Giving a gorgeous beauty gift that does all the things a gift should — surprise, delight, and illuminate new possibilities — is tough enough. There are skin goals to consider, flattering shades to pick, scent and experiential aspects to weigh. But when the recipient of that beauty gift is a legit beauty lover, the stakes intensify to an incalculable degree. In these cases, everyday Fenty or Glossier won't do, no matter how killer its Killawatt Highlighter or adored its Boy Brow is. Instead, peak giving only happens when unearthing something so new that's not talked about on Reddit or can't be found at Sephora (yet).
Exactly how do you source something too cool for TikTok? For that, we're here to help. Ahead, we share the insider beauty brands that will satisfy the most discerning of beauty fans — including a new-to-the-US vegan nail polish that wears like a gel and is a celebrity favorite across the pond; the rare lipstick so hard to make, it's only sold in limited quantity drops; and the dermatologist-formulated skin care that Angelina Jolie has quietly relied on for years. Read on for our top gift-giving picks and cushion that shopping budget if you can: chances are, you'll want to nab a few things for yourself, too!
Image via @lisaeldridgemakeup
For the Makeup Lover Who Sees Beauty as Art
Try: Byredo Lipstick in Dancehall Queen, $42
For the makeup wearer in your life who carefully curates everything in theirs, this bullet — created by eternally cool fragrance and leather goods brand Byredo — is the perfect gift. Sure, it's packaged with its own sleep sack, just like a luxury handbag. But the mixed-metal, weighted, and bowed lipstick case is, in and of itself, an objet d'art worthy of display. Just as clutch is the lipstick formula, distinguished by saturated color and a demi-matte finish that lasts through a round of drinks without drying lips.
For the Curly Girl Who Keeps Her Crown Hydrated
Try: Bread Kit-1 Wash, $58
The trick to maximizing curl pattern, bounce, and hydration? Strike the right protein and moisture balance. Sometimes, this pursuit can mean some seven or more hair care steps come wash day. So when Bread Beauty Supply debuted this year with a three-step process geared for 3a to 4c curls, early adapters praised the line for its ability to create killer curl definition and bounce while minimizing frizz. This kit packs everything a curly girl needs for wash day, streamlined into 3 steps (wash, mask, and gloss), plus a big, fluffy scrunchie (because 2020). What's more, each full-sized product smells like the candy (SweeTarts!) and sugary kids cereal (Fruity Pebbles!) from our childhood.
For the No-Makeup Makeup Queen
Try: Jamie Makeup The Blighlighter, $34
Dab-and-go makeup just got cooler, thanks to Jamie Greenberg, the makeup artist known as Jamie Makeup to her nearly 100,000 Instagram followers. This fall's release of blighlighter (that's blush-highlighter hybrid) and her namesake makeup line have fans like Kaley Cuoco, Rashida Jones and, yes, TotalBeauty editors hooked on the cream-to-powder formula that delivers a flush of color in seconds and won't wear off after your first Zoom call. Wrapped in happy packaging, this is the perfect gift for low maintenance types who are always looking for that Je ne sais quoi beauty product that makes your complexion come alive in the most natural-looking way.
For the Fragrance Lover Who Wants To Smell Like Royalty (Or No One Else)
Try: Krigler Abrakaadabra 221 Perfume, $395 for 1.7fl.oz./50ml.
Since its founding in the early 1900s, Krigler has become world famous for making fragrances beloved by European royalty — and de facto American royalty, too (think F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Marlene Dietrich, and Audrey Hepburn). To this day, the brand remains a thing for those in the know. That's because it isn't sold in department stores or Sephora, but has intimate shops tucked inside lavish hotels in Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Palm Beach, Chicago and New York. There, you can get heritage scents worn by artistic legends... or Abrakaadabra 221, the latest fragrance from the house, which opens with bergamot and pepper before introducing lily of the valley and relaxing to notes of tonka bean, and white musk.
Both warming and bright, the scent was serendipitously imagined pre-pandemic to conjure feelings of healing, coziness and peace. Of course, if your brand of peace comes with knowing no one else in the world wears your signature fragrance, the house is happy to create a bespoke fragrance at one of its labs.
