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Earlier this week I brought you my edit of luxury Christmas gifts, and this week it's the turn of affordable gifts, great-value sets and little stocking-fillers. Let's dive in...
- HAIR, BATH & BODY -
I have the Fresh Beauty Sugar Lip Moisturising Trio Set* | £24 | containing their legendary lip products. In this set you get Advanced Therapy; their extra-nourishing lip balm formula, the Rose tinted formula (a sheer vibrant pink) and the Mint Rush formula, which creates a cooling sensation. They're so cute, you can throw them in your handbag. This is a great way to try a few different options from the range. I love Fresh lip balms and have been using them for years!
The next set I have to talk about is the Sol de Janeiro Exotic Escape Set* | £12. This comes with a loop on it so you can hang it up on the Christmas tree (sidenote: does anyone else's family have the tradition of putting a small present on the tree that you get on Boxing Day? This is perfect for that!) It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the nourishing summer-y goodness of Sol de Janeiro's original Brazilian Bum Bum Cream - it's scented with vanilla, pistachio and caramel - and it definitely brightens up a dark, cold winter day in England. This also comes with a body butter in their other scent: Coco Cabana, with coconut cream, orchid and praline. Yum!
Next I have a range of gifts from Roger & Gallet. For this section I have the Roger & Gallet Invigorating Bath & Shower Gels in Bois d'Orange*, Cedrat* & Gingembre Rouge* | £9.50 each. I really enjoy these shower gels, they're nice and gentle on the skin, the texture is thick and luxurious and the fragrance lingers nicely after use. They're under £10, so are stocking-filler-friendly. Bois d’Orange has notes of mandarin, orange flower, rosewood and amber, Cedrat (my personal favourite!) is citrus, mint, woods and amber, and Gingembre Rouge contains notes of ginger, mandarin, pomegranate, ginger and lychee. There's also the Cedrat Perfumed Soap* | £6.50 | for those who prefer a solid soap.
An incredible value kit is the Nuxe Prodigiously Iconic Gift Set* | £28. The full-sized bottle of their iconic dry oil £28 on its own so you can see how incredible it is to get this, a candle in the same scent, the hand cream and the lip balm all for this price! My routine is never without this oil - it smells incredible (this warm vanilla, magnolia, amber scent) and is one of the only things that works during the winter on my very dry body skin. The candle comes in the same scent - I've had this a few times in Christmas gift sets and it's beautiful. I wish they'd release a full-sized version of it! Additionally the lip balm is one of the best I've ever used; if you get dry, cracked lips during the winter then give this a go because it's a miracle worker. The hand cream is another old favourite; again it smells gorgeous and is so nourishing; I like to use it before bed.
Another cute little Christmas tree gift is the Molton Brown Juniper Jazz Festive Bauble* | £14. This is absolutely beautiful, you can hang it up and it contains the Juniper Jazz shower gel, which is lightly scented with notes of juniper berries, wood, mint, musk and patchouli.
For something really affordable that you could even split up and put into people's stockings: I have the Creighton's Body Bliss Bath Treats* | £6 | and Hand Cream Heroes* | £5. The bath treats set comes with four bath and shower gel with a moisturising formula. These all have yummy fruity fragrances: mango and papaya, coconut water, pomegranate and raspberry and vanilla and macadamia. In the hand cream set you get three options is this moisturising, non-greasy formula in the mango and papaya, coconut water and vanilla and macadamia scents. These sets are affordable and cute little stocking-fillers.
Sanctuary Spa is another Christmas classic; one I've often gone for when I've had someone for Secret Santa, because their sets are fairly affordable but still offer a luxury experience. I also love that there's no plastic packaging, and the brand focuses on reusability. I have a few gifts from them, two of which fall under this category. The Sanctuary Spa Hand Duo Caddy Gift Set* | £12.50 | contains a lovely moisturising hand wash and a lightweight lotion to use afterwards in this pretty caddy that I'll definitely be refilling. I love the warm fruity, aromatic fragrance Sanctuary Spa use in their products too! The Sanctuary Spa Body Glow Duo Gift* | £6 | is a fab little Secret Santa option for under £10. It contains their body scrub, which doubles as a shower gel because it lathers up, and their nourishing body lotion which is designed to lock in the hydration right after you get out of the bath or shower.
I also have the Ecooking Hand Cream & Overnight Foot Cream Set* | £29. This is a little more on the premium side but still under £30 for two full-sized product, which is pretty good by my standards! This set comes with this super-nourishing hand cream that's perfect for hard-working, dry, cracked hands, particularly during the winter months. There's also a foot cream to be used overnight like a mask, which both provides deep moisture as well as gently exfoliating dead skin cells, so you wake up the next morning with soft, smooth feet.
- SKINCARE -
Another one from Fresh I have is the Fresh Best-Sellers Mini Kit* | £18. This contains minis of two products I absolutely love by Fresh. Their Advanced Lip Therapy is so nourishing and this is a cute little handbag-sized version of it. There's also a pretty generous mini of their Soy Face Cleanser which is one of my favourite lightweight hydrating morning cleanse options.
I also have the Ark Skin Essentials Mini Duo* | £15 | which looks stylish and grown-up but can still hang on the Christmas tree. In this set you get the Pre Cleanse and Makeup Remover; double cleansing is a great habit to get someone into! This formula is rich in fatty acids and plant oils and has a lightweight texture for an oil-based cleanser, however still effectively lifts makeup and breaks down sunscreen. Then there's a little bottle of the Hydrating Beauty Mist, formulated with soothing aloe and hyaluronic acid to pull water into the skin. There are also some oils in the formula to lock hydration in. Overall they're a pretty safe bet as far as facial skincare goes; they're staples that any skin type or age group can benefit from using.
- FRAGRANCE, TOOLS & OTHER BEAUTY -
Fragrance can get pretty pricey, but Floral Street have some lovely mini gifting options that won't break the bank. Their Iris Goddess Eau de Parfum 10ml* | £24 | is still a really decent size, great for travel (when that's a thing again!) and you can throw it into your handbag. The floral design is beautiful and Iris Goddess is a deep, warm, spiced take on floral with notes of vanilla, musk, suede, lemon and more. These scents are proper EDPs so last well and have a good, strong scent when you spray them onto the skin. If you're not quite sure what the recipient would like best, try the Discovery Set* | £14 | which contains 1.5ml of all the scents in the range. Wild Vanilla Orchid is my personal favourite!
Roger & Gallet also offer really affordable fragrances. The Roger & Gallet Bois d'Orange Fresh Fragrant Water Spray* | £19.50 | is a lightweight, refreshing fragrance option and this little bottle can be thrown in your handbag for on-the-go and the price-point makes it a nice little added extra. This has both citric and woody notes. Their stronger eau de parfums are also well-priced, and here I have the Roger & Gallet Gingembre Rouge Intense* | £42. This is a deep, heady blend of patchouli, cedar, iris and spice. It's a beautiful scent for winter!
I wasn't sure where this should sit but perfume gets a lot pricier than this, so I'm classing the Vera Wang Princess Christmas Cracker* | £40 | as 'affordable'. This is one of those total classic scents that so many people love, so if you know someone who's a fan: this cracker is a nice little way of giving them a top-up! It's a sweet, floral, fruity, very feminine scent with notes of guava, water lily, mandarin, vanilla and more.
A good pair of tweezers is priceless, so if you find yourself using a friend's bathroom and being horrified at the blunt, imprecise tweezers they're hacking away with: do them a favour and gift them the Tweezerman Midnight Cheers Brow & Lash Set* | £30. I've been using Tweezerman for years and they really do make incredible-quality tweezers; once you've tried them you'll never look back! They're gentle, precise and really work. You also get a set of eyelash curlers in here.
- MAKEUP -
For the true makeup lovers: the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Trio* | £30 | from Look Fantastic is a great idea, especially if you know they're already a fan of the iconic original. The original version is a great option for really smoothing the skin when you want that flawless glam look. I'm actually more a fan of the Primeriser these days; it's so moisturising and preps the skin perfectly for makeup. I look forward to trying the vitamin version next. This is a great way of sampling all three formulas before committing.
The mini-ish Zoeva Share Your Radiance Eyeshadow Palette* | £19 | is a great little stocking-filler. Whilst I wouldn't reach for this in and of itself (Cinnamon is a great crease colour but for me this palette lacks a bit of depth) these more metallic shades are stunning to add a bit of pop to the lids. They're easy to use, pretty long-wearing, blend nicely and have good colour payoff.
The Ole Henrickson Bring Back Radiance Vegan Skincare Set* | £29 | is pretty great value because the banana primer is £28 on its own so for just £1 extra you get to try out their bakuchiol cream. I'm yet to crack open mine but I really do enjoy this colour-correcting primer with skincare benefits. It's formulated with Vitamin C and definitely gives my skin a gorgeous glow under makeup.
I think one of these is in my edit every single year, but they really are that lovely! It's the Huda Beauty Gold Obsessions Palette* | £27. I really enjoy the quality of these palettes and that they have these really cohesive colour stories. This one is a beautiful festive gold collection with stunning metallics that really pop on the lids, creamy mattes that blend like a dream. They're long-wearing and look bold and glamorous on the lids.
- STYLE & LIFESTYLE -
Also from Sanctuary Spa, I have two more lifestyle-based gifts. The Sanctuary Spa Beauty Sleep Journal Gift Set* | £20 | comes in a book-shaped tin, continuing the reusable theme (you can keep your bedtime bits like an eye mask, ear plugs and so on in this on your bedside). Inside you get this lovely eye mask, a lavender and chamomile pillow mist, an oil-based body balm of the same fragrance and also a face mask. Personally, I'm not hugely keen on this mask because it's mainly fragrant essential oils, but if you're buying for someone who enjoys that; this is fine. They also have a candle, which (once finished) you could clean out to store rings and other bits of jewellery, if you wanted. The Sanctuary Spa Signature Candle Gift* | £6 | comes in such a beautiful tin, though I did find it a little odd that there wasn't more product in here! It's not a huge deal, as it's still pretty affordable and the scent is gorgeous; citric, spicy, warm and aromatic.
Though Diptyque is an undoubtedly luxury brand, they do have some stocking-filler-friendly options, one of which is the Diptque Tubereuse Small Candle* | £27. Where has this been all my life?! I've been a fan of Diptyque candles for years; the quality and complexity of their scents is unrivalled and these candles truly are fine perfume melted into wax. However, for some reason I'd never really given Tubereuse much consideration, despite its status as a total classic but it smells incredible; a sort of grassy, floral scent featuring the titular white flower.
Lily and Loaf do a really great selection of affordable soy candles. I have the Lily and Loaf Jasmine & Patchouli Candle* | £13.71. This is a floral scent that really fills the rooms whenever I burn it and obviously lasts a lot longer than a bunch of flowers! Along with jasmine and patchouli there are deeper notes of blackcurrant and vanilla to add that warmth. I sometimes find with soy candles that the fragrance isn't as strong, particularly with more affordable products, however this one burns really well and you can smell it strongly throughout my flat. All for under £15!
A brand that makes an appearance annually and that I often gift to others is Feather & Down. They're a more affordable alternative to the usual sleep and aromatherapy brands and this year I have the Feather & Down Pillow Spray Duo* | £8. This comes with their classic pillow mist scented with a relaxing blend of chamomile and lavender to help you drift off into a more restful night's sleep. They also have a more menthol version formulated with peppermint and eucalyptus, to help clear the sinuses - perfect for anyone prone to winter colds!
In terms of books, for this year's edit I've chosen Skincare by Caroline Hirons; a surprise to no one who follows me on Instagram! Caroline is full of fuss-free, realistic skincare advice and this breaks it down in a digestible formula. She has a great way of distilling down concepts that seem confusing so that anyone can understand them. I love this book and find myself flicking through it at least once a week, and I finished it a few days after it was released!
To finish off I have two products from a beautiful brand I recently discovered after scrolling through Instagram! They make gorgeous velvet embroidered accessories that feel luxury and high-quality without breaking the bank. The Elizabeth Scarlett Bee Black Velvet Makeup Bag | £24 | is beautiful as a weekend or 'throw it into your handbag' option with black velvet and gold bees. Then I have the Sun Goddess Velvet Eye Mask | £25. It's nice and thick to block out any light and comes in this beautiful warm orange-peach colour with gold embroidery.
What do you think of these gifts? Have you done any Christmas shopping yet?
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