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Hopefully, as you are seeing this post you are well underway with your Christmas shopping. I'm currently 60% done with mine, although I'm aware 'Christmas week' is now upon us and I know that familiar rise in panic to not only finish everything off but to all get all the last bits of shopping done and dusted - not stressful in the least, right?
So in light of this, I thought I'd proactively write a rare Christmas beauty gift type post! I use to go all out with my Christmas guides but after 8 years or so of writing them, they started to feel a bit samey and less authentic than I would have liked. Instead, I feel a more realistic approach would be to share a few gifts I've already purchased for my nearest and dearest, along with a few gifts I've received over the years that still stand out to me.
Behold a more authentic mini Christmas gift guide... I hope you find a few gems, if not to only bookmark in anticipation of the Boxing Day sales.
Eyeshadow Palettes
Okay, I may be starting off on a strange note here, but hear me out. Outside of the beauty world on the internet, I find generally people aren't really 'that' into makeup. A lot of people wear it for work, which means it's generally rushed and the same every day and come the weekend it's generally worn only on nights out. I think if we were to delve into the nations makeup bags we would find a lot of 5-year-old unsharpened eyeliner pencils, concealers that have seen better days and generally a single lone eyeshadow quad.
This is why I personally don't impose large and expensive makeup sets on anyone anymore unless I know they really love makeup! Instead, I find that one makeup product can be much more appreciated and has a higher chance of being used. For me, this is an eyeshadow palette, often paired with an inexpensive eye brush set (Real Techniques or none branded ones from Amazon or eBay).
For a lot of people, a small highstreet eyeshadow quad seems to do them just fine or one picked up from Revolution is the new go-to. So I like to pick up something a bit more luxurious or bigger, generally with a good mix of neutral tones that works for all occasions.
In the past 12 months, one of my own favourite palettes that I actually received as a present has been the Too Faced Born The Natural Nudes Eyeshadow Palette which consists of 18 stunning matte and shimmer shades. This is a pretty fool-proof eyeshadow palette to buy as a gift I think as a lot of the shades are very wearable even for someone that only likes to apply 1 or 2 shades to their eyes. The palette is also laid out in a way that there's a corresponding shimmer for every matte eyeshadow which I think makes it more appealing to use.
However, if you are buying for someone that loves makeup and you want to get them something that they will literally 'ooo' over when they open it, I don't think you can go wrong with Huda Beauty eyeshadow palettes. There's endless choice, I should know I own quite a few, and both the palettes themselves and the eyeshadows are aesthetically pleasing to look at. My latest palette is the Huda Beauty Mercury Retrograde Eyeshadow Palette which really is simply stunning to look at! The full-on shimmer/glitters are without a doubt more suited to someone that loves eye makeup but there's a good mix of neutral tones in there as well. If I didn't already own this I know it would be on my Christmas wish list as something like this really can only be received at Christmas as it's a true makeup treat!
Skincare Sets (with a little research beforehand!)
I also think skincare gifts, especially in the form of gift sets are nice to give. Well as long as you are aware of the person's skin type, along with any sensitivities they may have and you are realistic in what they already enjoy using; I know my 65-year-old mum is never going to be convinced to use an AHA liquid exfoliant over a physical scrub... thankfully she ditched the St Ives face scouring scrub a few decades ago!
For this I like to go practical but pretty - this is my motto. Skincare brands that spring to mind are No7, Origins, Liz Earle, Elemis and while I'm not a huge fan, Clinique, simply because it is known and loved. Unless your gift recipient is well versed in the world of skincare I wouldn't go all out with brands such as Sunday Riley or Emma Hardie, as while they are amazing they won't be aware of such brands thus making the gift a bit lost of them... it's not about the cost but you won't want them wondering if it's a new skincare brand in Superdrug.
This Christmas I headed online to Origins for a few gifts as I have picked up a few gift sets from the brand for myself over the years (it generally works out more affordable than buying a simple product) and always loved everything I have tried from them. I find the attention to detail with the packaging and scents are really nice - I don't know anyone that doesn't love the fresh orange juice scent of the GinZing range. This year I have picked up the Merry Marvels gift set which contains an impressive seven products worth £90 for only £32. The size of the set is much larger than I expected which I think is always nice at Christmas, to give a larger sized wrapped present and it really does feel good value for money as it contains everything for a full skincare routine, give or take. It also contains bestselling Origins Ginzing Moisturiser and Super Spot Remover, both products I've raved about over the years and combined would cost more than the gift set.
Haircare
Onto haircare now, which I think is a very safe but good gift category - you really can't go wrong and it will always be gladly received as long as you aren't gifting them your general supermarket-bought shampoo and conditioner.
Again, I often find people don’t think to spend a little more for hair salon-quality products when not only do they last longer as less product is generally required but they really can make a noticeable difference to the look and feel of the hair.
Much like skincare, we should be buying for our hair type which is another reason I like to introduce people to more luxurious hair products, especially when it’s someone that visits the hairdressers often but skips on thinking about the aftercare and maintenance.
One of my own favourite products to use on my hair has always been Philip Kingsley Elasticizer, a pre-shampoo deep hair treatment that truly adds moisture to the cuticles of the hair, leaving it shiny and healthy. This is why I’m loving the two gift sets shown, which not only include everything for a full hair care routine but include the Elasticizer deep treatment, which I’m certain everyone will love!
Both The Recipe for Hydration & Shine and The Recipe for Body & Volume (with a 41% saving right now!) include full-size shampoo and conditioner, along with 75ml Elasticizer and for the hydration set a handy 60ml heat protection spray and for the volume set a root boosting spray which I’m personally excited to try out. If you are after a substantial gift to give someone that is already into their hair but is yet to try anything with a luxurious salon feel then this is the ideal set. I also can’t get over the cute house-style cardboard packaging!
Wellness Gifts
Lastly, let's talk wellness gifts… because let's face it, most of us are mentally and physically frazzled and we still have the depth of Winter to get through.
I’d like to think wellness products are my forte as I’ve pretty much tried everything in terms of reducing stress, inducing sleep and reducing pain over the years.
My first wellness gift recommendation is a weighted blanket. I’d personally go for 6kg (not the heaviest but still surprisingly heavy & enough to make a difference) and a single size as I can imagine a double being simply unnecessary for one person and hard to move. I also wouldn't recommend buying this as a gift for anyone elderly as it surprisingly takes a good level of strength to position it over you. There are quite a few benefits to a weighted blanket - reducing joint pain, helping sleep, restless legs and it can even help to reduce stress and anxiety. I also find it keeps the heat in when placed over a duvet in winter. This really could be the gift that helps someone.
Along the same lines of sleep and relaxation, I also love Spacemasks which are simply self-heating disposable eye masks that feel oh so relaxing. In fact, I don’t think I’ve used one and not fallen to sleep. These come in sets of 5 or can be bought individually.
As for more elderly relatives or for anyone with a chronic illness/pain I highly recommend an Electric Heat Pad. Yes, it isn’t the most glamorous of gifts but it’s one that’s thoughtful and will be 100% appreciated. I like to think of them as portable heated blankets that can be placed over any area of the body and used both when sitting in a chair or in bed. Again, this is an item I personally couldn’t live without and has eased many aches and pains over the past year or two. A product I had to mention as they don’t seem to be that known about but I know it could benefit so many people.
I thoroughly hope you have enjoyed my last-minute, more realistic Christmas gift guide and I hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas & New Year.
Fee xo.
It's that time again, where I pull together what I like to think are the best last-minute beauty gifts for Christmas 2019! I like to keep my yearly Christmas Gift Guide posts realistic and I personally think £20 and under Christmas beauty gifts are just that. These are the kind of gifts that while still on a budget don't look cheap and are from well-respected brands.
I hope this gives some Christmas shopping inspiration or simply an idea of what to ask for this year or to mark down to snap up in the post-Christmas sales.
By now it's more than likely that you've been asked what you want for Christmas this year from both family and friends, and if like me your response is "let me think about it" then see this as a blog post written with you in mind.
More than ever before we buy what we need as and when we need it and while our head is thinking about what to buy others for Christmas it can be tricky to know what to put on our own Christmas list, even if it's vague to allow for a semi-surprise come the big day. But creating a Christmas list however old you are can be a wise thing to do! It takes the stress off the person wanting to buy you a gift and you know you will receive something you like rather than something that's destined for a drawer or dare I say it; the present cupboard (we are all aware of this method of recycling unwanted gifts, right?).
So without further ado, here is a relaxed gift guide of sorts with suggestions of what you may possibly want to ask Santa for this year!
It's that time of year again! Well actually I'm a little late with writing my Christmas list this year as I simply didn't know what I wanted - I blame getting older!
Aldi is renowned for its beauty and skincare dupes and savings so just last week I wondering if this year they have launched any Beauty Gift Sets for Christmas so I heading in-store and low and behold they did - with much more new gifts than I expected!
Side note: This post isn't sponsored... I just love shopping at Aldi!
Last year I created my first ever eBay Christmas Gift Guide and not only did I love finding the best gift ideas for you, but the post also got a good response. So I'm bringing The Ultimate eBay Christmas Gift Guide back for 2019!
Below you will find gift ideas from only UK sellers with free delivery. When I can I've kept everything as budget-friendly as possible with nothing over £15. I really hope you find a few gifts here as I personally shop on eBay for Christmas presents and it means I grab a bargain while also picking up items that you wouldn't necessarily find in shops.
This post contains affiliate links.
This is all of course done on a budget as I try not to overspend on myself at this time of year (unless it's on a beauty gift set I can't resist!) so for me, there's no better place to shop than on eBay.
Below are a few Buy It Now listings that have caught my eye recently, all UK based and with free delivery. I hope you find a few festive treats here too!
This post contains affiliate links.
Now is the time we are seeing a huge influx of Christmas beauty gift sets that while aimed at gifting others, I know as a beauty lover I and many others will simply want to treat themselves to.
But while I repeat 'I must resist' under my breath while Christmas shopping, I believe a little treat, especially a money-saving one, is certainly allowed in the lead up to the 'big day'! Below I've sourced a range of affordable Christmas beauty gifts from the totally inexpensive to the luxury but with a huge saving, all of which I'm really impressed with!
I don't know about you but I have my everyday makeup and then I have my 'special occasion' makeup. This isn't on par with that special pair of shoes that you keep in a dust bag and don't want to scuff the bottoms of so you basically don't wear them. But more makeup for evenings and days I want to look and feel my best. This could simply be a dinner out, a special event or of course New Years eve.
When I use said makeup items it feels special and almost like a treat so there has to be something about them that means they have made the cut - think beautiful packaging, limited edition compacts, perfect formulas and finishes and products from my favourite luxury beauty brands!
While this post would be extremely long if I shared the makeup I consider my 'special occasion makeup' I decided to share with you four lipsticks instead that I adore and feel beyond special to me.
Christmas day is soon upon on to so today I thought I'd share with you how I have enjoyed decorating for Christmas this year as I'm one of those annoying people that embrace the festive season with open arms and laps up every second of it! This means Pinterest boards, colour schemes and a full drawer dedicated to gift wrapping supplies!
I didn't always use to be this 'full on' Christmas wise, however over the years I have found it's a new way to embrace the joy of Christmas as decorating provides a cosy and homely atmosphere that really lifts dark evening. Below you will find out how I decorated my dining table this year and see my favourite cosy corner where I display my Chrismas mug collection - yes, that is a thing!
This post is in collaboration with Lifestyle Furniture.
Christmas Decorating
In general I love interior design; from picking up ornaments and homeware to add to my home to designing a new space. So when Christmas comes along one of my main focuses', probably as equally important to present buying, is decorating my home for Christmas.
While normally one of the main events is putting up the tree, this year it's been slightly tricky with a new puppy under our feet! So although I enjoyed decorating the tree with new baubles and deciding on a silver and gold theme this year (it works, trust me!) the focus was more on navigating how to keep unwanted paws off the baubles and from pulling down the entire thing!
So this year my main focus was to create a full-on festive and grown-up Christmas dining room, from looking on Pinterest for Christmas table design ideas to figuring out a colour scheme that wasn't made up of just a single colour.
Choosing a Festive Colour Scheme
From contemporary to rustic and even kitsch there are endless Christmas theme choices. However this year I decided to go for a classic look with a colour scheme of red, green and silver/white. This was all centred around my new dining table from Lifestyle Furniture, who kindly got in touch and offered me a piece of furniture. After nearly 7 years of having a wooden cradle style table with glass top, it was definitely time for an upgrade so I decided on something similar yet much more sophisticated and grown up.
A Grown-up Dining Set
The table I went for, actually with family gatherings and festivities in mind was the beautiful Camden Deluxe Dining Set with Grey Velvet Chairs. I find glass tables really add light and space to an area and are durable and easy to clean. But what I liked the most, other than the gorgeous chairs, was the shape of the table and the thick oak criss-cross legs that look sturdy yet elegant.
So with a beautiful new table, which is definitely the focus of the room, I decided to plan my Christmas table layout around it. First I added height and symmetry with an artificial Christmas tree in the centre which I decorated with small red ribbons and lights to pair my red and green colour scheme together. Then looking to Pinterest for inspiration I decided to actually lay my table, starting with inexpensive metallic red charger plates and layering them up with classic white plates, side plates an bowls and topping with a silver or marble effect bauble!
As you will see below I also really enjoying decorating the backs of the stunning velvet studded chairs as I wanted to draw the eye to the beautiful chrome knockers so I added a decorative Santa key tree decoration to each and finished with hand-tied red ribbon which I think adds a really nice contrast to the dark grey velvet chairs - which feel and look incredible, to be honest!
I also decided to tie in my classic red, green and white theme into the rest of the dining room without it being too much. So I picked up a red berry wreath and hung it with the same red ribbon on a large white mirror in my dining room. I feel this very much ties the entire theme together and while looking wholesome still have an element of clean and contemporary to it!
My Cosy Corner
The other area of my dining room I wanted to focus on was a pair of white ladder shelves. I picked these up earlier last year from eBay and while simple they definitely allow me room to enjoy my love of ornaments with tons of displaying room.
As you can see, while predominated white I loosely stuck to my red and green theme displaying my favourite Christmas mugs that contained these colours. I also added what I like to call 'touches of magic' with a beautiful wire lit glass dome lamp and some real wax LED pillar candles that add a little sparkle and glow on an evening.
Keeping with a loose colour scheme here meant all the decorative items although very different in style all work together well - so if you are unsure how to make a corner of your home look good then definitely go with a colour scheme of 2-3 colours and see how well everything comes together.
Christmas Mug Collection
What I love about this little corner of my dining room is how the mixture of stylish pieces works with more kitsch orgaments, especially the cute Christmas mugs and little trees. If you're a fellow lover of Christmas I would strangely highly recommend starting a Christmas mug collection. I started a few years ago now, collecting them both to display and use and over the years I've collected so many that I know will treasure forever!
This also creates a nostalgic element even as an adult! Already when I unwrap my Christmas mug collection to display each year, thoughts of when and where I bought each mug arise. It also lets me indulge in picking up some extra special mugs that I have always wanted - such as the special gilded Anthropologie monogram mug.
With fully decorating my Dining room, especially my gorgeous new table, my home is feeling more festive than ever both and I now can't wait to show it off to friends and family and enjoy my time off over the Christmas period.
To celebrate my new dining table Lifestyle Furniture are giving all Makeup Savvy readers £20 off first orders plus free UK shipping with code 'makeupsavvy' at the checkout here!
Do you decorate beyond the Christmas tree? Let me know!
This will be my last post before Christmas Day so I want to wish you all a happy and safe holiday period, filled with rest, love and happiness.
Fee xo.
Well, you could take one of their interests or hobbies and pick from over 100,000 pieces of metal-mounted metal art prints on Displate. Yes, however niche their taste or interests there will be something that will suit them perfectly.
Every year I start my 'for him' gift guide by stating that men are tricky to buy for, and I still stand by it. Of course, you can go generic and gift a bottle of alcohol or a gift box selection of socks but if you want any kind of positive reaction from your male gift recipient then you've got to think outside of the box a little!
While we are very near Christmas (I know I haven't finished all of my own Christmas shopping) I have ensured all products mentioned in this post will arrive in time, whether that's through Amazon prime, ASOS next day delivery or good old-fashioned high street shopping.
If there's ever a time for pampering it's during winter. So this is why I often find myself giving pampering gifts from skincare to bath products and home fragrance at Christmas.
Below I have something for all budgets, from inexpensive body care gift sets to luxury skincare and both high and low-end home fragrance gifts. Even if you are done with your Christmas shopping this year (I applaud you) you may find this gift guide can point you in the right direction for some after Christmas sale shopping!
Let's face it, while some gift guides may help us out in the present buying department for the most part they can often enable 'to me, love me' spending, especially if it's makeup themed!
So while today I wanted to share some of my favourite Christmas gifts from Morphe (there are some amazing ones this year!) as they are December's Cult Beauty Brand of the Month meaning free international delivery, I'm fully aware these are product perfect for treating yourself to or even bookmarking for after Christmas - because who doesn't love a little spend come Boxing Day.
For me, the lead up to Christmas is possibly more special than the day itself. Even as an adult I try to encompass the festive feelings and magical joy Christmas can bring to even the most boring of days, by actively seeking and setting time aside for all things festive.
This year I'm working my way through Christmas movies I've yet to watch, more on that later, discovering new festive reads and even starting a Christmas vinyl collection. Take a peek at my ever growing Christmas bookshelf to discover a few treasures and find out my favourite Christmas movie of 2018, below!
So for the first of a few Christmas gift guides, I wanted to bring you a look at some unique beauty gifts as I feel a lot of gifts and gift sets can be a little generic this time of year. From fun Korean beauty picks to some organic offerings and even a selection of unique wellness gifts that I feel will suit any beauty lover.
Oh, and no gift is over £20 here making it an ultra-affordable gift guide!
By now I think it's pretty clear I love a bargain however it has to be good quality and worth it, hence why I named this blog 'Makeup Savvy' all those years ago. So this year I decided I had to put together an eBay Christmas Gift Guide.
As we are nearing Christmas itself all the items below are from UK sellers with Buy it Now prices and free delivery, oh and everything is under £10! I'm really pleased with all the gifts I've found here and hope you find a few things you like - I may have already bought the Star & Moon Hair Slide Set and the ingenious printed cookie rolling pin!
It's that time of the year again, where I share with you my annual Christmas Wish List. I feel it's become somewhat of a tradition on my blog before the flurry of festive posts and to signal my own festive-mood has kicked in.
It also helps me decide exactly what I'd love to receive, especially for those that ask me what I want!
Please also see this as a kind of gift guide for yourself and others as there are some lovely gift ideas here I think or if not, may just introduce you to brands or websites you've never heard of before. Also, we all know that every gift set imaginable will be discounted the second after Christmas Day so if you truly love something and aren't cheeky enough to ask a family member or friend for it then it's worth earmarking the page to revisit and check the price come the post Christmas sales!
From makeup and skincare (obvs) to books and cosy items, here is my Christmas wish list for 2018!
Somehow it has become a tradition on Makeup Savvy for my first Christmas post of the year to be an overview of the new Zoella Beauty Christmas range. Which I actually can't complain about as I'm always excited for a new Zoella Beauty launch, especially come Christmas.
So with tradition, I picked up a few of my favourite looking gifts and products from the new Zoella Beauty Cosmos Christmas Collection 2018 to talk you through the entire range, share my thoughts on the 'Cosmos' scent and give you an idea of which gifts are worth buying (and maybe avoiding) this year!
As the big day rolls ever closer stress levels for a lot of people can be at their highest. From worrying about family interactions, burning the candle at both ends or simply trying too hard for that perfect Christmas Day.
However, that doesn't need to be the case, with a little less expectation and awareness of stress or anxiety levels you can have a festive break that you will enjoy. Below I've detailed a few of the ways I like to have a stress-free Christmas after battling anxiety for years. I hope these simple tips help you have a merry little Christmas.