We all have that skincare-obsessed friend we don’t know what to get for Christmas. Us makeup hoarders, we’d rather give them a cute little palette, a set of lipsticks or a good highlighter, because it’s less “boring” than skincare. However, there’s nothing unexciting about these sets! And the best part is that you and your friend will be helping animals in the process: all the brands mentioned are cruelty-free, and most products are vegan.

Important note: the prices and sales are checked up until December 10th. Some of them may have changed.

Advent Calendars

I know, I know — it’s a little too late for full Advent Calendars at this point, but these calendars have a different day length, which also makes them less expensive and suitable for Secret Santa gifts.

Mad Beauty’s 12 Days Beauty Advent Calendars

Exclusive to Superdrug (UK) and at a starting price of £14.00 (now £3.50), this little set is an original and cute option for skincare lovers who happen to love Disney as well. It’s Snow White-themed and you can find a hand cream, a lip balm, bath fizzers, a nail file, etc. Moreover, all products have a fresh apple scent!

The second calendar is Tinkerbell-themed and it can be found through Maquibeauty (International), Maquillalia, Druni, Hola Princesa and other online stores!

Sheet Masks

If there’s one thing that brings all sorts of beauty lovers together, that’s sheet masks. They make home feel like a spa, and they’re easy and fun to use. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a large number of cruelty-free and affordable brands that produce sheet masks and have sets for this time of the year, but the one that I did find is my absolute favorite.

Vitamasques’ Bundles

Vitamasques is a Korean-British skincare brand with very affordable prices for their high-quality sheet masks, which are made with no parabens or mineral oil. They’re cruelty-free and have tons of vegan options available!

They recently launched a Christmas bundle that includes three vegan sheet masks for £9.99 (with the current sale, £7.99). It includes the Jade and Ruby Gemstone Masks, which use color therapy, aromatherapy, gemstone therapy, and skin therapy. The third one, which is the Cranberry & Apple Sheet Mask (a special edition), will hydrate the skin and load the skin cells up with vitamin C, plumbing and anti-oxidizing. The cranberry gives the skin an extra boost, promoting cell turnover and collagen production.

Vitamasques Xmas Treats – Source: Vitamasques

Cranberry and Apple Sheet Mask Vitamasque Affordable Skincare Gifts

And if you want to go further with your present game this year, they also have a limited edition box with 10 sheet masks and the cutest panda headband for £24.99 (with the current sale, £19.99). This is my favorite set, as you can share it with the person you’re gifting it to and have a few mask parties with them!

The Crème Shop’ Sets

Contrary to the former, I haven’t tried this brand (yet!), but their face masks look really, really cute. They currently have three sets with a “naughty or nice” theme for $15 and 6 sheet masks each. Again, I haven’t tried them so I don’t know if they work, but they sure look good packaging-wise!

Classic Gift Sets

While some people might find classic gift sets too typical, brands are getting more creative with their picks, and while it’s not as original as the options above, you simply can’t fail with them — unless you pick the scent or type of goodies that the person you’re giving them to doesn’t like!.

Since this list is thought to be about affordable gift ideas, I’m going to focus on products under $20 mainly, but just as I did when talking about Vitamasques and their large box of sheet masks, I’m also going to mention some sets over that price that I found very cool and worth it.

Holiday Ornament Duo – Mario Badescu

This skin-hydrating set retails for £10.00 and contains a facial spray and a lip balm. Both items are supposed to provide a healthy, dewy complexion and smooth, supple lips. The packaging idea is very Christmas-y, which makes it perfect for Secret Santa!

Party Prep Set – Tarte Cosmetics

This vegan and cruelty-free bundle has a $37 value but retails for $17. However, there’s a sale going on at the moment and the price has gone down to $12, which makes it even better! It contains mini sizes of their best-selling Maracuja Oil, Marine Boosting Mist Rainforest of the Sea™, Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment and one set of Pack Your Bags Under-Eye Patches.

Party Prep Set Skincare Gift Sets Affordable Cruelty-free

Mermaid Staycation Skincare Gift Sets Affordable Cruelty-free

(source). In case you want an upgrade to this set, Tarte also has a bundle named Mermaid Staycation (right picture) with 5 products, including a scrubber. It has a $55 value and it’s priced at $32 ($22 right now with the sale!).

The Body Shop

Just like Vitamasques would be my absolute favorite when it comes to sheet masks, The Body Shop is my true favorite when it comes to skincare and bath. Their prices aren’t too high for what you’re getting -plus they’re adapted to everyone’s budgets-, and they have some really cute options for everyone.

Note: they have a sale going on at the moment (40% off sitewide), so the prices may vary a lot from what I’m noting here.

$15 or under

Soft Hands, Warm Kisses: If you’re on a budget or you have a limit agreed with whoever you’re gifting these to (been there for my Secret Santa), this lip and hand care duo is a great choice. They have different scents and they normally retail for $10 (now $6).

Treats: at $9 (now $5.40) the holiday version, this set includes a mini shower cream and a body butter. There’s another one that may come in handy for any occasion with a shower gel, a body whip, and an orange mini bath lily.

Festive Body Butter Trio: this set contains three of The Body Shop‘s famous body butters in three scents created for this time of the year. I highly recommend them, as all of them smell amazing and the product itself is really good! Normally it would be $15, but right now, it’s $9.

Over $15

Festive sacks: these sacks of goodies retail for $18 and include a few minis from each scent in this year’s holiday collection (Peppermint Candy Cane, Berry Bon Bon, and Vanilla Marshmallow).

There’s a huge selection of gift ideas in The Body Shop‘s page, so check it out for more!

Finding cruelty-free and affordable skincare gifts can be rough (especially when you’re trying to find something special), but these brands have made it so much easier for me this year. I think there’s a gift for everyone on this list, but if you have more ideas, I’d love to see what you have in mind in the comments! What are you going to gift to your loved ones or yourself this year?

So this is it for today! I hope you got some inspiration for this year’s festivities and that you have the greatest time during them. Thank you so much for reading me, and I hope to see you in my next post! Before you go, don’t forget to follow me on social media ♡

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