I Try Hundreds of Beauty Products a Year— These 60 Make Great Holiday Gifts

Gifting season is nearly over. The holidays are just days away, and your opportunity to buy last-minute gifts is coming to an end. And while I fully believe the holiday season should be about giving first and foremost, let’s be honest: We all love being on the receiving end of a really good present. 

But when buying gifts for makeup lovers or skincare aficionados, it can be hard to narrow down the options since they’re practically endless. So, I’ve created a comprehensive list of my personal favorite, tried-and-true products that would make excellent Hanukkah or Christmas gifts (or any festive occasion you celebrate!). From skincare gift sets and makeup must-haves to splurge-worthy hair tools and luxury perfumes, I’m sharing a variety of top-tier beauty products (at varying price points) to give someone this holiday season. 

Best Beauty Gift Sets

Gift sets offer variety and value, and there are some great options this year. Between a duo of my favorite face wash, a gift set of my favorite eyeliners ever, and so much more, there’s something for every type of beauty lover on this list.  

Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Liner

$34 at Neiman Marcus View on Bergdorfgoodman.com $34 at Bluemercury.com

Nécessaire The Body Wash Discovery Collection

$45 at Amazon $45 at Sephora View on Necessaire.com

e.l.f. The All Day Every Day Holiday Cosmetics Gift Set

$20 at Target View on Elfcosmetics.com

Salt & Stone Full-Size Body Care Set

$85 at Nordstrom

BK Beauty Travel Brush Set with Pouch

$125 at Amazon View on Bkbeauty.com

Beautyblender Cosmo Essentials Set

$50 at Sephora

Patrick Ta Major Volume Plumping Gloss Duo

$39 at Sephora View on Patrickta.com

Sol de Janeiro Biggie Biggie Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

$85 $72 at Sephora $85 at Revolve View on Soldejaneiro.com

Briogeo Superfoods Mango + Cherry Balancing Shampoo & Conditioner Set

$52 at Nordstrom $52 at Kohls.com

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk On the Go Set

$59 at Sephora $59 at Ulta $59 at Nordstrom

Youth to the People Fresh Starters Superfood Cleanser Home & Away Set

$45 at Sephora $32 at Nordstrom $33 at Anthropologie

MAC Cosmetics MACStack Line & Lash Eyeliner & Mascara Set

$34 at Amazon $34 $24 at Nordstrom $29 at Macy's

Topicals Slick Lip Duo

$26 at Sephora View on Mytopicals.com

OUAI Detox Shampoo & Leave In Conditioner Value Set

$43 at Sephora $43 at Kohls.com

ELEMIS The Gift of Pro-Collagen Icons

$125 at Ulta $125 at QVC

Armani Luminous Silk Blush Gift Set

$39 at Nordstrom $55 at Macy's $38 at Neiman Marcus

Best Makeup Gifts

Between a luxe face palette, several Byrdie-approved eyeshadow palettes, and a cream blush I (and pretty much every beauty creator on TikTok is obsessing over), you truly can’t go wrong with these makeup goodies. 

Hourglass Face Palette

$90 at Ulta $90 at Nordstrom View on Hourglasscosmetics.com

Patrick Ta Major Dimension Eye Illusion Eyeshadow Duos

$42 at Sephora View on Patrickta.com

Makeup By Mario Moonlight Palette

$68 at Sephora View on Makeupbymario.com $68 at Kohls.com

Ami Colé Midnight Kiss Duo Set

$35 $25 at Sephora View on Amicole.com

Dior Glow Face Palette

$48 at Sephora View on Dior.com

Rhode Pocket Blush

View on Rhodeskin.com

Haus Labs Color Fuse Blush

$32 at Sephora View on Hauslabs.com $32 at Kohls.com

Saie Saie Glowy Super Gel Lightweight Dewy Multipurpose Illuminator

$28 at Amazon $28 $16 at Sephora $16 at Kohls.com

Natasha Denona I Need a Nude Eyeshadow Palette

$69 at Sephora $69 at Ulta $69 at Kohls.com

NARS Bronzing Cream

$42 at Sephora $42 at Ulta $56 $39 at Walmart

Best Skincare Gifts

It can be tricky to buy skincare for someone else because we all have different needs, but a hydrating body cream, a dewy facial moistuizer, and a pumpkin face mask are pretty much foolproof. 

Skinfix Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream

$54 at Amazon $20 at Sephora View on Skinfix.com

Glossier Body Butter

$45 at Sephora $45 at Glossier

Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream

$23 at Amazon $25 at Sephora $35 at Walmart

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel

$20 at Amazon $20 at Sephora $92 at Nordstrom

Kate McLeod Daily Stone

$45 $12 at Sephora $38 at Nordstrom View on Katemcleod.com

Santal Bloom Nourishing Body Oil

$22 at Amazon View on Saltair.com

Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream

$305 at Amazon $305 at Sephora $98 at Nordstrom

Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask

$60 at Amazon $60 at Sephora $60 at Ulta

Best Fragrance Gifts 

Cozy, warm fragrances are perfect for this time of year. Between a luxe perfume trio, some of my favorite fall and winter candles, and beloved fragrances, your loved ones (and their homes) are bound to smell fantastic. 

PHLUR Eau de Parfum

$99 at Sephora View on Phlur.com $99 at Kohls.com

Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille

$236 $200 at Amazon $300 at Sephora $445 $195 at Nordstrom

NEST New York Holiday Candle

$66 at Sephora $22 at Nordstrom $87 at Macy's

Maison Margiela Warm & Woody Travel Spray Set (Limited Edition)

$78 at Sephora $78 at Nordstrom $78 at Kohls.com

Glossier You Rêve

$78 at Sephora $32 at Glossier $78 at Kohls.com

Clean Reserve Whipped Cherry Eau de Parfum

$110 $32 at Sephora $110 $75 at Kohls.com View on Cleanbeauty.com

Snif Half Baked Smash Collection Candle Bundle

$89 at Ulta View on Snif.co

Voluspa Temple Moss Large Jar Candle

$34 at Nordstrom View on Voluspa.com $20 at Revolve

Best Beauty Tools 

If you’re looking to splurge on someone special, opting for a beauty tool is a great option. These are some of my (and my fellow Byrdie editors’) favorite hair tools and skincare gadgets. 

Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler Complete Long

$599 at Sephora $600 at Ulta $600 at Nordstrom

Shark SpeedStyle RapidGloss Hair Dryer

$195 at Amazon $199 at Sephora $200 at Wayfair

T3 SinglePass StyleMax 1" Flat Iron

$160 at Amazon $160 at Sephora $160 at Ulta

WTHN Face Cupping Kit

$40 at Nordstrom View on Wthn.com View on Bloomingdales

HigherDOSE Brush for Exfoliating & Circulation

$69 at Amazon $69 at Sephora View on Myshopify.com

Solawave Eye Recovery Pro Red Light Therapy Mask

$189 at Ulta $189 at Nordstrom

Best Stocking Stuffers

If you’re looking for smaller beauty gifts that make perfect stocking stuffers, there are so many great options. Some of my favorites include a viral lip and cheek stain, a volumizing and smudge-proof mascara, a baby pink nail polish I reach for consistently, and so much more. 

Milk Makeup Cooling Water Jelly Tint Lip + Cheek Blush Stain

$24 at Amazon $24 at Sephora $24 at Kohls.com

Charlotte Tilbury Volumizing and Curling Mascara

$35 at Amazon $29 $15 at Sephora $29 at Ulta

Fwee Lip & Cheek Blurry Pudding Pot

$20 $16 at Amazon

essie Nail Polish

$10 at Amazon $10 at Target $10 at Ulta

K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Molecular Repair Hair Mask

$75 at Amazon $120 at Sephora View on K18hair.com

Dior Lip Glow Oil

$40 at Amazon $40 at Sephora $40 at Ulta

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Candy Cane Swirl

$25 at Amazon $24 at Sephora $25 at Kohls.com

Milani Keep It Full Glossy Plumping Balm

$13 $11 at Amazon

OleHenriksen Peptide Lip Treatment

$22 at Sephora $22 at Ulta $22 at Kohls.com

Crown Affair The Leave-In Conditioner

$48 $22 at Sephora $48 at Violet Grey View on Crownaffair.com

Kitsch Satin Hair Scrunchies

$8 at Amazon $8 at Target $8 at Ulta

Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Cream Blush

$20 at Amazon $20 at Sephora View on Tower28beauty.com