I’m awful at picking out Christmas gifts, but you don’t have to be! Here’s an indulgent little end-of-the-year gift guide with all of my recent beauty and bedroom favourites. These are, in my opinion, some of the very best beauty gifts of 2023—and they are perfect for us little work-from-home hermits that only come out once a year for the holidays.
A bit of glow for the new year
I tend to get fixated on certain things, latch on, and refuse to let go. In the 2010s, it was tie-dye pressed pigments; for a while, it was anything baked and veined; presently, it’s liquid luminizers. I love a liquid luminizer this season.
Bottom: Saie Starglow Glowy Super Gel. Middle white: Clarins SOS. Top: The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support; Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil
My favourite my a mile is the Saie Glowy Super Gel. I actually never even meant to try this one—the brand offered to send me their Glowy Super Skin foundation and slipped this into the package as well. The foundation doesn’t get along with my skin, but god do I ever love this luminizer. This is the shade Starglow, and it’s everything you could hope for in a product. The formula is bouncy and water-based (the best way I can think to describe it is juicy), the shimmer is ethereal, and the pricing is fantastic. (This is the full size, which is currently $40 CAD at Sephora. It is enormous and I recommend buying the mini unless you’re a body-luminizer person.) I honestly cannot finish a face of makeup without adding this to my nose bridge and cheekbones anymore—it just makes them look so damn good.
And also…
A few other skincare products that I’ve been dipping into for the holidays include Clarins Calm-Essentiel (my go-to moisturizer for dry or sensitive skin; I’m on my fourth or fifth tube), Clarins SOS in White (for a sparkly all-over primer), and The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support System ($25.80 CAD)—it’s pink!
I’ve also been making a dent in my Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil ($115 CAD) recently. I’m of two minds about this one. On one hand, the serum itself is amazing: It’s incredibly thick and rich and gift-worthy. The formula is avocado oil, olive oil, lavender, evening primrose; all good stuff. On the other, the richness of the oil broke down the glue used in the dropper cap, and at $115 CAD I’m a bit miffed about having a two-part lid.
But man, that formula… It feels expensive.
Indulge in a scent subscription for 2024
I’ve been reviewing perfumes since 2007, so I’m pretty well stocked up—but I still love to try something new. That’s what makes brands like Scentbird so perfect for the holiday gifting season. With Scentbird, you can order yourself or a loved one sample scents or a monthly sampling subscription, so they can try a little something new without having to keep the whole bottle. For those of us who like to change our scents up frequently, these little vials are the perfect compromise.
Scentbird sent over three of their top-selling ouds so I could dip into an indulgent fall/winter fragrance wardrobe this season. And oh, god, I can’t get enough. They came in these genius interchangeable, magnetic, travel-friendly cases and their samples are huge: 0.27 oz, which is roughly 120 sprays. The first sample is $8.47 USD right now, and you have other pricing options for one-time purchases, subscriptions, and mini vials.
Scentbird’s selection is wonderful, too. You can find niche fragrances like the ones I’m reviewing here or big name, mass-market perfumes like Ariana Grande Ari and Versace Eros. Like—where else are you going to find Ormonde Jayne alongside Jo Loves?
The best beauty gifts for lovers of luxury haircare
I’ve said enough on this already. You need this mask (and here’s a very well-priced Mulberry silk pillowcase to go along with it.)
Silky-smooth gifts for the bedroom
Okay, so the silk pillowcase that I just mentioned—it’s maybe not so much a suggestion that’s solely for haircare enthusiasts. I mean, it is; it’s just not only that.
You know when you’ve had a rather enthusiastic romp in the bedroom and your hair is a tangled mess and you’re worried that dragging a brush through it is going to rip it all out? Okay, so maybe that worry is just me, but that’s what the silk pillowcase is for. Consider it a preventative measure to deliver a little less friction.
I recommend the Womanizer Premium 2 as my top sex toy recommendation in every single post, and I stand by that recommendation. To mix things up, however, let me leave you with something new to round out this gift guide: The We-Vibe Rave 2. This is a curious g-spot vibrator that has a literal twist to it. Its design gently scoops to one side around a pivotable g-spot bend that holds its shape. I’m not usually big on insertable toys, but recently I’ve been coming back to this one again and again. It’s different, fresh, and app-controllable.
—
Disclaimer: The products mentioned here were gifted for editorial consideration only. This post contains affiliate links. Happy holidays!
