Best Christmas beauty gift sets, from Olaplex, Charlotte Tilbury, Laneige and more

There’s no denying that Olaplex is the GOAT of haircare and this travel-sized beauty set is just the ticket for the person in your life who’s obsessed with having luscious locks. While the no3 pre-shampoo treatment will leave your locks softer than ever (I left it on overnight for an extra fluffy finish), the 4 and 5 shampoo and conditioner duo will clear away build-up and hydrate parched strands. Lastly, the no7 bonding oil is the ultimate final-step for a shot of gloss, smoothing away flyaways and leaving hair smelling sugary sweet. My hair’s honestly never looked better.

If you’re looking for a skincare gift set specifically, then Glow Recipe’s dewy skin dazzlers is sure to impress. It’s both hydrating and oily-skin friendly – with sebum-balancing niacinamide – and makes for the best cold weather gift with its make up-in-skincare hue drops. Seriously, they’ll leave even the most sun-starved complexions looking glowy and flush with colour. I found the mist to be a welcome layer of extra moisture between my toner and serum, something which was even more appreciated when my annual cold left my nose dry and dehydrated (to say the least).

A top pick for the beauty curious individual, Beauty Bay’s skincare: wrapped bundle is a masterclass in trending products, with everything from the TikTok-approved Starface pimple patches to Avène’s hero irritation treatment, the cicalfate restorative cream. For me, a rosewater spray is a big thumbs up and Mario Badescu’s is a godsend for stuffy, heated workplaces. Likewise, I’ve tried a myriad of Beautypro sheet masks, but this niacinamide and cica one is equal parts brightening and anti-inflammatory – a must for post-cold and flu dullness. Grab the whole lot now with 70 per cent off.

There are few products Charlotte Tilbury isn’t known for, but when it comes to the best foundations, flawless filter is up there with one of the best. This, alongside the matching flawless finish pressed powder, the airbrush flawless setting spray and the your-lips-but-better pillow talk duo, make for the ultimate make-up haul. Think: a smooth, seamless complexion and a sweep of natural, just-bitten colour across your lips. Plus, the setting spray smells powder fresh and is a real pick-me-up in the middle of the day – I even use it to bring my make-up back to life after several hours of wear.

Color Wow’s haircare range is my go-to for the ultimate blow-dry and a sleek, shiny finish. Of course, the supernatural dreamcoat spray is a humidity-proofing dream (I love it so much I wrote an entire review on it), while the colour security shampoo gives damaged hair a new lease of life. With over £10 of savings, this trio is a perfect blend of brand newness and bestsellers (the money masque is a 2024 addition from Kim Kardashian’s hair stylist, Chris Appleton), and will send you or a loved one into the New Year with bouncy, lustrous locks.

Dior sauvage is one of those scents you’ve likely caught whiffs of here, there and everywhere. Writing about it now, even, a handful of men (cousins, in-laws etc.) spring to mind and, upon re-spritzing the fragrance in my own home, it’s totally understandable why so many gents are fans. Its aroma is long-lasting and brings wafts of pepper and florals, plus a warm cedar wood base. In this limited edition gift box, it’s one of my top luxury picks for a partner, friend or family member if you’re feeling generous.

For me, Coco mademoiselle is one of those fragrances that I associate with my mum, but I’ve known many a glam twenty-something to wear it, too. It’s ageless, luxurious and is always a hit at Christmastime, especially in this format twinned with the collection’s matching body oil. The gift box is a real treat with its hardware clasp and it’s one of those presents that will certainly incite a round of “oohs” and “aahs” around the Christmas tree. The scent is equal parts floral and citrus, and is the type of aroma to prompt compliments wherever you are – trust me, I’ve seen it firsthand.

I’ve spotted this gift set all over TikTok, with many users dubbing it their must-have item for Christmas. I’m not surprised at how popular it is becoming, since the brand’s perfume mists have been consistently trending throughout 2024. If you’re not familiar with Sol de Janeiro’s bom dia scent specifically, it’s both sweet and warm with a mix of amber, vanilla, jasmine and orchid. I’d say it’s quite universal, suitable as either a day or night fragrance, and it works well as a hair perfume, too.

Another product that’s done the rounds on TikTok, to say the least, Givenchy’s prisme libre loose powder is about as luxe as a setting powder can get, though you might be surprised to learn how big it is. While Laura Mercier’s cult loose powder is sold in a 29g size, this colour correcting formula from Givenchy features a total 100g of powder which, amazingly, makes it almost a third of the cost when you price it up per gram (£1.32 p/g vs. Givenchy’s £0.55 p/g). What’s more, I love how it effortlessly conceals redness and smooths any skin tone unevenness, both features which I desperately need once the frost brings a red Rudolph nose to my face.

The brand’s founder, Aimee Connolly, is the Queen of complexion products and her hydratint is was chosen as the top pick in our round-up of the best tinted moisturisers. Naturally, that made me quite excited to see this tailored face-base trio ahead of Christmas, with shoppers being given the choice of either the hydratint or four other foundations. To add to the present’s draw, the lucky giftee will receive the equally famed brighten up concealer (or its satin silk counterpart) and a luxe duo make-up brush for the ultimate smooth finish. Upon testing, I achieved said smooth finish and my face base stayed put without so much as a patch or streak as the day wore on.

This duo has its own fan club and rightly so. Gisou’s hair oil not only smells delightful, but leaves your hair feeling voluminous and healthy, while the honey-infused lip oil is on par with my favourite Laneige lip sleeping mask (more on that later). The lip oil is softening, feels comforting without stickiness and, in terms of its K-beauty similarities, I think it’s the daytime answer to Laneige’s overnight treatment. Plus, with over £15 of savings, it’s a good value pick, too.

Speaking of Laneige, this Christmas-themed duo from the brand is sure to be a best-seller for 2024’s festive season. While the lip mask doesn’t have the cutesy white and red layering that its full-size iteration does, it features the same peppermint flavour in a tint-free white balm. The candy cane tube balm is a good one to take on-the-go as a lip gloss-style top up and, as someone who’s practically addicted to the overnight treatment, I was pleased to add its travel-friendly formula to my work bag. This way for a plump, full pout.

Liz Earle’s cleansers are some of the first I used back in my early skincare days and, over 10 years on, the brand’s formulas are still some of my favourites. This gift set from the brand is a Boots exclusive and boasts a huge saving. It’s a big bonus that you’ll receive the bigger bottle of cleanser (the hero product in this trio, if you ask me) and the energise and glow body wash makes getting out of bed that little bit easier on cold days. Its bergamot scent is refreshing, while the gel moisturiser was a cooling wake-up call for my tired morning skin.

Medik8’s crystal retinal is an anti-ageing skin saviour, offering all the wrinkle-filling properties of vitamin A but, thanks to its uniquely encapsulated retinal, without any of the irritation. I’ve been using the brand for around four years now and can confirm that the formulations are lightweight, leave fine lines and wrinkles looking significantly lighter and, with this set specifically, are lighter on your wallet, too. Indeed, shoppers can delight in over £30 of savings on products that, for me, have prompted visible changes to the appearance of my 11s (the deep creases between my eyebrows).

Too Faced’s better than sex mascara is the sort of product that blew up in its 2014 YouTube heyday and managed to maintain popularity in the years afterwards. Thanks to the Boots star gift phenomenon, this quad will afford you £40 of savings, too. While the lip oil will leave lips looking glossy, hydrated and subtly rosy, the blush gives a healthy pop of colour. A top pick for those in the throes of their first foray with make-up, me thinks.

On the whole, skincare is relatively gender neutral, but this male-specific gift set is a pretty good choice if you’re looking for shaving-related formulas and more traditionally masculine scents. While Clarins’s two in one shampoo and shower gel will keep the lucky giftee smelling botanical and feeling clean, a 30ml travel face wash uses shea butter and glycerin to nourish winter weather-beaten skin. My brother’s been using this trio on and off for years and, after reacquainting himself with the shower gel more recently, described it as a “real treat to use”.

If you’ve not heard about the latest additions to Glossier’s renowned ‘you’ fragrance collection, then take this as your sign to snap them up pronto. Said additions – namely, doux and rêve – are offering what sounds like sweeter iterations of the original perfume. That said, these scents are the sort that you really have to experience in person to describe, as their olfactory profiles (think: violet and frankincense for the former, buttercream and sandalwood for the latter) don’t paint an accurate picture of how wonderfully each individual component melds together on the skin. The solution? A discovery kit, of course. Three travel-size spritzes to get to know the new aromas and wear them over an extended period prior to parting with £62 for a full-size.

The type of scent that’s reminiscent of warm hotel towels and stepping fresh out of the shower, Chanel’s allure homme sport is the ultimate fragrance gift for a partner, if only for the joy it will bring you. It smells expensive and makes cosying up to your significant other all the more tempting. It wafts across rooms, lasts all day and, as cologne aromas go, it’s one of my favourites. I really don’t think you can go wrong with this one.

Finding an SPF to suit your skin can be harder than you’d think, especially with SPF formulas often costing upwards of £20. Enter, Vi’s closet of cuties, a set of seven UV-shielding formulas to set you up for sun protection success. Yes it is winter, but we should wear SPF year-round for the most effective skin cancer, wrinkle and dark spot prevention. Ultra Violette’s range is one of the best, if you ask me, and the preen screen reapplication mist is a real saviour if you’ve forgotten to apply at the skincare stage. The mattifying lean screen sits nicely on oilier skin types, while the fragrance-free clean screen is practically an irritation-free guarantee. Though they are minis, you’ll get a total 142ml of sunscreen which, it’s worth noting, would cost nigh-on £100 for that quantity in the full-size tubes.

Chanel’s travel perfume dispensers are some of the only ones that don’t leave you feeling like Gulliver in Lilliput. They’re a generous 20ml each and feature a fully functioning spray mechanism without the disappointment of a gimmicky roll on. As mentioned above, the Coco mademoiselle scent is an icon in the perfume sphere and needs no introduction; as for the twist and spray iterations, I’d argue they’re a Christmas must for any mademoiselle wearer and the sort of gift they might not justify splurging on themselves. In fact, I’ll be popping a trio into my own mum’s stocking this December.

For the person who prefers a slightly warmer scent (compared to sauvage and allure homme above), Givenchy’s gentleman society keeps the freshness that we tend to associate with cologne, but adds a more complex woody undercurrent. Upon first spritzing, I could smell the freshness of the iris notes on my partner, though as it settled down it was the sandalwood and pepper that shone through, with all three melding on the skin for a wonderfully cosy, spicy finish. It’s a little bit different to your ‘typical’ men’s fragrance, and my pick for the man that hasn’t yet nailed down his signature scent.