Beauty & General Fancy Goods Christmas Gift Guide 2013

So you've seen my Stocking Filler and my Book gift guides and I wouldn't be much of a beauty blogger/hoarder of fancy goods if I didn't do a gift guide for those too, so here goes. A lot of the brands I've mentioned below have whole ranges of Christmas sets out so what I've shown represents that really- there's plenty more to choose from if you click into the links. 

1. Nars "At First Sight" Eye and Cheek Palette, €49.00, HERE. I have been lusting after a Nars palette all year and finally picked myself up "Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Moi, Ce Soir?" (Jeez Nars, get shorter names already) just last week, which I didn't want to show you here as it's almost sold out and I thought that would be cruel. This one looks quite similar (in that they both contain 2 blushes and 4 eyeshadows) but if that's not your bag the Nars eu site have a whole section online for their Christmas gifts and you can always brave the braying mob that is Brown Thomas if you want to check them out in real life instead. Nars is a delightful gift to give as it's high end and not as ubiquitous as the likes of Mac etc.
2. Laura Mercier Souffle Body Creme Sampler Collection, €60, HERE. So here's the deal with LM. They make bath and body products that smell so unbelievably delicious you will want to lick your own arm in public...and we all know that that's socially unacceptable, right?! Nonetheless, I think these are worth both the price and the potential risk of lunacy once it's on your skin. Aside from smelling amazing, they also are great moisturisers. I can never decide which is my favourite but luckily, this set comes with 4 to try; Almond coconut milk, Ambre Vanille, Creme de Pistache and Creme Brûlée. Mmmm.
3. Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss Trio, €37, HERE. BB have some seriously stunning Christmas sets out this year; great palettes and this lip gloss trio, which all look very wearable. A good option for a more mature lady as BB tends to veer on the neutral, classy side (all I can hear is Ron Burgundy in my head whenever I say 'classy' now).
4. Benefit "Primed for Lovin'", €60.96, HERE. Benefit always bring out a lot of Christmas sets and although this looks very pretty, I do also think it's a tad over priced. I would recommend shopping around; I've seen decent offers for Benefit sets in pharmacies and different websites (including asos) so it's definitely worth a bit of research. Benefit make good quality make up in pretty packaging- generally a good crowd pleaser.
5. Lush "Wow!", £129.95, HERE. Containing an absolutely outstanding 32 Lush products, this is for serious hardcore fans of the brand or for those who really, really love taking baths (although it also contains lip scrub, lip tint, shower gel and body lotions as well as bath bombs, bath melts etc). I've seen it in real life and it is quite large; it'd make a real statement sitting under the tree, that's for sure!
6. Urban Decay Naked 3, approx €44, not available in Ireland until Dec 16th. Yes, the highly anticipated Naked 3 palette will be out soon and will no doubt sell out immediately. You may wonder if you really need another one but the rose-gold hues of this look rather beautiful. For a full review of these, check out these posts from my fellow Irish bloggers Make Up Monster and Lovely Girlie Bits.
7. Andrea Garland Lip Balm Necklace, HERE. I actually also spotted this on Make Up Monster and while there are other options available in the range, this one has been reduced from €46.58 to €36.99 and is very pretty. Garland is an aromatherapist who handcrafts these quirky items of jewellery, containing hidden lip balms enriched with Shea butter and almond oils. Lovely.
8. Urban Decay Black Market 24/7 glide-on pencil set, €32.51, HERE. I only recently bought one of the eye pencils from UD and fell a bit in love with it; they're long-lasting, smudge easily on application but then stay put and come in a great range of shades. This is a limited edition set of 6 and would be perfect for UD junkies or indeed any make-up lovers. 
9. Cocoa Brown kit, €19.99, available in Tesco. I've gone on at length in the past about Cocoa Brown (the brand that finally turned me back to the tan side) and so I'm very happy to see they have this gift set out for Christmas containing all of the current CB products, for only €19.99. I've used them all and can highly recommend this one. 

10. Antique Flower Statement necklace, €32, HERE. Big, mad collar necklaces aren't going anywhere and nor should they; they're super versatile and can make anything look stylish. There's only a limited number of these ones still available but you could also check out Ever Ours, Etsy, Accessorize or Ebay.
11. Marc by Marc Jacobs Rose Gold Watch, €313.71, HERE. Just if you happen to have 300 quid lying around. Pretty though, non?
12. Ceramic Rabbit ring dish, €15.70, HERE. Gather around and hear my tale of woe. So, every time I go to put on hand cream, moisturise my face, do my nails or put on fake tan, I remove my engagement and wedding rings. I often then promptly lose them and make panicky sounds only dogs can hear. That happens on I'd say, oh, at least a bi-weekly basis. This then, is a necessity for every home. Of course, it helps that it's rabbit shaped. 
13. Cath Kidston Penguin PJ's, £50 HERE. That's right, these probably are the world's cutest PJ's. 100% cotton, vintage style with a drawstring and a little pocket. Also, and I don't want to alarm you..but there's a matching penguin hot water bottle and wash bag. I know. Amazing.

14. Rosalie Red Dressing gown, £54.00, HERE. I went on at length in THIS POST about these stunning vintage-style floral dressing gowns from Good Morning Beautiful and I think one of these would be a lovely treat to wake up to under the tree on Christmas day (you could obviously then wear it all morning while you eat chocolates and drink Baileys...no? Just me?)

15. Pop Striped Gloves, €19.90, HERE. Gloves are a no-brainer. Penneys always have some nice ones (as they do for slippers) or you could try Asos.

C'est ça. Let me know in the comments if you'll be picking any of these up for your loved ones or indeed if you're hoping Santy brings something here for yourself!

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