As the holiday season is upon us, you may have started thinking about what you’re going to get friends and family on a collegiette’s budget. This year, you won’t let anyone down with these affordable stocking stuffers. Here are a few gorgeous gift ideas that keep on giving.
Beauty in Bulk
If you haven’t heard of Birchbox yet and your loved one covets sweet beauty samples, you are in for a treat. Birchbox is a box of amazing, high-end samples ranging from NARS to Kiehls to Kate Spade that comes to your door once a month for only $10 a month! This is a perfect gift for that girlfriend that seemingly has it all! Go online to www.birchbox.com, to get a 12, 6, or 3-month membership.
Merry Makeup
Sometimes it can be tough to buy makeup for someone whose idea of a makeup haul is getting new mascara at CVS. Coming from someone with a sister who has an aversion to dropping any dough on makeup, I know the challenges. These are actually the most fun people to shop for! She gets a name brand lip gloss and it’s like she’s never known the joys of a shellacked lip! So, if your nearest and dearest falls into this category, I would suggest a palette like Urban Decay’s Feminine Palette (Sephora, $18). This has 6 shades of girly eyeshadow hues that are perfect for every makeup neophyte, not to mention it includes primer and a black eye pencil!
Miracle for Men
When buying beauty products for men things can get tricky. Usually, this becomes a gift for “us” rather than you. Guys have their standard hair wax, cologne, and 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner. They’re not going to put any sort of extra “oomph” with no incentive. One thing that every man does (after November,) is shave. These boys aren’t idiots; they know we don’t want to be chaffed by their chin daggers, so why wouldn’t they want a little luxury in the man-maintenance department? I suggest a shaving kit like The 4 Elements of the Perfect Shave by The Art of Shaving (Sephora online, $10) It’s travel sized and formulated for sensitive skin so he can be low-maintenance while also saying good-bye to razor burn.
Seasonal Scents
If all else fails you can never go wrong with a new scent for that special someone. However, colognes and perfumes can run a bit high in price so you don’t want to invest in the wrong aroma. Here’s a trick of the trade. Go into any Sephora and ask for samples! Say you’re trying to find your perfect scent and they’ll practically shower you with high-end scent samples. It’s the perfect IOU. Slide the samples in their stocking, ask their favorite and they’ll have their ideal scent!