Holiday 2014 Gift Guide with The Beauty Council

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Hi ladies! Today I’m linking up with my blogger friends from The Beauty Council to bring you this exciting gift guide. Check out our top picks for the Holidays, and who knows, maybe we’ll even help Santa cross off a name or two from his list early.

Enjoy!

NAILS

For all the nail polish fanatics in your life, these are some of the newest and hottest products of the season!

1. Deborah Lippmann Party Mix Nail Lacquer Set [$55] – Cremes, shimmers, metallics, glitters: this set has a little bit of everything. Being a cult nail polish brand, this is a welcome addition to anyone’s lacquer cabinet.

2. Formula X Paint The Town [$55] – This cute tin contains 22 mini-sized Formula X nail lacquers in various finishes, and makes the perfect gift for someone looking to start their nail polish collection. Know a recovering nail biter? [that was me a few years ago] This set will help her kick the habit!

3. Smith & Cult Nail Polish [$18] – And a little treat for yourself. Smith & Cult is a new luxury brand that just released their first collection of 30 stunning colors, and Net-a-Porter carries some of them already. These are seriously even more gorgeous in person!

4. Christian Louboutin Rouge Louboutin [$50] – As iconic as a pair of fancypants Louboutins, this nail polish is the newest beauty obsession of many, but not everyone would bite the bullet to buy it. It makes a wonderful gift though!

5. SquareHue Box Subscription [$19.99] – If all else fails, gift a monthly subscription. After all, receiving mystery presents in the mail is always fun. SquareHue polishes are 5-free, always on-trend, and a portion of all proceeds goes to charities that help fight human trafficking.

MAKEUP

Makeup is always a fun gift to give and to receive, I find that neutral universally flattering shades and large palettes are usually well-received. As always, this year there’s no shortage of awesome gift sets and value kits, below are only some of my favorites.

1. Clinique Chubby Colour Lip Set [$25] – This set of four neutral lip crayons will suit every complexion, and the price point doesn’t bite. Break it apart and you got four inexpensive stocking stuffers from a nice brand! I think I just talked myself into buying one of these 🙂

2. MAKE UP FOR EVER Studio Case [$59.50] – A MUA favorite, this set of 12 Artist eye shadows is a steal for the price.

3. Marc Jacobs Beauty La Coquette Four Piece Favorites Collection [$55] – This is actually a really nice set that would make an elegant gift for someone classy… Like yourself! *wink* I have a sample size of that lip gloss and it’s a gorgeous color, and the formula is fantastic as well.

4. Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow Face Sculpt & Highlight Palette [$65] – Quite possibly the best product from the entire Charlotte Tilbury lineup, this palette works like magic and makes contouring easy and natural looking.

5. Sephora Favorites Give Me More Lip [$59] – Wowzers, now that’s what I call an epic sampler set! $59 will get you 17 highly coveted lip products from glosses to lipsticks, and some are even full-sized. Let’s be honest, how many of us actually finish our lippies? This set is just what a girl needs.

6. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette [$58] – This exquisite blush palette would make a wonderful gift for someone with fair or light complexion. The packaging looks even prettier in person!

7. Too Faced La Belle Carousel [$49] – This cute kit comes in adorable giftable packaging that looks like a carousel. Each side holds a mini makeup item – two bronzers, two blushes, 12 eye shadows, and a mini mascara in total.

8. Laura Mercier Mini Caviar Stick Eye Colour Collection [$55] – Caviar sticks are some of the best selling products from Laura Mercier, but I was never interested in her seasonal sets because I never liked the colors enough. This year, however, I plan to finally splurge on one, because there isn’t a color I wouldn’t wear in this kit!

9. Guerlain Meteorites Pearls d’Etoiles [$60] – Meteorites powders always come in pretty packaging, but this golden one tops them all, and doesn’t cost any extra. It’s a cult product that is on many women’s wishlist 🙂

10. Sisley L’Orchidee Blush Compact [$110] – Because sometimes a girl’s gotta indulge, right? I can’t see myself buying one of these, but I’d like to get this blush as a gift, that’s for sure. Anyone else feel the same way?

11. Birchbox or Ipsy [$10/month each] – You could also gift a subscription to one of the most popular mystery beauty boxes. Both Birchbox and Ipsy are only $10 a month!

SKINCARE

Give the gift of beautiful skin with these delightful face and body must haves.

1. L’Occitane Almond Indulgence Duo [$10] – At only 10 bucks this adorable duo makes a great stocking stuffer. That shower oil is one of my personal all-time favorites!

2. Josie Maran Winter Dreams Argan Skincare Collection [$39] – I know this little set is good because I tried each one of these products individually, and they are amazing! I am especially a fan of that Daily Moisturizer with SPF, because it wears like a regular creamy moisturizer and not like those yucky sunscreens that life film and flakes all over your face.

3. Algenist The Best of Algenist Collection 2014 [$120] – Algenist is one of those skin care brands that actually work. My Mom loves their products and swears by that Repairing Oil, even though she has oily skin.

4. Tatcha Complete Travel Ritual Set [$145] – This set comes beautifully wrapped in a gorgeous hand-crafted wooden box filled with the some of the best products Tatcha has to offer. Tatcha is one of my personal favorite skin care brands and I know I can always rely on their products to deliver on their promise. Your giftee will not be disappointed!

5. Clarisonic Mia2™ Winter Hydration Set [$149] – Clarisonic brushes are pretty much a staple for most beauty bloggers and vloggers, and rightfully so – the sonic technology and the variety of brush heads to choose from make this one of the top products on any beauty wishlist. Just for this Holiday season, Clarisonic released several value sets that include both the brushes and some skin care to go with them. It’s a great deal, if you ask me!

FRAGRANCE

Fragrance is another popular wishlist item, and unless you know exactly what kind of scent your giftee likes, it’s always a safe bet to give a sampler. Here are some of the best fragrance gift sets I could find for you today!

1. Tory Burch Tory Burch Rollerball Cracker [$25] – While not technically a set, this cracker comes beautifully wrapped with a small gift card inside. This fragrance is recommended for girly girl types who like citrusy florals.

2. NEST Fragrance Collection Set [$38] – Unique snowflakes will love these unconventional fragrances from NEST. They smell a lot more expensive and complex than their retail price.

3. L’Artisan Parfumeur Miniature Perfume Set [$40] – First of all, these mini glass bottles are absolutely adorable! That aside, the company prides itself in creating unique fragrances that are unlike anything else on the market, and are often worn by celebrities and people who want to stand out from the crowd [in a good way].

4. Atelier Cologne Miniature Discovery Collection [$50] – I wear Atelier Cologne fragrances practically daily and love most of them, especially Vanille Insensee. In fact, this set alone features four of my top picks! This is a steal for the price, for sure.

5. Tocca Beauty Tocca Meet The Girls [$62] – Tocca is known for their beautiful vintage-inspired packaging and wonderful feminine fragrances that are adored by bloggers. This gift set comes with ten of Tocca’s best-selling scents, packaged in travel-sized spray bottles that are easy to carry around in your purse.

6. Jo Malone London House of Jo Malone London [$200] – A true olfactory indulgence, Jo Malone fragrances are on everyone’s wishlist these days. This Limited Edition gift set features six different types of products in six of the brand’s best-selling scents, so the giftee [or yourself!] can discover not only which of the brand’s fragrances they like the most, but also the formulas of Jo Malone’s personal care products. This is one of the best-curated Holiday gifts I’ve seen from them.

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