Beauty411

7 Last-Minute Beauty Gifts and Stocking Stuffers $20 or Less!

While doing a little last minute shopping over the weekend, I noticed quite a few beauty gifts that could be picked up at your local drug or discount store, for those people that go down-to-the-wire with their shopping.  I just finished wrapping the last of my presents yesterday and for me, that's about as close as I can stand.  Not only are these last minute beauty gifts and stocking stuffers cute; they're practical and cost less than $20!

While at Target, I saw these Burt's Bees kits on the main aisle.  Perfect for someone of any age, these gift sets retail from $9.99 - $19.99.  Who wouldn't love this mani-pedi gift set?

10 Fabulous Last Minute Beauty Stocking Stuffers!

Stocking Stuffers are those "little extras" that aren't defined by price or size.  A stocking stuffer may be an impulse item that you saw at the last minute, or a gift purposefully planned out.  No matter...stocking stuffers are intended to bring a smile to the recipient's face.  When I was growing up, we always got one of the Lifesaver's Candy Books.  Stocking Stuffers have come a long way since then!  Here are 10 of the best beauty stocking stuffers that I've seen this season:

Sally Hansen Holiday Kits:  In prices ranging from 4.99 to 9.95, these kits offer great value.  There is a Salon Mini Manicure Kit that includes everything you need for a salon-perfect manicure: four Salon Nail Lacquer shades, Salon Double Life Base and Top Coat, along with detailed instructions.  There is also Lip Inflation Extreme Out-To-Go-Kit or Just Feet Holiday Kits.  Find these Sally Hansen Holiday Kits at Walgreens, CVS & Rite Aid.  Selection may vary by retailer.

Start Me Up Nail Collection from Lippmann:  This adorable kit is a start to finish nail treatment set.  It's a perfect kit to keep in your travel bag, as it takes up no space and has everything you need for a complete manicure.  Includes Smooth Operator buffer, Cuticle Remover, Cuticle Oil, 2 Second Nail Primer, Rehydrating base coat, Baby Love nail lacquer and On A Clear Day top coat. The Start Me Up Nail Collection retails at $ 39 and is available at Barney's New York, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, C.O. Bigelow and online at www.lippmanncollection.com.

Burt's Bees Sets are adorable as well as practical.  I love the Overnight Bee-uty Bag, which is an adorable little pouch, filled with a Beeswax Lip Balm, Pomegranate Lip Balm, and mini airplane-ready sizes of the Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Lotion, Lemon Buttler Cutice Creme, Peach & Willow Bark Deep Pore Scrub and Coconut Foot Creme.  You can find a selection of gift sets in national grocery, drug, gift and specialty stores and select mass retailers, such as Target.  You can also find them online at www.burtsbees.com.

Lavanila Roller-Ball Fragrance is the perfect way to take your fragrance with you.  Available in 4  luxurious scents, this Lavanila Roller-Ball Fragrance would be perfect for the frequent traveler, as it's airport friendly.  Need a gift for a health conscious friend?  Lavanila fragrances are completely free of harsh chemicals and are formulated with 100% natural ingredients, including pure essential oils.  I love the Vanilla Grapefruit Roller-Ball Fragrance; it's a splash of citrus in a vanilla base. Available at Sephora, Sephora.com and Lavanila.com.

C.O. Bigelow Winter Survival Kit can be given to anyone on your list.  Winter can be so harsh on your skin.  Why not gift this practical present?  Includes a Derma Remedy Body Lotion, Chapped Hands Remedy, Chapped Hands Cleanser and Lip Formula SPF 15.  $ 24.50. 

Space NK offers an incredible selection of stocking stuffers.  Who wouldn't want to get this Tuberoli Fragrance Collection, featuring a miniature Eau de Toilette, a body lotion and shower gel?  This is a perfect gift for someone who works out at the gym.  She can tuck this into her bag or locker and leave smelling fabulous.  Tuberoli is reminiscent of a romantic weekend in Rome. This ultra-feminine fragrance is unabashedly luxurious. $45.

ChapStick True Shimmer lip balms are a practical stocking stuffer.  ChapStick True Shimmer contains moisturizing ingredients and shimmering highlights for beautiful, healthy-looking lips.  It's a subtle shimmer; no need to worry that it will compete with your makeup.  You can wear the ChapStick True Shimmer under lipstick or alone, for a more natural look.  Available in Botanical Berry and Tropical flavors at food, drug, mass merchandise club and convenience stores across the U.S.  The suggested retail price is $2.79.

Some of Kiehl's most popular products are the Ultra Facial Cleanser, Toner and Moisturizer and iconic Lip Balm #1.  Now you can get travel sizes of all four products in a convenient travel set.  These formulas in this Ultra Facial Travel Set are gentle and hydrating; perfect for winter skincare.  $ 24.50

Got a teen or 'tween on your list?  Check out C-THRU fragrances! This gift set includes 3 gem-inspired eau de toilette fragrances.  Perfect for the the special young woman in your life who seeks variety and self-expression through her fragrances.   Find C-THRU fragrances at Wal-Mart nationwide for only $20.00.

If you have a $10 limit for Secret Santa gifts or just need a budget stocking stuffer, check out the Manicure or Pedicure Salon Kits by Kiss.  These kits really deliver value--you get 8 essential tools for an inexpensive at-home beauty treatment!  Looks for these kits at drugstores like Walgreens, Duane Reade, CVS and Rite Aid.  

Do you love to buy stocking stuffers?  What are some of your favorites?  Let me know in the comments!

"Natural" Cosmetics: How can you tell?

Are you confused by all of the hype between "natural" cosmetics versus synthetics? More and more consumers believe that natural ingredients are a good choice in terms of selecting their personal care products.  But sometimes reading the labels can be a real brain twister.  Sometimes ingredients that you think are natural are...not so much.

Burt's Bees believes the choice should be clear.  They have worked with the Natural Products Association to come up with a Natural Seal--a symbol that lets consumers know when a product contains at least 95% natural ingredients.

Start to look for the Natural Seal on personal care products and shop with confidence that what you're purchasing really is considered "natural", after all.

Lemon Beauty...Delightful, DeLovely...and oh, so fresh!

 

Lemon in just-about-anything...beauty products, fragrance, heck, even toothpaste has got me hooked.  I love the fresh, citrusy, happy feeling I get when I use a lemon product.  Thank goodness there's no shortage of products for me to choose from.  Today I thought I'd share some of my head-to-toe favorites, many of which are paraben-free and use natural, essential oils.

Kings & Queens Sultan of Granada Lemon Flower Shower Gel is a line brought to us by the Greek cosmetics company Korres.  It's based on herbs and spices that were used by the royals for their own wellbeing.  So it's a little historical, a little mythical, a lot fun and irreverent.   The Sultan of Granada Lemon Flower Shower Gel smells exactly like the fragrance of a fresh lemon tree; zesty and invigorating.  Guaranteed to wake you up in the shower and get you going.

If you like the benefits of a scrub while you shower, NettieScrub Lemon Buff will buff your skin to perfection.  Using sugar and other essential oils, NettieScrubs are handmade in Southern California and come in an adorable little jar.  NettieScrub products would make a great gift for your spa-loving girlfriend! 

You remember my love affair with the amazing Pacifica solid perfumes?  Pacifica has body butters.  Malibu Lemon Blossom Body Butter.  Described as "the scent of salty crisp ocean air ripe with lemon blossoms diffusing their dreamlike perfume in the warm sun".  I couldn't have said it better.  It's rich and emollient (great on elbows and ankles) and I don't need to add a fragrance if I don't want to.  Pacifica Malibu Lemon Blossom Body Butter....you have me hooked.  I am so loving the Pacifica line!