neige Holiday 2020 collection, I encourage you to do so. I’ve never seen a balm so beautiful.
Tom Ford Lip Colour, $74
Tom Ford Balm Frost, $78
Chanel’s Holiday 2020 collection, Les Chaînes d’Or de CHANEL (Chanel’s Gold Chains), is inspired entirely by the house of Chanel’s iconic golden chain interlaced with black leather. Each piece from the collection is spiked with subtle gold reflective pigments, while the holiday “look” itself consists of deep plum lips, luminous skin and shimmering eyes. I’ve included the complete collection across this year’s gift guides, but in this particular price range my selections are the Rouge Allure Limited Edition Intense Lip Colours in Or Beige and Rouge D’Or and Ombre Première Longwear Powder Eyeshadows in Or Antique (my favourite shade from this collection) and Cuir Brun.
Chanel Rouge Allure Limited Edition Intense Lip Colours in Or Beige and Rouge D’Or, $57
Chanel Ombre Première Longwear Powder Eyeshadows in Or Antique and Cuir Brun, $54
I spoke at length in Part 1 about how beautifully NARS do Holiday gifting, and the brand’s Undress Code Lip Balm Set is easily one of my favourite gifting options this season for product quality, experience of use (the packaging is beautiful) and for value. You’re getting four tinted Afterglow Lip Balms in this set- a full sized Orgasm balm and miniatures in Dolce Vita, Fast Lane and Laguna.
NARS Undress Code Lip Balm Set, $62
Hourglass are yet another brand who understand intrinsically that truly festive beauty is as much about the experience as it is the quality of the product. I am yet to find a lipstick in packaging as beautiful as the Confession Refillable Lipsticks from the brand’s permanent line, and the limited edition multifacted packaging from this Holiday duo genuinely looks like a piece of jewellery or similar, it’s that spectacular.
Hourglass Confession Refillable Lipstick Duo, $77
YSL Beauty, another brand that makes me feel festive all year. The challenge, I imagine, when your permanent products are already so luxe, is figuring out how to amp that up for the festive season. YSL Beauty rise to said challenge year after year, very cleverly packaging their best-selling formulas in limited edition Holiday garb. My picks are the Rouge Pur Couture and Touche Éclat Holiday Editions- two of my existing favourite products, reimagined for the holidays.
YSL Beauty Rouge Pur Couture Holiday 2020 Edition in Wildly Rouge, $59
YSL Beauty Touche Éclat Holiday 2020 Edition, $70
Dior’s Golden Nights Holiday collection is very, very sophisticated and a little bit rock and roll- think multifaceted shimmering eyes, bold red lips and carefully painted, glistening nails. My picks from this collection are all about those finer details- a touch of pink Golden Nights Blush on the cheeks, and rich red polish on the nails.
Dior Rouge Blush Golden Nights Collection, $79
Dior Diorific Vernis Golden Nights Collection, $43
Dior have also managed to sneak into that somewhat elusive category of products that are actually aren’t limited edition, but felt too festive not to include. Last month saw the brand introduce three new sparkling shades to the existing Lip Maximiser gloss range (one of the best gloss formulas ever). My pick for the holidays is Copper Gold.
Dior Addict Lip Maximiser in Copper Gold, $52
I really do think very few brands do creamy lip and cheek formulas as well as Mecca Cosmetica’s signature line. Their Lip De-Luscious balms were one of the very first products they launched with and have garnered a cult following for a reason, while the Hydra Cheek Tint and Enlightened Balm are slightly newer additions (a couple of years old, but newer in the grand scheme of things) but equally as popular and beautiful to wear.
The Summer Sunkissed Duo combines the latter two products (a cream blush and a cream highlighter) into one convenient and very, very pretty pot, while the Lip Tint Trio contains three full sized tinted Lip De-Luscious balms (this trio is particularly good value at $45, given that the tinted balms are usually $30 on their own).
Mecca Cosmetica Summer Sunkissed Duo, $45
Mecca Cosmetica Lip Tint Trio, $45
I could not be more thrilled that lipglosses have surpassed matte liquid lipsticks as the formula du jour for lips this year. Fenty Beauty’s Glosse Posse Lip Gloss Set embraces the lip gloss resurgence, containing four deluxe travel sizes of the brand’s now-iconic lip glosses.
This is another one of those great sets that you could gift to one person, or divide into individual glosses as office Kris Kringle presents or Christmas party favours.
Fenty Beauty Glossy Posse: Holo’Daze Lip Gloss Set, $55
Brushes! Brushes will pop up again in Part 3 of this Gift Guide too, because I just think they make for some of the best Christmas gifts. Unless you’re a legitimate makeup artist or a very serious beauty consumer, you tend to only replace your brushes once they’re looking really worse for wear and are borderline unusable, so this Morphe Brush Lust Brush Set (10 eyeshadow brushes in a festive pink case) is a great example of a gift that whoever you’re purchasing for probably wouldn’t think to buy for themselves and will greatly appreciate.
Morphe Brush Lust Brush Set, $42
Mascara is another thing that needs to be replaced far more often than most realise or can physically be bothered to do. Stila’s Huge™ Extreme Lash Mascara and Magnum XXX Mascara have both become best-sellers for the brand, and this limited edition Holiday duo comes with full sizes of them both. While we’re on eyes, a beautiful, neutral palette (emphasis on neutral- gifting a palette of bolds is always a risk. If they want colour, they’ll buy it themselves) is always warmly received- this Share Your Radiance palette from Zoeva’s limited edition Holiday collection is my pick for this season.
Stila A Stellar Duo, $48
Zoeva Share Your Radiance Palette, $46
Best selling products in a limited edition, very-good-value-for-money Holiday kit. This Kosas trio includes three of the brand’s icons (the Wet Lip Oil Gloss, LipFuel Hyaluronic Lip Balm and Big Clean Volumising + Lash Care Mascara) housed within a hot pink travel bag. A great introduction to the brand or the perfect gift for anyone who may already be a Kosas lover. Worth noting that Kosas are one of those brands whose colour cosmetic formulas are really more like skincare, so even the most discerning beauty consumer will love this set.
From skincare-based-makeup to skincare skincare. Youth To The People’s Power of Three Skincare Kit comes with three full sized products, all formulated to give the skin a real post-facial glow (something literally anyone will appreciate after the year that was)- a Superfood Cleanser, Adaptogen Deep Moisturizer and Dream Mask.
Similarly, Syrene’s Sea You By The Shore Set has been curated to give tired eyes the appearance of well rest, containing two Aqua Hydrating Masque (one of my all time favourite masks, and a gift I gave every guest at our first Glow Journal Live event last year), an Aqua Restore Eye Essence and a really beautiful Copper Eye Wand to apply the aforementioned essence and aid in facial massage and lymphatic drainage (keep it in the fridge for extra depuffing benefits). Perfect for a post Christmas party skin revival.
Youth To The People The Power of Three Skincare Kit, $75
Syrene Sea You By The Shore Set, $45
Perhaps the Holy Grail of that “best-selling permanent line products housed in limited edition festive packaging” category I have been referring to. Go-To’s Face Hero oil is more or less the gateway to a full blown Go-To obsession- if you’ve tried one Go-To product, there’s a very high chance it’s this one. It suits all skin types, it does what it’s supposed to do, and this festive season it has been decanted into a jumbo size gold bottle. Very festive, very extra.
Best selling permanent line products grouped together in limited edition holiday sets proves to be a failsafe festive gifting option yet again. Mecca Cosmetica’s Hydration Staycation Set includes a Hydrating Moisturiser, Hydrating Eye Cream and Fresh Faced Hydrogel Mask (one of my very favourite sheet masks), while Alpha-H’s Let It Glow Skincare Kit contains a full routine in the form of a Balancing Cleanser, Liquid Gold Glycolic Acid Tonic and Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF50. I’ve personally used Alpha-H for ten years now, with a 2010 Holiday Kit serving as my introduction to the brand thanks to Santa/Mum, so I consider the brand’s gifting kits to be amongst the very best.
Mecca Cosmetica Hydration Staycation Set, $65
Alpha-H Let It Glow Skincare Kit, $45
Yes, you are correct- I will be sprinkling sunscreen recommendations throughout all three parts of these Gift Guides. This cannot come as a surprise to you. It’s quite literally the gift of eternal youth. You’d think that’d be something one can’t put a price on, but this festive season, you can!
Everyone loves Ultra Violette, and their holiday sets are as fun to play with as they are beautiful to use. Ultra Violette are pioneers of the “SPF Wardrobe,” meaning you can have a formula on hand for however your skin is looking and feeling on any given day. For those who don’t quite know where to start, this Mini Screen Collection includes four travel sized sunscreen formulas, so you can try them all and choose your favourite before investing. The collection also comes in the best travel case I have ever seen. Ever.
Ultra Violette Mini Screen Collection, $70
I think I’ve included The Body Shop’s gifting options in all three parts of these Gift Guides for as many years as I’ve been collating them, and I have no plans to stop. They just feel pretty failsafe to me- their range is so expansive that there’s truly a gift for everyone, great products, good value for money, and they’re always housed within really beautiful limited edition festive packaging. The Himalayan Charcoal Skin Purifying Kit and Chamomile Gentle Makeup Removal Kit are my skincare picks as they both feel like “spa day at home” style gifts.
The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Skin Purifying Kit, $55
The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Makeup Removal Kit, $45
The Body Shop curate these incredible Ultimate Gift collections each year and they always make it into my Gift Guides. They’re such good value, and they’re perfect if you know what scent the person you’re shopping for tends to favour. My favourite is Black Musk, but it’s worth doing some subtle digging to find out which fragrances they like to wear as The Body Shop curate these gift sets for, quite literally, every scent in their offering.
The Body Shop Black Musk Ultimate Gift Box, $70
As a long time fan of Oaui’s hair care and styling products, this holiday gift set has actually served as my first introduction to the brand’s offering for the body- and it performs. This duo includes a hydrating body cream, spiked with the brand’s now-cult North Bondi fragrance (a blend of Bergamot, Rose, Violet and White Musk) and a travel sized North Bondi Eau De Parfum. I’m keeping this one.
Ouai North Bondi Kit, $78
From a haircare brand creating body products to a body brand in the haircare space. How good are my segue’s this year?! (Rhetorical, I know they’re excellent). I honestly did not realise how popular The Body Shop’s haircare range was until I started asking around, and now I understand why. This holiday duo includes full sized bottles of the brand’s Ginger Scalp Care Shampoo and Conditioner, both of which are perfect for giving yourself a bit of a scalp detox (healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp. I know this to be true).
The Body Shop Shake & Swish Ginger Haircare Duo, $45
I often neglect haircare as a gifting option because I’ve previously found it to be quite a personal thing, maybe more so than skincare. On reflection, if you know the hair type of the person you’re shopping for, there’s no reason why a beautiful haircare set wouldn’t be well received. Aveda’s Be Curly Set jumped out at me this season as it comes with the brand’s Curl Enhancer and a really beautifully made, high quality paddle brush, the latter again falling into that category of gifts people generally don’t purchase for themselves.
Aveda Be Curly Set, $72
You didn’t think we were going to reach the end of Part 2 without some “miniature best sellers in festive ornaments and crackers,” did you?
You would be legitimately hard pressed to find a brand that masters Holiday beauty in the way Jo Malone do. Their limited edition offerings are always incredibly festive but so, so classy- they never feel gimmicky or “too much.” There are a number of items from the Jo Malone Christmas 2020 collection that made me gasp, two of which are this year’s Christmas Ornament (containing a Wild Bluebell Cologn and English Pear & Freesia Body Crème) and Christmas Cracker (housing a Peony & Blush Suede Cologne, Wood Sage & Sea Salt Body & Hand Wash and Wild Bluebell Body Crème).
Jo Malone Christmas Ornament, $54
Jo Malone Christmas Cracker, $78
More beauty crackers! YSL, as noted, are festive gifting masters. This year’s collection is coated in the luxe red and black leopard print we saw earlier in the shape of a Rouge Pur Couture and Touche Éclat, as is this Black Opium Christmas Cracker, which is home to a miniature Black Opium perfume, Volume Effet Faux Cils The Curler mascara, Rouge Pur Couture lipstick in N°1 and Instant Moisture Glow.
YSL Beauty Black Opium Christmas Cracker, $60
What I love about this Floral Street cracker is that it just contains the one product, so it’s a really decent size (10mL for a travel perfume is generous). If you or a loved one have been toying with the idea of a new signature scent, this is a beautiful way to trial one. My pick is Electric Rhubarb, which smells of rhubarb (as the name would suggest), sandalwood, island gardenia, frangipani and jasmine sambac.
Floral Street Electric Rhubarb Cracker, $45
These are the type of gifts that people genuinely do “ooh” and “ahh” over. Circa Home’s candles smell incredible (they are made by the same team as Glasshouse, so their fragrances are equally as rich and creative), they live inside these festive bon bons (I’ve made a concerted effort to call these ones bon bons rather than crackers as you are not to crack these ones open. Don’t even try.) and you’re getting three of them. Three! The candles themselves are actually really well sized, each coming in at 60g, so this is a great value set too.
Circa Home Mini Candle Bon Bon Trio, $49.95
I love candles. They make me very happy. I can say, sincerely, after all my candle trialling, that there are very few fragrance houses that produce candles with both the scent payoff (lit or unlit) and creativity of fragrance as Glasshouse. Their 2020 Holiday collection is so festive, but not in a way that feels at all gimmicky or obviously Christmas-sy- you could burn these any time of the year. My favourites are the Night Before Christmas and Merry and Bright candles (the latter smells like a cocktail. Trust me on this) and the Mini Candle Trio (another gift that you could divide up for stocking fillers, as each candle is individually and very beautifully packaged).
Glasshouse Fragrances Night Before Christmas Candle, $54.95
Glasshouse Fragrances Christmas Mini Candle Trio, $59.95
Glasshouse Fragrances Merry and Bright Candle, $54.95
If you have not heard nor read me rave about The Beauty Chef, then you must be very, very new here (in which case, Welcome! Happy Holidays!). I know there is still a level of scepticism surrounding products that claim to improve the appearance of the skin from within, but I can say with complete confidence that The Beauty Chef’s products work for me. The brand’s Glow and Collagen supplements are products I’ve relied on for more years than I can remember (I think it’s upwards of five now), and the Well Spray has become a daily ritual for me since its launch a year or so ago. This limited edition holiday set contains seven Glow sachets, a bottle of the Collagen Inner Beauty Boost and Well Spray Inner Beauty Support, all housed within a travel case.
The Beauty Chef Beauty and Balance Set, $59
Sincere and special thanks to the teams TMC PR, Estée Lauder Companies, Chanel Beauty, Mecca Brands, L’Oréal Australia, Echo Communications, MCMPR, Syrene Skincare, Go-To Skincare, Ultra Violette, One Green Bean and Sarah Humphries Agency.
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Very good blog, thanks so much for your effort