Sparkling fragrances and shimmering eye palettes sure to elicit shrieks of delight come Christmas morning.
Few celebrations twinkle quite so brightly as Christmas, which makes it an excellent time to gift something that glistens equally as much.
Beauty brands brought their A-game with this year’s festive offerings, ranging from gilt
As pretty to look at as they are to use, discover our top picks of beauty products to spoil a loved one (or yourself) this holiday season.
A sweet orange-scented reminder to carve out some time for a little self-care, Embodyme’s Nurturing Body Oil is crafted with a blend of plant-based oils that help to nourish and hydrate skin, while its fragrance imparts a sense of happiness and energy to the wearer. It comes with the affirmation: “I am the creator of my own joy, and I choose to fill my life with happiness”, which is designed to be vocalised as the oil is massaged into damp skin.
Woodier than the original, the newest fragrance to be added to the Glossier You story is You Doux, which highlights a rich blend of palo santo, frankincense and smoky myrrh, softened by a warm, musky base of ambrox and ambrette. Unlike traditional perfumes, Glossier’s You collection act as skin-scent enhancers, meaning they smell slightly different on everyone.
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This brightly-hued limited-edition palette contains six shades of Jane Iredale’s cult favourite Glow Time Sticks into one compact. Take your pick from illuminating highlighters, peach-toned blushes or skin-enhancing bronzers with this all-in-one solution that’s perfect for travel.
For amped up lashes, look no further than Westman Atelier’s Eye Want You Mascara, which lengthens, defines and volumises with every sweep. It comes twinned with the Eye Love You Eye Pencil in Khôl Noir in this limited-edition two-piece set to help create a multitude of dynamic eye looks.
Ecoya’s brushed brass vessel (the aptly named “Goldie”) makes its return for the second year, housing a suite of time-honoured and limited-edition scents as part of the Australasian home fragrance brand’s Holiday 2024 collection. Viva loves Fresh Pine, which conjures freshly cut Christmas trees with notes of forest woods, rosewood, citrus and cedar.
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Advertise with NZME.Every year Jo Malone London releases its star cologne of the festive season, and this year that’s in the form of Fir & Artemisia: a woody, leathery aroma that settles beautifully on skin. Borrowing inspiration from 80s game shows, the cologne comes wrapped up in an oversized, shiny bow.
In need of a little R&R after a busy party season? Loops Rejuvenating Bundle contains everything you need to restore glow to a tired complexion with three of its Weekly Reset Hydrogel Face Masks, and a sculpting gua sha tool to lift, tone and smooth skin.
It might be the newest tool in Dyson’s suite of air-powered styling tools, but the Airstrait wasn’t overlooked for a festive makeover in the limited-edition strawberry bronze and blush pink colourway. Suitable for use on wet or dry hair, the Airstrait uses directional airflow to smooth and straighten strands with additional modes to dry roots, add volume or offer a cool shot to help set styles.
The coquette trend continues its rein, so why not gift the bow-obsessed beauty in your life with Superette’s satin take. The layered bow can be fastened to any hairstyle using its simple clip closure, and would be perfect for donning on Christmas Day.
A hair-drying hack from way back, hair wraps help offer a spa-like experience from home while speeding up the hair drying process. Hommey’s 100% yarn-dyed cotton is moisture wicking and delightfully soft, meaning it won’t pull or break delicate strands when wet.
More than just a perfume, Chanel’s limited-edition holiday treat comes with a gilt jewellery chain and Gabrielle Chanel’s signature number 5, making it a perfectly acceptable accessory, too. The covetable vessel is also refillable, meaning you can continue to refill and reuse it for years to come.
A stylish stocking filler or Secret Santa, this metallic hair tie looks set to elevate any slicked-back hairstyle. The curved design fits snugly around any ponytail, and can be paired with Seed’s matching barrette and bangle, too.
Easily one of Mecca’s most viral palettes of the season, Hourglass’ limited-edition Evil Eye palette houses six shades to blush, highlight and bronze your way to a glowing finish. The brand’s Ambient Lighting selection promises to leave skin with a multi-dimensional glow, and can be used singularly or together to define and highlight, set makeup in place, or add a burst of colour. It’s sure to sell out, though, so you’ll want to add this to cart quickly.
Surprise the well-tressed person in your life with a medium-sized grooming brush to help detangle and style all hair types. It’s dotted with organic bristles and boasts a spongy rubber base, meaning it flexes with your hair without pulling or tugging. Best suited for hair that’s slightly damp or dry, Denman’s Grooming Brush is also gentle enough to use on hair extensions.
The latest in a string of pH-reactive lipsticks is Hermes elevated take on the trend, with this dark hued lipstick that reveals a contrasting peachy hue when applied to lips. Comfortable to apply, the formula helps to nourish lips while the melting texture delivers a radiant finish.
An energising scent to surprise your Christmas host, Abel’s Scene 01 room spray captures the essence of Japanese minimalism, inspired by founder Frances Shoemack’s time spent in Japan. It blends notes of green tea, yuzu and verbena - best suited to enliven open plan living or bringing the outdoors in.
Equal parts rich and luxurious, Tronque’s cosseting body butter is a hydrating blend of biotech ceramides, mamaku, niacinamide, squalane and hyaluronic acid to restore moisture to dry areas. Perfect to smooth on limbs after a day spent at the beach.
If your loved one has been begging for a LED mask for some time now, then look no further than Skinsmiths’ offering. It’s far cheaper than others on the market, but not any less effective, dotted with 120 blue, red and near infra-red lights. Red and near infra-red light help to improve skin elasticity and texture, while boosting skin repair and reducing inflammation, while blue light works to soothe and clear acne-causing bacteria and preventing future breakouts.
Drawing inspiration for its shape from the gingko biloba leaf, Sisley’s gua sha is the perfect accoutrement to the Sisleÿa L’Integral Anti-Age and Supremya La Nuit anti-ageing collections. Crafted from Zamac, which helps to cool the complexion and fits perfectly with the contours of the face, allowing you to smooth, lift, sculpt and stimulate skin.
If the beauty buff in your life has been stuck using the same makeup brushes for the last five years, then this fundamental brush set is a must. M.A.C’s Golden Touch Mini Brush Set includes everything required to makeover the face and eyes, including the 498SES Tapered Powder Brush, 497SES Slanted Bullet Concealer Brush, 499SES Large Foundation Blending Brush and the 595/596 Eye Shadow Double-Ended Eye Blending & Shading Brush. Plus, all four come housed in a shimmering, sequinned bag for extra star power.
Another excellent gift for your Christmas host, Circa’s ever-popular handcare duo pairs a 450ml hand wash and hand lotion with a decorative ceramic tray to dress up any bathroom vanity. The summer-ready Mango & Papaya scent fuses tropical notes of mango and papaya with passionfruit, jasmine, musk and vanilla to evoke an island paradise. Each formulation features their own blend of nourishing ingredients to leave hands moisturised and soft.
It’s the body cream that exploded on social media, but now Sol de Janeiro has revealed the latest iteration of its Bum Bum Cream. The new limited-edition Cheirosa 71 Body Cream envelops skin in all-day hydration using macadamia nut butter, illuminates with golden mica and leaves behind a decadent caramelised vanilla and sea salt-spiked scent.
Earlier this week, Elizabeth Arden revealed its three new eyeshadow quads in three wow-worthy colourways – Profoundly Pink, Oh So Neutral, and Desert Nudes. Every shade contained within can be used for a sheer wash of comfortable colour during the daytime or built up to lend a little after-dark glamour.
The Night Before Christmas aroma makes its return for this year’s Glasshouse Fragrances’ festive Holiday Jewels collection. Bedecked with designs by illustrator Eirian Chapman, the Night Before Christmas Diffuser makes for a festive treat to dress up your mantelpiece. A juicy intermingle of blackcurrant, plum, lemon and lavender evoke plum puddings and festive fruits, capturing the essence of Christmas desserts.
Giorgio Armani’s oil-in-gloss formula works double duty to protect the lip’s delicate skin barrier while imparting a sheer wash of glassy shine. Enhanced with a 15% concentration of squalane, the non-sticky gloss looks beautiful when worn on its own or when layered on top of lipstick for extra sheen.
You don’t want to sleep on Lush’s Christmas collection, and this year’s selection of bath bombs, bubble bars, moisturisers and more certainly don’t disappoint. Viva loves the Christmas Pudding Soap, which is laced with sultana, ground almonds, orange and tangerine oil to gently exfoliate skin while uplifting with its cheery scent.
Designed for use on all hair types, Shark’s FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System has had a facelift of sorts and is now available in a stylish copper colourway for a limited time. The heat-free multi-styler comes with a variety of attachments to help create a multitude of styles, helping to curl, volumise, smooth or dry hair. Also, the set includes a velvet-lined storage case to simplify its storage.
Main Image: Photographer / Jerome Warburton. Fashion director / Dan Ahwa. Model / Fabienne Distelzwey, from N Model Management. Hair and makeup / Anna Guo.
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