Gifting a beauty enthusiast can be intimidating, especially when you’re dealing with an endless supply of brands and products to sort through.
The good news is we know a thing or two about beauty and, combined with a little research, have uncovered something for every type of cosmetic, skin, hair care and fragrance maven in your life.
From lavish lipsticks to dream creams (and some seriously great hot tools along the way), read on for coveted, curated gifts for beauty lovers in a variety of price ranges and palettes that will (finally) impress the beauty-obsessed.
Best makeup gifts
Considering this Wet n Wild lipstick is just $1, you might as well fill up their stocking with the whole collection. It’s a bestseller for the brand for a reason, after all.
From errands to travel, this compact mirror is designed to fit perfectly in your pocket, makeup bag and/or tote. Your on-the-go touch-ups just got upgraded.
From shaping your nails to buffering your cuticles, this Tweezerman set has all of the essentials to maintain the health of your nails. The kit also makes for a great stocking stuffer, last-minute gift or treat to yourself.
They’ll want all the tools to try new makeup looks, so gift them this set with the essentials. It comes with a brush for each step of their everyday beauty routine: foundation (which you can also use the sponge for), eye shadow, powder blush and highlighter or setting powder.
Glossier’s eyeshadow trio comes with three eyeshadows — matte, satin and metallic — for them to experiment with. They promise to apply smoothly with little to no fall out. Plus, the eyeshadows are refillable for whenever they run out.
Editor’s pick
This popular lip balm hydrates, soothes and tints the lips all in one, depending on the shade/flavor you choose. Apply on its own, on top of your favorite lip product or as a luxe overnight lip treatment to seal any dry areas.
From Too Faced’s iconic Better than Sex mascara to the dazzling eyeshadow palette, their eyes will surely sparkle when opening up this makeup set. You might even want to pick one up yourself.
From spot coverage to all-over wear, Well People’s Supernatural Complexion Stick is your one-and-done hero for both. It has a buildable light-to-medium finish for touch-ups or to add extra coverage. The brand even adds that the formula should help moisturize, balance and even skin tone.
Shop TODAY Senior Editor Jess Bender has been using this highlighter lately and says she can attest to the “weightless” and “second-skin” feeling upon application.
“As somebody who’s a fan of the ‘no-makeup’ makeup look most days of the week, I love using low-effort beauty products that look like I actually made an effort in my routine. Rare Beauty’s highlighter fits the bill perfectly in terms of texture and the radiant ‘dewy glow’ it leaves on my cheeks for the duration of the day,” she raved.
Your eyes are often the first thing people notice about you, so make them stand out with this eyeshadow stick and mascara set from IT Cosmetics. Apply the high-pigmented eyeshadow to your inner corners or across the lid to make your eyes pop, then top it off with the volumizing mascara for added drama.
Define, blend and fill in your brows with Sania’s Brow Bar brow pencil. On one end is a precise mechanical pencil, and the other, a professional-grade spoolie brush. Essentially, the two tools you need to perfect your brow routine.
This bestselling concealer is sold every 12 seconds, per the brand, so it’s likely that the beauty guru in your life already owns this coveted product. On the off chance they don’t, it would be a great gift! It’s easy to apply and buildable for the desired coverage.
The blush duo from Patrick Ta consists of two complementary blushes that are meant to be layered on top of each other. For a long lasting and bold finish, the brand suggests applying the powder blush first, and then the cream blush on top.
Best skin care gifts
Toss one of these shower steamers in your shower, and be prepared for your senses to be filled with aromatic scents. It’s an easy way to elevate an everyday experience and wind down after a long, stressful day.
If you’ve been trying to get a certain man in your life into skin care, this intense hydration starter kit might be the perfect option for them. According to the brand, it’s a daily three-step routine that comes with a face wash, shaving cream and water-gel moisturizer.
This peptide eye cream contains skin-loving ingredients such as peptides, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, which is meant to help alleviate puffiness and reduce the appearance of fine lines, says the brand.
This set from The Ordinary is not only affordable but a great deal for three bestselling products. This set contains formulas that will help smooth, brighten and hydrate the skin. What more could you want?
The epitome of self-care might just be Origin’s masking essentials gift set, which features some of the brand’s bestsellers. Indulge in a clarifying charcoal mask one evening, and an overnight mask the next.
Ordinary makeup wipes can be harsh on the skin (and the environment), but these reusable cloths from The Original Makeup Eraser offer a gentle and eco-friendly alternative. According to the brand, each pad can remove makeup, sunscreen and more with just water alone.
This variety pack of Loops comes with five different hydrogel face masks for you to experiment with. So, if you’re wanting to improve dullness, there’s a brightening mask in the kit. But if you want to enhance your radiance the next day, you’ll want to use the glowing mask. The options are endless!
Know someone who makes a ritual out of their shower routine? We think this is a gift-worthy pick they’ll appreciate. It includes three body essential products, made with a fresh eucalyptus scent.
If you’re looking for a great gift for Grandma, teachers or friends, these lotion bars are meant to melt into your skin, leaving it feeling soft and subtle. According to the brand, it contains hydrating ingredients like cocoa butter and almond oil.
With this kit, you get to sample four of Farmacy’s customer-favorite and bestselling products: it’s iconic cleansing balm, ceramide moisturizer, eye cream and lip smoothie. Trust us when we say each one works just as good as it smells.
Give the beauty guru in your life a brand-new skin care routine! This five-piece set checks every box: cleansing, exfoliating, hydrating, brightening and refreshing.
Fragrance gifts
Associate editor Kamari Stewart says Ellis Brooklyn makes some of her most-complimented fragrances. “I’ve been wearing their guava scent all summer and have never gotten more compliments about how good I smell. I’ve even had several people ask me to show them the bottle so they can take pictures of it and buy it themselves.”
She likes the apple scent that’s included in this discovery set and says it’s “the perfect fall scent for the person who prefers something a little sweeter.”
Maison Margiela is known for offering sophisticated blends that manage to encapsulate some of life’s more sensory settings and experiences. (‘By the Fireplace’ and ‘Bubble Bath’ are some of our favorite scents to snuggle up to on a cold winter day.)
Smell better, together! Created by real-life couple Tabitha and Chance Brown, these warm-yet-fresh fragrances smell amazing on their own, but paired together? Exceptional. The perfect couples gift now comes in travel-sized bottles, so you can experience each other’s favorite scents wherever you go.
Toss it in your handbag or bring it during your travels, this fragrance wardrobe consists of all of the signature scents from Tocca, all in a luxury portable tin. It’s a great gift for discovering a new signature scent or creating a custom blend to suit your mood.
This is a great aromatherapy gift for someone who could use a little peace and relaxation. According to the brand, this option works as a humidifier and diffuser and will cover up to 700 square feet. Just add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to this diffuser to enable a soothing scent to envelope your space.
It seems that every fragrance aficionado is familiar with Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume. From the berry notes to the floral bottle, it’s no wonder it’s been on nearly everyone’s vanity. Gift them the fan-favorite scent with this duo, which comes with two different sizes of the perfume.
Known for its effortless and non-toxic scents, Henry Rose’s newer fragrance, Menace, is absolute heaven, as deals editor Rebecca Brown explains. “This perfume is both musky and fresh. I ended up getting the discovery set from this brand and after testing a bunch of scents I just fell in love with Menace. It’s unisex but definitely leans more masculine. Something you can gift but wouldn’t mind using yourself from time to time.”
Nothing is more iconic than Prada’s Paradoxe line. You might already recognize the collection from its light floral notes, or from the stunning slanted bottle. Regardless, the fragrance is worth adding to your (or their!) list, especially this bundle that is refillable.
Best hair care gifts
This paddle from Wet Brush is designed with boar bristles and 100% natural argan oil to reduce frizz and distribute hair’s natural oils for a silky-smooth finish, making it easier than ever to maintain a healthy mane. The wood finish will also bring a certain warmth to their vanity.
Healthier strands await with SEEN’s essentials kit, which prioritizes scalp health for stronger hair no matter where you are. According to the brand, each of the products inside are safe for acne-prone, eczema-prone and sensitive skin, along with color-treated hair.
We’re giving this grooming pick an A+ for packaging. It is uniquely disguised as a reading book, which makes for a great display and gifting opportunity. But inside contains two of the brand’s classics: their 3-in-1 wash and grit bar. Both of which are soothing, addicting and great-smelling.
Ceremonia’s Spaliday Kit feels like a trip to the spa with two full-size products that treat damage and dry ends, and a limited-edition hair wrap to protect wet strands. The results? A renewed mind and shinier hair.
We love a styling set that gives your hair salon-quality results in a snap. Use Color Wow’s viral volumizer and cult-favorite Dream Coat spray to create the perfect, light as air blowout, while also protecting your strands from humidity and frizz.
Add a bit of luxury to their hair care with Oribe’s #OribeObsessed Set. Included is three travel-friendly products from their Gold Lust line, including the Dry Texturizing Spray and the Repair & Restore shampoo and conditioner. Together, the three help repair damage, add volume and deliver shine.
Formulated with an exclusive tripeptide complex, these brand-new hair care products work together to provide intense bond repair. Use the shampoo to remove build up impurities, the bonding treatment for delivering salon-quality keratin to each strand and the serum to give an all-over shine.
This wave wand from Bondi Boost creates natural-looking mermaid, beachy, or boho waves in seconds. Unlike single-barrel styling irons that take ages to curl hair, this 3 barrel curling iron does it in seconds.
Commerce editor and producer Julie Ricevuto says this T3 tool is great for travel, thanks to its 2-in-1 functionality. “So you don’t have to bring both a straightener & curler on vacation!” she raves.
Shark Beauty’s FlexFusion is a true multi-tasking tool. It comes with multiple attachments to create effortless blowouts, tame flyaways, and more — plus, a first-of-its-kind straightener — on both wet and dry hair. According to the brand, regardless of the setting, the tool minimizes heat exposure and regulates temperatures to lower the risk of heat damage.
The Dyson Airwrap is a coveted item on any beauty wish list, and this bundle has everything she needs (including attachments and a storage case) to achieve the hair looks of their dreams.
How we chose the best beauty gifts
The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best beauty products out there. We comb through customer reviews and even use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers.
As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think TODAY.com readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not TODAY. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.
Don’t forget to check out Shop TODAY’s other gift guides for everyone on your list including gifts for pre-teens, ones for the brand-new host or hostess, for the tech-obsessed kid in your life and more.
