Don’t know what to get that beauty product enthusiast in your life? Never fear. If you’re like me, and you’re faced with having the (wonderful) problem of too many beauty enthusiast friends to spoil, put some of the following gifts under the tree and you’ll shine without breaking Mr. Piggy Bank: 🙂
15. For the girl who’s always batting her lashes: It’s always been said that the shu uemura eyelash curler is the gold standard, and now Sephora solidified the title with this 24K gold version, for just $24. I call it love at first lash flash… 🙂
14. For the book-and-beauty enthusiast: Give a copy of beauty blogger Nadine Haobsh’s Beauty Confidential ($11.84, Amazon.com). I’ve read it on my way home from a trip to New York City, and it’s a fun, light read, perfect for a plane ride or right before bed. (Just be sure you have a little notebook to take notes for some of the better beauty tips!)
13. For the healthy do-gooder: There’s philosophy The Tree House (shown above, $18.00, Amazon.com), an adorable little gift set featuring an 8 oz. red delicious apple shower gel and 4 oz. hand cream. Both formulas sell great, and while the ingredients aren’t the best in the business, they get the job done and leave skin feeling appley-delicious. Best of all, 100% of philosophy’s net proceeds from the sale of The Tree House will be donated to PBS and PBS KIDS.
12. For the mineral makeup enthusiast: There’s classic Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation SPF 15 ($25.00, Amazon.com). Although I’m not a fan of this product, after reading its name on countless best-seller lists and receiving slews of e-mails from Bare Escentuals enthusiasts, I can’t think of a better product in the mineral make-up arena to get this spot.
11. For two amazing lip gloss enthusiasts: tarte Purse Your Lips Limited Edition Lip Gloss Set (shown above, $39.00, Amazon.com). OK, OK, so it’s not technically under $25 unless you split it, but who’s counting? 😉 Ever since reading tarte CEO Maureen Kelly’s inspiring story in Oprah magazine a few years ago (widowed, managed to build tarte from the ground up, now remarried and tarte CEO), and then after investigating the company’s products (everything has amazing ingredients!), I am hooked. Even better is when I can score tarte with a value: this kit comes with $106.00 worth of tarte lip glosses. I am thinking 5 for one friend, 5 for the other, cute little make-up bag for moi… 😉
10. For one amazing lip gloss enthusiast: There’s the Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss Set ($15.00, Victoria’s Secret.com). Reportedly, one of these $7 lipglosses is sold every 6 seconds somewhere in the world, and now you can get six for just $15. Although the ingredients aren’t as great as in the tarte Purse Your Lips Limited Edition Lip Gloss Set , something tells me that your best friend might appreciate this effort anyway. 🙂
9 For the skin care enthusiast who doesn’t wear make-up: There’s the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Hand Cream (2.3 oz) and full-size Lip Protectant SPF 15 ($25.00, Amazon.com). Keeps lips and hands feeling soft through the winter weather. And while it’s not the cutest or the flashiest gift, trust me, unlike the stale fruitcake, this will all definitely get used!
8. For the beauty enthusiast you also can’t get out of the kitchen: There’s the Cucina Kitchen Hand Care Gift Box ($25.00, Amazon.com). Um, excuse me while I freak out: HOW CUTE IS THIS?! It’s adorable! It’s portable! It keeps your hands soft and smelling great in the kitchen!! 🙂 OK, I’m enthused. And with all due seriousness, while it’s not designed to revitalize your hands overnight, it will keep them clean and smelling pretty. Available in five scents: Coriander and Olive Tree — this green bouquet is like a breath of fresh Mediterranean air; Ginger and Sicilian Lemon — a refreshing, light and tangy citrus blend; Lime Zest and Cypress — an uplifting blend of fresh lime with evergreen cypress; Sanguinelli Orange and Fennel — A fresh citrus scent with Spanish orange and a hint of fennel; and Zucchini Flower and Truffle – a bright sweet scent of zucchini with a touch of truffle.  (Descriptions courtesy Amazon.com).
7. For the all-organic skin care fan: I can’t hardly believe it, but there’s a full Dr. Hauschka Travel-Size Kit ($20.95, Amazon.com) for less than $25.00! Known for their gentleness and all-organic qualities, Dr. Hauschka’s products have been increasingly popular for the past few years. If you’ve been wanting to try the line, this is certainly a great, non-expensive way to do so. (Or, to, uh, let your friend try it. Right. 🙂 )
6. For the cupcake (or dessert) beauty fanatic: Indulge her without the guilt! Fizzy Baker Cupcake Trio ($16.50, Amazon.com) features 3 adorable little bath suds in a pretty gift box. Nice!
5. For the passionate lemonade fan: There’s the C.O. Bigelow Can’t Live Without Lemon Kit ($19.50, BathandBodyWorks.com).  As a girl who LOVES lemon anything (think: from lemonade to Skittles), I think I have bought all of the products in this kit separately at least once, and can attest to the products being skin-softening, high-quality, and yes, oh-so-incredible smelling. The set includes Lemon Body Cream (1.7 oz), Lemon Body Wash (2 oz.), Lemon Hand Treatment (1 oz.), Lemon Lip Cream (0.5 oz), and a coupon good for $5 off a future C.O. Bigelow purchase. Nice.
4. For the true-blue make-up enthusiast: Give her the Sonia Kashuk Brush Set ($12.99, Target.com). High-quality, name-brand, portable, with a great price? I say this one’s a definite yes.
3. For the beauty-and-high heels addict: There’s Killer Kushionz ($23.87, Amazon.com), which are flower-shaped cushions you slip into your favorite high heels. Kind-of like Dr. Scholl’s gone Vogue, these pretty cushions save your feet from callouses later, and make a great gift because they are exactly the kind of thing most women would love, but not think to get for themselves.
2. For the über-traveler: There’s the 15-piece L’Occitane Travel Set ($22.50, Qvc.com). What I like about it is that it is exactly the kind of gift you give someone and she thinks, “Oh, this must’ve cost a fortune!” And in reality, you spent less than 1 full-size bottle of many L’Occitane products (but shhh, that’ll be our secret. 😉 ) Included in this kit: 1-oz verbena shower gel, 1-oz verbena lotion, 1-oz verbena shampoo, 1-oz verbena conditioner, 1.18 oz shea shower cream, 1.18 oz shea lotion, 1.18 oz shea shampoo, 1.18 oz shea conditioner, 1.18 oz aromachologie shower gel, 1.18 oz aromachologie lotion, 1.18 oz aromachologie shampoo, 1.18 oz aromachologie conditioner, 1.16 oz aromachologie sugar cube, 1.7 oz shea soap and (whew!) 0.8 oz verbena soap. Plus the little clear travel bag. I. Dig. It. 🙂
1. For anyone who really loves FutureDerm.com (but doesn’t everyone, tee-hee): Olay Regenerist Gift Set ($22.78, Amazon.com). I could talk for hours about the benefits of niacinamide, but this kit really lets you try out some of the market’s most niacinamide-rich products, and for less than $25. I really like it a lot…hence, it gets my #1 spot. 🙂
Image source (Flickr): 3 presents waiting………, Originally uploaded by jonmatthew photography