NYLON’s Holiday Beauty Gift Guide 2022: Beauty & The Geek

A foundation spatula, microcurrent facial toning devices, and at-home LED light therapy gadgets are just some of the things your beauty-obsessed friend will geek out about, so here, we happily oblige. These are the next-generation smart beauty tools to invest in, everything from skincare devices that bring the self-care experience from the spa to their home, to the most inventive hair straighteners, styling brushes, and heatless curl tools that are trending on social media.

FOREO Luna™ 4 Balanced Skin 2 In 1 Smart Facial Cleansing & Firming Device
— $466, available at Sephora.

Somewhere in your circle of beauty obsessed friends, there’s a person who swears by their FOREO cleansing device. This new version is tailor-made for balanced, sensitive and combination skin types, and will give your friend 16 adjustable intensities and 5 firming massage routines. If that doesn’t say “I love you”, the price tag will.

FOREO Skin Supremes Bear™ Mini & UFO™ Mini 2 Set
— $448, available at Sephora

For those looking to improve their skincare regimen, this Foreo set of a masking device and facial toning device will be a treat. The Bear™ Mini microcurrent device instantly tightens, firms and contours the face, pairs with an app for a guided routine, and has a patented Anti-Shock System to ensure safe treatments. As for the UFO™ Mini 2, it boasts 8 LED light colours, T-Sonic pulsations, and warming effects to gently massage and enable hyper-infusion of serums and face masks, so one’s skin can enjoy boosted moisture levels.

Dr. Dennis Gross Merry, Smooth and Bright Skincare Set
— $916, available at Sephora

Improved fine lines and wrinkles, and clear, even, blemish-free skin. This skincare set does it all with targeted solutions that deliver clinical results at home, starting with the Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Texture Renewal Serum and Triple Correction Eye Serum. The star of the set though is undoubtedly the Spectralite FaceWare Pro, an LED device that combines 100 lights in red mode and 62 lights in blue mode that work in sync to stimulate collagen production and reduce redness respectively, resulting in acne-free skin that’s less prone to breakouts and smoother skin.

Porcelain Skincare Advance Age Freeze Home Spa Kit
— $79, available at Porcelain Spas and porcelainskin.com.

For the friend who’d love to invest in an anti-ageing routine, Porcelain Skincare combines their anti-ageing duo of the Bio-DNA Defence Aqua Gel and Bio-Reset Intensive Night Recovery Elixir with Cryo Stainless Steel Gua Sha Plate. The first two products are essential to defend against the root causes of premature ageing, with their spa experts’ blend of bio-actives and traditional botanicals. Then, there’s the Gua Sha tool that already brings about benefits of improved circulation and a more contoured, less puffy face; placing it in the fridge to cool down then gets one the perks of cryotherapy as well, with enhanced circulation for a brighter complexion and tighter-looking skin. 

Dyson Corrale™ Straightener in Vinca Blue and Rosé
— $699, available at Dyson Demo stores and dyson.com.sg.

Previously seen on the Dyson Supersonic and Airwrap, the Vinca Blue and Rosé colourway is now available on the Dyson Corrale™ straightener! The device uses a pioneering flexing plate technology that’s gentle on the hair when styling it, where it’s able to apply heat and tension evenly across hair strands to reduce its reliance on heat. This is also a cord-free device, making it perfect for on-the-go or convenience without having to deal with messy cords. The special-edition set includes a Dyson presentation case, which you may customise with the initials of your loved one at Dyson Demo Stores.

Skin Inc Lit From Within Holiday Collection 2022
— $458, available at Skin Inc counters and iloveskininc.com.

The homegrown brand’s NASA-powered Tri-Light™ is a formidable invention that offers eight benefits in one device, by combining Sonic, PEMF (Pulsed Electro-Magnetic Field) and Hydro-Sensor technologies, with 5 targeted LED Lights. These enable us to customise a routine that address multiple skin concerns at once, especially when paired with the +SABI AI App, a virtual wellness and skin coach app that further tracks one’s wellness and skin health via AI technology. For this special set, with a $658 value, it’s also paired with My Nightly Dose™ of Uplift, their customisable sleeping mask accompanied by soothing and anti-ageing boosters, and quite the innovative invention too.

PMD Beauty PBS PMD Clean Body
— $235, available at escentials.com.

Anyone up for a cleansing device — for your body? As the first-of-its-kind body care device by a brand that’s no stranger to smart beauty tools and skincare products, it features three interchangeable attachments to cleanse, exfoliate and massage skin all over the body, daily. Over time, you’ll notice a better cleanse and reduced breakouts (bye backne!), as well as more lifted and firmer skin.

Glowgear Gear Up Set
— $176, available at Sephora

Just so the men don’t feel left out, Glowgear presents their game-changing Glowdrop 4-in-1 Facial Device in an ultra-cool black, as it does the job of cleansing dirt, bacteria, oil, dead skin and other undesirable debris with its 8,000 GlowSonic vibrations. NASA-inspired red and blue LED lights help improve skin too; it has a unique Sonic Massage Tip for targeted areas; while a Thermo-Glo Booster gently warms skin to ensure maximum absorption of our skincare products. The set also includes a Glowquartz Jade Face Roller to relieve facial tension and improve circulation.

GHD Glide Smoothing Hot Brush (Holiday Limited Edition)
— $310, available at Sephora.

This isn’t your typical hair brush. The GHD Glide Hot Brush is a quick and easy tool that smoothens hair as one brushes through it, thanks to a ceramic technology and ioniser that heats up the brush consistently to the optimum styling temperature, 185ºC, which then eliminates frizz and styles / straightens hair in a few quick strokes. The special-edition holiday version takes on a dazzling champagne gold shade, and comes with a luxurious red velvet vanity case too.

Silke London Silk Heatless Curler Set
— $89, available at Sephora

Heatless curls have been all the rage this year on TikTok, and any lazy-girl would find this handy for creating full, bouncy curls without having to reach for a styling tool or to subject one’s hair to excessive heat damage. To use, simply leave the silk curler in your hair for a few hours, or overnight while you sleep, to wake up to fabulous curls. What’s great here is that the smooth 100% silk fabric is gentle on your hair, and far less absorbent than synthetic satin in order to retain hair’s natural moisture.

Picasso Makeup Spatula
— USD25, available at global.oliveyoung.com.

Another TikTok-famous technique: applying foundation with a spatula. It sounds ridiculous until you see the results for yourself, where users report a smooth, flawless base that’s nicely evened out and super lightweight. The k-beauty makeup artist-approved technique involves using a stainless steel spatula to thinly apply base makeup over skin, for a natural and weightless finish.

Bachca Makeup Brush Terracotta Set
— $90, available at Sephora

Those serious about makeup will need this full set of five professional brushes for the face and eyes. The brushes are beautiful to behold with terracotta-coloured wooden handles and gold-plated aluminium ferrules, while pure synthetic fibres come extremely soft for any professional to blend, blend, and blend away.

BYKURAHOME Oasis Beauty Set
— $35, available at bykurahome.com.

If you know someone who’s geeky about saving the environment, a good thing by the way, then here’s a set of luxurious reusable facial rounds to set them on their sustainable journey. BYKURAHOME aims to replace single-use cotton pads with reusable ones, in different styles designed for cleansing, removing makeup, and applying skincare toners and essences. Fun fact: 1 Oasis facial round is equivalent to 500 disposable facial cotton pads!