Beauty

Gifting Guide | The Beauty Adventurer

Words by Lisa Armstrong, Fashion Journalist of The Year and The Telegraph's Head of Fashion

Discover perfect presents for every occasion with Lisa Armstrong's expertly curated gifting guide, designed to inspire and delight both gift givers and receivers alike.

These days it seems almost everyone’s upped their grooming agenda, including the dog. (On the off chance they haven’t, now’s your moment to give them a loving nudge). Whether you want to encourage little ones to relish bathtime or boost a teenager’s mood (and skin - I’m talking about Shark’s CryoGlow light mask from John Lewis & Partners. The UK’s first at-home LED mask to offer under eye cooling technology!) Head to the beauty departments throughout the stores at centre:mk, for a dazzling array of brands.

If you’re in the market for the kind of deluxe labels that will elevate any bathroom shelf or vanity, centre:mk is the place for you for hard-to-find-anywhere-else brands that show you’ve done the research. Thanks to it’s stunning design and memorial fragrances, Diptyque perfumes from SpaceNK look as good on the shelf as they smell on the skin.

For the cognoscenti who knows an all-time superlative scent when they sniff it and isn’t distracted by the latest trends, Chanel No 5 from The Perfume Shop is peerless, especially in this lighter formulation. Frequent flyers will appreciate that it comes in various sizes, including one that can come with in your hand luggage. Speaking of flying, SpaceNK are keeping any beauty game on point with their chic travel cosmetics bags that come in a host of colours and sizes. Fill with your existing favourites or go free range in-store (or with the help of the beauty experts!) and pick out some new mini from their world beating selection of brands.

Now, Rare Beauty is a brand anyone would love to open on Christmas Day, and this gift set is perfect to give them the chance to try a bit of everything, (including the infamous Luminous Blush & Liquid Luminizer, plus a mini lipstick, shop at SpaceNK.) and I don’t know about you but Dior just oozes luxury. Pick up the multi-use palette from H beauty for a special gift this year and share the full effect of Dior make-up magic with must-haves for the face, eyes and lips.

Think smooth, seamless complexions - does Charlotte Tilbury come to mind? There are few products Charlotte Tilbury known for and Flawless Filter is up there with one of the best. This, alongside the matching flawless finish pressed powder and they’ll be glowing all winter long. Shop Charlotte Tilbury exclusively at John Lewis & Partners.

If Skincare’s on their wish list, Boots’ highly rated No7 Future Renew range is the gift for you – with products featuring performance-guaranteed complexion boosters. Or how about a crowd-pleasing range of gift sets, from The Body Shop’s Blue Musk Hair and Body Wash and matching eau de toilette (if you love the idea of layering fragrances, this is the one stop solution) to Rituals Homme edit of their most popular men’s grooming products.

Lush has always made bath time joyous fun, and it still leads the way with environmentally friendly packaging (or naked packaging for its famous bath bombs) and lotions and potions that are animal-kind and beloved by young and old. Check out this set of adorabubble, Christmas Bathtime Favourites.

If you’re looking for stocking fillers, travel sizes are where it’s at. L’Occitane ultra hydrating hand cream comes in two sizes, including one that should fit in even quite dinky handbags (the stripy tube’s so stylish it needs to be taken out and used frequently). On the subject of chic exteriors, M&S’s Apothecary line deserves an honourable mention. Classy, minimalist, and refillable - it’s also an absolute bargain.

About the Author

Lisa Armstrong is The Telegraph's head of Fashion. She's written for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Allure, Glamour and numerous international publications as well as authoring The Harper's Bazaar Guide to Style