Lovely smelling soaps always make charming gifts -- no matter the season. On Oprah's site they were described as "all-natural, bath-sized shea butter bars distributed by Lafco New York are a labor of love. They have been created by the Claus Porto's family-run factory in Portugal for the past 117 years. The jumbo-sized soaps appeal to the senses with beautiful wrappers and 17 magnificent scents, from honeysuckle to grapefruit fig." They are perfect for "hostess gifts," Oprah said on the show .
Mistral proves pretty packaging and beautiful fragrances like Lafco's don't have to be expensive. These soaps also come in a variety of scents (32 to be exact) and are attractive to boot. They are made out of shea butter and a set of three costs $24 -- making them a great gift for any occasion.
Any makeup lover knows how useful kabuki brushes can be for applying powder or blush. Oprah mused that she recently had found her own new favorite in the NARS Cosmetics Kabuki Artisan Botan Brush, "I love a great brush," said Oprah on her site. "It's perfect for loose powder, for buffing and for blending."
A good practical brush is always worth its weight in gold. That being said, this retractable kabuki brush is small, light weight and works well for any powder application. It's not super inexpensive, but will definitely leave less of a dent in your wallet than the Nars version. It's also highly rated by TotalBeauty.com readers and is perfectly portable.
Another favorite product from a summer episode, this lipstick garnered a cult following for its ultra lightweight and smooth texture long before Oprah showcased it. O's best friend likes it because it "is silky and feels light on your lips," said Gayle on the show. "And I like the fact that it's so sleek and slender in your purse."
Next: See the budget-friendly swap
Everyone loves when Oprah does her annual "Favorite Things" episode, which is exactly why it has become the talk show queen's most-watched show. The gift-packed hour that airs during the holiday season (with an occasional bonus summer segment) showcases an assortment of things from high-end refrigerators equipped with LCD TVs to expensive beauty products that make great gifts for loved ones -- if you're fortunate enough to have Oprah's paycheck, that is.
The women who just happen to be in the audience for one of these shows are truly the luckiest chicks because the actual reason everyone worships the show is because the big O gives away all of her "favorite things" -- even the big-ticket items. The freak-outs induced by the thousands of dollars worth of super-swag alone make for golden entertainment. The surprise factor (the moment the audience realizes that they are in the coveted seats) causes uproarious reactions of joy -- ones that almost look painful. So what exactly makes the audience go so bananas? The gorgeous beauty products featured, of course, oh, and the notebook computers and crystal watches don't hurt either. But it's the beauty products that get us the most excited, duh.
You most likely haven't been one of the lucky women lavished with Oprah's favorite beauty products, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy them anyway. We've compiled seven beauty products that have been on Oprah's "Favorite Things" episodes (just in case you missed them) and we took it a step further. We also dug up budget-friendly beauty product swaps for each. So even if you don't have a big beauty budget, you can still experience the unbound joy of fabulous makeup and skincare products.
