Giving the Gift of Beauty

The Sephora sampler's a beautiful thing.

Gift Packs, the Never-Fail Present

Are you looking for the perfect present for a beauty maven? I've always had trouble getting the right beauty item to gift--what if they have a stockpile of lotion? A preferred perfume? There's only so much information you can get out of carefully-placed shopping questions and snooping through a beauty kit or two. When in doubt, the beauty gift pack is the way to go, chock full of options that are sure to please. Stress avoided!

If you've decided that the gift pack is a good choice, you'll be pleased to know that there are plenty of options, some offered in a scent jumble (such as four bottles of different fragrances) or a complementary pack of like scents. If you've done your homework, go for a gift pack with similar fragrance options in lotion, eau de parfum, and bath salts--otherwise, a combo kit will get the job done.

The perfect solution to the fragrance-loving (and flighty) gift recipient is a fragrance sampler. If you're seriously stumped on what scent will work out well, Sephora's a good way to find a deluxe gift with value. Priced at $50 but worth $94, the Deluxe Fragrance Sampler allows you to give twenty new scent samplers as a gift, which also arrive with a single gift certificate for a full-size bottle of perfume. After the recipient reads up on each perfume and tests it, she gets to redeem a gift certificate for a free full-size bottle of her favorite.

If you are aiming to impress with a designer brand, then you won't disappoint with the Dior 'J'Adore' Jewel Box Set . It's a "holiday quartet" that comes with a bottle of J'Adore perfume, beautifying body milk, a signature cannage-quilted deluxe purse spray and a gorgeous reusable holiday hatbox, complete with a big Dior bow.

For the girl who simply doesn't "do" fragrance, you aren't out of luck. Select something like Kiehl's Ultimate Scented Lip Balm Set, available at Nordstrom, which includes six scented lip balms in fun containers for a great price.

Which one will it be? Don't be surprised if you end up grabbing a gift pack for yourself as well!