Christmas Gift Idea #1

One of my Christmas gift ideas for this year is to give a makeup bag filled with some great products. Here's what I've purchased so far:

Lesport Sac bag. I get the $22 version with 2 compartments. Lots of colors to choose from. For those with less kitschy tastes I buy a plain black MAC makeup bag instead. I carry one of these around everyday and it holds my makeup, extra contacts, eye drops, tissue, and all that other girl stuff that needs to be lugged around.



Customized MAC eyeshadow quad. I buy the empty quad for $3.50 and fill it with 4 of the pro palette refill eyeshadows for $11 each. This is cheaper than buying the individual eyeshadow pots for $14 each. I have fun deciding what colors to give each person. I usually choose one neutral shade, one dramatic "going out" shade, a shade that I personally love (i.e. woodwinked, sketch, satin taupe, or all that glitters), and whatever else strikes my fancy.

I buy OPI and Zoya nail polishes via ebay for $5-$6 each, which is much cheaper than the salon price.

Sephora has great boxed value sets that I divide up. I purchased this glitzy gold set for about $34. The trial sizes are a great way for people to try out products without the commitment of having to use a full size product. The best item in this box was the Guerlain meteorites powder.

Sephora also has a ton of other great trial size products that are usually placed along the check out line in the store. I purchased trial size Makeup Forever HD powder, a Dior "Best in Show" mascara set which contains both Dior Show and Dior Blackout ($17), and Go Smile products ($10) to stuff in the bags as well.


Lastly, I purchased these monogram mirrors from Anthropologie for $9 each. It comes in a little pouch with the same monogram design in light blue with a drawstring ribbon closure.

This gift can be pricey or economical depending on what you choose to fill the makeup bag with. You can replace the pricier name brand makeup for drug store items such as Cover Girl Outlast Lip Stains ($8), Cover Girl Lash Blast, mini manicure sets, cute packets of tissue, mini scented antibacterial hand sanitizers (try Victoria Secret or Bath & Body Works). As I mentioned, I keep the cost down by purchasing trial size items, dividing up gift sets, and utilizing ebay. The best part is that you can customize the gift to each individual and you're sure to give someone a unique gift.

cheers.