HOLIDAY BEAUTY GIFT GUIDE 2016

I'm certainly not one to be skipping holidays (seriously, RIP all things Thanksgiving by mid-November lol), but I thought I'd get started on the season with a holiday beauty gift guide. If you know me well, you know my favorite gifts to give (and receive...) are all things beauty and makeup. So, I only thought it would be appropriate to put a list together of some really gorgeous beauty gifts I've been spying on as of late. (OK , this is really maybe a secret 'what I want for christmas' post), but I do think these are some really great sets for the beauty gurus in all of your lives! Without further ado...

[ KEY: MOST $$$ ON TOP TO $ AS YOU SCROLL DOWN. ] 

01. Glossier Black Tie Set - Pretty self explanatory for this one as you know how much I die over anything Glossier, but I actually picked this set because of it's vast quantity of items. Typically, most gift sets range within one product (aka, all lips or eyeshadows) -- instead, I really like how this one gives you a little bit of everything: a highlighter, a gloss, a nail polish and an eyeliner. It gives you a sampling of different Glossier formulas, with a bonus of everything being in full size. Definitely a must-want this season. 

02. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit - Ah, how beautiful is this palette? I'm already a fan of the regular ambient lighting palette by Hourglass (shoutout to Miss Amanda for getting that for me last Christmas), so when I saw this killer ramped-up version, I knew I had to add it to my guide this year. Excellent for any skin-tone, and highly pigmented, this is a really great pick for a beauty gift or stocking stuffer. Better yet, a few of the shades also double as blush. 

03. Maison Margiela REPLICA 'Lipstick On'- As another ode to Christmas '15, I decided to put another REPLICA on my list this year. Last year, I got Jazz Club, which to this day, is one of my favorite scents I own ( Jazz Club is actually a cologne, so if you're a fan of musk, whiskey and cigars, I recommend it).  This time around though, I wanted to pick a softer scent, so I'm going for Lipstick On. The REPLICA scents are definitely the some of the priciest gifts I've asked for for Christmas, but I do think that by the amount of product you get, it's definitely worth it. I've worn Jazz Club hundreds of times this year, and I have yet to break the 3/4 mark (in fact, I'm not even close!) If you're looking for a kickass, seriously long-lasting scent this year, definitely look into the REPLICA collection. 

04. Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palette - This one I can definitely vouch for, seeing as I got it a few months back for my birthday! Really big fan of this palette, and I think it's a great addition to any guru who already has and loves the UD Naked palettes. The matte burnt orange and warm taupes in this palette also really make it stand out from the others, so it's definitely a no-repeat as well.

05. Soap and Glory Soaper Spa - Ah, one of my favorite secret weapon-brands for holiday time! Soap and Glory is always coming up with the cutest Christmas gift sets, and this one is no exception. I love these because of the wide array of products you get (kinda like the vibe Glossier was going for). You get a shower gel, body scrub, body lotion, foot cream, their signature hand food and a loofah! So not only is this totally a deal (only 40, for all of that), it also smells scrumptious and will be leaving your skin super silky. I've owned pretty much all of these at one point or another from S+G, and would definitely recommend them all, so this one's a no-brainer in my book. 

06. Milk Makeup Swipe Right Limited Edition Set - If there's another great beauty set combo, it's one that includes a highlighter, blush and bronzer all in one shot. As rollerballs are all the rage, I definitely wanted to add this Milk set into my gift guide. All extremely pigmented (I spoke about their highlighter in this post), these are great additions any makeup bag, and are also absolutely perfect for traveling. Really killer stocking stuffer, I'd say. 

07. Kylie Cosmetics Ornaments in Naughty and Vixen - I'm a sucker for any kind of beauty product that you can hang on a tree, so you'll best bet that one (or both..) of these will be my Christmas present to myself this year. I'm already a huge fan of Kylie's lip kits as you may have seen throughout my monthly beauty favorites, so I know I'll find myself indulging in these this holiday season. Plus, how gorgeous are these colors?!

08. Northern Lights Gift Box by Lush - And last, but never least, every beauty guru loves a little R+R in the form of bath bombs and bubble bars. Lush is always my go-to for anyone (myself included) who loves these types of bath products, because not only are they super fun and vegan, they're also really reasonable in price (BC who really has time or money for $50+ fancy bath salts). This box includes 3 Lush bath bombs -- Shoot for the Stars, Northern Lights, and Twilight.  These scents are all reminiscent of honey and lavender, literally perfect for the upcoming colder months. Not to mention, they explode rainbows in your bathtub. What more could you want?

HAPPY BEAUTY SHOPPING, ALWAYS. 

"If all the year were playing holidays; To sport would be as tedious as to work." 

[Henry IV Part I 1.2]

Cheers, xxx

-A. Martine