NO MATTER how organised you are, there’s always a little bit of last-minute Christmas shopping you have to do.
Yesterday I hit the local shops (powered by a stop with a mulled cider with rum) and whizzed round picking up the last final few bits for my family, but there are always some presents which are just so difficult to buy!
One great idea I thought for a teenage little brother, godson or nephew was a razor gift set. Razors are fairly expensive these days, and buying a really nice one is a great gift. This Fusion 5 ProGlide Limited Edition Gift set from Gillette is £20 and comes with the razor wand (wand? handle?), a razor head and a stand. It’s available in chrome as well. I paired this with some nice
Another great gift for men is the Temple Spa Make My Day kit which is the “complete top-to-toe grooming collection for men on the go”. Cheesy slogans aside, it’s a really great gift set with a high quality bag, a cologne, cleansing wash gel, shaving gel, hair & body wash and a calming skin balm all for £40. I asked my husband to test this kit, and he uses it every single day, The cleansing wash is really refreshing in the morning, followed by the cologne and he’s powered through the skin balm which he uses on his hands and body.
If you’re buying for someone in your life who enjoys make-up, you could always look at a subscription to Beauty Pie for them, and then they can enjoy discounted products all year long. It’s £10 a month for the subscription, and then you have access to the lower prices. You can see why it’s been dubbed the Netflix of make-up.
I tested out the One Palette Wonder (£7.84 from Beauty Pie) which is a dead ringer for my favourite palette by Charlotte Tilbury. (I put them to the test against each other.)
They look almost identical to each other, both coming with a bronzer, blusher, highlighter and two eyeshadows in very similar shades. I was really keen to see if they were comparable and whether Beauty Pie could stack up when compared to the luxury designer brands.
It’s a close-run thing, and I would say for a teen, or someone who is just getting into make-up, Beauty Pie has a lot to offer. Charlotte Tilbury has the edge because the eyeshadows and blushers are so subtle and refined/finely milled with hardly any drop (the Beauty Pie palette drops heavily) and it just is the most subtle, wonderful magic touch. However, if the person you are gifting to is really into ‘fast fashion’ or ‘Insta-make-up’ I think they’d really enjoy this palette as part of their collection. You can subscribe and buy it here.
(I’ve tried Beauty Pie once before and reached the same conclusion – it’s good, but can be heavy handed and easy to over apply)
No matter how organised you are, it always seems like there is more to do when it comes to Christmas shopping. Beauty and grooming are always a great gift if you’ve left shopping to the last minute.
Enjoy Christmas and your time with your loved ones!