Okay, so it turns out I liked too many things this year to cover them all in one post. (Honestly, not a huge surprise.) Here’s the second half of my beauty gift guide for 2023, complete with every lip product that you have to try this season and a highlight kit from the cult-favourite Katie Jane Hughes.

More glow to love

I’ve been watching Katie Jane Hughes videos since the early, early beauty blogging days. She was the hooded eye girl of the mid 2010s. Her interviews dominated the beauty industry. Part of the Lisa Eldridge generation of UK beauty gurus, Katie was someone who people interviewed not because of good looks (though she is absolutely stunning) or relatable vlogs, but because of her extensive working portfolio.

KJH Hyper Shine High Light Kit in Copper: Gloss, Mixed, Pigment

Far beyond her days as the butterLONDON Global Colour Ambassador, Katie now (finally!) has her own line. KJH is exactly what you’d expect: Products for high-gloss, high-vis, runway-ready looks. This is the KJH Hyper Shine High Lite Kit in Lite Copper ($98 CAD), which comes with a perfectly-sized, angled highlighting brush and a liquid Hyper Shine Serum. The two products are designed to be used mixed together, but they can each be used on their own, too.

Lip, lip, lip

It is dry in Alberta. This is what I’ve been loving.

Saie Glossybounce High-Shine Hydrating Lip Gloss Oil: I have a love/hate relationship with these. On one hand: They are gorgeous, and Kiss is literally the perfect transparent pink. I love how glossy and hydrating the formula is, and the fact that it’s scent-free is a rarity in the makeup world that I know people with sensitivities will love. On the other… I love juicy-smelling lip glosses, and I’m kind of sad every time I apply these that they smell like oil and plastic instead.

Saie Glossybounce swatches L-R: Dream, Push, Dip, Kiss, Bounce, Play

OLEHENRIKSEN Pout Preserve: The original (yellow tube) of this lip balm feels inexplicably like a tropical lip treat. Or—maybe not so inexplicably. These are formulated with kokum and mango seed butter, and they’re an excellent dose of hydration that’s easy to apply. (I honestly cannot remember the last time I put on a lip balm and I didn’t have to use a doe-foot or my fingertip, though maybe that’s more of a judgement on my own choices than anything else.) For the holidays, I love the Lingonberry Jam version of Pout Preserve. It comes in a hangable gift box and is a dollar cheaper than the original!

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask: The internet has said enough about these already. I’m almost out of Grapefruit and Berry, but I’m loving Gummy Bear.

Travel and texture

Okay, these are my final two gift recommendations for 2023! The first one is a really easy skincare product: The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser. This super rich cream-to-oil cleanser applies like a luxurious balm, melts into an oil with the warmth of your skin, and then rinses off like a cleanser once you add water. It’s the perfect blend between hydration and cleansing, with less of a greasy texture than solid oil balms and a less-stripped finish than liquid oil cleansers.

The second is a makeup bag that’s kind of genius. I had the perfect travel makeup stack on its way to pair with this, but the stack got stuck in the mail—so this bag is on its own for now, which is a bit of a heartbreak. This is the camel leather Kusshi Signature Makeup Bag (fabric options also available.)

I travel a fair amount, and my makeup and skincare are always a two-bag affair. Everything always ends up incredibly stuffed and disorganized, which is the last thing you want when you’re potentially doing your makeup on the world’s smallest sink ledge in some airplane lavatory. Kusshi bags are made to fit and organize a ton of products. This bag has zippered and mesh pockets inside, a flat stand-up bottom, and a bottom-to-bottom zipper that allows the bag to flare outwards when you open it. The interior lining snaps out so you can wash it (essential for a leather makeup bag, but next to impossible to find) and it even comes with a removable brush roll.

The leather is nice, too—soft and supple and flexible. The Kusshi Signature is a spendy Christmas gift if you buy it in leather, but it’s such a wonderful treat for a loved one who loves to travel.

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Disclaimer: The products mentioned here were gifted for editorial consideration only. This post contains affiliate links. Happy holidays!