The upside of last-minute gifting is that, as long as you’re not chasing big-ticket items like beauty advent calendars or consumer tech, there’s often a surprisingly generous selection to choose from. And the beauty is (pardon the pun), they don’t need to come with a hefty price tag – what matters is what I like to call the “ooh factor” – that satisfying moment of wonder when the gift is unwrapped.
With that in mind, here’s my round-up of last-minute, considered gifts sure to elicit an “ooh” – for him, for her, for you, for teens and tweens.
Charlotte Tilbury Mini Viral Beauty Icons Gift set
Charlotte Tilbury’s Christmas offering is, as ever, engineered to please the masses. While there is a vast array of gift options at almost every price point, none appeal to me more than Charlotte’s Mini Viral Beauty Icons Set (€54 from Brown Thomas). Just about in the affordable category at €54, it includes four travel-sized versions of the brand’s most beloved products: Pillow Talk Lip Liner, Pillow Talk Lipstick, the perennially sold-out Beauty Light Wand in the shade Pinkgasm, and Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray.
Rituals large scented candle
Rituals is always a fail-safe option for last minute gift buying, as the selection is so broad, offering everything from fragrance and body care to make-up, accessories and more. The standout for me, though, is the candles – especially the giant three-wick version. A friend gave me one a few years ago, and I’ve bought it again myself several times since. There are two sizes to choose from: the 840g three-wick at €54.90, and the XXL 1600g version at €109.90. Both come in multiple scents and colours.
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Diptyque Discovery set
Always a solid choice for perfume and luxury beauty lovers alike, Diptyque’s gift offering is more impressive than usual this year, not least because of the excellent Diptyque Discovery Set (€125 from Brown Thomas). This is a beautifully curated edit of the brand’s most-loved fragrances, and contains five chic 7.5ml vials including Do Son, Eau Rose, Fleur de Peau, Orphéon and Philosykos.
Trinny London Back to Life Skin Set
This Trinny London gift set contains the cutest pair of mini stainless-steel cryo globes. Founder Trinny Woodall is famously devoted to all things cooling and de-puffing; when we met a few weeks ago, she told me that whenever she stays in a hotel, she orders a bucket of ice to calm her skin. These miniature cryo sticks do a similar job, and are incredibly appealing. The Back To Life Skin Set (€139 from Brown Thomas) also includes two of the brand’s bestselling skincare staples: Take Back Time Skin Elixir and Eye Treatment.
Sol de Janeiro Make a Bright Entrance gift set
The ideal gift for teens and tweens, or indeed anyone with a soft spot for deliciously scented beauty products, is Sol de Janeiro’s Make A Bright Entrance Gift Set (€49 from Brown Thomas). Inside you’ll find bestselling products: Bom Dia Body Wash and Body Cream, and Cheirosa 40 Perfume Mist, both delivering that unmistakable Sol de Janeiro sweetness. I gifted a similar set to my tween goddaughter recently and very nearly lost my hearing to the ecstatic shrieks that followed.
Pomp & Co’s Limited Edition Christmas Kit
No naff gift sets for the male grooming fans in your life; opt instead for something genuinely cool from an independent, family-run Irish business founded in 1947. Pomp & Co’s Limited Edition Christmas Kit (€65.99 from pomp.ie) contains an activated charcoal body bar, hair cream for textured styling and a smoothing, conditioning beard balm – all beautifully packaged in a sturdy hemp-canvas kit bag. This is the kind of set that actually earns its spot under the tree.
Chanel Beauty Lips and Hands set
One phrase comes to mind when I think of Chanel’s Christmas gift offerings, both big and small: be still my beating heart. And this one – on the more modest end of the brand’s festive line-up – is still enough to send it racing. Chanel Beauty Lips and Hands Set (€151 from Brown Thomas) is limited edition and utterly exquisite. It contains the brand’s iconic La Crème Main Texture Riche hand cream, Le Vernis in the shade 111 Ballerina, a natural, whisper-light pink, and the beautifully buttery Rouge Coco Baume lip balm – housed inside a custom Chanel pouch.
This week I’m loving... Merit Solo Shadow
Slowly but surely taking over my make-up bag, the chic, minimalist American brand Merit started shipping to Ireland at the end of the summer, and their newest release has landed at just the right moment.
Solo Shadow (€29 from meritbeauty.com) is an intensely creamy, pigmented, instant eye look in one chic pot. It comes in two versions: The Sheens, six shades that deliver a sheer wash of colour with a luminous, pearlescent finish, and The Mattes, eight buildable, cream-to-powder shades with a no-budging soft matte finish.
