Happy Holiday Season, y’all!
Welcome back to my sixth annual Holiday Gift Guide. For newer readers, I usually do two of these per year. Part one (this one) is the one I devote to my higher end picks. And I’ll do my more budget friendly last minute picks a week before Christmas.
So, like I said, this part is for the more expenny holiday gift ideas. I have makeup, skincare, fragrance, and homegoods that I want to talk about. Some would make great gifts in their own right. Others are great Secret Santa/stocking stuffer options. But all of them are loved by me. Let’s get into it!
PART 1 – PALETTES
If you were to ask me which eyeshadow palette was going to be the most in demand this holiday season, I would say the new HUDA BEAUTY ICY NUDE EYESHADOW PALETTE – $118.00 (adorebeauty.com.au) . Huda Beauty owner Huda Kattan announced when this palette launched that this would be the last 18 pan palette that Huda Beauty would be releasing. And that alone would make it a big seller. But the other draw for me was just how stunning the shades in this palette were. This is the neutral palette to end all neutral palettes. The mattes are a solid mix of cool and neutral tones. And the shimmers have to be swatched to be believed. If I didn’t already own this, it would be on my Christmas Wish List for sure.
The other big in demand palette has to be the DANESSA MYRICKS BEAUTY LIGHTWORK VOL. VI: FREEDOM PALETTE – $128.00US (beautylish.com). I’ve always managed to resist the previous Lightwork Palettes. But there was something truly special about this one. And as someone who doesn’t own a lot of colourful shimmers, this did fill a gap in my collection. This is for the true beauty lovers. It has every shade in the rainbow. And the reflect on some of these shades is blinding.
It might be approaching Summer here, but Too Faced really bought out the Fall vibes with their TOO FACED APPLEY IN LOVE EYESHADOW PALETTE – $90.00 (mecca.com.au). This palette is for the warm toned eyeshadow lovers. There are some really fun reds and oranges in this palette. With a few pops of green and pink to keep things interesting. And the shades all perform beautifully.
For my glitter junkies, my top pick has to be the utterly gorgeous URBAN DECAY STAR HOLIDAY PALETTE – $89.00 (mecca.com.au). Is the shape impractical? Yes. But the shades inside make it worth it. Urban Decay’s glitter shadows are beloved. And this palette has four stunning glitter shades. Including the new Space Cowboy Rides Again. Which is limited to this palette. There are also two super creamy neutral matte shades to help round out a look.
If however, you’re not in the mood for eyeshadows, then I have to recommend my go to face palette of the moment. Which is the MADE BY MITCHELL CURVE CASE – $66.00 (glamraider.com.au). Mine is the light palette, but there are palettes for the lightest skin tones to the deepest skin tones. Each palette come with four cream bronzer/contour shades and four blush shades. And I have to say, I’ve use this palette quite often for when I don’t want to think too hard about my makeup looks. This palette would be amazing for both makeup beginners and pro artists. I genuinely love it.
PART 2 – LIP PRODUCTS
Kosas always does the cutest holiday sets. And this year’s lip set is easily my favourite. This is the KOSAS THE WET SHINE LIP JELLIES – $42.00 (mecca.com.au). The Lip Jellies are a newer formula for Kosas. Less pigment, more shine. And the shades in this collection are perfection. We have Slushie, a bright true red. Sorbet, a soft baby pink. And Cola, a rich brown. Anyone would look stunning in these shades. And because these are mini’s, you can go through them quickly. Now, Kosas needs to make Cola permanent.
If you’re a glitter lip lover, the HALF MAGIC KISS ME, I’M FROSTY SET – $48.00 (mecca.com.au) might be up your alley. The two shades featured in this set are the Magic Drip Lip Glosses in Y2K Cherub (Bubblegum Pink) and Frosty Bitch (Icy Peach). Both shades are permanent, but they are full size in the set. And this would be a great way to explore the line.
If you love your lippies to help your lips look good and feel good, then the GISOU HONEY INFUSED LIP OIL’S – $46.00 (mecca.com.au) would be a great pick. The two shades I have here are Cherry On The Cake and Watermelon Sugar. And not only do they add a lovely, subtle pop of colour to the lips, they also add a boost of nourishment.
PART 3 – BEAUTY MISCELLANEOUS
The day I don’t recommend a Mecca Max Brush Set is the day I stop doing this. This year, we have the MECCA MAX BLEND TOGETHER 11-PIECE BRUSH & SPONGE SET – $96.00 (mecca.com.au). This set comes with 10 of Mecca Max’s best selling brushes, their Complexion Bullet (which I adore), and a cute carry tube to store them in.
PART 4 – SKINCARE
Ultra Violette has some amazing gift sets this year. And I’ll never not recommend them for these posts. But my recommendation from UV will always be the ULTRA VIOLETTE QUEEN SCREEN SPF50+ – $52.00 (sephora.com.au) *TGA Declaration* purchased myself. This has been my go to sunscreen since they launched it. And this year, Queen Screen got a little upgrade with some fun new skin benefits. But it still provides the glow and protection that I know and love.
I didn’t get a chance to recommend Gunk Off last year. So consider this my penance. The GUNK OFF DOUBLE CLEANSE DUO – $99.00 comes with their award winning cleansing balm in a shower convenient tube form and their best selling gel cleanser. I would happily recommend this range to everyone I know. It’s that good!
PART 5 – FRAGRANCE
I will admit that picking fragrances out is tough. Which is why I love that there are so many great sample packs available during the holiday season. My top pick for us Aussie fragrance lovers has to be the PHLUR DISCOVERY SET – $75.00 (spacenk.com). It contains eight of their OG scents, including their best selling Missing Person and Father Figure. Phlur is notoriously difficult to get here in Australia. But this sampler pack is a great way of testing the brand out.
Another brand that I’ve been all about this year is The 7 Virtues. And my latest obsession from them has to be THE 7 VIRTUES CANDIED LYCHEE – $156.00 (sephora.com.au). This scent is light, fruity, with a musky sweetness that keeps it interesting. This would be a great one for summer.
But for my vanilla gourmand girlies, you already knew what my picks were. Firstly, OAKCHA X PAUL REACTSS THAT GIRL VIRAL VANILLA – $87.00US (oakcha.com). This is vanilla, caramel, marshmallow. Basically, if you want to smell like the most delicious vanilla milkshake, this is your girl.
Staying in the vanilla lane, but making a more candy coated turn, we have KAYALI VANILLA CANDY ROCK SUGAR 42 – $153.00 (sephora.com.au). This one still has the vanilla, caramel, marshmallow. But it has a floral sweetness that keeps it interesting. Both Kayali and Oakcha sell different sample kits. So, if these two aren’t up your alley, you might find something there.
PART 6 – HOMEGOODS
Another brand that has had frequent shout outs over the years, Glasshouse Fragrances will always have a fan in me. I’ve been buying their candles for years now. And while the holiday collection is stunning, this year I wanted to shout out my absolute favourite permanent candle in their range. GLASSHOUSE FRAGRANCES MOVIE NIGHTS – $54.95 (glasshousefragrances.com.au). This candle was made for the gourmand girlies. With notes of caramel, chocolate, and popcorn. It smells exactly like a date night at the movies. I always have this one burning.
I am a girly pop and the girly pop’s love Frank Green. I now have four of their bottles at both my home and my job. With my most used one being the FRANK GREEN 2lt CERAMIC REUSABLE BOTTLE – $89.95 (frankgreen.com.au). Now, yes, she is a behemoth of a bottle. But for my rot days where all I want to do is relax and do nothing, this is the bottle that is by my side.
My last recommendation are APPLE AIRPODS – $245.00 (jbhifi.com.au). I still have my 2nd gen AirPods that I got in 2020 and they are in great condition. I always have these on me whenever I’m out and about. I find them to be super comfortable. And the battery life is pretty great.
And that is a wrap on part 1! Wowser, this was a big one. I do hope I was able to offer some gifting inspiration to you all. And stay tuned for part 2 coming mid December.
Cheers and love
Emily xo