Christmas beauty gifts: favorites under £40

I love a Christmas gift set, there is just something really enticing about an eye shadow palette or a collection of products in a pretty box or generally anything that looks gorgeous. Yep, that's right - I am a packaging magpie. So, recently I have been looking online to find my favorites, partly for the blog and partly to send up the chimney to Santa... I have kept all the prices under £40 and here are my top five:


Number 1: Urban Decay Book of Shadows II (£27 from http://www.boots.com/)

When I first saw this on the lovely Lipglossiping's blog a few weeks ago and I was transfixed, and have been coveting it ever since (see her pictures to understand why HERE). I actually can't really put my finger on why it was that I was so entranced with the colours, but they were just beautiful. As a more neutral make-up type of girl it surprised me that I was to taken by this palette, but the jewel-like turquoises really did fascinate me and I am really keen to try out, especially since by all accounts the texture and pigmentation of the shadows is really impressive. I hope to find out for myself soon... (please Santa, please!)



Number 2: Filofax Beauty Gift Box (£35 from http://www.filofax.co.uk/)





A little bit of a random combination of beauty and stationary - but I like it. The beauty box comes in three colours (pink, beige snakes skin, or the retro print 'fresco') and contains the most amazing girly version of a James Bond gadget ever - a pen with a perfume atomiser inside! Genius... it also contains one of those send-off-for vouchers for either a free hair cut or beauty treatment.

I am lucky enough to have been sent one of these fan-tabulous gift boxes already and truly think it's a lovely idea. In fact I may very well have this in mind for a present for a certain honorary big sister friend (a new one, not the one I was sent - obviously)




Number 3: Diorshow Iconic Mascara Value Gift Set (£20 from http://www.boots.com/)




I love a bit of Dior, just to make me feel all glamorous and love this as a gift set. At only £20 I think this is really good value for a present and have already put this on on my list for the 'rents (a.k.a. Santa). This is literally an iconic product - this gift would suit anyone from make-up virgins to slap junkies.



Number 4: Les Petales Voile de Rose Poudre Delicate - Pressed Powder Chantecaille (£27.40 from http://www.spacenk.co.uk/)


Totally indulgent and totally gorgeous. It is so beautiful that I would probably be afraid to use it if I was lucky enough to find this is in my stocking. Seriously, look at it - how beautiful?!



Number 5: Nars Douveurs de Paris Palette (£37 from http://www.narscosmetics.co.uk/)

There is something about the Nars eye shadows in palettes that makes me just want to reach out and touch them through a computer screen and this is the perfect example. I love the mix of shades between neutral brown day shades and deep, sexy, navy/blue/purple night shades for a gorgeous smokey eye. Gorgeous and luxurious - yet another perfect Christmas present and an ideal introduction for NARS newbies.

This post was inspired by a challenge from http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/ to put together a list of my five top beauty Christmas gifts. Who would have thought that the website best known for the fab 2-4-1 Pizza Express vouchers also lists beaut deals too... worth a look if you like a bargain.

In fact I just had a quick look on the site and found THIS code for 10% of Benefit Cosmetics, valid till 13th December.

**The small print**

Of all the products mentioned above, only the Filofax is a product that I have tried out, all of the others are just things that have caught my attention enough to make it onto my wish list.