Gifts for the friend who’s too extra for food-based make-up trends
Sack off strawberry make-up – go big, glamorous, dramatic instead.
Beauty
Words: Olive Pometsey, Jade Wickes
While everyone else was bronzing up to replicate the Hailey Bieber-approved viral latte make-up trend, your mate was swiping metallics onto their lids. When glazed donut skin saw the masses reach for facial oils, they were mattifying like it was 1995.
Because for your beauty-obsessed friend, hoarding fragrances and putting on a full face of slap isn’t (only) about looking hot. It’s about the ritual of getting ready to one-up everyone in the room; looking, smelling, being cool.
How do you give the gift of being extra this Christmas? An £80 dick-shaped lipstick should do the trick. Failing that, we’ve got plenty more beauty buys up our sleeves…
Your subversive beauty enthusiast has to get their ideas from somewhere, and this 528-page edition of Beauty Papers is the perfect place to start. Founded by make-up artist Maxine Leonard and creative director Valerie Wickes, the biannual magazine is dedicated to showcasing genuine artistry within the industry, enlisting the very best photographers, make-up artists and hair stylists to offer an alternative to bog standard beauty editorials. This trip-themed latest issue even includes never-seen-before photographs of Andy Warhol in full glam. Bag ‘em a copy and thank us later.
The ultimate antithesis to clean girl make-up? Dick lips glam. There’s plenty to lust after from Isamaya Ffrench’s namesake beauty brand, but the Water Balm is a stand out – and not just for its phallic packaging. With a sheer, glossy finish, it’s the kind of lip product that will match any look on any skin tone. And this gift set even comes with a matching lip liner. How’s that for a stocking stuffer?
This one’s only for mates who have been extra nice this year. And who ideally don’t spend too much time outside – the latest addition to Loewe’s range of eccentric footwear is not puddle safe. It will be the most versatile makeup brush they’ll ever own, though.
Being extra isn’t always about external appearances. Sometimes, it’s simply about elevating your daily routine. Selahatin’s Blue Forever breath spray adds a bit of luxury to the basic ritual of, you know, keeping your oral hygiene in check. Featuring notes of citrus, lime, licorice and peppermint, this is just one of the brand’s myriad flavour combinations, all of which come in fancy glass bottles. Nothing says “forever” like the gift of fresh breath.
The process of getting ready for a night out, we reckon, is just as important as going out in itself. That’s where this Vyrao candle comes in: perfect for getting the ambiance just right to achieve an immaculate beat. The brand’s MO is bringing together wellness and proper parfumery, with a hint of spirituality thrown in (ideal for that mate who gets all their career advice from a psychic). Their Witchy Woo candle is a nasal treat, too, infused with Moroccan orris, rose, frankincense and iris. Plus, its posh ceramic pot is encrusted with a special talisman that’s been “supercharged” by Vyrao “quantum energist” Louise Mita. Serious stuff, this.
One of the world’s most prolific hairstylists has only gone and linked up with Zara on the high street brand’s new foray into, you guessed it, haircare. But this isn’t your bog standard shampoo and conditioner set – rather, it’s a custom Crimbo number that promises to bring glitz and glamour to the nation’s locks. We’re talking hairspray infused with glitter to give your scalp some much-needed sparkle and a gold hair gel for fans of the scraped-back bun . Gold bobby pins and a matching comb are also included. Magpies, rejoice.
Byredo, patron saint of maximalist make-up, has released just the thing to satisfy your mate’s requirements when it comes to eyeshadow. This palette, interestingly named Metal Boots In The Snow, is all about high drama: highly pigmented earthy green, shimmering silver, bluey greys and rich khaki mixed with shimmering gold.
