I approach every holiday as my own personal Oprah’s favorite things. You get a lip balm, you get a blanket, and YOU ALL GET A HAND CREAM. Essentially. Nothing makes me happier than giving a gift that is loved. Last year, I gave everyone on my teams at work Michelle Starbuck jewelry. I carefully selected each piece for the person and feel so happy when I see it being worn and loved.
The 312 Beauty guide to holiday gifting is kicking off today and continuing for the next several weeks with snippets of all of my favorite things. I’m going full on O, it’s going to be a blast! Winter showed up this past weekend and the snow really accelerated my holiday spirit. I put my Christmas tree up on Saturday because I wanted it to be up and waiting for me after Thanksgiving. Cozying up in my living room with only the light of the tree is bliss and I’m perfectly content with it up this early.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving and travel, my very first gift pick is from Stowaway Cosmetics. Have you heard of these guys? Stowaway is confronting a huge beauty dilemma. The reality is that we all have a ton of half used expired makeup that we can’t (and shouldn’t at that point) finish. When is the last time you finished an entire tube of lipstick? Stowaway’s right-sized essentials are more than minis but not so oversized that you can’t finish or weigh your makeup down trying.
They make a compelling case for minimalism. Stowaway’s Cheek & Lip Rouge is one-third the size of an average blush. Their Effortless Eyeliner? Size of a q-tip. The Crème Lipstick: smaller than your pinky finger! And the Creaseless Concealer may look like a sample but it is crazy concentrated so a little bit goes a long way. Stowaway absolutely mastered pint-sized pretty and put a bow on it (literally) with their right-sized winter gift sets.
It’s entirely acceptable if you have the urge to gift this to yourself.