Bobbi Brown Wine Eye Palette (€55)
A very kind aunt once gifted me a Bobbi Brown eyeshadow palette for my 15th birthday and I am still using it today. This brand is known for its gorgeously rich brown and red tones, and this has been celebrated in its ‘Wine & Chocolate’ Collection. This palette is a good price and has everything you need for a subtle and soft smokey eye.
Another nice, but smaller, make-up gift which I know would go down a treat is the Yves Saint Laurent Éclat Art Of Highlighting Christmas Set for €35, which includes the coveted Touche Éclat highlighting pen and a sample size of the Blur primer. Both of these are available at Brown Thomas.
Clarins Relaxing Weekend Collection (€59)
My siblings and I got this for our mum last year and she got great use out of it, draining every last drop from the Beauty Flash Balm and still using the hand cream this winter. Unfortunately for her, my sister and I did a right job of emptying the exfoliator before she got much use of it – it is lovely and brightening and a treat in the shower. This is a well-priced, safe-bet gift set.
Boots’ No7 Men Ultimate 7 Day Groomer (€53)
This range is great quality and well-priced, so I can easily recommend this grooming set, which has just about everything your stubbly stooge may require. The combination of the soothing shaving gel and face and beard moisturiser, along with a facecloth which should be used as a hot flannel, will prove a calming remedy to over-shaved, sensitive skin.
Niamh loves . . . Morrocanoil haircare (starting at €24 for shampoo)
The combination of the hydrating shampoo and conditioner from this range really improved the texture and shine of my hair when I started using it during the summer. It is my ultimate at-home treat, and lots of salons stock the brand now. If yours doesn’t, you can get it online at beautyfeatures.ie. There are various gift sets available which may offer better value than buying separately.
Benefit minis at Boots (€20)
Given the cute packaging and high quality of Benefit products, they make a great gift option for the beauty savvy teenager in your life – the only problem is, some of them can be quite pricey. However, Boots is currently doing an offer where you can pick four mini products for €20. If you’re feeling a little more generous, the BADgal Lash Mascara (€23) or the Sugarbomb blusher (€34) come highly recommended from this former teenage Benefit addict.
Vichy Homme Gift Set (€29.95)
If you’re going down the route of giving shaving gel/aftershave as a present, be careful to pick one from an actual skincare brand and not some random designer. This one is great for sensitive skin and comes with a handy washbag. Another alternative is the Clarins for Men Hydrating gift set, which retails at €38 and has a full-size Super Moisture Balm, which is great for relieving skin of razor burn.
