10 best beauty gifts 2021: Makeup, skin care and hair
From ever-popular Dyson hot tools and clean skin care from Drunk Elephant to Rihanna’s lauded Fenty Beauty, we found the best gift-worthy beauty sets.
Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD, a board-certified dermatologist, previously recommended Slip's highly-rated bedding in our guide to the best bedding for your skin. According to dermatologists, silk pillowcases can help prevent frizzy hair and wrinkles. Plus, they are great for those dealing with sensitive skin because silk is a “lightweight, breathable and non-irritating” material, noted Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist. Slip’s pillowcases are available in two sizes — King and Queen — and a plethora of colors, like Pink and Caramel. This kit also includes the brand’s top-rated silk eye mask, which helps block the sun from disturbing your sleep.
This four-piece gift set includes two of my go-to body products since 2019: A foaming shower gel that lasts up to 50 showers and a sugar-based body scrub to buff away dead skin and hydrate. The kit also includes a body cream to help restore moisture post-shower and a hydrating hand wash. All four products are made with sweet almond oil to help soothe and restore moisture, along with white tea to help nourish skin.
We recently dubbed this dermatologist-recommended product the best set of high-end eye patches. This two-step kit starts with a roll-on serum infused with various vitamins to help fade the appearance of dark circles and puffiness. The rollerball also pushes away liquid from the under-eye area, where it likes to collect. Immediately follow up applying it with the hydrogel eye patches, which will “create an evaporation-free barrier,” so your skin can absorb the moisturizing ingredients, explained Rachel Maiman, MD, a dermatologist at Marmur Medical.
If your loved one misses frequenting the nail salon, surprise them with this highly-rated Olive and June manicure kit comprising six tools and up to eight nail polishes. Choose from winter-inspired shades like Besties, a deep emerald; XOXO, a hot pink; Obsessed, a dark ruby; Exclamation Point, silver glitter; and Obvi, gold glitter. This set also includes the Poppy, an ergonomic cover you place over the nail polish bottle handle. The pale pink gadget keeps your hand steady for more precise at-home manicures, even when you paint with your non-dominant hand.
Hourglass, a highly-rated luxury cosmetics and skincare brand, created a travel-friendly gift set featuring four bestsellers, which happen to be everyday staples of mine since 2019. Veil Mineral Primer boasts SPF 15 sun protection and doesn’t leave behind a pesky white cast. The matching Veil Translucent Setting Powder plays nicely with my oily skin and doesn’t clog pores. This set also includes Unlocked Instant Extensions, a rich black mascara that lengthens and volumizes lashes, along with the Mechanical Gel Eye Liner, which makes tight-lining your upper lash line a quick and relatively easy process.
Editor and Shopping reader-favorite makeup brand Charlotte Tilbury created a gift-worthy beauty set inspired by Tilbury’s signature pink lipstick: Pillow Talk. Choose from three variations of the cocoa butter-scented lipstick — Original, Medium and Intense — and a matching Lip Cheat liner. Your Valentine can add a healthy flush to their face with Cheek to Chic, a rosy blush with a luminous shimmer available in two colors: Pillow Talk and Pillow Talk Intense. Rounding out the four-piece set is a choice between an eyeshadow quad dubbed the Pillow Talk Luxury Palette, which is more daytime appropriate, or the glittery Pillow Talk Luxury Palette of Pops.
If your loved one is dedicated to their skin care routine, consider giving them the Foreo Luna 3, the brand’s most recent facial cleansing brush. The popular Luna 3 is equipped with antimicrobial and antibacterial silicone bristles to help remove dirt, oil and sweat, according to Foreo. Unlike previous versions of the Luna, this model offers 16 vibrations to massage skin and improve signs of aging. The device boasts a long-lasting battery, too. Users get up to 650 uses on a single charge.
Rihanna, founder of Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin, created Stunna Lip Paint, a long-lasting lipstick that doesn’t rub off while drinking. This beauty gift set features three vibrant shades of her full-sized liquid lipsticks: Unlocked, a hot pink; Unattached, a bright coral; and Undefeated, a purple. It also sports a small applicator, which makes it easy to trace and fill in your lips, no lip liner required. To help create a barrier between lipstick and a face mask, Talia Favale, a makeup artist at Naked Poppy, previously recommended dusting a little translucent powder over your lips.
Drunk Elephant's gift set includes seven travel-sized hair and body care products, like the Cocomino Glossing Shampoo and Cocomino Marula Cream Conditioner, two lightweight items made from plant oils and butters. The T.L.C. Happi Scalp Scrub incorporates alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) to buff away dead skin cells and product buildup, while the Wild Marula Tangle Spray acts as both a heat protectant and detangler. Your loved one can also cleanse and hydrate their skin with the amino acid and plant oil-rich Kamili Cream Body Cleanser and lock in moisture by slathering on the Sili Body Lotion. Post-shower, they can also swipe on the Sweet Pitti Deodorant Cream, which is made from arrowroot powder to soak up sweat and mandelic acid, an AHA which helps neutralize odor.
Shopping readers have shown a keen interest in department stores and readily accessible chain retailers. Here are seven of those preferred retailers that sell a wide variety of beauty gifts like the Dyson AirWrap Complete and fragrances.
If you’re looking for top-rated brands favored by Shopping readers, consider these 10 well-liked companies making everything from the ever-popular Differin acne gel to Charlotte TIlbury’s Pillow Talk lipstick.
These 12 beauty specialty stores range from Black-owned AMP Beauty LA to Violet Grey, a luxury beauty boutique nestled on Melrose Place in Los Angeles. Here are our picks for well-known and emerging beauty retailers.
Not sure what to give your beauty-loving Valentine this year? Beauty boxes are a convenient way for recipients to test new launches and brands without committing to full-size products. Prices vary per company, but you can look to spend between $5 and $50 per monthly box.
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