10 of the best holiday gift sets for midlife beauty
Gorgeous Christmas gift sets to give or receive, PLUS tips on beauty shopping for others.
Happy Tuesday, everyone - I hope your week has got off to a good start!
Firstly, can we talk about what a joy it is to walk into stores right now and see all the sparkle and colour?
Last night, I went straight from visiting my dad in hospital—thanks so much for the kind messages, he is doing OK—to M&S, to grab some dinner, and got totally sidetracked by a display of jewel-toned, sequin bags.
They called to me by the escalators, like Christmas baubles - look!
Colour therapy is A THING. Even more so when it twinkles.
In her book Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, Ingrid Fetell Lee writes:
“We’ve all been told we should dress for the job we want. But what about dressing for the joy we want? When I first started exploring the aesthetics of joy, I began experimenting with wearing bright colors in situations that brought me down.”
On a more neutral note, this jumper also called to me (it did online, too), with its chic, cosy chalet vibes.
Alas, held up against my face, it wasn’t happening. My colouring, maybe—or the fact that brown was the colour of my secondary school uniform and I still can’t seem to get past it.
Then, just this morning, of posted it to Insta—how fab does it look with her leopard print bag?
Anyone else get hung up on clothes the colour of their old school uniform (I realise this doesn’t apply to friends on the other side of the pond)? I’m curious to know!
Christmas gifting galore
OK, onwards to the beauty counters!
Are the holidays even coming if Estée Lauder’s iconic Blockbuster set isn’t on counter yet? Although I’ve never bought one (you?), its arrival feels as synonymous with Christmas as the Coke ad. (Here’s this year’s offering, which includes a full size of Advanced Night Repair serum.)
With midlife beauty and wellness in mind, here are 10 gift ideas, and scroll down for tips on shopping for others.
Jo Malone London Indulgent Essentials Collection
How cute is this?
An online exclusive, this sweet little Christmas sack comes filled with the classic Lime Basil & Mandarin Hand Cream (30ml), Peony & Blush Suede Cologne (9ml), English Pear & Freesia Body & Hand Wash (50ml) and a Wood Sage & Sea Salt Travel Candle.
(Side note: this Thursday, 31 October, Jo Malone London will be hosting a Christmas Special pop-up in Covent Garden from 10am. More info here.)
Diptyque Set Of 3 Small Holiday Candles
Speaking of jewel-bright colour and festive vibes, Diptyque’s limited edition trio of travel-sized candles are adorned with this year’s felt labels, designed by British artist artist Lucy Sparrow (for info on the Diptyque pop-up that’s just opened at London St Pancras International, see The Weekend Wrap-Up last Saturday).
The catch-it-while-you-can set includes three seasonally scented candles: Sapin (pine tree), Friandise (sweet treat) and Étoile (star).
Glossier Limited Edition Balm Dotcom Duo
You know how much we LOVE a Glossier lip balm at the MBE, which makes this set a must: you get two of the much-loved tinted lip balms, in LIMITED EDITION Biscotti and Espresso.
