beauty gift guide — Blog

Holy cow, can you believe the holiday season is already here?! I don't know about you guys, but I am such a procrastinator when it comes to holiday shopping. In fact I'm pretty sure that the most of my gift shopping was done on Christmas Eve last year. Talk about stressful. It's funny because I actually really enjoy shopping for the perfect gift for the special people in my life, but my lack of planning gets in the way and I'm not able to enjoy gift shopping as much as I'd like. This year my goal is to break the habit! I'm going to start my gift planning early so my shopping isn't so manic.

The good news is, you all get to benefit from my early gift planning! I'm putting together gift guides to share on Sweet & Sauer to help you with ideas and holiday shopping before things get too crazy.

Here's a little secret, I'm a beauty junkie. I love trying new beauty, makeup and skincare products and have an overwhelming collection of things I've tried. With that being said, I checked out all the gift sets Sephora and Ulta have to offer this year and picked my ten favorites that I thought offered a lot of value and make perfect gifts. I love beauty gift sets for the holidays because they offer variety at great price points. They also give beauty lovers, like myself, the opportunity to try out new products without committing to the full size thing just yet. All these sets I chose are such good deals, I want all of them for myself!

So here it is! The first guide from my Holiday Gift series - my favorite beauty gift sets under $50. I wanted to get this one out first with the Sephora VIB sale going on! If you're a Sephora VIB, you can use code 20VIB at checkout to receive 20% off your entire purchase! I'm working on getting one gift set out a week so you all have plenty of time to snag some goodies before it's crunch time. If there's a specific guide you'd like to see, let me know!

HOLIDAY BEAUTY GIFT SETS UNDER $50

GLOW FOR IT - Makeup Highlighters - $30

WHY I LOVE IT: Highlighted, glowy skin is such a hot beauty trend right now and this set gives you a sampling of awesome products to achieve that perfect glow.

BEAUTY SLEEP - Overnight Skincare - $30

WHY I LOVE IT: Skincare is something I'm really big on lately. I want to do everything I can to keep my skin healthy and prevent aging. This set gives you great products to use overnight so you wake up with gorgeous skin! A variety of brands offered and perfect for all skin types.

GLIMMER IN HER EYE - Eye Makeup Brush - $22

WHY I LOVE IT: I think makeup brushes are a great gift - something I love to ask Santa for. This is an affordable set that has all the essential brushes you need for the eyes. Plus they have cute glittery handles - perfect for gifting!

DON'T BE FLAKY - Skincare Regimen from Belief - $38

WHY I LOVE IT: Perfect for dry skin in the winter. You get a full size product and two smaller (but still decently sized) products to round out this regimen. This set is normal, combo, and dry skin friendly and promises solutions for dryness, pores and lost elasticity.

BOSCIA FAVORITES - Skincare Set - $35

WHY I LOVE IT: Boscia is a great skincare line and this set offers the brand favorites. This is a set I personally want to try because all the products included sound amazing. Friendly for all skin types and promises to deliver solutions for dullness/uneven texture, pores and dryness.

READY, SET, STYLE - Hairstyling Set - $29

WHY I LOVE IT: This set is great for any hairstyling junkie (like myself). It's the perfect combination of styling products from some of the best haircare brands, that deliver volume, texture and hold.

FAB BEAUTIQUE - Skincare Set from First Aid Beauty - $48

WHY I LOVE IT: First Aid Beauty is known for delivering products to keep your skin hydrated and youthful looking. This set gives you the essentials, including a full-size product (ultra repair cream) that retails at $30 on it's own. Perfect for all skin types, and a great value that provides solutions for dryness, dullness, and uneven skin tone and texture.

TARTEIST PAINT PALETTE - Makeup Set from Tarte - $49

WHY I LOVE IT: This is perfect for the makeup lover. You get 24 eyeshadows, a highlight/contour set, lip color, mascara and brush from a great makeup brand.

SUPERHERO BRUSH SET - Full-size Makeup Brush Set - $50

WHY I LOVE IT: As I said earlier, makeup brushes make a great gift. This set covers all the essentials and comes with a case. Six full-size quality and durable brushes at a great price.

JE NE SAIS QUOI PALETTE - Complexion Palette from It Cosmetics - $42

WHY I LOVE IT: This face palette has everything you need. After applying foundation and concealer, this is the only palette you need to finish your face. It includes setting powder, highlight, blush and bronzer - perfect for contouring.

Hope you enjoyed my first gift guide! Taking requests for other gift guides now :)