The third and final instalment of the Glow Journal Gift Guide, Luxury Beauty Gifts, is always my favourite. What that says about me, I would rather not know.
Where Parts 1 and 2 of the Gift Guide feature an edit of the best Stocking Fillers and gifts priced $40 to $80, respectively, Part 3, but its very nature, is a curation of the very best of limited edition holiday beauty.
For those new to the Glow Journal Gift Guide, now in its fourth year, this edit exists due to my own wish for a beauty gift guide that contains no stock imagery, no sponsored product placement, is organised by budget and actually tells you why each gift has been included with information beyond the product name and price. I have personally reached out to each brand, selected the best products across skin, colour cosmetics, fragrance (both personal and home), body and hair, and have not included any gifts that I would not feel proud to give nor thrilled to receive. I love putting this guide together each year and am so proud of the finished product.
You can read the Stocking Fillers Gift Guide here.
You can read the $40-$80 Gift Guide here.
Hourglass’ Holiday collection always includes some of the most exciting limited edition launches of the year- their Ambient Lighting Edits always sitting amongst the very most exciting.
Hourglass’ Ambient Lighting Powders, be they bronzers, highlighters, blushes or finishing powders, are a formula unlike any I’ve ever used before. Finely milled, subtly light reflecting, imperfection diffusing and like silk to the touch. My picks from this year’s Holiday Collection are the Ambient Lighting Edit, which houses three best selling shades and three limited editions, and the Ambient Lighting Mini Edit, home to a blush, bronzer, highlighter and finishing powder.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Sculpture, $128
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Mini – Sculpture Unlocked, $93
I’m breaking the rules early in the piece this time. Not technically a “limited edition holiday release,” but certainly limited edition and definitely released in time for the holidays (is this what young people call a “reach”? I don’t care), Hermès’ newest Rouge Hermès limited edition shades will make any beauty lover very, very happy. I’ve spoken about these lipsticks at length both here and here– yes, they are expensive, but if you are shopping for someone who is truly, truly beauty besotted, and if it is within your means, then these are worth it. Incredible quality and a piece of beauty iconography.
Hermès Rouge Hermès Limited Edition Lipsticks, $102
Similarly dazzling is Charlotte Tilbury’s Holiday 2020 collection, several pieces from which I included in Part 2 of this year’s Gift Guide. The limited edition Luxury Palette of Pops in Dazzling Diamonds is one of the most beautiful eyeshadow quads I have ever seen in jewel tones I am thrilled to welcome back into my largely-neutral-dominated repertoire.
Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette of Pops in Dazzling Diamonds, $80
There’s a reason why everyone in the word associates the name Chanel with luxury. You don’t become that synonymous with beauty for no good reason.
Chanel’s Holiday 2020 collection, Les Chaînes De Chanel, takes its inspiration from the house’s iconic gold and black leather braided chain- a motif that adorns the surface of this limited edition rose gold illuminating cheek powder.
Chanel Les Chaînes De Chanel Illuminating Blush Powder, $100
I love a limited edition kit of permanent line icons as much as I love a limited edition holiday item or shade. One such kit is MAC’s Firelite Kit, which includes an Extra Dimension Skinfinish powder (these powders are incredible and MAC’s Skinfinishes are one of the first highlighting formulas I ever truly fell in love with), a 143s brush and a metallic travel case.
But I also love limited edition holiday shades! Bobbi Brown’s Holiday collections are always so festive, which I think it because Bobbi Brown make some of the most beautiful shimmering formulas ever– no fallout, no obvious tacky glitter, just beautiful sparkle and impressive staying power. Sparkles are the key to any festive beauty look! My picks from this year’s collection are the High Barre Eyeshadow Palette and Foiled Petal Gilded Highlighter.
Bobbi Brown High Barre Eye Shadow Palette, $99
Bobbi Brown Luxe Gilded Highlighter in Foiled Petal, $80
This Tarte Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow gift set is, on first look, the ultimate gift for the beauty junkie in your life- a collection of three, nine pan eyeshadow palettes in berry, neutral and copper tones, all richly pigmented and boasting matte, satin and glitter textures.
The more time I spent really considering this gift, however, I realised it’s also the ultimate stocking filler- three really nicely sized palettes, all containing really wearable hues, that you could very easily remove from the gift packaging and gift to three different people (this is exactly what I’m doing with them). On reflection, this is quite literally why the set is called “Give, Gift and Get.” Sometimes it takes me a little longer to figure these things out, but trust that I do get there eventually.
Tarte Tartelette Give, Gift & Get Eyeshadow Wardrobe, $86
Tom Ford’s 2020 Holiday colour collection, Soleil Neige, takes its inspiration from “sunset light cast onto snowy mountains.” I included Balm Frost from the collection in Part 2 of this year’s Guide, and the limited edition First Frost Eye Quad serves as the perfect accompaniment (and is one of my very, very favourite gifts from this year’s edit).
Not from the house’s Holiday collection but perhaps one of the most perfect gifts on this list, Tom Ford’s Private Blend Candles are as much an item of home decor as they are a vessel for scent. My pick is Jasmin Rouge, a spiced floral blend of sambac jasmine, sage and spices. A luxe candle is one of the beautiful gifts you can give- the recipient isn’t wearing the scent on their skin, so there’s far less risk involved than there is with choosing personal fragrance, and luxury items in the beauty space (given that, by their very nature, they will eventually be emptied) are something I find people are reluctant to purchase for themselves.
Tom Ford Private Blend Candles, $140
Tom Ford Soleil Eye Quad – First Frost, $125
Diptyque’s Holiday collections are always, always amongst my very favourites, and a beautiful candle makes for the perfect gift for reasons outlined above. This festive set doesn’t feature a Christmas-specific scent, however the gift set itself is a holiday icon- each year, Diptyque release a Candle Carousel as part of their festive accessory collection, designed to sit atop your Diptyque candles. You can purchase the Carousel with a full sized candle, but I love this set as it comes with a miniature carousel and two of the brand’s most iconic home fragrances- Baies and Feu de Bois.
Diptyque Baies & Feu de Bois Candle Set with Carousel, $178
If you do prefer a Christmas-centric fragrance, allow me to point you in the direction of Sapin De Nuit- Diptyque’s limited edition candle for the Holiday 2020 season, inspired by the scent of fresh fir trees.
Diptyque Sapin De Nuit Candle, $116
Personal fragrance is a distinctly more difficult category from which to gift from, given how personal it is (as its name suggests). The best way to gift personal fragrance is with a travel set, as the recipient has a few options to choose from so there’s a far greater chance that they’ll actually want to wear one of them. This Signature Scents Set from Glasshouse Fragrances is a particularly beautiful gifting option as all three of the included fragrances are really easy to wear- Wild Peonies & Lily, Saffron & Rose and Camellia & Lotus. Light, wearable florals that sit well on everyone.
Glasshouse Fragrances Signature Scents EDP Set, $84.95
Le Labo make some of my all time favourite fragrances for both wear and for the home (I consider Thé Noir 29 to be something of a signature for me, which is a big call). This Le Labo Discovery Set is a beautiful, beautiful gift set not just for the fragrances themselves (six of the brand’s cult classics), but also because it really does serve its purpose as a “discovery” set. Having six fragrances in here will really allow the recipient to trial and test a decent variety, so your gift may well lead to them finding their new signature.
Le Labo Discovery Set, $200
Yet another scent discovery set at the top of my Christmas wish list is Maison Margiela’s Replica Discovery Set. All of Maison Margiela make some of my favourite perfumes, with the Replica line existing to, in a fairly literal way, transform moments and places into fragrances. This set includes deluxe travel sizes of Beach Walk, Lazy Sunday Morning and Sailing Day.
Maison Margiela Replica Discovery Set, $110
While it’s not technically a limited edition holiday release, Aerin’s Éclat De Vert Eau De Parfum is absolutely worthy of Gift Guide inclusion given how festive it both looks and smells. Aerin’s bottles, particularly those from the Premier Collection, are more like art objects than just scent dispensers, and this green elixir smells like a summer Christmas- sparkling citrus, fresh white florals and lush green and light wood notes.
Aerin Éclat De Vert Eau De Parfum, $320
Also not a limited edition, also not holiday specific, but an icon. Chanel Number 5.
Fragrance, as mentioned, is such a personal category to gift from. While I do recommend having, at the very least, a top level understanding of the notes the person you’re shopping for does gravitate towards, I doubt the impact and iconography of Chanel Number 5 would be lost on anyone. Fragrances don’t become this recognisable, nor boast an impact with this kind of longevity, for no reason.
Chanel N°5 Eau De Parfum, $240
I am sneaking another two not-limited-edition, not-holiday-specific fragrances in here, as both are relatively new launches and the timing of said launches felt too serendipitous to ignore.
J’Adore Eau de Parfum Infinissime, described as an “infinitely sensual” take on the original Dior J’Adore, sees tuberose added to the existing blend of centifolia rose, sambac jasmine and ylang-ylang, while Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl Supreme Eau de Parfum, housed within what I sincerely believe to be the most fun of all fragrance bottles of all time ever (it’s a STILETTO. A STILETTO.) is a sweeter, even more gourmand take on the original Good Girl. Delicious.
Dior J’Adore Eau De Parfum Infinissime, $258
Carolina Herrera Good Girl Supreme Eau De Parfum, $218
The best way to get longevity out of your personal fragrance (as in, to make it last longer on the skin) is to layer it over a matching body lotion. Gift sets like this Versace Dylan Blue Pour Femme Set are perfect if you’re shopping for someone whose signature scent you already know, as they’re getting a full sized version (in this case, 100mL) of their favourite perfume, the matching scented body lotion and a travel sized spray for the handbag for the SAME PRICE as what you’d ordinarily have to spend for just the perfume on its own.
Versace Dylan Blue Pour Femme Set, $175
I have previously neglected the “men’s” category in these Gift Guides and, on reflection, there may have been a few reasons. The first is that I’m not of the belief that cosmetics are gender specific (anyone can use anything) but the second, if I’m being entirely honest, is probably because male-specific products often don’t feel as fun and glossy and festive as those really aimed at women (I’ve noted already that I am more or less a pigeon with shiny things). These fragrances, however, were too fun not to include. The packaging!
I often gravitate towards men’s or unisex perfumes, and these two are beautiful- but the bottles. We’ve spoken about how festive beauty is as much about the experience of use as it is the efficacy which is why, as superficial as it may be/definitely is, the packaging does matter. Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male Le Parfum, an oriental warm spicy eau de parfum, comes in a bottle shaped as a man’s body, while Paco Rabanne’s 1 Million Eau De Toilette, a woody warm spice, comes in a bottle literally shaped as a gold bar. This pigeon could not resist.
Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Le Parfum, $110
Paco Rabanne 1 Million Eau De Toilette, $135
I have always loved Armani’s range of men’s fragrances, with Acqua Di Giò serving as one of the very first perfumes, across any category and gender, that I truly fell in love with.
This Armani Men’s Holiday Gift Set is beautiful, containing miniature versions of four of the brand’s best selling scents- Armani Code, Armani Code Profumo, Emporio Armani Stronger With You and the aforementioned Acqua di Giò. What I really love about this holiday set is that the fragrances haven’t been decanted into little vials like most scent discovery scents, with the brand instead developing miniature replicas of the permanent line bottles.
Armani Beauty Men’s Miniature Fragrance Holiday Gift Set, $85
Skincare is about as personal a category to gift from as perfume, but there are definitely ways to gift it and gift it well. Really well. When I’m choosing holiday gifts in the skin space, particularly when it comes to facial skincare (there’s far more room for error, for lack of a better term, with body care), I look for options from really high quality brands that I have personally enjoyed using, and I tend to choose sets with a focus on slightly more universal concerns- sets designed to give the skin a glow, hydrate and restore a tired complexion and really just deliver that spa-facial experience, rather than intensely active cosmeceuticals that must be matched to a person’s specific skin type. I also feel really confident with anything involving “hero,” “icon,” or “cult products,” as a product can only reach best-seller status if it works for many, many people.
Two of my skincare gift set picks for this season are the Salwhasoo Cult Classics Set, which includes a full sized First Care Activating Serum and Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream, and the Amore Pacific Unleash Your Inner Clarity Set, which contains the brand’s signature Vintage Single Extract Essence and a mini Time Response Skin Reserve Creme, all of which are designed to plump up and hydrate tired skin.
Sulwhasoo Cult Classics Set, $240
Amore Pacific Unleash Your Inner Clarity Set, $280
My love for both Bangn Body and Go-To is well documented. Two female founded Australian brands with a portfolio of products that all boast a cult following and, most importantly, do what they say they will do.
Bangn Body’s Christmas Bundle contains, quite literally, their entire product range and a number of holiday-exclusive accessories beyond what I’ve photographed above- the luxe tube key in gold and body brush, as pictured, plus the luxe tube key in silver, two satin scrunchies, two cosmetics bags and a Christmas stocking (if this kit is of interest to you, get in quick- Bangn Body products are notoriously popular).
Bangn Body The Christmas Bundle, $298
Go-To’s Holiday gifting options are all beautiful, but my pick is the Luxe Night Set which sees the Fancy Face Oil Cleanser, Face Hero Extra, Very Useful Face Cream and Posh Cloths housed within a limited edition fluffy peach bag.
Go-To Luxe Night Set, $176
Cosmetics 27 make some of my very favourite skincare products, my most favourite from their collection being the Baume 27 and Essence 27, both of which have been formulated to speed up the natural cell renewal process and boost collagen for brighter, dewier, younger looking skin. I am keeping this one. It is for me and me alone.
Cosmetics 27 Restore & Glow, $270
More limited edition sets of cult products!
I love the Summer Fridays range, and even if I didn’t, I’d have likely included this Hydration Set anyway based solely on how beautiful the toiletry case it comes in is. Said mint green case houses the brand’s CC Me Serum, Lip Butter Balm and legitimately iconic Jet Lag Mask. Another brand I love very much is Caudelie, so much so that I made my very patient partner traipse all over Paris with me in 2015 as I visited every pharmacie in an attempt to adequately stock up on the brand’s Beauty Elixir (which was made available in Australia about a day after we arrived back in the country). This Beauty Essentials Set includes a bottle of my beloved Elixir, a Glycolic Peel Mask and an Instant Foaming Cleanser.
Summer Fridays The Hydration Set, $126
Caudelie The Beauty Essentials Set, $83
For upwards of five years now, Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Skin collection has made up the bulk of my special occasion skin prep routine. The beauty (no pun intended) of a makeup artist and colour cosmetics master formulating skincare is that it is quite literally formulated with the goal of making one’s makeup sit better.
The Charlotte Tilbury Magic Skin Duo consists of a full sized Magic Cream and Magic Serum Crystal Elixir, ideal for anyone who takes the priming step of their makeup routine seriously (these are my people), while the Magic Skin Secrets set serves as a failsafe brand intro, containing a travel sized Goddess Skin Clay Mask, Magic Serum Crystal Elixir, Magic Cream and Wonderglow Primer.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Skin Duo, $135
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Skin Secrets, $100
What’s that? I’ve weaselled more SPF recommendations into the third of three parts of this Gift Guide?
Am nothing if not consistent.
I’ve spoken previously about how Ultra Violette are truly the pioneers of this idea of an “SPF Wardrobe,”- having a number of different sunscreen formulas on hand so you can really tailor this step in your skincare regimen (a luxury that was once reserved for serums). These two Holiday sets are, quite literally, perfect. The Sheen Screen Lip Collection includes four tinted SPF 50 lip balms (your lips need sun protection too!) while the Skinscreen Collection contains four full sized sunscreens, with both collections housed in an amazing silicone beauty bag (I can’t stop playing with mine, the texture is incredible).
Ultra Violette Sheen Screen Lip Collection, $82.50
Ultra Violette Skinscreen Collection, $130
I spoke in Part 2 about how perfect The Body Shop’s range of “Ultimate” gift bags, boxes and other shapes that have escaped me are for that friend who loves a particular fragrance or ingredient. These gift sets are incredible value, with each containing a Body Scrub, Body Butter, Shower Cream, Hand Cream, Shampoo and Conditioner in one of the brand’s signature scents- my pick is Shea Butter.
The Body Shop Nourishing Shea Ultimate Gift Bag, $90
Another thing I touched on in Part 2 but would very much like to extend upon now is how great makeup brush gift sets are. You honestly can’t go wrong. Nobody in my life (myself included), other than actual makeup artists, is replacing their brushes as often as they (we) should. Your average beauty consumer is waiting until that brush is literally not doing its job any more before they replace it. A great brush set will always be graciously received- Zoeva and Mecca Max make some of my very favourites (the Zoeva Vault almost feels like an advent calendar and I honestly find the brushes to be professional quality, and the Mecca Max set comes with what is quite possible the coolest brush holder I’ve ever seen).
Zoeva Share Your Radiance Brush Vault, $197
Mecca Max Brush Over 8 Piece Brush Set, $85
This is a pretty large call given that this year’s Guides have hit 123 gifts in total, but I really think that the House of Jo Malone is the perfect Christmas gift. I honestly cannot fault it. I’ve spoken ad nauseam about how elegant Jo Malone’s Holiday collections always are, and this gift set exemplifies that. The House, which really does look and feel like a doll house, is home to two candles, a room spray, a hand and body wash and hand and body lotion.
Jo Malone House of Jo Malone, $256
And with that, we reach the Beauty Advent Calendar portion of this year’s Gift Guides. As much as I love chocolate, the thought of an advent calendar filled with beauty products still feels like a fantasy to me. If you have the budget for it, a beauty advent calendar will delight just about anyone you’re shopping for- those who love a particular brand and will delight in travel sizes of the full range, those who want to trial miniature products before they commit to a full sized purchase, and those who just love beauty and the festive season. The novelty won’t be wasted, I assure you.
Go-To’s 12 Days of Go-To advent calendar is a particularly beautiful one (and worth noting that it includes a bottle of Tinted Zincredible which has been discontinued and will only be available for the next couple of months).
Go-To 12 Days of Go-To, $150
Not actually an advent calendar, but if we’re talking about gifts that combine a large quantity of products within novelty packaging, then it would be remiss of me not to talk about Drunk Elephant’s The Trunk 4.0. I have been working in beauty for quite some time now, and although I am still grateful for every single product that lands on my desk for consideration, there are very few products that physically make me gasp. Out loud.
The Trunk did precisely that. Pictured above is the outrageous volume of products you receive with this set. Not pictured, for no reason other than that it did not fit in the frame, is the 23cm x 36cm x 45cm literal suitcase the products came in.
Drunk Elephant The Trunk 4.0, $673
I have only really started playing with the Fresh range this year, but they have swiftly become a firm favourite brand of mine. The brand’s advent calendar includes travel sizes of 12 products, including all of my personal favourites- the Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy, Sugar Caramel Hydrating Lip Balm, the Black Tea Firming Overnight Mask and Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream.
Fresh 12 Days of Beauty Set, $182
Clarins. I just love them. I think everyone has at least one person in their life who is besotted with this brand. This advent calendar is pretty incredible value, containing 24 travel sized products- but really decent travel sizes! They’re weighty and substantial! Very impressive!
Clarins 24 Days of Beauty Surprises, $160
L’Occitane are one of those beautiful brands that just make me feel festive (I have just booked in a massage in their spa for next week as I type this. I love them). L’Occitane really epitomise that spa-day-at-home philosophy that I always find makes for a reliable gift, and this Classic Calendar includes all of their cult/hero/classic/best-selling products. Tick tick tick.
L’Occitane Classic Calendar, $99
I leave you with the brand that makes me feel the most festive- The Body Shop. So many of my early Christmas gifts, presents I both gave and received, came from The Body Shop. The Body Shop were responsible for the first beauty advent calendar I ever received, and I had never seen anything quite like it. Their products continue to delight me as much today as they did when I would drag my mother into the store when I was a child. A beauty lover from day one.
The Body Shop Make It Real Together Advent Calendar, $100
Sincere and special thanks to the teams at Hermès Australia, TMC PR, Mecca Brands, Chanel Beauty, Estée Lauder Companies, MCMPR, Sarah Humphries Agency, Echo Communications, Max Media Lab, L’Oréal Australia, Bangn Body, Go-To, Ultra Violette, One Green Bean and Stark Matthews.
Fantastic site, many thanks for your time