14 Best Holiday Gift Ideas for the Beauty Obsessed in 2019
We all have at least one of those friends who's rarely spotted without the latest, most popular lipstick shade. The one you always go to for advice when your skin breaks out. Who's always there with a killer suggestion when you're stumped over what your next haircut might look like. The beauty obsessive.
Nothing makes a makeup, hair-care, or skin-care lover happier than a thoughtful beauty gift for the holidays, but giving them something you know they haven't already tried and tossed is a big risk. Not to mention their bar for product quality is much higher than the average consumer. Just picking any old neutral eye shadow palette won't do, nor will picking a seasonal skin-care set at random.
But that's where the beauty experts at Allure come in. We test products all day, every day. We know quality when we see and feel it.
So here's a guide to some of our favorite products that just so happen to make excellent beauty gifts for anyone in your life who's just as into beauty as we are.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Courtesy of brand1/14Benefit Cosmetics Brow Zings Pro Palette
Any beauty fan who's been around the block has probably rotated through the multitude of Benefit eyebrow products — reason being that the brand makes some of the best brow formulas in the game. The newly updated Brow Zings Pro Palette makes for a faultless gift, thanks to its choice of light and dark shade offerings.
$39 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand2/14Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection The System Everything Kit
Any gift from Mother Pat McGrath is going to send a beauty lover into a frenzy, but give them the Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Kit and you'll be in their good graces for the rest of eternity. This three-step system of face primer, medium-coverage liquid foundation, and setting powder has wooed the likes of Kacey Musgraves, Cardi B, and every Allure editor who's ever worn it, among many others.
$250 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand3/14Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Mint Choco
People who wear lipsticks most days of the week require a little more intensive lip care than average, and that's why Laneige's Lip Sleeping Mask remains a beauty community favorite year after year. The makeup lover in your life likely owns and adores the mask, but they'll be delighted to add this limited-edition mint and chocolate version to their roster.
$20 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand4/14Drybar Pre-Party Pack
Give the gift of a perfect blowout in a box with Drybar's Pre-Party Pack, containing the brand's beloved blow-dryer, round brush, and styling products. The hair dryer on its own costs $195; buying one in this kit assures you the extra freebies.
$199 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand5/14MNDA The Beauty Roller for Eyes
The beauty lover in your life likely already has some sort of skin-care roller in their arsenal. Treat them to the upgrade of all upgrades this season with one of the most sought-after skin devices out there from MDNA. The brand just created a new version of its beloved The Beauty Roller specifically for the sensitive skin around the eyes. Infused with carbon to promote heat beneath the skin's surface, the roller's bulbs have a fingerprint-like texture that squeezes the skin perfectly to fight off puffiness and smooth fine lines.
$150 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand6/14Shu Uemura Art of Hair x Pokémon Essence Absolue Nourishing Hair and Body Oil
Shu Uemura's luxurious hair and body oil delivers maximum softness with camellia oil, an ingredient skin-care lovers are very familiar with. The golden sparkles inside and limited-edition Pikachu packaging are just a bonus.
$69 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand7/14Amayori The Rotenburo Air Hot Springs Retreat Set
Trust us when we say that friend you have who can never seem to relax will find it hard to resist Amayori's Hot Springs Retreat Set. Basically a spa getaway in a box, the set includes body wash, several bath soaks, and a foot soak, all designed to mimic the smells and sensations of a private Japanese hot spring.
$130 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand8/14Patrick Ta Major Glow She's Extra Duo
Patrick Ta's Major Glow Highlighting Mist sets makeup with a sparkle that's best suited for those who openly welcome the limelight. This miniature version paired with Ta's oh-so-extra Setting Fan will provide some much-needed glamour to any beauty nerd's travel essentials.
$32 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand9/14La Mer The Glow Highlighter
Anything from La Mer would quality as an ultimate beauty gift. However, the Glow Highlighter combines a shimmering pressed-powder duo with what La Mer calls its Miracle Broth, a sea kelp-based cocktail of ingredients in all its adored skin-care products. Each side of the highlighter has a different texture and color payoff, so whoever you give it to can use it as subtly or dramatically as they please.
$105 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand10/14Bathing Culture Refillable Rainbow Glass Mind and Body Wash
This Nor-Cal-inspired body wash wafts the scent of redwood trees through the bathroom while you're sudsing up. Once empty, the screen-printed rainbow-glass bottle can be refilled over and over again for the environmentally savvy beauty lover.
$35 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand11/14Laura Mercier The Caviar Vault
Laura Mercier's Caviar Eye Shadow Sticks can do it all: blend, taper, build — you name it. And the brand's holiday Caviar Vault provides 10 versatile shades in a mix of matte and metallic shades.
$200 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand12/14Clarisonic + Mario Badescu Radiance Refresh Set
Two mainstay beauty brands collide with the Clarisonic + Mario Badescu Radiance Refresh Set. For about the same price as a Clarisonic's long-loved Mia Smart Device, this kit provides that, plus three soothing and brightening Mario Badescu products: Enzyme Cleansing Gel, a facial spray, and Rose Hips Mask.
$119 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand13/14Dyson Airwrap Complete Styler
This lightweight blow-dryer was a shoo-in for the Allure Best of Beauty Awards, so believe us when we say it's intensely good. With its ovular attachment, you can dry hair just as you would with any other dryer, but what makes it really special are the other attachments, which dry hair while simultaneously brushing, straightening, or curling.
$550 (Shop Now)
Courtesy of brand14/14SK-II Limited-Edition Facial Treatment Essence
The Best of Beauty Award-winning SK-II Facial Treatment Essence alone would be a stellar gift for any skin-care obsessive; the product's key proprietary ingredient, Pitera, is lauded for evening your skin tone, hence the hefty price tag. But a gift of the beloved treatment in once-in-a-lifetime, limited-edition packaging? That's priceless.
$235 (Shop Now)
