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It's that time of year again, where we all start having a mini panic about what to gift our loved ones this year.
But fear not, because I'm back again for another gift guide season and this one I think has to be my biggest one yet.
As always, I'm eternally grateful for the brands and PR's who have helped me out this year, as without them I wouldn't be able to bring you these guides packed full of goodies from big and small brands alike.
I've also tried to pick out brands who are doing their bit to be more sustainable: be it using natural ingredients, being vegan, or using more eco-friendly packaging.
Let's kick things off with the category I always place first in my guides - friends & sisters!
Make sure to check out my other guides here:
BATH & BODY
Getting underway with the pampering products, because who doesn't love a good relaxing bath (I know some people hate it, don't @ me) or slathering on products to leave your skin silky smooth...
I couldn't have a gift guide without including my one-stop-shop for pampering treats: Baylis & Harding.
They have brought out some amazing sets this year, and have really upped their package design in my opinion!
Baylis & Harding don't use plastic micro-beads, are paraben-free, vegan, and are trying to reduce their plastic usage by following the commitments of the UK Plastics Pact 2018.
One of their sets perfect for unicorn lovers or as a secret santa gift is this Beauticology Unicorn Bath Fizzers set. As you can see from the packaging, they've really gone to town with the rainbow shaped box showing the contents of 5 bath fizzer and a little pot of gold bath salts.
In the past, their fizzers have all been the same fragrance, but this year they've added some new scents to each fizzer, including Ice Cream Sundae, Vanilla Ice, Unicorn Candy, Mint Choc Chip And Cookies & Cream.
BAYLIS & HARDING BEAUTICOLOGY UNICORN BATH FIZZERS SET £10 (ad-aff)
Another pampering gift from Baylis & Harding is their Beauticology Rudolph Festive Treats for Feet Set.
This festively designed set contains their vanilla icing foot lotion and some fluffy socks that are always appreciated in the colder months (I collect fluffy socks like a hoarder as my feet are always cold)!
BAYLIS & HARDING BEAUTICOLOGY RUDOLPH FESTIVE TREATS FOR FEET SET £8 (ad-aff)
Over the past year, I've really gotten into using body powders after washing and before applying body lotion. I usually apply it to areas where sweat can gather, like around where my bra sits etc, and I've found that those areas have been staying drier for longer.
Too Faced have brought out their own version for the festive season with a yummy gingerbread scent and golden sparkle to it that makes the skin look super pretty as well as the powder being practical. If you're off to a party, pop this on any skin you have on the show, like your collarbone or shoulders for a glow that will perk up your skin immediately. This can also be applied to the face too to double up as a highlighter!
Too Faced offer natural ingredients, are cruelty-free and also have some vegan products too.
TOO FACED GINGERBREAD SUGAR KISSABLE BODY SHIMMER £26 (ad-aff)
It's not Christmas without a Lush gift set or two!
This year I feel like they've offered a good mixture of Christmas themed sets and ones filled with all year round faves, as well as having spa treatments available too!
Lush is one of the big names in the beauty biz who are making a stand to be more sustainable: they try and use as little packaging as possible with the option to buy single products 'naked', and when they have to use packaging they try and use recycled and biodegradable options, as well as offering a free face mask when you bring back the black pots to recycle. They don't use palm oil and 70% of their products don't have preservatives in them.
For sweet-scent lovers, the Hello Gorgeous set in this cute box would make a great gift especially as you get great value for money with it: you save a good few pounds for the 6 items you get.
Inside you get the Rose Jam shower gel, Dream Cream body lotion, Sakura bath bomb, Rub Rub Rub shower scrub, Gorgeous moisturiser and a Mini Comforter all for just over £30!
As it's packed with cult-faves, this would be great for someone already a fan of these, or someone who's a newbie as it's a great way to introduce someone to Lush.
LUSH HELLO GORGEOUS SET £32
MAKEUP
One of the best ways to try out new makeup is at Christmas when there are so many sets offering minis or full-size products to try at a discounted rate!
A great example of this is this Bobbi Brown Major Crush Lip set. This set includes four of their best-selling Crushed Liquid Lips in Ginger Snap, Current Affair, Smoothie Move and Mango Mood.
This fan-fave combines the staying power of a liquid lipstick with the nourishment of a balm, so you don't have to worry about your lips drying out!
As well the lipsticks being full-size products, you get a huge saving with this set as it's £40 (with the products being worth £76)!
Bobbi Brown offer products that are vegan and made with natural ingredients free from parabens and sulphates.
BOBBI BROWN MAJOR CRUSH LIP SET £40
As well as amazing makeup products, you can also find some great accessories for any hard-core beauty lovers.
Real Techniques have produced some of the most talked-about brushes, with their sets being great value for those trying to build up their brush collection.
Real Techniques brushes are vegan & cruelty-free as they use synthetic bristles on their brushes.
They've brought out some amazing limited edition sets this year, like this Sparkle More set. First of all, you can't beat glittery brushes! Secondly, the brushes are all staples in anyone's makeup routine.
You get a fan brush which is essential in my eyes for highlighter, an expert face brush which is ideal for blending liquid and powder bases, and a detail shadow brush which works perfectly when applying under-eye shadow. You also get a brush clutch which I find essential when travelling as you can store your brushes without getting them dirty, or ruining the bristles.
REAL TECHNIQUES SPARKLE MORE GIFT SET £12
As much as I love playing with makeup, the one thing I hate is having to clean all my makeup brushes afterwards. However, BBC Apprentice winner Tom Pellereau has answered all our brush-washing woes.
He's created the STLYPRO makeup brush cleaner and dryer which acts like a washing machine for your brushes.
Gone are the days when you have to stand around scrubbing your brushes clean (and hogging the bathroom sink for about an hour) as this washes and dries brushes in less than 30 seconds.
This is probably something I would have bought for myself I'm that in love with it. This would make any makeup lover happy if they received this.
The fab thing about the STYLPRO is that you won't be using any water as all you need is the brush cleaner which is vegan and free from alcohols, parabens and sulphates.
STYLPRO BRUSH CLEANER £39.99
SKINCARE
For those who always make time to do their skincare routine in the morning and evening, these are the gifts for them.
First up we have this offering from Crabtree & Evelyn, who definitely gets the award for best packaging design in my eyes, thanks to the company collaborating with London muralist Vic Lee. Inspired by festive traditions that you'd recognise if you walk around London at Christmas, I could spend hours looking at this design and find a new detail I didn't spot before each time.
Another set consisting of full-size products *hooray*, you get the Evelyn Rose cleanser and body lotion to see your skin through the winter months into the new year.
Crabtree tries to use packaging that is recyclable or made from recycled materials where they can.
CRABTREE & EVELYN LONDON GIFT SET £53
The next gift is for all my guys and girls who suffer from sensitive skin. Rosalique is well-known for its soothing products to help with red sensitive skin, and the 3-in-1 Miracle Formula is an amazing skincare essential that treats and covers your skin at the same time.
This is filled with lots of amazing ingredients that are kind to the skin as well as SPF 50 to protect it from any further irritations. It comes out green but blends into the skin really well, with the green tint offsetting the red undertones of the skin.
As someone who has breakouts of eczema and uneven skin texture due to folliculitis, this is ideal to have at the ready to get the skin back to normal.
Rosalique is vegan and free from parabens.
ROSALIQUE 3-IN-1 MIRACLE FORMULA £29.99
One part of your skin that you can forget to take proper care of is your lips. If you know someone who is a big lipstick lover, then from time to time they'll want to give their lips a little TLC from all the different colours they're throwing onto them.
Lip scrubs are such an underrated product, and I couldn't recommend Pura Cosmetics scrubs and balms enough. I've been using their products for over 6 months and I love the way they leave my lips so smooth without any dead skin in sight.
This year, they have some fab gift sets on offer. The first is their standard mix and match set which they have all year round where you can choose whatever scrub and balm combo you like, but they also have some festive sets too. I'm a huge fan of their alcohol flavoured products, especially the Prosecco Bubbles scrub and balm.
The great thing about these festive sets is that not only do you get a full-size scrub and balm, you also get a travel size scrub perfect for popping in your hand luggage to keep lips silky smooth while on holiday.
PURA COSMETICS MERRY KISSMASS PROSECCO BUBBLES SET £11.50
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Hope you loved my first gift guide of the year! Check out my other gift guide for bookworms, as well as some festive videos over on my Youtube channel.
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