The search for the holiday season’s most distinctive beauty gifts led to four leading experts and their discerning curation. From cult-favorite boutiques to luxury beauty destinations, these industry insiders reveal choices that are as stylish as they are unique. Here’s what made the list from Violet Grey, Nose, Space NK and Mecca.
Mecca, Australia
Holiday picks by Jo Horgan, founder and co-chief executive officer of Mecca
Aman Nourishing Sacred Heart Balm
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“For anyone desperately dreaming of an escape this festive season, head straight to the Aman… shelf in the Mecca Apothecary! It is as close as it gets, no flight required. Their body balm is divine, deeply hydrating, and it leaves your skin feeling like you’ve just stepped out of an Aman spa.”
Dries Van Noten lipstick
“The Dries Van Noten lipsticks are tiny works of art. They’re what I reach for when I’m gifting someone who has everything, the friend who’s impossible to buy for. Each one comes in a gorgeous refillable case and is wrapped in a silk pouch that feels impossibly chic.”
Kit: For Good Nights
“A good night’s sleep is at the top of my personal wish list this Christmas, and the Kit: For Good Nights is my kind of therapy. Everything you need for serious rest, neatly packed into the chicest little tin.”
Mecca Cosmetica x Flamingo Estate
“Mecca Cosmetica and Flamingo Estate got together this holiday season to bring you our gift of rest, relaxation and beauty rituals. The perfect present for anyone who needs to pause, breathe and reset.”
Mecca x NGV Holiday Collection
“And of course, every one of these gifts will be wrapped in our limited-edition Mecca x NGV holiday packaging featuring Karen Black’s incredible artwork. It’s bold, joyful and completely collectible, the wrapping you never want to throw away. This year, we’re dropping bag charms to customize your gifts, because at Mecca, the packaging is half the present.”
Victoria Beckham Beauty The Foundation Drops with TFC8
“Victoria Beckham Beauty has just landed at Mecca, and it’s gone absolutely bonkers, with good reason. At Mecca Bourke Street, we’re offering an exclusive one-on-one Victoria Beckham Beauty lesson, the ultimate insider gift. The service is fully redeemable, so your lucky loved one can explore the entire collection, get shade-matched for the Victoria Beckham Beauty x Augustinus Bader Foundation Drops, and take home their favorites.”
Nose, Paris
Holiday picks by Nicolas Cloutier, cofounder and CEO of Nose
Bienaimé Jours Heureux hand cream
“This is one of the bestsellers at Nose. It’s a small part of Paris in a hand cream and idea for a small Christmas gift.”
Cire Trudon Ernesto The Alabasters scented candle
“It’s where elegance — scent and alabaster — meets sustainability.”
Diptyque Sapin scented candle
“It is a classic, but always good when you are from Canada!”
Fornasetti Silenzio – Fragrance Immaginazione scented candle
“I love the story of Lina Cavalieri, who was a famed opera singer and celebrated beauty of the early 20th century, known as ‘the world’s most beautiful woman.’ Decades later, Italian artist Piero Fornasetti became fascinated by her face after seeing a photograph, transforming it into this iconic ‘Tema e Variazioni’ series — over 350 surreal variations on her portrait. The smaller size is a new format that is less expensive for someone loving Fornasetti.”
Mad et Len Black Afghan Bougie Apothicaire
“The balsam fir with patchouli and leather give a ‘wintery’ and ‘Christmas’ feel without being first degree. I love the aesthetic of a more sober Christmas, with beige or white candles.”
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella Pot Pourri
“It is my favorite interior scent — in an authentic Florentine jar or in a bag. This is ideal for little gifts. You can also buy the same fragrance in scented wax, soap, etc.”
Space NK, United Kingdom
Holiday picks by Margaret Mitchell, chief commercial officer of Space NK
Caudalie Your Hydration Ritual
“Give the gift of head-to-toe hydration (cleanser, moisturizer, lip balm, body lotion) for just 19 pounds, and it comes in an adorable and reusable pink pouch.”
Refy Lip and Cheek Duo
“One of the fastest-growing new makeup brands has created an exclusive shade for Space NK in their cream blush and lip balm called Terracotta. These sold out instantly when we launched.”
Space NK Best of Beauty 2025 stocking
“Straight on the mantle for the beauty lover on Christmas morning, this is amazing value at 85 pounds, worth 247 pounds (plus you get an incredible green velvet stocking!) and features all of our favorite new launches of 2025, including products from Tatcha, Rare, Naturium, Refy, Saltair and more!”
Space NK Body Wash Discovery Set
“Enjoy all four of our transportive scents. This is a generous and luxurious gift for an amazing price at 28 pounds.”
Space NK Shimmering Spice three-wick candle
“It’s our bestselling holiday candle every year — literally Christmas in a fragrance! Now, it comes in an extra-big size to fill your whole home and burn through all of December. “
Tatcha Dewy Skin, Plump Lips set
“Create your at-home Japanese skin ritual featuring a full size of our number-one product across the total business: The Dewy Skin Cream, plus the Kissu mask and a travel size of the rice wash cleanser. This gift set is within our top three for Christmas.”
Violet Grey, New York and Los Angeles
Holiday picks by Elizabeth Hand, aesthetician and Violet Code committee member
Discothèque Sweat Tears Paradise
“At the very top of my list because it’s less perfume, more fever dream of ’90s Mykonos. Salty lily, absinthe and ocean mist, it’s an effortlessly cool blend that smells like sea-soaked nights and someone stopping you to ask, ‘What are you wearing?’”
Fara Homidi Essential Resort Box
“Because the second-best thing to taking someone to a tropical island for the holidays is giving them skin that looks like they did instead. This gift set delivers sun-kissed cheekbones, glossy nude-pink lips, and that elusive post-beach glow — no sun damage left behind.”
Lyma Pro
“If you really love someone, this is the gift. It’s the closest thing to a visit with your favorite aesthetician or cosmetic doctor, without leaving the couch. A true at-home transformation, wrapped in titanium and LED.”
MBR Liquid Surgery Serum
“Because some gifts don’t belong under the tree, they belong immediately on your face. This unapologetically indulgent serum — according to everyone who has tried it — is the closest thing to a cosmetic intervention in a bottle: an oxygen-charged, peptide-fueled magic treatment that smooths texture, softens every line and restores that elusive ‘lit-from-within.’”
Sweet Chemistry Barrier Repairing Oil Serum
“For the friend with the driest of dry skin, this is the ultimate fix. A silky blend of reparative lipids, vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, and regenerative patent-pending Matrikynes peptides, it doesn’t just moisturize but it rebuilds the barrier, boosts collagen, and brings skin back to life.”
Taith candle trio
“Wrapped in velvet, these candles feel as good as they smell — soft, warm and quietly opulent. The ultimate gift for someone who appreciates the finer things in life.”
