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In theory, beauty obsessives should be easy to buy for. There’s a never-ending supply of makeup, skin-care, and hair-care products to choose from — but that can actually be the issue. With so many buzzy new brands, indecipherable skin care, and giftable glosses, eyeliners, and mascaras, it can be hard to pick the present. That’s where I come in: I’m a beauty writer with three years of experience tracking down the perfect beauty gifts, from stocking stuffers to status skin care. With budgets in mind, I set out to find as many beauty gifts as I could for less than $30, but I actually discovered that the price point isn’t as limiting as you might think. For example, you can get a cult K18 hair mask, a fancy Nécessaire body wash, and even an eau de parfum endorsed by Sabrina Carpenter for less than that price. So, I decided to really challenge myself, and find beauty gifts that will suit even tighter budgets: below, you’ll find beauty gifts for less than $10, $20, and $30. In the name of convenience, I also made sure each option was available on Amazon. For even more gift inspiration, be sure to read our guides on the best makeup gifts, and the best gifts under $25.
Beauty gifts under $10
Our beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton calls this Nyx lip drip a dupe for the Dior Lip Glow Oil. At less than $10, it’s also a perfect stocking stuffer.
Senior editor Crystal Martin bought this eyeliner on the recommendation of makeup artist Amrita Mehta. It’s inky black and never skips.
Gifting skin care is tough — it’s hard enough to figure out what to put on your own skin. This hyaluronic acid serum is a safe bet, though: It delivers moisture and has recently been reformulated to absorb more thoroughly, with less tacky finish.
I live in the U.K. and this lip liner is perennially sold out in British drugstores because it’s just that good. Creamy, long-lasting, and the Cappuccino shade is the perfect nudey-brown.
Another Rio recommendation. After testing 32 brow gels, she concluded that e.l.f. had done it best — for just $6.
I’ve been yapping about this gadget nonstop since the moment I discovered it. It’s a dainty eyelash comb to separate clumpy lashes — a safe gift for anyone who wears mascara.
Beauty gifts under $20
After trying several blue masacaras from upmarket brands, I discovered that the best actually comes from Maybelline (the brand does a great burgundy, too).
For the standard, blackest-black shade, Tower 28 has become one of our favorite mascara brands this year. It’s minimal, and good enough to “fake a lash lift,” says writer Arielle Avila.
BYOMA has exploded in popularity this year, particularly among tweens and teens. Again, shopping for skin care is tough, so I recommend playing it safe with a moisturizer suitable for (almost) all skin types.
My — and the Strategist’s — favorite conditioner of all time. It hydrates, it nourishes, it helps detangle. (I’d buy one for yourself, too.)
Quite simply, I’m always grateful for a Beautyblender restock. (My ideal of professional hell would be a current beauty-blender reveal.)
Another Dior dupe — this time for its Nail Glow. A great option for those looking to move away from acrylics or press-ons, this nail strengthener will help nurse nails back to full health.
A Strategist favorite, a personal favorite, and — like the beauty blender — a great quality hairbrush is always the kind of thing I appreciate a restock of.
Beauty gifts under $30
This is the type of fancy gift you might be surprised to bag for less than $30. It’s pH balanced, eczema friendly, and a repeat buy for our resident body-wash expert, Brenley Goertzen.
If you know that your recipient is lash serum curious, here’s our recommendation. A tubing mascara with minimal fallout, infused with a peptide serum to help lashes flourish.
Strategist writer Ambar Pardilla is always pleasantly surprised with the quality of J. Hannah nail polish; she says it just doesn’t seem to ever chip.
A microfiber towel is a really simple way to elevate hair-wash days — it helps reduce frizz and breakage. DevaCurl make one of our favorites. (Kitsch is better, if your recipient has curly hair.)
I was blown away when I first tried this and have since ordered it on repeat. It has teeny golden shimmery pigments inside to give your makeup the appearance of a real glow.
This is another item I won’t go without. Fellow writer Dominique Pariso is also a fan and says she no longer has to sit for lash lifts since discovering it.
ABH brow wiz is another classic — again, if you’re looking for a safe bet, this has yet to be usurped in beauty circles since 2016 (King Kylie era).
This one is as good as everyone says it is. A great pick if your recipient has color-treated, heat-damaged hair, or just watches a lot of hair-care ASMR videos.
It’s not just the quality of this leave-in conditioner that makes it giftable, but its distinct fancy, up-market-salon scent.
The holidays are of course the official season of gifting celebrity fragrances. (I hear Sabrina Carpenter’s are actually pretty good.)
On the topic of celebrity fragrances, only when I lose the ability to speak will I stop recommending Fantasy. (More suited to millennial giftees.)
If your girlfriend is a fake tanner, and you no longer want orange bedsheets, see Liquid Gold. It’s fast drying and doesn’t transfer, so your bedsheets are safe.
Rio’s collection of skin-care secrets and advice, compiled from her years of writing and expertise, would make a great coffee-table book for your friend with a skin-care fridge.
I recently named this buzzy product our best pick for dealing with frizzy hair — the bottle is suitably shiny for a gift, too.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best women’s jeans, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, ultra-flattering pants, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
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