Skip to main content

Holiday Gift Guide: 10 Beauty Bargains Under $50

Oprah showed us hers.  Wanna see mine?  That is, my favorite things for holiday gifts.  Over the past several months I've tirelessly pounded the pavement collecting samples from press previews and holiday gift shows and here are my 10 best beauty and wellness finds:

1. Sanrio Fragrance Collection ($6.00 - $39.50) is the latest addition to the kitschy Demeter Fragrance Library.  The three scents are: he Japanese fruit-flavored gum-inspired "Sanrio 50th Anniversary"; "Badtz Maru," named after the mischievous penguin character with frisky notes of unsweetened pineapple, cranberry, raspberry and honeydew melon; and my favorite, the chocolate-y "Chococat" named after Sanrio's beloved brown boy cat. 

2. Arbonne Ginger Citrus Body Butter ($32) is an all-natural, lush and thick cream that will leave your skin smooth and irresistibly soft.  Contact Jennifer at jennifer.weitzman15@gmail.com to purchase this or any other fab Arbonne products made with premium botanicals.

3. Honeycat Cosmetics' Sex and the Kitty Gift Set ($40) is the purrfect gift for the girl who loves her bath time. The fragrant set comes with "Calypso Kitty" tropical salt scrub, "Frisky Kitty Bath Fizzy" rose and lemongrass, "Rub My Tummy" milk & honey body cream, and "On the Prowl" peach brandy shower gel.

4. Urban Decay Vegan Palette ($34) boasts six best-selling shadows in Gun Metal, Minx, Urb, Smog, Baked, and Half-Baked.  The limited edition set also includes a trial-size 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero and an Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin.

5. Payless Zoe & Zac Equinox Nail Polish Trio ($9) has the colors you want, without the chemicals.  The natural polish isn't tested on animals and comes in irresistible shades of Cardinal, Violet Flower, and Pretty Pearl.

6. Victoria's Secret Bombshell Eau de Parfum ($42.95) is a glamorous blend of purple passion fruit, Shangri-la peony, and vanilla orchid.

7. Ouidad Double Detangler comb ($24) is a godsend particularly for women of color with naturally coarse, kinky hair that easily knots and tangles.

8. Sabon Shower Oil ($18) will leave your skin feeling fresh and moisturized. This silky shower gel is infused with essential oils, so you don't even need to apply lotion afterwards.  I was gifted the heavenly Fig Coco.

9. Youngblood Lip Gloss ($21) is a non-sticky gloss that creates a plumping effect for shiny, fuller-looking lips. It includes vitamin E and a natural peptide that helps hydrate, smooth, and add volume and firmness to lips.  The subtle lip gloss is suitable for all skin tones.

10. H. Wood Tea ($32) is an unexpected brand that blends Hollywood nightlife and good health.  By night, the h.wood tea room is the V.I.P. room at the hot Hollywood club, h.wood. By day it's a tea sipper's retreat.  In New York, h.wood hosts exclusive weekly tea parties at its Tea Lab, but you don't need an invite to taste h.wood's quality blends that promote anti-aging, energy, detoxification, and sleep.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Conway Discount Clothing Chain Closing in New York City

It's the end of an era. Conway discount stores are closing . As of this weekend, a sign on the sole Herald Square location (34th Street btwn 7th and 8th Ave) says the store will close in "7 Days." Before I relocated to New York City, I was introduced to the discount chain while on a bus trip from Baltimore.  I recall the first time I saw Conway's signature pink bags carried by hurried shoppers in midtown. And Miss Foster, the trip organizer and a bargain hunter from way back, took me to the store for the first time. Conway store in the Fulton Mall./Tracy E. Hopkins When I moved here in 1994, my love affair with Conway continued.  I furnished my first apartment with discount knick-knacks and home goods from the store.  And much to my chagrin, in hindsight, I curated most of my wardrobe for my first full-time job from the long-shuttered 42nd Street and Third Avenue store. One regretful ensemble: Lime green and white checkered pants with a matching lime green

Win a Free Pair of Perfect Fit Jeans from Eddie Bauer!

Finding the right pair of jeans is one of the hardest shopping endeavors ever.  For me, flared styles tend to work best since I'm smaller in the waist and fuller in the hips.  But thanks to Eddie Bauer's new denim line -- which launches online and at Eddie Bauer stores everywhere Aug. 6 -- I've found a petite pair of straight jeans that fit my curves perfectly.   Eddie Bauer denim./Photo by Tracy E. Hopkins After compiling feedback from thousands of women, focus groups, trunk shows and hours of fine-tuning, Eddie Bauer created new fits based on three body types: Truly Straight (rectangular body shape) , Slightly Curvy (modified hourglass body shape) and Curvy (true hourglass body shape). T ruly Straight and Slightly Curvy denim is available in Short, Regular, Long, Petite and Tall in sizes 0-20; Curvy denim is available in Short, Regular, Long, Petite and Tall in sizes 2-20 as well as 16W-24W. Made with premium StayShape denim, the jeans focus on Shape, Stre

The Re-Education of NeNe Leakes: The Reality Star Talks About College Hill, What Housewives She's Still Friends With and More

I’ve been a fan of The Real Housewives of Atlanta since the beginning.     So I jumped at the chance to chat with original RHOA cast member and breakout star NeNe Leakes.     It’s been a tough couple of years since NeNe parted ways with the show. In 2021 her husband Gregg lost his battle with colon cancer and earlier this year she filed a discrimination lawsuit against her former employer, Bravo. But on the brighter side, the 54-year-old is dating again and starring in the BET limited reality series,   College Hill: Celebrity Edition.    Along with other headline-grabbing reality TV stars including, Big Freedia, Lamar Odom, Stacey Dash and Ray J., NeNe and the members of the cast lived together and attended classes at the historically Black Texas Southern University.     We asked NeNe what it was like to go back to school, what the biggest misconception about her is, which housewives she's still friendly with, and more.   Everything She Wants : What did it feel like being back in