There’s a key reason why gifting your makeup-obsessed partner/friend/loved one more makeup for Valentine’s Day is a good idea. Just like compulsive shoppers feel a need to shop, makeup addicts always feel a compulsive need to experiment, either to make sure that no new champion has come that can dethrone an old favourite highlighter or blush, or just so they can update their kit with the latest trends. When it comes to makeup gifts, it’s best to stick to the products your partner already enjoys, so don’t go buying them fancy bronzers if all they do is wear mascara — all you need is to match their predispositions to the product type in this list, and just like that, you’re all set to spring a V-Day treat:
People have been saying that highlighters “had” a moment in 2017, but that moment is nowhere near over, so anything shiny is absolutely fair game. Jelly highlighters are soon to take over, thanks to their textural uniqueness and ability to impart glow without picking up on skin texture, so something decadent and plush like the consistently sold-out Farsali Jelly Beam Illuminator ($50) is likely to completely wow your makeup maven.
If your special person is into lipstick in a big way, let them pick out their favourite shade from Fenty Beauty’s Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick ($23), ’nuff said. (Don’t worry: she already knows how well these lippies have been reviewed and has likely been eyeing one of these extra-lush colours for a couple of weeks now.)
If your significant other/bestie is one of those folx whose single beautyblender has survived 3 years of torture and has slowly turned from a bright pink to a permanently oxidized tan, play it smart: either drop some dollars on a set of new sponges or give her the gift of hygiene with the blendercleanser solid chill swirl ($23). Trust us, little is as satisfying to a makeup junkie as seeing months of face and base exit a sponge in one round of treatment.
Meanwhile, if your significant other is a brush girl and not so much a sponge girl, do her a giant favour and get her new brushes. Nobody can have too many, especially if they’re lazy about cleaning them regularly, and some brush kits are actually quite reasonably priced so you don’t have to break the bank either. Even if she’s a purist who only sticks to what she knows, enough beauty gurus have sworn by the Real Techniques Sculpting Set ($20) to guarantee some excitement when these gorgeous cruelty-free brushes are unwrapped on date night.
“Look at how cleanly organized my makeup is!” is a sentence precious few makeup addicts ever get to say, so if you’re looking to deliver big, few gifts are as thoughtful as any item that can impose order on oodles of loose makeup on your partner’s vanity. Muji’s Acrylic Storage Drawers ($38) are the perfect solution to storing anything from piles of mascara to entire palettes and brush sets, and as an added bonus, you’ll get to enjoy how your partner’s makeup application time is reduced thanks to the newfound ease of them always knowing where things are.
