Face it, each year it gets harder and harder to one-up your brilliant gifts from the year before. From your mother-in-law who’s (surprise!) in for the holidays to your rolling stone of a cousin who’s trekking somewhere in South America – your gift giving nature is starting to wear thin.

This year, you’re going to do some one-stop shopping. No guilt about gifts not being personal enough or worrying that they’ll go unused – this season you’re going with a classic.

Enter Kiehl’s.
Kiehl’s Gift Boxes to be precise.

The Creme de Corps Collection comes complete with Kiehl’s classic, cult fave body cream, Creme de Corps, and Creme de Corps Body Washing Cream, Lip Balm #1, a deluxe sample of Soy Milk & Honey Body Polish, plus a yellow monogrammed wash mitt – all packaged in a signature red box.

The holidays are arriving and following them, the mile long list of resolutions that no one expects to keep beyond January 3rd. But despite your inherent realism about the situations of others (your neurotic sister’s plan to “start doing cleanses” is as realistic as your local homeless woman’s plan to communicate with extraterrestrials using an aluminum can phone) it helps to be supportive of others.

With innumerable holiday skin care packages being advertised, find one that focuses on your loved ones’ goals for the upcoming year. Whether they combat wrinkles, breakouts, stress, or the thousands of other problems that target the skin, they’ll have a product that keeps their skin as firm as their resolve. And to show you’re too good a person to buy them just a packaged gift set and be done with it, pair your gift with something else to help support their goal. With you behind them, this resolution can be the one that sticks.

New Year’s Resolution: “This year I’m going to help save the Earth”

Thousands of people will resolve to save the world—in more of an eco-conscious than an “outsmarting-the-super-villains” type way. Laden with antioxidants such as olive oil and white tea, Terralina’s Skincare Gift Set is packaged in what were once plastic bags on the streets of New Delhi. All the products are free of parabens, PEGs, ethoxylates, glycols, acrylates, silicones, and artificial fragrance. I’m in love with the facial moisturizer and would marry it if it promised to do the dishes.
Pick the Facial Regimen (Facial Cleanser, Toner, and Moisturizer) for $83 or the full Gift Set (including Body Lotions) for $105.00 at http://www.terralina.com

Accompanying Gift Idea: Pick them up a potted plant so they can have a little part of the earth they’re saving and donate money in their name to The Nature Conservancy.

For some reason face masks remind me of sleepovers, pillow fights and scaring your best friends little brother with that green gunk on your face. These days face masks are more like a one stop shop for solving your skincare problems than just a teenage sleepover ritual. Lets face it, no one has the time, money or space today to purchase products that promise amazing results, but don’t deliver. We need better results with fewer products. The masks below will not only give you instant gratification, but real results.

Wake-up Call
Rihanna has a hit song “SOS,” and although I don’t think she was referring to the world of skincare, don’t you just feel like your skin is screaming for help sometimes? Biotherm’s Flash Recharge Masque feels almost superhero-eque in its orange tube, promising fast results for tired, dull skin. As soon as you open the mask and squirt the creamsicle-colored lotion into your palm, you’ll smell the star ingredient, ginseng, known for its natural invigorating properties. The mask also contains white willow, an ingredient solely dedicated to preventing fatigue. The scent alone will wake you up, and after it absorbs, skin looks more radiant and energized. Put it on before a night out for refreshed skin, or even in the morning to wakeup before work. If you’re like me, you wont have trouble deciding when your skin needs this flash recharge!
http://www.biotherm-usa.com

Hydration X1000
Last time you took a long flight and got off the plane with dehydrated, red skin, didn’t you wish you had put on that extra layer of moisturizer? Well, next time be sure to throw the SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Masque into your carry-on bag, your skin will definitely thank you! Apply a thin layer of the unscented, oil-free gel all over your face, massage it in and let the rest seep in throughout your flight (or while you sleep), you’ll wakeup to plump, soft and radiant skin. The masque contains the same benefits as the award-winning SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel, but with twice the concentration of Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin B5, for 1000 times more moisturization. I loved this treatment so much, I even plan to use it on my hands and feet during the winter months, doesn’t that sound nice?
http://www.skinceuticals.com

December is a month overflowing with red: scarlet dresses for office parties; ruby sweaters for visits with grandma; lacy crimson camisoles for some post mistletoe action. The bottom line, hues of red dominate this month, but anyone suffering from rosacea or plain old wind-burn knows that a red complexion is sure to make you cautious when dressing for yet another holiday party. After all, Santa is the only one who looks good with red cheeks.

According to the National Rosacea Society survey, wind triggers symptoms of rosacea 57 percent of the time; cold weather 46 percent; and indoor heat 41 percent. To top it off, emotional stress (i.e. choosing a perfect gift and prepping for the family dinner) kicks up the redness factor to a whopping 79 percent. December might not seem like the best month for radiant skin (at first) – but, since you’re on the nice list, we’re here to help and fill your stockings with goodies.

Serum lovers swoon! Your beauty sleep is about to become even more beautiful! Recently introduced from Lancome is Absolue Ultimate Night Bx. New technology features Pro-Xylane, Lancôme’s most powerful molecule which works to visibly restructure skin by delivering intense hydration deep into the skin and boost cellular renewal while you dream. Other important ingredients, to name just a few, are wild yam, sea algae, synthesis of collagen, and peptide rich soy. Miracles don’t happen overnight sleeping beauty, and while it certainly makes your skin feel good and look nice immediately, it will take three months to see real clarity and firmer skin and after six months studies showed that women saw improvement in density, firmness and wrinkles. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and better skin is worth a commitment!

Available: Fine Department Stores and http://www.lancome-usa.com

Lancome labs sure have been busy lately! Also recently launched is Bienfait Multi-Vital Eyes with SPF 28. Very few eye creams contain an SPF, and most day creams with sunscreen can’t be used around the eyes, so I was thrilled when I heard about this one. I’m happy to report that there’s no stinging or burning and its wonderful creamy texture helped the dehydration around my eyes. Along with broad spectrum sunscreen, it contains vitamins E & B5 to help protect delicate skin, as well as caffeine which helps lessen the look of puffiness and dark circles.

Available: Fine Department Stores and http://www.lancome-usa.com