Hey babes! Christmas is ten days away and I thought it would be a great time to share a quick gift guide! Below, I picked 10 items you can get at your local Ulta for less than $25. Or, you can order online by noon CT on the 18th and still get them in time for the holidays!
Ulta is my favorite place to buy makeup and skincare because they have amazing deals. They also carry a ton of brands. Plus, their point system is AMAZING. It’s like you are getting a gift for yourself too! You know I love a good deal. There are also a couple coupons good through the 21st that you can use. One is for 20% off a qualifying purchase (excludes prestige brands) and one is for $5 off a $15 purchase. Find them HERE.
I split the ten items into four categories: makeup, skincare, fragrance, and other.
Makeup
1. Ulta Brand Lipstick Library ($16, on sale for $9.60)
This is a fantastic deal considering each full size lipstick is normally $8.50! I have not actually tried this formula, but the reviews are all amazing and I do like several others of Ulta’s lip products. I really love the fact that each of the shades in this set are in their permanent line of lipsticks. That way, if the person falls in love with a shade, they can re-purchase it! I also think that the range of shades in this set is really nice. There are a couple more new shades, a berry, a red, and a brown. Whoever you gift this to is sure to find a shade they like!
2. Juvia’s Place Mini Masquerade Eyeshadow Palette ($25)
Don’t let the “mini” name fool you. These pan sizes are FULL size, and even bigger than some other “regular size” palettes I have. This palette has been one of my favorites for years. Juvia’s Place makes one of the best formulas on the market. Their shadows are insanely creamy and pigmented. I particularly love this palette because you have more shade options than some of their other ones. Plus, you get neutrals in addition to some pops of color. Any makeup lover is sure to love this palette.
3. Catrice Stars of the Show Setting Spray Trio ($16.99 on sale for $10.19 for three 1.69oz bottles)
I know it’s tiny, but 1.69oz is actually the full size of the Catrice setting spray. So this set really is a steal for three full size sprays! You get their regular multitalent spray, the anti-shine spray, and the dewy spray. I really love the regular and anti-shine sprays myself. I have not tried the dewy spray since I have quite oily skin, but everyone raves about it just as much as they do the other two! I think this set would be great for someone you don’t know their exact makeup preferences.
4. Elf Cosmetics Four Pan Face Palettes: Blush, Bronzer, and Contour ($8 each)
This is kind of cheating, because it isn’t just one product. But, you could get all three of these for someone for less than $25! Or get just one and only spend $8. These palettes are exceptionally great quality for the price. I could seriously write a whole separate blog post just on Elf gifts, but for what is available at Ulta, I thought these were the best. I think these would be awesome to give someone younger who is just getting into makeup because you get so many face products in three compact palettes.
Skincare
5. Mario Badescu Facial Spray Travel Set ($20 for four 2oz bottles)
I couldn’t decide if I wanted to recommend this set, or another set of three 4oz bottles for $21. I honestly don’t think you could go wrong with either, but I went with this one because it is slightly cheaper. I also like that you can try out all four scents! I personally love the cucumber spray. This is a product that people constantly rave about, no matter skin type. I also like gifting a product like a facial spray because it is something that people will actually use up. And, these sprays are super versatile. I use it for setting makeup and in my nightly skincare routine.
6. Pacifica Mist-ical Moments Facial Mist Set ($12 on sale for $8.40 for three 2oz bottles)
Another face mist set I couldn’t help myself… I have only tried the coconut mist in this set, but I really love it. I am almost out of it and will be stocking back up! I think Pacifica has really upped their game recently, especially when it comes to skincare. If you are gifting to someone who is vegan, this spray set may be a better choice than the Mario Badescu.
Fragrance
7. Clean Classic Rollerball Collection ($20)
Gifting to a fragrance junkie? This set is perfect, and affordable! I bought this for myself last year and I actually enjoy every scent. These are all fresh and simple fragrances. You can be sure whoever you are gifting it to will find one they like! My favorite is “skin”, which is probably the most complex scent. It’s described as having “hints of dewy flower petals wrap around notes of pure creaminess and warm musk to evoke the simple scent of touchable skin”. Maybe a bit dramatic. But it does smell amazing and getting five scents for $20 is a great deal!
Other
8. EcoTools Start the Day Beautifully Brush Set ($12.99)
This brush set is one of my favorites. Five brushes for $12.99 is a steal. The only brush I don’t consistently use in this set is the angled foundation brush. I use the full blush brush every single day, I kid you not. However, I actually use it for bronzer/contour. I use the defined crease brush almost just as much. It is a smaller blending brush and is great for blending out the edges of shadow or for adding a darker shade to your outer crease. The angled liner and blurring brushes I don’t use quite as often, but I do still like them. I like the angled liner brush for adding a darker shade to my lower lash line and the blurring brush for packing a shimmer onto my lid. I even use the storage tray this comes with!
9. Ulta Deer Mug Set ($16, on sale for $9.60)
I do not own this set, but I think it is just darling for a quick gift! It comes with a mug, loofah, and two of Ulta’s 3-in-Smoothie in Strawberry Cupcake and Buttercream cupcake. Who wouldn’t love that cute mug?! Plus, everyone can always use a new loofah. The scents on the smoothies sound amazing and I do actually like Ulta’s 3-in-Smoothies for bubble bath!
10. The Vintage Cosmetic Company Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths ($9.99 for three cloths)
I have not actually tried these, but I do plan on buying them for myself in the near future. These appear to be similar to the Makeup Erasers. They’re much less expensive, though. The reviews are great and if you are buying someone who is into ethical beauty, I bet they would love these! I am trying to make it a focus of mine to reduce waste, and I think reducing the use of makeup wipes and cotton pads is a huge help!
There are so many more items that I recommend at Ulta, but I wanted to keep this list rather short! If you are looking for some other ideas, you can check out my Best Makeup of 2018 post and my Favorite Makeup Brushes post! Both have lots of fun stuff. You can also always head to my Instagram, @beautyfashlaw, where I post lots of beauty content!
One last thing… CASH. BACK.
If you aren’t already using Rakuten and getting cash back on your online purchases, you really should keep reading! This post is not sponsored in anyway, I literally just tell everyone I know about Rakuten because it’s amazing. I will get a commission if you sign up using my link, though. I have earned almost $450 in cash back over the years using Rakuten. It is so easy to do! Plus, it’s completely free to use. You simply go to Rakuten’s website (or app on your phone), search the store you want to shop at, see how much cash back you can earn, and click through to their site. Once you make a purchase, your cash back will be added in a few days. Rakuten pays out every quarter.
Holiday season is seriously the best time to be getting cash back because stores often have higher rates than usual (like, up to 15%!!). Have I convinced you that you NEED to be using Rakuten? If so, click this link to sign up. You’ll get $10 cash back once you make your first purchase over $25! How cool is that. And if you aren’t convinced, well, you can just keep losing out on free money!
I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful! I’d love for you to let me know by leaving a comment here or over on my instagram! I love getting messages from you!
Until next time, Ash
Links are NOT affiliate links because I haven’t figured that one out yet, but I just really wanted to share this list in case you are struggling to think of quality gifts to get people in your lives!
