Christmas Gift Guide: The Best In Beauty & Skincare This Year

All the gift inspiration for the beauty lover in your life!

It’s hard not to be excited for Christmas when all of our favourite brands are stepping up their game and releasing beauty goodies left, right and centre. From limited-edition skincare to styling tools and palettes galore, here’s what we’ve got on our wish lists…

Read more: Christmas Gift Guide: The Most Stylish Presents This Year

Help your loved ones prepare for the new year by giving them a chance to indulge in some self-care. Creating products that are meant to help heal your skin and body, Noirstone focuses on getting to the root cause of skin issues and figuring out how to treat them. Its Botanical Rose Body Polish is a scrub that will help shed your skin from this past year and get it ready for the new one. Himalayan pink salt exfoliates your skin while coconut oil moisturizes it, and the rose petal and rose geranium will leave you feeling super calm. It’s perfect for the spa-lovers on your list!

Noirstone Botanical Rose Body Polish, available online for $266.07

Face rollers have jumped in popularity this year and are quickly becoming a vital part of our skin care routines. They’re designed to boost blood circulation, increase elasticity, reduce puffiness and diminish fine lines, but if you take one step further and use a roller of a particular stone, you could get some added benefits from that particular stone as well. Enter, Pura Botanicals. A creator of cruelty-free, eco-friendly skin care, Pura Botanicals has created a line of face rollers made from jade, amethyst, pink quartz, crystal quartz, tiger’s eye, and black obsidian. Each stone provides different benefits such as slowing down the ageing process, repairing sensitive skin, and promoting self-confidence. The best part? Each stone has increased benefits for specific zodiac signs as well. It’s the perfect way to add some personal flair when gifting to your loved ones.

Pura Botanicals Face Rollers, available online, ranging from $344.61 – $501.25

Trying to figure out what to get that crafty, skin care lover on your list? The Coconut Matter Kiss Balm craft kit is the perfect gift for that artistic soul. This set allows them to make six pots of lip balm in under 15 minutes. Coconut Matter uses pure, plant-based ingredients to create its creamy, absorbable balm that keeps your lips healthy while protecting them from external pollutants and toxins. You can also personalize each set by either adding your choice of cosmetic grade coloured mica, a food grade essential oil, or perhaps even both. Feel free to ask your recipient to give you one as a thank you for such a thoughtful, fun gift.

Coconut Matter Kiss Balm, available online or at select retailers in Hong Kong for $350

Living in Hong Kong, we’re forever fighting pollution, so when it comes to skincare, the last thing we want to do is to rub in more harsh chemicals. Lhamour is a skin care company based in Mongolia that focuses on the creation of organic products to help fight against the impact of toxins on your skin. Each product is created to nourish and replenish skin while providing natural relief or preventative benefits, depending on the skin allergy or condition. The Lhamour Pamper Set contains the perfect combination of products for your body. It’s a great gift for anyone looking to bring the spa to their home. Here’s to new skin for the new year.

Lhamour Pamper Set, available online and at pop-up locations across Hong Kong for $500

Stocking stuffers anyone? The Optiat Pick Me Up Coffee Scrub is a perfect option for a secret Santa gift, stocking stuffer, or anyone looking for a post workout ‘pick me up’. This scrub contains a mix of used Arabica coffee grounds (yes, used!) and lemongrass essential oils that exfoliate and refresh your skin, especially after a crazy, sweaty workout. It’s the perfect way to wake up your skin from the inside out.

Optiat Pick Me Up Lemongrass Lifter, available online at Urban Greenosophy for $160

Red lipsticks and lip balms are perfect accessories for the holiday season. But how much cooler would it be if they were also infused with antioxidants? Cha Ling has created a line of skin care products using the anti-ageing and antioxidant properties of the Pu’er tea leaf grown in the forests of the Yunnan province as well as other natural raw ingredients. Their red tinted lip balm contains these amazing ingredients and will add a hint of red to your lips while leaving them smooth and hydrated. It’s perfect for wearing on its own, or on top of your favourite nude matte lipstick.

Cha Ling Red Tinted Lip Balm, available online and at Cha Ling retail locations across Hong Kong, $235

Finding the perfect shade for someone can be a struggle but NARS has taken out the guesswork with their new limited edition palette, the Hot Tryst Face Makeup Set. NARS has always created makeup shades that suit all skin tones, and this holiday season they’ve created a stunning cheek palette combining four of their most flattering blushes and two highlighters. Each shade goes on sheer when swept on dry but are also totally buildable, especially when applied wet. This palette will literally take you from cheek to chic.

NARS Hot Tryst Face Makeup Set, available online and at NARS stores across Hong Kong for $520

Whether you’re looking for incredible smelling candles, skin care or fragrances, you’ll never go wrong with Jo Malone. While most of their range is more on the splurge side, they also give you the option to gift their indulgent little minis. The Jo Malone Cologne Collection allows the ability to try five popular colognes individually, or they can be combined to create a different scent for each day of the week and beyond. Give your perfume lovers something to rejoice about.

Jo Malone Cologne Collection, available at Jo Malone stores across Hong Kong

Massages always make a great gift, but one that takes care of both your body and mind at the same time is a special treat. The Oneness beauty bar and spa offers refreshingly unique solutions to take care of your well-being, while adding a sense of spirituality to contemporary beauty services. Its massages and facials are accompanied by singing bowl therapy that left members of our Sassy staff feeling refreshed and relaxed. Grab a gift card for someone on your list, or opt to keep it for yourself. They’ll never know!

Oneness Massage, contact the spa for prices and reservations

Looking for the gift that keeps on giving? Check out the beauty box subscription from lookfantastic. Based on the type of subscription you select (three, six, or 12 months), your recipient will receive six usable samples from amazing brands each month. And if they like a particular item, they can purchase the regular size from lookfantastic. The best part? What they receive each month will always be a surprise. It’s such a fun concept that I’m considering getting one for myself.

Lookfantastic Beauty Box Subscription, available online, price ranges based on subscription type

Silk pillowcases are amazing, but how about a silk eye mask that blocks out the light while giving you a facial at the same time? Hello, Caternap. The newly minted Caternap recently launched the first ever silk sleeping eye mask that continuously infuses beautifying skincare ingredients while you sleep. Each 100% mulberry silk mask contains six active ingredients that all play a part in restoring, hydrating and renewing your skin, all while preventing wrinkles. The masks come in a variety of beautiful colours and can be purchased with an added bow on top to make it completely Instagram-worthy.

Caternap Silk Eyemask, available online and at The Artistry, Shop 302, Third Floor, Landmark Atrium, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong, prices range from $800 – $1,200

The perfect stocking filler for any woman in your life with skin sensitised by the environment (yes, Hong Kong pollution, we mean you). Vanderohe was founded by Olivia Thorpe after she spent years struggling with her own skin issues and sensitivities to synthetic fragrances. She still hand-blends, dates and packages every box herself from the U.K to maintain premium quality. This oil (with its unique blend of organic Frankincense, Rosehip, Neroli, Lavender, Apricot Kernel, Grapeseed, Rose Geranium, Myrrh, Rose Otto, Cedarwood, and Chamomile) works to combat inflammation, and soothe oily, acne-prone and dry skin. Its super concentrated formula means you only need a few drops for each application, so this tiny bottle should last a good few weeks.

Vanderohe Face Oil, available online at The Slow Mode for $900.29