NYLON’s Holiday Beauty Gift Guide 2021: Skincare Sets

We’ve rounded up the bestsellers, cult-favourites, and classic skincare items all under one roof — and even better, these holiday kits offer a whole bunch of extras on the side, so you get to really stretch your dollar here. Onward to your best skin ever, we say, because now’s the best time to stock up on your skincare essentials, or help your friends do so.  They won’t be able to stop thanking you.

L – R — Tatcha Award-Winning Favorites Skincare Set, $97 | Fenty Skin The Before-Bed Skincare Set, $86 | Estée Lauder Youth-Generating Power. Repair. Firm. Hydrate, $130 | Drunk Elephant Face Value Brightening Skincare Set, $124.

We start off our list with some of the most cult-worthy beauty items money can buy. Take, a full set of Tatcha’s bestsellers, for instance, which includes the lightweight The Water Cream moisturiser and the unbelievably smooth The Liquid Silk Canvas primer, or some of our favourite Fenty Skin go-tos for those who’d like to achieve juicy skin.

Estée Lauder’s most iconic product, the Advanced Night Repair serum, is also available in an exclusive set that gives us a full-sized version of the anti-ageing formula, alongside 4 travel-friendly sized bottles. Finally, Drunk Elephant doesn’t disappoint, with a limited edition skincare kit of brightening products, housed in illustrated egg-shaped tins you’d want to reuse.

L – R — La Mer The Rejuvenating Rituals Collection, $670 | Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Serum Holiday Collection, $265 | Dior Capture Totale Skincare Set, $145 | Lancôme Clarifique Brighter, Clearer-Looking Skin Set, $148.

If you’re in for a splurge — either for yourself or for a loved one — these are the skincare sets we’d highly recommend. La Mer’s 4-piece set sees substantial portions of their The Treatment Lotion (100ml) and CRÈME DE LA MER (60ml) in a neat kit that’s complete with a gift bag, which would just about please anybody. As for Sulwhasoo, the k-beauty brand’s luxurious ginseng-infused series promises firm and smooth skin, in a beautifully-decorated set that’s ideal for gifting.

For an early anti-ageing range, perfect for someone who’s getting serious on high-end skincare, Dior’s Capture Totale series is a good place to start. This kit is a full facial in one, and features the serum, face and neck cream, as well as an eye cream for overall glowing skin; plus, there’s a cute CD-initialed pouch too. If you’re looking for great brightening results, trust Lancôme’s highly-dependable Clarifique as well, since this one’s a brightening formula that gently refines skin while replenishing it with necessary hydration. The holiday set they’ve got comes with a couple of extras that make the kit quite the steal too.

L – R — Laneige Water Bank Moisture Essence Set, $60 | ELEMIS Limited Edition Supersize Deep Cleasing Balm, $155 | L’Occitane Immortelle Reset Box, $95 | Clarins Double Serum & Super Restorative Routine, $170. 

In stunning holiday packaging, these are the sets you can’t go wrong with, simply because they contain a whole range of tried-and-tested, and raved-about, classics. Laneige’s Water Bank range infuses your skin with hydration, both on the surface and deep within, and is a saviour for dry, flaky skin. For fans of ELEMIS’ London-based formulas, especially their Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, it’s now in a supersized tub that’s paired with the most stylish-looking hair accessory we’ve seen.

L’Occitane’s Immortelle Reset Serum is so popular that 1 is sold every minute worldwide — this season, the set comes with a little extra cleansing foam on the side, which comes in very handy if you’re already planning to get a bottle of the glow-activating serum. If you’re looking out for value-for-money anti-ageing sets, Clarins’ presents a great one for mature skin; a full-sized Double Serum is included here so you or your loved one can enjoy skin that’s instantly lifted and smooth.

L – R — Banila Co Christmas Gift Set For Mom, $90 | Fresh Cleanse, Smooth & Tighten Skincare Set Mini, $114 | Farmacy Garden Party Green Clean Trio, $61 | EVE LOM Holiday 2021 Deluxe Rescue Ritual Gift Set, $200.

A good skincare regime always starts with great cleansing products, and these are the ones you ought to consider. K-beauty brand Banila Co’s Clean It Zero cleansing balm needs no introduction, and while their set’s labelled “for mom”, we can see this appropriate for the mom in your friend group too, the one who’ll inevitably nag at you to remove your makeup before heading to bed. Fresh’s holiday sets are always a joy to give and receive, and this little kit comprises of their #1 pH-balanced Soy Face Cleanser, the anti-pollution Kombucha Essence, and skin-firming Black Tea Corset Cream.

More on cleansing balms — clearly a bias of ours here — Farmacy’s sweet makeup-melting range comes in a trio of limited-edition flavours: Strawberry Basil, Lemon Mint, and Peach Thyme. At the same time, EVE LOM presents an entire, indulgent skincare ritual meant to deeply purify skin; this includes their 5-in-1 Cleanser, a specially-woven 100% cotton Muslin Cloth, as well as their cult-favourite Rescue Mask and Moisture Cream that fills and plumps skin.

L – R — Caudalie My First Hydrating Essentials Skincare Set, $55 | Ole Henriksen C-ing Stars Vitamin C Skincare Set, $97 | Clinique More Than Moisture, $77 | First Aid Beauty Your Future Looks FAB Skincare Gift Set, $80.

Hydration, repair, or brighten — whatever your skin needs, these kits have got the exact solution. Caudalie’s fresh hydrating routine is represented in their Vinosauce series, and a set that gives us a full-sized Vinosource-Hydra Grape Water Moisturizing Gel, along with the other thirst-quenching formulas. Likewise, Clinique’s More Than Moisture set features the best items from their Moisture Surge range, including the unbeatable Surge 100-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator.

For glowy, bright-looking skin, Ole Henriksen’s curated set is just the thing, and contains vitamin C-boosted skincare essentials of a powerhouse vitamin C serum, brightening moisturizer and eye crème. If you know someone who’s into head-to-toe indulgence, First Aid Beauty’s five-piece skincare set, of formulas safe for sensitive skin, sees everything from a fragrance-free cleanser and Facial Radiance Pads, to an eye cream, nourishing Ultra Repair Cream and exfoliating body scrub.

L – R — Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Magic, $72 | Origins Mega-Mushroom Soothing & Fortifying Regimen Skincare Set, $183 | Dr.Jart+ Soothe With Cicapair Skincare Kit, $58 | innisfree Green Tea Seed Skin Care Set, $71.

Watermelon, mushroom, and green tea — what do all of these have in common? A phenomenal ability to soothe and repair skin, it seems. If you feel like your sensitised skin’s in need of some rescuing, no doubt thanks to the erratic weather or heavy festive makeup, it’s best to have these on standby. Glow Recipe has figured out the wonders of watermelon and how it can soothe and hydrate skin, hence a whole range dedicated to the fruit, while Origins relies on reishi mushroom and fermented chaga to soothe irritated skin and build its resilience over time.

Dr.Jart+’s popular Cicapair series truly soothes, hydrates and protects delicate skin as well, and here, we’ve got a gel cream formulated with Centella Asiatica Complex for its calming benefits, as well as Re-Cover, meant to cover blemishes and neutralise redness. Once you’re done, look over to innisfree’s bestselling Green Tea Seed Serum too, available in a set that’s paired with their cleanser and moisturiser, so you’ll be able to fully experience these moisture-rich formulas. Bonus: artist Steven Harrington’s quirky designs are both on the box and atop these limited edition items.

L – R — POLA Cosmetics B.A Lotion Xmas Coffret, $298 | Lab Series Expert Skincare Set $135 | MT Metatron Premium Coffret 2021, $210 | Mario Badescu Winter Glow Essentials Set, $27.

If you’re still undecided, we’ve got a bunch of all-rounder beauty sets for you. POLA Cosmetics features the best items from the 6th generation of the series, where the continually-improving anti-ageing range is able to tap into a specific gene that transforms dermis cells into ageless ones. Very high-tech. MT Metatron, on the other hand, is a perennial bestseller in Japan, so for those interested in trying out the range, this 7-piece set of gel cleanser, lotion, serum, cream and more is a good way to discover its full benefits.

For the men, Lab Series presents a three-step skincare regimen that’s all about restoring hydration in the most fuss-free way, starting with the All-in-One Multi-Action Face Wash, followed by the Daily Rescue series of a Water Lotion and Energizing Face Lotion. And for a gift that can be used by anyone, skincare enthusiast or not, Macio Badescu’s rose-infused essentials set includes hand cream and a facial spray, so you won’t have to worry about dry skin in the middle of the day.

 


ALL ITEMS AVAILABLE AT THEIR RESPECTIVE BOUTIQUES, COUNTERS, AND ONLINE AT THE LINKS PROVIDED.