QC’s Holiday Makeup Gift Guide - QC Makeup Academy














With the holidays only a few weeks away, it’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s also one of the most stressful and chaotic times, as we know the pressure is on to find the perfect makeup gifts for the makeup addicts in your life (or even the right treat for yourself!). Here at QC, we want to lower your stress levels as much as possible by helping you find the best beauty products, so we’ve put together a gorgeous gift guide for you!


From small and simple gifts to fabulous beauty collections, here are the most coveted makeup picks for our 2017 Holiday Gift Guide!


Brush sets


Whether you’re a full-fledged makeup artist, aspire to a makeup artistry career, or just have a passion for cosmetics, you know the importance of high-quality makeup brushes. Not only are they an essential part of any makeup kit, they’re also an excellent gift choice! The great news is that there are so many different types of brush sets out there, each with an assortment of different tools to suit any makeup aficionado’s collection (or makeup artist’s kit!), and they’re generally reasonably priced.


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We swear by Sephora’s 10-piece Ready to Roll Brush Set which contains all the brushes required to complete a makeup look – from an everyday eye look to the latest trends in contouring. Priced under $100.00, this set is truly an amazing investment for makeup artists and a wonderful gift for those who love to apply makeup (and apply it well!). Another set of brushes that made our list this year is Too Faced’s Teddy Bear Hair Brush Set, which is also less than $100.00. Although it only comes with 5 brushes, each one is versatile and can be used in multiple ways. The packaging is also adorable, as all 5 brushes are incredibly soft and come in a lovely pink cosmetic bag! Who wouldn’t love to find this under the tree, or in their stocking?

Fragrances

While buying a bottle of perfume may seem like the safest holiday purchase around, it’s actually extremely tricky. In order to make the best possible choice, it’s imperative to have an idea of which scents your friends and family enjoy. Gifting a fragrance can either be wonderfully thoughtful or completely disastrous, and it all comes down to knowing exactly who you’re buying for and what will suit their tastes. When in doubt, we recommend sticking with subtle scents such as Philosophy’s Amazing Grace Eau de Toilette, which is a fresh, uplifting scent that suits many (even the toughest customers!).

If you know that the person you’re buying for likes to wear different scents on a regular basis, give Clean’s Rollerball Layering Collection a try – it contains 5 travel-sized rollerball perfumes that are light and casual enough for every day and can also be layered for a more textured, interesting fragrance. They’re also under $30, so this set can even be part of a larger gift! If you’re confident about a scent, then by all means purchase that particular perfume for your friend or family member – even better, some perfumes are sold as gift sets with other similarly-scented items such as body washes and lotions. Why not take things up a notch this holiday season?

Colorful lips

Lipstick and lip gloss are two of our favorite things year-round, but the holiday season is when they really get to shine! As with fragrances, finding someone’s perfect lipstick shade is no easy feat, but many lipstick lovers thrive on trying new colors. And who knows? You may choose a hue that becomes someone’s signature color, so a little risk is worth it, right?

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To stay on the safe side, though, we recommend choosing a box containing a few different shades. MAC is known for its beautiful lipstick kits, and we love this year’s Snow Ball Mini Lipstick Kit, which contains three mini lipsticks ranging from pale gold to intense red. If you’re looking for something slightly more high-end, with even more variety, Dior has released their Rouge Dior Mini Lipstick Set, which is a set of five iconic lipstick shades from nudes and pinks and of course, the perfect holiday red. Priced at $65.00, this set is a truly luxurious gift for someone special, and will keep their pout gorgeous all season long!

Seasonal collections

When it comes to makeup, one of the most fun aspects is the ability to try new products, and gift sets are a fantastic way to broaden your horizons. If you’re considering buying a few beauty products for a makeup lover in your life, do a bit of research first into gift sets. These usually come with several high-quality items, some of which may never have been tried before, and are ideal for a girl who loves expensive brands but doesn’t normally splurge. One holiday makeup set that caught our eye immediately is BareMinerals’ Box of Wonders, which contains lipsticks, lip glosses, eye colors, finishing powder, and mascara. This is truly a holiday gift that will keep on giving, and who knows? The lucky recipient may even find a new makeup product or two that they had no idea existed!

And you can always count on Benefit Cosmetics to come out with some of the loveliest and valuable gift sets around, and this holiday season we’re particularly enchanted by their “I Pink I Love You!” Makeup Kit, which is packed with minis, including a mascara and blush.

Holiday hair care

Let’s face it – winter can be very hard on our skin and hair. When it comes to finding the perfect makeup gift this holiday season, consider the struggles faced by beauty aficionados on cold, dry days.

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We love Briogeo’s Ultimate Hair Goals Kit, which is a four-piece collection containing a shampoo, mask, conditioning spray, and crème that will repair, hydrate and perfect your locks throughout the winter months. At less than $50.00, this gift is a serious bargain that will have someone grinning from ear to ear upon receiving it!

Gift cards

We left this option to the end of our list because, well, gift cards aren’t the most personal option when it comes to the holiday season. However, anyone who loves makeup can attest to the fact that they need to replenish their supplies at some point, and it’s not easy to stay updated with what your friend or family member needs! Gift cards may have a bad rap as far as gifts go, but they’re a great way to show an aspiring makeup artist or makeup lover that you want to help them keep their supplies updated (on their own terms!). Think of a gift card as a way of allowing the recipient to know you care about them while also giving them the freedom to buy themselves what they really want. ‘Tis the season!

Build your professional makeup artistry kit with this helpful infographic, and make sure to take it shopping with you!


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Author Victoria Begin

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