Top 10 Gift Ideas for Beauty Lovers… That Isn’t Makeup!
From hair tools to bath products, you’ll be able to find a beauty gift for almost anyone on your list! You won’t make the mistake of giving someone a lipstick that just isn’t their color!
There may be several reasons why you wouldn’t give makeup as a gift. Maybe the gift recipient doesn’t wear makeup, maybe you have no idea what colors they like or will work for them. Or maybe you are their mother and you think they have too much makeup already. (Well I have news for you mom, they can never have too much makeup!) Whatever the reason is, here are 10 beauty/personal grooming gifts that aren’t makeup! Listed in no particular order:
10. Fragrance Sampler Sets
Fragrance is a difficult gift because fragrance is so personal and people can be picky. Even if it comes in the notes they typically like, they also need to like how it mixes with their own skin chemistry, which means they need to have tried it and liked it. Some scents could make them feel sick or they just plain hate the way it smells. Therefore, sampler sets are the perfect way for them to try scents out!
Sampler sets try to include something for everyone! The best part is that the Sephora ones include a gift certificate so they can go into the store and get a full sized perfume of their favorite one from the set. (Or a rollerball, depending on which set you buy) It makes the overall price worth it!
Sephora Favorites Holiday Perfume Sampler, $65
Sephora Travel Perfume Sampler, $25
Atelier Colonge Perfume Travel Palette, $19 (Does not come with a certificate for a full sized product)
9. Lip Balm Sets
It’s winter and everyone’s lips are probably dry. It’s almost unbearable, actually! So what a relief to get some super moisturizing lip balms as a gift!
One I actually purchased for myself was the Laniege Kiss and Make Up Set, $28
I’m such a fan of their lip sleeping mask, I go through them really quickly. I wear them all the time as a regular balm, not just at night. When I saw that they introduced new scents, I was curious to try them all. This set has the brand new scents in minis and a full size original berry. I found that I loved the Apple Lime one enough to purchase a full sized version. (It’s much heavier on the lime than the apple, which I prefer.) The minis are great for my makeup bag in my purse.
Or build your own lip care set and put it in cute packaging! You may want to include an exfoliator, a balm and a color product. These are all my personal recommendations, products I have used and loved and told my real life friends about.
Scrubs/exfoliators:
BeautiControl LipAppeal
Sara Happ Lip Scrub, $22 comes in many scents, I like Pink Grapefruit.
Jeffree Star Lip Scrub, $12– There are so many great scents you’ll definitely find one for everyone!
Lip Balm/Moisturizing Masks:
Laniege Sleeping Lip Mask in Berry, Grapefruit, Vanilla, or Apple Lime
Sara Happ Lip Slip, $24
Lip Oil-
NYX #ThisIsEverything Lip Oil, $3.59 (price varies)
MAC Hint of Colour Lip Oil, $17
Too Faced Sweet Peach Creamy Peach Oil Lip Gloss, $19
House your gift in something cute like this Luxury Lipstick printed mug by I Need This Unicorn! Fill the bottom with crinkle paper, place the products inside, and wrap the entire thing in iridescent cellophane, then tie it with a ribbon to finish! Or if you want to include even more products, put them inside a cute makeup bag!
If you would rather buy a pre-packaged gift set. The Sara Happ Perfect Pout In a Box will work! It comes with a balm, scrub and a lip mask.
8. Skincare
There are many ways you can go about giving skin care, I have many ideas for different budgets!
Drunk Elephant: Inspector Drunk, $98
This set is on my personal wishlist. It include a full sized glycolic acid, which is usually $90. Yes, very expensive. So for $8 more you get four more products. They’re small, but I’ve used the trial sizes before and they last a few months. They’re serums, so you use a tiny amount anyway. You or your gift recipient won’t tear through ’em too quickly.
If you are looking at the same brand but want to spend a little less, then look to The Littles: Night Bright Duo, $28 or the day kit Rise + Glo Duo, $23 (Or get them both!) I’ve used these, I think they’re great, no negative reactions. They may be small but they will last you a few months. The Marula Oil might be my favorite.
You can learn all about this brand on YouTube, the founder explains sensitized skin and how products can be irritating. This blog post is not sponsored by Drunk Elephant (or any other brand), I just think their products are great and my skin doesn’t break out in a rash and my makeup doesn’t pill up after using them!
DermaE Glow Set, $49- Another brand I swear by! I have been using the Vitamin C serum for over a year now. I’ve also given it as a gift a few times. This set also comes with a glow oil and charcoal mask.
Derma E Hydration Essentials, $72– Everyone needs hydration! This set comes with everything they need!
Build Your Own:
You can grab a bunch of products together and make a gift basket out of them. You can mix luxury, mid-range to drugstore. I think your friend will appreciate the thoughtful gift! Just be mindful of their particular skin type! My suggestion would be to mix the product types: from micellar water, makeup wipes, cleaner, toner, serum, moisturizer, eye cream (but don’t feel like you have to get them all because including 2 items in a basket is fine!) Dress it up cute! Maybe include a wash cloth in their favorite color or even The Makeup Eraser!
Sheet Masks are in drugstores now and they’re fun to use and some people even use them every day.
For a low cost gift you can grab some sheet masks at CVS and tie a ribbon around them. Just be sure to know their skin type. For example, you don’t want to give someone with dry skin sheet masks for acne. They won’t need the medication! But moisture and brightening are usually a good bet!
The Creme Shop Charcoal and Lemonade- great for detoxing clogged pores and brightening the skin. Charcoal masks have actually helped in removing blackheads in my own skin!
The Creme Shop Hello Kitty– I mean it’s Hello Kitty. Who wouldn’t like this? The Creme Shop X Sanrio also has a Holiday Collection in stores (check your local CVS)! Throw in a headband to keep hair out of their face while you are making a gift basket! This is an adorable Hello Kitty unicorn headband from The Creme Shop! Or just get everything you can and make it a cute themed gift!
As far as skin sensitivity- you never know how someone else’s skin will react. You may want to look at ingredient labels and avoid things like alcohol and fragrance being too high on the list. I have also found that many people (such as myself) are allergic to a preservative called Methylisothiazolinone. It can be found in makeup wipes and hair care products. I would avoid it myself.
7. Bath Products
Everyone showers, right? I’d sure hope so.
Body wash and lotion sets are a no fail gift- Stores like Bath and Body Works, Lush, Body Shop make it easy with already packaged gift sets. So if you’re the kind of person that doesn’t want to stand there in the store and pick out everything individually, these stores have you covered. Be sure to figure out what types of scents they like! Fruity (Citrus? Apple?) Floral (Lavender? Rose?) Vanilla? Spice? Musk? If you don’t know, then ask them!
Or give them something a little less basic and a lot more fun!
Advent sets- L’Occitane Signature Advent Calendar , $59
And a brand new loofah is not a bad idea! Theirs probably needed replacing. Just be sure you find out their favorite color and pick that one up!
6. Luxury Shampoo and Conditioner
Expensive shampoos and conditioners are something we know we should use over drugstore, but we can never bring ourselves to pay for it. Why not give it as a gift? This is especially good for people with color treated hair because they usually contain ingredients that don’t cause the color to fade.
They sell jumbo sets meant for professional hair salons. This gift will go a long way because it will last for several months!
Living Proof PHD: Perfect Hair Day Jumbo Kit
Or take a look in Ulta stores because they have a massive selection! If a jumbo set is not in the budget, you’re in luck because they also have smaller gift sets for $18 each!
Living Proof Frizz Free + Smooth Transformation Kit
Living Proof Healthy + Strong Transformation Kit
Living Proof Hydration + Repair Transformation Kit
Monat- You may want to do research on this brand to see if this is right for your gift recipient or for yourself. It seems to be geared toward people who have been losing hair. I gave this to my MIL who was losing her hair due to medication. She had been self-conscious about it for years. A couple You Tubers recommended this line in their videos, with their stories of hair loss and how this product reawakened their dormant hair follicles and their hair started growing back.
I have heard rumors that people had been suing Monat claiming using their product had caused them to lose heir hair. I do not have any facts to back this up, I have never met any of these people nor have I am a scientist or a lawyer that has studied this case. The one person whom I have seen in person, has had dramatic improvement in her hair. It looks much fuller and it feels SO soft. I feel like this product has worked wonders for her and she feels so much more confident.
I am not a brand ambassador, affiliate and am not selling this product. I just bought this for someone who seemed to need it and it worked for her. And yeah it was freakin expensive. But she felt it was so worth it and restocked her bathroom with more! She does not like to spend money. That should tell you how serious she is about Monat.
Olaplaex- for color treated and damaged hair.
I have bleached and colored hair (It’s purple, it’s pink, it’s indigo) I had to bleach it three times to get it light enough for these colors to show up, therefore it’s damaged…. but not as damaged as it was a couple of years ago when I had it bleached several times. This time I had been keeping up with Olaplex No. 3 treatments, once a week. My hair is not disgusting straw. I am so surprised at how not gross my hair feels. Olaplex, man.
It’s pricey for the size, but I think it’s worth the investment. Just be aware it’s not even the size of a normal sized shampoo bottle. It’s small. But anyone would appreciate this as a gift once they have tried it! It really did save my hair!
Olaplex also has shampoo and conditioner that I have not tried, but I think it certainly is worth a try! The rest of the line is really used by professionals when they bleach your hair. You probably won’t need to buy those. If you’ are bleaching your hair, its best to go to a professional and have them use Olaplex while bleaching.
5. Hair Tools
A new curling iron or straighter to special hair brushes!
T3 Whirl Trio Interchangeable Styling Wand- 3 wand set- tapered, 1 inch and 1.5 inch wands
There were so many different wand sets with different barrels online- but I hadn’t heard of the brands and did not want to recommend anything subpar to my readers. I have not tried any of the $30 sets and I don’t know if they are any good! Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. But T3 is a brand I know, I own a couple irons and several hair stylists I know swear by T3. That’s why I am recommending this brand. As a gift, this is cute because it’s white and rose gold! I’d be happy if I saw this when I opened my gift!
T3 Singlepass 1.5 inch Styling Iron
I own an earlier version of the T3 Singlepass. I am pointing you toward the 1.5 inch model, but it comes in a 1 inch. I would prefer the larger one myself for my styling needs. It really depends on their hair length and what style they are trying to achieve. This is also in white and rose gold. A trendy color combo guaranteed to put a smile on someone’s face!
Bonus: Stocking stuffer suggestions! If you are getting her a curling tool, you might as well throw in a brush in her stocking. Maybe some hair ties and clips!
Hair brushes-
Hello Kitty Tangle Teezer- I personally use this pink brush!
Angel Brush – Detangling Brush
Angel Brush in Fuchsia
The Wet Brush– duo in pink and purple. Give it to two people or keep one for yourself! I won’t tell!
I have given The West Brush as a gift to someone who had issues with hair loss. She loves this brush because it doesn’t pull and tug at her hair!
I can’t deal with how cute this ombre mermaid shell hair brush is! Perfect for the little mermaid in your life!
Hair Ties that shouldn’t leave a dent in her hair or your wallet!
PopBand London Unicorn Hair Tie Multi Pack– You need these unicorns. Like the site says.
Goomee Markless Hair Loops in Panther Pink– The plastic coil hair ties do not get soggy in the shower, a huge bonus for me! They’re also harder to loose and don’t fall out of my hair when working out or sleeping. Seriously I love these!
Hair Dryer- I use a dryer from Amika, it isn’t the exact same model as I am linking, but should be an updated model. It has 3 heat settings and 3 speed settings. It also looks like it came out of the animated Yellow Submarine Beatles movie! Amika Force Dryer Obliphica
And she shouldn’t go without a heat protectant if she is using a hot tool!
Pureology Colour Fanatic Hair Treatment Spray with 21 Benefits – I use this every single day.
4. Books
I don’t know about you or your gift recipient, but I am a book person. Maybe because my mother worked in a library and also bought me a lot of books. I like ’em and like to keep them in my coffee table in case guests come over and get inevitably bored.
In college, I coveted my Kevyn Aucoin makeup books and even painted a lot of the images in his books for school. The first two I own, the last three books I have not had the pleasure of reading. The last one is from one of my favorite You Tube channels. I have’t seen their book yet, but it’s something I should have in my personal collection.
Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin
Face Forward by Kevyn Aucoin
The Art of Makeup by Kevyn Aucoin
Kevyn Aucoin A Beautiful Life : The Success, Struggles and Beauty Secrets of a Legendary Makeup Artist by Kerry Diamond
Face: Makeup Skincare,Beauty by Pixiwoo (Samantha Chapman and Nicola Haste)
3. Mirrors
Handheld mirrors seem like a froofy thing, extra girls like to have. I don’t even have one myself! But if I did get one, I want the aqua star mirror from JSC! Yeah, that might be a hint.
Star shaped hand mirrors by Jeffree Star Cosmetics– they come in different colors but they tend to sell out a lot!
If she is a Disney lover, especially a fan of Snow White, she may love the hand held mirror by Besame Cosmetics. Who is the fairest of them all?
Maybe Anna and Elsa! A beautiful compact mirror from the Sephora Collection! I have two Ariel ones and a Sleeping Beauty. They’re really luxurious looking and would be appreciated by your gift recipient!
If you’re looking to for a little more, consider one that lights up:
Glamcor Riki Loves Riki: I used this mirror on a trip. The hotel did not have a makeup mirror in the room, so this came in real handy! I put it on the towel rack when I needed both hands, but it comes with retractable finger loops.
This mirror also comes with three different brightness levels. It gets super freakin’ bright! It comes with a fabric case, but it’s cut too exact and it very difficult to put the mirror back in. If you take it on a trip, you will need to make sure it’s packed really well so it doesn’t break or get scratched.
Or even get someone a mirror that sits on their vanity!
This one from Impressions Vanity comes with both a handheld and a vanity mirror. So they can have one at home, and one for on-the-go!
BESTOPE Makeup Vanity Mirror- I have not tried this mirror, but it seems to come with four different views. If there is a stray hair, I think you won’t be able to miss it with the different angles and magnification levels!
2. Apparel and Accessories
If they love makeup, I’m sure they’ll proudly proclaim it on their shirts and accessories!
Makeup bags are always a good gift, even if they don’t put makeup in there, they can use it for anything else and put it in their hand bag! Or if they go to school, they can store their pencils and erasers in there! Also you, the gift giver, can stuff small things in there.
The Bag Contents foil makeup bag is a funny little bag because we know it’s true! We carry way more lip products than we need but like one eyeliner and one powder.
The Beauty Constellations design was one of the first designs I made for my brand. It combines my love of space and makeup. This bag comes in 10 inches and 12 inches. It’s great for traveling. I actually used this for my face and hair products when I went on vacation. It has a divider with 2 little pockets. I also have it in a few other designs and will definitely come out with more patterns.
The great thing is it can get soaked and the ink will not bleed. Yes, it got wet by a leaky water bottle by accident. I was happy the bag was not ruined!
We all need tote bags for shopping, and I always forget to bring them! If you keep forgetting like me, you probably need them to eye catching and cute so you couldn’t possibly leave them behind! This chevron pattern with a red lipstick is called April’s Essentials, named after my step-mom because she loves red lipstick. I also have one with a magenta lipstick, which is more my color!
Why not wear your favorite lippies on a fitted tri-blend tee?
These lipsticks also come in tees in different colors, lipsticks in nude, magenta and red and different background (t-shirt) colors. Size up one size if you want your tee to fit a little looser.
Love the Helvetica& design? I have a cool black muscle tee for you! Lipstick & Eyeliner & Jeans & Rock ‘N Roll for the fashionable rocker chick.
New to my shop are mugs! My first design are of course lipsticks! The Luxury Lipstick Collection Accent Mugs come in three different colors on the handle and inside. There is a choice of black, pink and red.
Yes, these are from my own brand. This blog doesn’t make me a dime. The store actually costs me money.
1. Organizers
Who doesn’t need a little organization?
If you’re on a budget, the acrylic organizers from By Alegory is affordable and you can buy them on Amazon and get Prime shipping! If their organization situation is a little more dire, they might need organizers for their drawers or even a wall mounted version. If you get drawer inserts, be sure you know what exactly what drawer system they have because measurements make all the difference! If it doesn’t fit, then… crap. Do make sure you know what will fit or get one of the smaller or wall mounted ones!
Bleach LA– With these wall mounted organizers, you can organize your jewelry, makeup, even use them for art supplies. Bleach LA now has shoe organizers too! (See their Instagram)
If you ran out of room on your vanity table, these will save some space because you mount them to your wall. One organizer holds so much! I need one for jewelry because my necklaces are the more tangled than my love life!
She comes up with so many great solutions and she has a touching backstory that makes me want to support this small business even more! (But seroiusly look at how practical her units are!)
For Her Vanity– Makeup organizing compartments that fit in your IKEA drawers! They also have cute brush holders that you want to display! They come in cute colors, themes, and can often get glitterized! I seriously need these in my Alex IKEA drawer system!
The owner suffered a garage fire that almost ruined her entire business! But with the help of her supporters and her own strong will, she rebuilt and she is back in business! I would highly recommend supporting this small business! Her products are practical, designs are cute, and she did not quit and I admire this!
I hope these holiday gift ideas helped you figure out what to give your family and friends!
There are lot of things I missed, I know! Makeup brushes, brush cleaners, lash curlers, etc. I will be sure to include them in a future Top 10 Gift posts. I have tried a lot of beauty products and I have much to share with you!
Disclaimer: I’m a honest beauty blogger and the majority of the items I have listed are things I have used. If I haven’t tried them, I made note of it. I wouldn’t purposely recommend garbage to anyone. But everyone has their own opinions are different experiences. Look up more reviews if you are still unsure about buying a product.
This post contains some affiliate links, as well as links to my own online store. The Amazon links are affiliate links, the other stores are not. Not even the small businesses! I am recommending them because I honestly think their products are that great.
Some of the links may be broken by the time you click on them, this is not the fault of the author. Sometimes products sell out and the website discontinues the link.
Prices listed are subject to change! The Amazon prices especially change. Be sure to find the best price and always search for coupon codes and sign up for Ebates! Use this code because I need the cash! 🙂
I am not sponsored by any of the brands listed above. Most of the items I use myself and would recommend to anyone, as I mention in the post. Some items I have never used, but they may be things on my personal wish list.
I am recommending and linking to my own brand, it’s not a sponsorship because I am not paying myself to advertise on my own site. I would need money in the first place.
