I’m surprised by how many people seem to believe beauty is a risky theme for gift giving. There’s a belief that there’s something inherently impolite or implicitly critical about a present designed to improve the appearance of the recipient. But the instinct to groom is universal, self-care is healthy and almost everyone likes to look their best.
Provided one avoids specific “problem solvers”, like anti-wrinkle cream, hair removal (or, indeed, its restoration) and anything related to cellulite, then there’s no reason for anyone to take offence. Well-chosen beauty products make great stocking fillers, luxury presents and spare gifts for unexpected visitors, such as new partners or stray aunts. Plus, they often treat the recipient to something they’d never justify buying for themselves.
With that last point in mind, I usually follow a policy of getting the smallest thing for my budget, rather than trying to maximise it with stacks of bulky product. For example, an under £20 allowance would probably be spent on a single luxury nail polish rather than a hamper of toiletries that may just gather dust in a regifting drawer. I’d sooner blow a £15 budget on one decadent bath foam than on a generic hand wash and lotion duo, and so on. It feels more special and indulgent.
But that isn’t to say beauty gifts can’t be useful – the creamy suds of a single tablet of French soap can elevate everyday ablutions into moments of pure pleasure. So what follows is a wholly subjective list of frothy, fabulous and gratuitous fancies for all genders and ages. Think of them as the gift of guiltless frivolity.
My favourite beauty gifts for Christmas 2024
On-trend makeup bag
Nobody’s Child makeup bag, £25
nobodyschild.com
Damson Madder makeup bag, £28
damsonmadder.com
Leopard is huge this season. A stylish makeup bag is an easy way to embrace it without going wild.
Subtle, long-lasting fragrance
DedCool Xtra Milk fragrance, £24
spacenk.com
The perfect scent for people who think they hate perfume. Soft, intimate, musky and unobtrusive, its fragrance is barely discernible from an upmarket soap, only much longer lasting.
Freshly washed scent
Jones Road fragrance rollerball in Shower, £16
jonesroadbeauty.com
libertylondon.com
Bobbi Brown’s Jones Road has nailed the desires of low-maintenance, busy working women over 35. This just-washed scent is often sold out but is back for Christmas in a handy rollerball for on-the-go freshen-ups.
Glamorous soap blocks
L’Occitane Bonne Mère rhubarb and basil soap, £7.50
loccitane.com
£9.50
strawberrynet.com
There is something intrinsically glamorous about bar soap. L’Occitane’s beautiful, creamy, fatty Marseille blocks are among my favourites. Use as intended, or pop an unwrapped bar in your clothes drawer to keep everything smelling wonderful.
Moisture for dry lips
Laneige candy cane lip mask, £22
cultbeauty.co.uk
selfridges.com
A fun, festive-looking lip balm with serious Korean beauty credentials. Apply whenever your lips look or feel dry.
Light coverage
Zara coloured moisturiser, £17.99
zara.com
An excellent recent buy, this is super-easy, no-makeup-makeup. No brushes or expertise required. Works great for women, teens and men too.
Comfortable lip gloss
Lisa Eldridge Gloss Embrace lip gloss, £20
spacenk.com
libertylondon.com
One of the very few lip glosses I can wear. No jammy stickiness or glued-on hair, just comfortable, pretty shine.
Spa treatment for feet
M&S hydrating foot mask and socks set, £8
marksandspencer.com
I swear by hydrating-gel socks to soften hard skin and keep feet looking their best through all seasons, but my usual generic versions from Amazon won’t cut it as gifts. This aesthetically appealing M&S set makes a ceremony of an unsexy but deeply effective treatment.
Bathroom glow-up
John Lewis fluted glass soap dispenser, £12
johnlewis.com
I like a designer hand soap, but the price versus the volume you need to use makes it prohibitive. This elegant dispenser can be refilled with cheap washes to enhance a stylish bathroom.
Frizz-tamer
Larry King Flyaway kit, £20
libertylondon.com
cultbeauty.co.uk
Winter is dreadful for fine, flyaway and brittle hair. This handy kit (currently residing in my own handbag) is an instant frizz-tamer and adds non-greasy moisture to dry hair.
Protective salve
Violette FR Invisible Bandage, £29
violettefr.com
ohmycream.co.uk
I often use Christmas to gift functional, everyday items made luxurious. Violette FR’s chic, French-girl aesthetic adds pizazz to this useful salve for chapped skin, minor burns, bites, grazes and irritations. Indispensable.
Recycling reminder
Dunelm blush bathroom bin, £26
dunelm.com
A huge amount of recycling comes from the bathroom, but because fewer than half of us own a bathroom recycling bin, it gets tossed into general waste. It’s not the sexiest gift, but I’ve bought several of them for loved ones and they’ve proved habit-changing.
Instant glow
Saie Glowy Super Gel, £22
cultbeauty.co.uk
Makeup can be tricky to choose for others, but this glowy, transparent gel works on every skin tone, in low- or high-maintenance routines. Stroke on cheeks, limbs and clavicles for party season, then use as an extremely sheer, idiot-proof face tint in summer.
Wintry nail colour
Nailberry Le Temps des Cerises, £16.50
nailberry.co.uk
johnlewis.com
No one does rich, wintry colour like Nailberry, and this shade in particular sums up the season. The beautiful, luxurious packaging makes it one of the few nail brands I ever give as a gift (Chanel and Dior are the others).
Flattering blusher
Vieve Sunset Blush Balm in Strawberry, £24
vievebeauty.com
cultbeauty.co.uk
Rouge blusher is back, only this time it’s sheer, fresh and impossible to get wrong. This pretty, lollipop-red balm adds a natural-looking flush that flatters everyone. No brush needed.
My most used makeup brush
Saie The Base brush, £21
cultbeauty.co.uk
Its high-quality, easy-to-apply and fairly priced makeup makes Saie one of my brands of 2024. The brushes are particularly good. This, for application of primer, foundation, creme blush or bronzer, is among my most used of the year.
Scent for hair and skin
Arkive No One Elsie hair and skin scent, £30
arkiveheadcare.com
When celebrity hairdresser and perfume nerd Adam Reed launched his hair products a couple of years ago, I practically begged him to bottle their scents and sell them as fragrances. I can’t have been the only one, because here, at last, they are. The tomatoey No One Elsie is my favourite.
Fun shower foam
Sundae Gingerbread whipped shower foam, £13
simplybe.co.uk
sundaebody.co.uk
This warm, spicy, squirty-cream-style shower foam brings out my inner six-year-old, and I like it.
Ultra-moisturising body butter
Fenty Skin Butta Drop whipped oil body cream, £17
boots.com
fentybeauty.co.uk
Don’t sleep on Fenty’s skincare – it’s very, very good. This rich, luxurious ultra-moisturising butter is my special-occasion body cream of choice. It sinks into dry skin fast but leaves a sexy, flattering gleam.
The best luxury beauty gifts
Posh cleanser
Elemis Pro-Collagen Green Fig cleansing balm, £49
spacenk.com
uk.elemis.com
A beauty icon with good reason. Elemis’s rich, sumptuous cleansing butter is a posh spa in a jar, and it rarely fails to thrill mums, sisters, wives, nans and pals. Massage on dry, add a drop of water to make it milky, then remove with the included cloth.
Wet-to-dry hair straighteners
Dyson Airstrait, £449.99
dyson.co.uk
£399.99
johnlewis.com
I’m loth to admit it, but James Dyson has knocked this one out of the park. If you’re reliant on mechanical hair straighteners and happy to blow the budget, treat your locks to this – super-fast straightening and a glossy, silky finish, courtesy of nothing more than hot air. I will never be without mine.
Refillable atomiser
Chanel No5 purse spray, £165
chanel.com
flannels.com
Jane Birkin-style bag charms are hugely trendy this year, but this will never date – a chic, handy, covetable atomiser containing what I believe to be among the greatest scents of all time. I want.
after newsletter promotion
Microcurrent facial toner
Ziip Halo toning device, £379
ziipbeauty.co.uk
currentbody.com
One of the few pricey beauty gadgets I’ve stuck with long-term. It gives me tighter skin straight away and more defined features. When I thought I’d lost my first Halo, I immediately bought another. But if the recipient is under 35, you should save your money.
My fragrance launch of the year
Hermès Barénia eau de parfum, £56
boots.com
theperfumeshop.com
A grownup, elegant, smart and distinctive chypre in a marketplace of sweet, generic, fruity florals. My husband loves it too.
Refillable lipstick
Celine Beauté Satin Lipstick in Rouge Triomphe, £62
celine.com
For the fashionista who has everything, this is the perfect Parisienne red lipstick in the most beautiful refillable case I’ve ever seen – touch up publicly.
Festive candle
Jo Malone Bitter Orange and Chocolate candle, £100
jomalone.co.uk
cultbeauty.co.uk
No one does Christmas like Jo Malone London. It’s hard to go wrong there, but this extremely luxurious take on Terry’s Chocolate Orange is my pick of its seasonal offerings.
Alpine-inspired bath soak
Susanne Kaufmann Bath for the Senses, from £30
susannekaufmann.com
johnlewis.com
I love this herbal bath oil for long, muscle-relaxing soaks. It makes water milky, skin soft, and it’s subtly fragrant.
The best beauty gifts for teens
Sweet-smelling perfume
Glossier You Rêve, £62
glossier.com
sephora.co.uk
Glossier’s original woody musk, You, is still my favourite, but this new, sweeter, pastry-shop version is surprisingly lovely and a huge hit with teens and young women. Move quickly – it keeps selling out.
TikTok skincare
Bubble Cloud Surf Water cream moisturiser, £16 for 50ml
beautybay.com
boots.com
Bubble skincare is all the rage on TikTok and, fortunately, it’s good. This non-greasy moisturiser is a great entry-level product.
Lip balm case
Rhode by Hailey Bieber phone and lip balm case, £38
rhodeskin.com
amazon.co.uk
My most asked-for item by teenage girls, Hailey Bieber’s repeatedly sold out iPhone and lip balm case is back in various coordinating shades for autumn/winter. You’ll be a hero in your household.
Beauty bag
Glossier beauty bag, £55
glossier.com
You can’t go wrong with Glossier for teens. This stylish beauty bag will hold all essential skincare and makeup for sleepovers, holidays and weekends away.
Healing for the skin barrier
Byoma starter kit, £14.99
cultbeauty.co.uk
Teens have a tendency to treat problem skin like the enemy. The result can be a compromised and upset skin barrier. Byoma specialises in nursing barrier function back to good health. It looks stylish too.
Fun fragrance
Zara Applejuice, £15.99
zara.com
Zara makes some terrific and fun affordable fragrances. Applejuice rarely fails to please teen girls, in my experience, and is affordable enough to replenish when empty.
Heatless curlers
Kitsch heatless curling set, £14.50
asos.com
amazon.co.uk
Heatless curling is a huge beauty trend online – and it’s one that is mercifully kind to hair. Before bed, drape the long rod across your head, then wrap each side of your hair, maypole-style, around the lengths. Secure with the bands and wake to damage-free waves.
Glowy moisturiser
& Other Stories Perle de Coco Glow body lotion, £14
stories.com
This pleasant-smelling coconut lotion from & Other Stories – which makes very good beauty products overall – moisturises as it deposits bronze particles, giving limbs some party glow.
The best beauty gifts for men
Natural deodorant
AKT starter set, £25
aktlondon.com
Designed by two West End musical actors and stage-tested by every performer they know, AKT’s natural, non-aerosol, aluminium-salt-free deodorant is consequently the most robust I’ve tried. It smells great and the accompanying metal-key squeezer elevates it into something more special.
Rave candle
Discothèque Hacienda candle, £54
cultbeauty.co.uk
harveynichols.com
Former ravers turned centrist dads will appreciate this beautiful scented candle, inspired by the legendary Manchester nightclub (thankfully not its loos).
Coastal perfume
Sunspel Sea Moss, £80
sunspel.com
This Lyn Harris-created fragrance is among my favourite launches of the past few years. It’s an interesting, original and quintessentially British blend of moss, cedarwood, rose and patchouli. Any human with taste – aged 18-80 – is likely to love it; few will be able to identify it.
Tasty toothpaste
Marvis cinnamon mint toothpaste, £7.50 for 85ml
thegroomingclinic.com
cultbeauty.co.uk
A stylish stocking filler or standby gift that is both useful and oddly delicious. Try not to ingest.
Seasonal candle
Cowshed Winter Warming room candle, £38
cowshed.com
johnlewis.com
The unmistakable herbal fragrance of Cowshed spas is one of my favourite scents in beauty. Give it to someone’s home.
Natural skincare starter kit
Grown Alchemist mini skincare bundle, £29
grownalchemist.com
£34
amazon.co.uk
I recently had a Grown Alchemist facial and, to my great surprise, it was among the best of my career. I will never underestimate its natural skincare again. This starter kit contains the brand’s excellent primer, which essentially works as invisible makeup on men.
Handcast soap bar
London Brick bar soap, £9
bricksixty.com
thebrunelmuseum.com
A useful pressie for design nerds. A slab of good soap with satisfying heft.
Stylish toothbrush
C O Bigelow tortoiseshell toothbrush, £9
thegroomingclinic.com
thebeautiful.co.uk
A classic stocking filler from New York’s legendary beauty and grooming supply store. This attractive toothbrush is a pleasure to use and will impress any unexpected overnight guests.
Hand and body wash
Urban Apothecary Fig Tree wash, £24
urbanapothecarylondon.com
feelunique.com
I’m a big fan of Urban Apothecary, which makes stylish bathroom beauty kit while undercutting its pricey competitors. This shower gel and hand wash smells delicious and leaves skin comfy and soft.