Holiday 2024 Shopping Advice Thread: What’s in Your Basket?

[TeamBIC]

It's tiiiiiiiime: the holiday season is upon us! ✨ And here in the Beauty Insider Community, we believe it’s never too early to start building that basket. 😉 This thread can serve as your destination for getting – and giving! – unbiased shopping advice all season long, whether you’re grabbing gifts for others, or just looking to scoop up a few beauty steals for yourself! Either way, you’ve come to the right place to swap beauty recs with your fellow Community members, show off what you’ve added to your basket so far, and get help making those hard purchase decisions… and don’t forget to share all your beautiful unboxings, swatches, and more! 🎁❄

Don’t be shy! Hit the reply button below. What are you adding to your basket this holiday season? Be sure to tag any products you mention using the “#” sign!

[Buootiful]

Oh, definitely need to get some perfumes. I'd forgotten about PHLUR Strawberry Letter Eau de Parfum Travel Spray 0.32 oz / 9.5 ml eau de parfum spray and I need to find out if it smells good on me. @caitbird 

[caitbird]

@Buootiful  I have been wanting to try Strawberry Letter since before it was available at Sephora! I know fragrance is really such a personal thing but I remember @lmaster  tried this one and liked it.

[lmaster]

@caitbird it's soooooo good

[PrettyPaint]

What a lovely assortment of items! This gives me some ideas! @caitbird 

[caitbird]

@PrettyPaint  thank you! Happy to enable, er, inspire! 😉

[CynthieLu]

Ooh a fabulous list! The new SC hand and foot masks look pretty fun @caitbird are they for you or gifting? 🎁 

[caitbird]

@CynthieLu  thank you! I haven't decided about the masks yet; if I end up being able to get together with a friend or two soon I'll bring a small "gift bag" or two and probably include these. Otherwise I might end up keeping them 😅 hmm, maybe I should get extras just in case...🤣

[Buootiful]

Well, at 30% off, you can't lose 🙂 @caitbird 

[WinglessOne]

Okay so, I’d LOVE to buy some NARS and Dior lipstick refills from Sephora but I can’t because they’re not available. So for now, lipstick is (very surprisingly) excluded from my list. 🫠 That’s leaves all this other stuff, for now: 

🔬 Test subjects:

• LYS Beauty Triple Fix Blurring and Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation Stick - gotta swatch some shades in person first. 
• Montale Eau de Parfum Discovery Set 
• Then I Met You Essence Light Sunscreen Broad Spectrum Moisturizer SPF 50 PA +++ 1.69 oz / 50 ml - one of the only two TIMY products I can safely test on my own face. 😅 Luckily this one’s a chemical sunscreen: if it doesn’t play nice with my facial skin, I’ll use it on my body skin. (That’s how I use up most products my face rejects.) 

✔️ Restocks: 

• Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster 0.67 oz/ 20 mL - unless PC has a better discount at their site at the same time. I usually buy this serum 2+ bottles at a time. It’s my skin’s daily niacinamide, licorice root, and ubiquinone (CoQ10) intake. 
• amika Reset Cleansing Oil 6.7 oz / 200 mL - I already have 2 backup bottles, so I might hold off on another one for now. 
• SEPHORA COLLECTION Dry Shampoo Brush Cleaner - buying at least 2 cans is kind of a Sephora savings event tradition for me now. 😂 
• Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-eyes Volumizing and Curling Mascara Exagger-black - hmm, does buying a full size after testing a GWP mini count as a restock? Let’s pretend it does. 

🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Expanding the family: 

• Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin 4-Ever Flushed Lip and Cheek Set - because how am I supposed to resist 2 adorable minis? Besides, this set contains some new shades, plus an existing one I don’t already have. 
• VOLUSPA Ultrasonic Diffuser Oil .5 oz / 15 mL forbidden fig diffuser oil - since it’s not available year-round, I need to grab it while I can. 

👻 Haunting me: 

• KILIAN Paris Blue Moon Ginger Dash 1.7 oz / 50 mL eau de parfum spray - I’ve smelled it on a paper strip but also need to spray a tester on my wrist, just to make sure the calone note works for me. 

🔮 TBD (upcoming releases): 

• If LYS releases a mini blush trio this year, I’ll probably buy it. 

[Mellmars1185]

@WinglessOne Great list and breakdown! I have been wondering about the KILIAN Paris Blue Moon Ginger Dash 1.7 oz / 50 mL eau de parfum spray scent. I haven't had a chance to test it out yet. The LYS foundation is on my list too!

[WinglessOne]

@Mellmars1185  I wish I’d bought a travel size of Blue Moon Ginger Dash when it was still available. If you find a tester to try, I hope you like it! 

The LYS foundation is 100% curiosity for me. I don’t use foundation often, and when I do it’s just on and around my nose to mask surface redness. And I already have the amazing Ami Colé Skin-Enhancing Lightweight & Blurring Foundation Stick for that. But I need to compare Ami Colé’s to LYS’s for some reason. 😅 Plus, it’s good to have options in case one brand’s product is discontinued (which happens to me a lot). Hopefully we’ll both have good luck with the LYS foundation stick! 

[Ispend2much6]

@WinglessOne  I did a little research, and Blue Moon is discontinued as it was a seasonal scent.  Kilian direct is also sold out of it.  It sounds like something I'd like.  I'm looking for a predominantly lemon scent; Philosophy had one a long time ago that was perfect.  A little powder thrown in wouldn't hurt either.  Do you have any suggestions?💕

[WinglessOne]

@Ispend2much6  Yeah, this one (like several other Kilians) wasn’t a permanent fragrance. That’s why I’m surprised each time I see a tester at one of my local Sephora locations. I’m hoping it’ll still be in stock by the time the sale starts. 

Hmm, lemme think a bit about lemon-forward powdery fragrances that might still be available… my brain keeps saying “oooh isn’t there a Guerlain that hits those notes?” But I might be confusing it with something else. There might be an Atelier Cologne fragrance, though you can’t find any of them at US retailers anymore (but you can still order them from LookFantastic UK 😉 ). While I’m thinking: have you checked Fragrantica to see what others think are Blue Moon Ginger Dash dupes? 

[Ispend2much6]

@WinglessOne  I did see one suggestion for a company called Barretts, who makes dupes for expensive fragrances. Great idea!

I have most of the Atelier fragrances; I forgot about them!

One fragrance that came close is L'Eau Hadrien.  My bottle is so old it will be interesting to see what it has morphed into.

[faeriegirl]

I am really impressed with the mini Charlotte Tilbury Exagger-eyes Volumizing and Curling Mascara Exagger-black @WinglessOne ! If I didn’t already have several unopened mascaras to go through I would get a full size during the sale.

[WinglessOne]

@faeriegirl  That’s what I’m also trying to tell myself: I have too many other black mascaras open right now. But I could just buy this during the sale and not open it til I use up an open mascara (or til one expires). Of course, I could also get this mascara for $0 OOP at Ulta right now with my hoarded mountain of points 😂 so… one way or another, a full size will find its way to me this year. But YES, isn’t it a great mascara? I might even like it better than Charlotte’s Legendary Lashes Vol. 2, aka my favorite black mascara. 

[Buootiful]

Oooh, just the name KILIAN Paris Blue Moon Ginger Dash 1.7 oz / 50 mL eau de parfum spray makes me want to get it but I don't even like raw ginger, lol @WinglessOne 

[WinglessOne]

@Buootiful  🤣 Yeah, if you don’t like the smell of raw ginger then this isn’t the Kilian for you—though I dunno, you could see if a local Sephora has a tester available. I love ginger but still had to track down a tester so I could smell this in person. 

[PrettyPaint]

@WinglessOne That Kilian fragrance sounds incredible. I haven't tried it, but it sounds like something I would love.

[WinglessOne]

@PrettyPaint  Kilian says it’s supposed to resemble a blue lagoon cocktail. It definitely nails the lemon and freshness aspects, and the ginger’s lovely, at least on a paper strip. I hope it translates well on skin. 

[curlychiquita]

I still love my KILIAN Paris Blue Moon Ginger Dash 1.7 oz / 50 mL eau de parfum spray ! I wear it quite a lot. It’s really unique.