***This post contains gifted and non-gifted items. Also gifted mentions present. All links used are affiliate***
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| Mother's Day Gift Guide |
I don’t know about you but I tend to celebrate Mother’s Day twice and when I say me, I meant my Momma. She is now used to having two as she celebrates both British Mothering Sunday in March as well as Polish Mother’s Day in May. I mean why wouldn’t you. She does not know that Americans have yet another date, so let’s please keep it between us, as I don’t think I can afford it! Here’s a list of awesome gifts for kick-ass Moms of all ages! Whether you treating your Momma, yourself or a friend who may not have had the easiest time this time of year here’s some beauty picks I think every woman in your life may enjoy!
Give a gift of skincare
On a budget: The Inkey List The Night-Time Renewal Kit* is currently on offer on Feel Unique for only £15.95 and features their bestselling Retinol (RPR £9.99) - a great gift for any mom over 30 years old, or even younger if she's struggling with adult acne - and Polyglutamic Acid (RPR £12.99) which features 3% PGA aka surface hydrator able to hold 4x more moisture than Hyaluronic Acid. You would want to apply retinol first and allow it to work, or if you want to buffer it, apply PGA straight after. I find The Inkey List Retinol quite gentle but hard-working, so you can start with 2 nights a week and work up to every other night. The PGA isn’t meant to be used instead of a serum but as a serum topper. Here applied after retinol it ensures the skin hydration levels are kept at a comfortable level whilst also drawing moisture from the next steps in your routine such as a moisturiser and/or oil. Fantastic kit, already pre-packed (I threw away the packaging!) that every skincare loving momma would love!
Let’s splurge: The Dr Dennis Gross Professional Grade Resurfacing Liquid Peel* is a 2-step treatment for all Momma’s who want to take their skincare routine at home to another level. Let’s face it Moms usually don’t have the time to stop by a facialist every week and with this set, they don’t need to. Pricey at £102, the set features a liquid peel that works in two steps. Firstly a blend of Lactic, Glycolic, Salicylic, Citric, Mandalic, Tartaric and other AHAs alongside Bromelain, Witch Hazel and Willow Bark Extract works to deeply exfoliate the surface of the skin and draw impurities from the pores. This is a potent formula and not for faint-hearted. It’s a step up from the travel-friendly 2-step peels and works at quite low ph3.5 level. This means that ingredients are able to penetrate and exfoliate better. Still, not quite a chemical peel you may get at your facialist as these are usually done at even a lower pH, but as close as it gets. Step two combines the nurturing, hydrating and soothing powers of Centella Asiatica, Green Tea Extract and my current favourite calming ingredients Colloidal Oatmeal. The second stage ensures your pH levels are balanced and you’re getting all protecting antioxidant benefits. Overall the skin is smoother, instantly more glowing, pores and texture are refined. Now onto my favourite subject of ‘how-to’. You can either use the very boujee (lol) cotton balls provided which is still making me lol a bit, or use my preferred My Jinmee Hydrapuff sheets and use the same method as with 2-step DDG sheets: swipe the product over your face until the sheet/cotton ball runs dry, wait two minutes and follow up with stage 2 in the same fashion. Product isn’t to be rinsed off. You can use it AM or PM, whatever your preference but a great SPF routine is a must given that acids can make your skin sensitive to the sun. And if it's already sold out in Selfridges online, you can still get it in-store if you're one of the lucky people whom already recovered otherwise stay HOME!!! (if you can) and you can still get it online in other places!
The gift of a perfect lipstick
If your mom is anything like mine, she’s not that fussed about eye makeup but is all about that lipstick life: statement to nude, full-on or sheer, she’s never seen without it. I may actually take after her, who knew! When it comes to makeup giving, especially lipstick, it’s an easy ride usually as you would have seen your momma sporting a particular shade that she seems to always gravitate towards. For my mom, it’s fuchsia, the brighter the better, or anything pink, red and nudes with pinky undertones, she loves what I despise meaning we quite get on as my lipsticks are very rarely stolen (unlike skincare, face primers, brow products, bronzers, you get the gist). Sorry, this category's missing affordable picks, but I really need to get out and shop drugstore lippies again.
For eco-conscious Mom’s, let me introduce you to Axiology*, a vegan brand of lipsticks that are cruelty-free certified and are made of naturally good ingredients. My personal favourite is Worth, the rusty red that’s more brown than it is red, but my Momma already claimed Joy and Serene as her favourites. Formula wise, Axiology claims to be 100% evil free with lipstick formulas containing only 10 ingredients (I dare you to compare it to others haha) including Coconut (in lipsticks only, swapped for Moringa Oil in the crayons) Castor, Avocado, Grapeseed, Orange, Neem oils, all organically sourced of course alongside Vitamin E derived from Sunflower Seed Oil, Avocado Butter, Candelilla Wax and Elderberry Extract. Therefore the formulas are very nourishing and beautiful on the lips and are now widely available on ASOS Beauty!
For your fashion-forward Mom’s out there, there are so many beautifully packaged, ‘Insta’ hyped lipsticks out there. My favourite right now, packaging wise (the formula is also very lovely) are the Dear Dhalia, famously known for their marble-like packaging! I am very into the sheer red like Paradise Dream Velvet Lip Mousse in Seduction*, a more on a warmer side red, easy to sheer out or build up with a lip liner whatever your fancy. And they are now available on Feel Unique so you know, next day delivery club and all.
I may be the only blogger out there that haven’t tried Nudestix but when the Magnetic Plush Paint in Bahama Mama* landed on my desk, I knew it is something special. It’s a perfect present for a busy Mom that doesn’t have the time in the morning but wants to look made up anyway. 3-in-1 sheer nude for your lips, cheeks and eyes can really make a look in bare minutes: simply pat it all over the lid, blend some on your cheeks and paint your lips for a monochrome look. Perfectly paired with barely-there glowing base, brushed up brows and mascara.
Lastly, a liquid lipstick that screams spring: Diego Dalla Palma Geisha Matt in Cherry Blossom* is a statement lip made to wow. It’s intense so it’s easy to stay in lines or over line whatever your preference. I like an overlined lip and this dark warm fuchsia will look absolutely stunning with glowing skin, a bit of pinky blush and voluminous lashes! What a beauty, I think we can all agree! Diego Dalla Palma is also available from Look Fantastic here in the UK, if you fancy seeing what else is worth trying from the brand, like this gorgeous blush which is half price right now!!!
Cheeky cheeks
My mom often goes weeks without foundation but if there are two products she never misses it’s a blue and highlighter. I have a couple of newly launched newbies she may appreciate.
The mauve-pink of KVD Vegan Beauty Everlasting Blush in Peony* is perfect to add just a little of colour to the cheeks. As we get older, our facial features can appear longer so if I could recommend 1 product that makes all the difference, it would be a bit of blush. Knowing where to place the blush is important, just remember, it is supposed to make your cheekbones pop and give a youthful flush to the skin so when you do your blush, don’t smile, look at the mirror and your features straight and apply it to you cheeks to make them pop! If you smile you risk placing the blush way too low as your cheekbones naturally lower if you’re not smiling. Can’t leave without blush and it’s my mom’s favourite makeup item too!
It took me a while to convince my mom to wear a highlighter, ha years even, but I always freshen up her vanity stash with something new! People say that highlighter isn’t for more mature skin but I disagree, a healthy glowing complexion appears so youthful. There’s definitely a need not to overdo it not to accentuate lines, but with the right shade, placement and application highlighter will look beautifully. My mom now learnt to apply highlighter with a damp sponge to really blend it into the skin, to apply it in places where her skin is the least lined and to highlight her best features. She’s already digging into Too Faced Born This Way Turn Up The Light Highlighting palette* and who can blame her: it’s simply stunning! Use a brush (Zoeva Luxe Powder Fusion brush is my fave), a sponge (Beautyblender of course) or using anything else that you like. It’s such a pretty compact containing a setting powder with a satin glow from within finish, a highlighter and glittery topper. Gorgeous together or separately. I linked up John Lewis above as they have an awesome promo right now, but if you want a next day delivery, ASOS has it too (but it's full price).
Show that you care body care gifts
Beauty and life-wise my mom is addicted to a few things: fuchsia lipsticks, bronzer, retinol, the weather app (don’t ask!) and the body creams and body butters. I wish I had her patience as my skincare usually ends around the décolletage. I think a luxurious body cream/lotion is a great gift as it’s something that will be reached for in any bathroom.
MOR Australia is a brand rather new to me, but after a quick glance on Look Fantastic, one I definitely need to discover more! They have many ranges, including the inexpensive Correspondence which includes scents such as Cyclamen Tuberose* - a mind-blowing fragrance combining tuberose, cyclamen, gardenia and topped with jasmine and pineapple on a musky base of sandalwood. It is a perfume for your skin, as when you massage this reach cream into your skin it will leave it lightly scented for hours. It’s an inexpensive version of Laura Mercier body creams (read here) and one that lingers for hours as well. It’s not just a scent of course, as this luxurious formula is enriched with many skin-loving ingredients: moisturising Glycerin, Coconut and Rosehip Oils, soothing Chamomile and Vitamin E, regenerating and smoothing Roobois Extract and Pomegranate. It sinks in easily and leaves skin looking its best.
And for those who perhaps don’t like or tolerate scented products, the Emulsion Body Cream Base* is a multi-step lotion that can be stripped back to base only, or topped with other extracts or fragrance. On its own, the lotion is super light and sinks in instantly. Perfect for those with skin allergies and other conditions such as eczema/psoriasis and those who simply don’t like over the top fragrances. It combines the skin-loving Sunflower, Grapeseed, Coconut and Jojoba oils, as well as Vitamin E and Aloe Vera for a moisturised and happy skin. Emulsion as a brand is definitely one to check out, as it offers a personalised skincare experience to fit every mood and desire for face, body and hair.
Mom-friendly neutral palette with a twist
If there’s a palette that most of the beauty addicts can appreciate, it’s a great neutral palette with a bit of a secret weapon to turn the school run look to brunch or cocktails with girls in a second. You’ll need a good mixture of mattes and maybe something a bit more metallic if you’re feeling frisky. Personally, I don’t see a reason why you wouldn’t do a school run in a cut crease, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
The new Mulac In the Birthday Suit palette* is just stunning, combining buttery and pigmented mattes with metallic foils and duo-chromes to suit any mood and an occasion. Perfect ‘does it all’ palette to do your 5-minute smokey or 1-hour elaborate Halo eyeshadow with. It’s also quite small considering making it easy to travel with! The packaging is lovely and nude coloured, and the palette houses eyeshadows protected with a film (which I recommend to ensure your more glittery formulas don’t mix with mattes) and a good size, good quality mirror making it easy to create looks on the go. It’s my first time playing with the Mulac formula and given the types of looks I like to create (check out my Instagram, if you haven’t already), I’m more than satisfied with the quality, pigmentation and their ability to blend and pack. It‘s also a palette that’s not too crazy and off-putting so even a makeup beginner can easily sit down and put a look together as all shades go together nicely.
For the deal-hunting Mom’s there’s a brand new offering from Essence Cosmetics, a brand who’s recent Spring/Summer line got me very excited. Essence The Witch Side palette* doesn’t just stun with a beautiful packaging, but also what’s hidden inside. What a beauty! I’ve been playing with it already for a couple of weeks and it’s really blendable, Matte shadows can be packaged or sheered down and the shimmers are simply stunning! Oh, and did I mention it’s only £10 and finally available from your local Wilko today! I think it’s definitely worth a try, I mean just look at some of the shimmers swatched - aren’t they absolutely beautiful?
Give a gift of her next favourite scent
My mom has always loved perfume, I definitely take after her. She’s not your typical Mom loving Chanel, she’s mostly attracted to lighter, fruity tones. The brand new Light & Dark Delightful Eau de Parfum*, the perfume line from LD-Boutique, one of the brands under Leighton Denny umbrella. Until this bottle landed on my desk, I didn’t know LD did anything other than nail polish so colour me as surprised as you probably are too! They offer 4 different scents to suit any mood, but I was mostly attracted to the fruity and sweet notes of Delightful that I knew my Mom would also love! It’s such a beautiful combination of red apple, ah ping, watermelon and blood orange accompanied by jasmine, pink lotus, coconut, mist and vanilla. The scent lingers on the skin for hours, I could still catch an occasional whiff of its base notes after top and hearts have faced after 10+ hours. I’m really impressed, as often lighter and fruitier scents can be a little fleeting and not lasting over a couple to a few hours. I might have just discovered Leighton Denny Boutique but I’ intrigued and want to try more, for sure!
All-in-one makeup kits for the skin
Glowing healthy skin is easy said no one ever. I don’t have kids, am able to sleep through the night (if I want to lol) and have plenty of time in the morning to make me look awake, but a busy mom may not have the same luxury of me-time. Note Beauty Face to Face Gift Kit* provides you with everything you need for the ‘2-minute face’ in the morning starting with a highlighting concealer, perfect tapped in gently under eyes, around the nose and anywhere else where you want to conceal a little. It’s light to medium coverage which doesn’t really need setting if you only apply a little. I really enjoy it on my ‘no-makeup makeup’ days. There’s also a beautiful Terracotta Powder in Stardust, it has a little colour, so it’s perfect on the cheeks and across the nose: a hybrid between a very light bronzer and highlighter guarantees a glowing finish without it looking like you have makeup on. And finally, a light peachy pink blusher to add a bit of colour and healthy look to any complexion. At £26.85 it’s already a great price but if you register for their newsletter, you’ll get -15% with your first order making it even more affordable. Also currently on offer on Fragrance Direct, but you may want to be quick here!
Alright, that's it from me today. I hope you enjoyed and I was able to inspire you to treat your Mom this coming Sunday. We are all going through some struggles right now and it's important to treat yourself and others kindly. Trust me it can make an incredible difference.
Thank You For Reading.
With love,
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