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BEAUTY, STYLE AND LIFE OVER 50

The Nice List: Beauty Gifts for Girlfriends

StyleLiza Herz8 Comments

I am going to use this table setting as inspiration when I host my girlfriends before Christmas.

When I was little, I’d ask my mother what she wanted for Christmas and I would always get the same, unhelpful answer: “I just want everyone to be healthy.”

Now, of course, I understand completely what she meant. All I want is for my favourite people to be happy and healthy. And what I want most is to sit with them and have a cup of tea (or something stronger.) And gift wise? We’re now at the age where we don’t really need anything, and if we do, we can buy it ourselves.

But an unexpected, possibly frivolous beauty gift? Any of these (below) would be most welcome.

DESIGNME’s Bounce.Me haircare range smells like Bobbi Brown’s classic Beach fragrance. (I wrote about it here.)

This ‘Bounce.Me Bliss Bundle’ ($39, Chatters.ca) of anti-frizz Bounce.Me shampoo, conditioner, smoothing balm and a light hold spray is perfect for someone who travels a lot, or goes to a gym and the windowed zip pouch is a perfect travel size.

Pair it with a super absorbent microfibre waffle towel like this one from Canadian brand Everist ($38, Well.ca.) Towel drying reduces frizz and packing one for travel means your giftee won’t have to rely on hotel hair dryers of dubious provenance.

From Neuraé, Sisley’s new line that focuses on the connection between skin and our emotional well-being, the Emotion Booster roll-on in ‘Joie’ ($85, Holt Renfrew) is an uplifting scent to dab onto your wrists and behind the ears for immediate comfort. It’s perfect for anyone who is into wellness or who loves all things French and hyper-elegant and needs soothing.

The roller ball is pink quartz (charmingly new age-y,) which, in crystal lore helps control anger and anxiety and bring harmony and love to our lives. And the citrus and white flower scent provides a feeling of being cosseted and happy, akin to walking into a sunlit bedroom where someone has made the bed for you with freshly laundered sheets.

Caudalie’s Prep & Glow set ($66, Sephora.ca) contains a full-sized Eau de Beauté which is enough to spray on your face and then extravagantly in the room to banish stale wintery air (my god, it’s so dry right now) as well as fun-sized versions of their Instant Detox Mask to clear out congested skin and a brightening Vinoperfect Radiance Dark Spot Serum for some tender care during these shortest days of the year.

My girlfriends and I used to discuss problematic boys when we got together and now we chew over our inability to sleep through the night. Orange Naturals Magnesium Glycinate ($25, Shoppers Drug Mart) taken before bed can calm anxiousness, relax muscles and contribute to better sleep. Not a beauty product per se, but definitely a caring gift.

Pair it with the caffeine free teas below or a silk sleep mask.

This ‘Taster’s Suggestion’ box of five different herbal infusions from Quebec’s Camellia Sinensis ($30) including an Ayurvedic blend, African rooibos and bright lemon ginger is a caffeine-free, non-sleep-interrupting comfort gift. Pair it with a hand thrown pottery mug that requires upper body strength to lift because weight training is crucial at our age.

I’m rather cross at how mingy and pricy and overdone beauty advent calendars have become. But ‘discovery sets’ in zip bags are still a favourite way to try a brand’s offerings with a minimal investment. Here’s another travel winner, this one from British skincare brand Byoma. Only $30 at Shoppers Drug Mart, it contains five items perfect for the dry air on the plane make yourself feel more human and less parched. All in a cute mesh necessaire.