BEAUTY: It's the last weekend for Christmas gift buying, and time being of the essence, the list below contains easy available suggestions for beautifying your loved ones. Happy Christmas.
Whipped Cream Box from Sebastian (€25.90)is a great gift for the hairstyling addict. The cream nourishes and protects hair, but gives the ultimate in flexible hold. Think frizz-free, soft and bouncy hair – who would say no to that? From salons countrywide with the Sebastian range.
Clarins Gift Sets (from €24).With their festive red boxes and superb face and body skincare, it's present buying made easy – at Clarins counters nationwide.
Here are two great sets for expert home tanning. The St Tropez Everyday Bronzing Set (€45)is ideal for those with paler skin tones who want a subtle glow on face and body. Vita Liberata Luxury Tan Travel Pack (€40)from Boots chemists, would be a treat for those heading away. The set includes body polish, lotion, self-tan and a body shimmer.
L'Occitaneis always a good bet for crowd-pleasing gifts and it excels at Christmas with its lavish gift-wrapping. I love its Shea Butter hand creams and this trio (€24.95)is a winner. From L'Occitane stores nationwide.
A gift card from Peter Markwill do double duty as this year they have teamed up with Oxfam Ireland. The gift cards support women in the developing world, and range from €30 to support education for young girls, to €40 to support a woman in business. The cards can be used for any hairdressing at Peter Mark salons nationwide.
Elizabeth Arden's Eight-Hour Cream (€21).A great little stocking filler in limited edition retro packaging. This cult cream is the ultimate multi-tasker – from grooming brows into place to softening cuticles. It's an all-round skin saviour.
Love etc (€20)is the new fragrance from The Body Shop. Fresh and girly, it's full of joie de vivre and suitable for late teens or early twentysomethings. It's Community Trade credentials give it extra marks.
The Vichy Essentiellesrange is a new face and body collection from the French skincare company. With its attractive presentation and products targeting different skin types, you can afford to combine two or three for a great value gift. From €4.90, at pharmacies nationwide.
'The Beaut.ie Guide to Gorgeous' (€16.99, Gill MacMillan)will provide hours of informative fun. Between the covers of this offshoot from the popular beauty blog, sisters Aisling and Kirstie McDermott share their tips, reminiscences and DIY techniques. A delight.
'Be Beautiful – Every Girl's Guide to Hair, Skin Make-Up'by Alice Hart-Davis and Molly Hindhaugh (€14.99, Walker Books) is the perfect gift for a teenage girl busting to join in with the grown-ups. Covering the basics, with QA sections throughout, make-up lessons include natural looks to party sparkle, all presented in a bright and colourful way. A great stocking filler.
In 'Beauty Steals'(€12.99, Kyle Cathie) beauty experts Sarah Stacey and Josephine Fairley, who have already given us The Green Beauty Bible, tackle the subject of bargain beauty. Their findings will steer you in the right direction as their research into mass and supermarket brands makes for fascinating and money-saving reading.
