Cruelty Free Christmas Present Ideas

Today I have some cruelty free Christmas present ideas just in case you are still trying to find gifts for a loved one. All these products are also great to treat yourself with, as sometimes we need to look after ourselves too. Many of these products can be bought online, but you need to pay attention to what each website says about Christmas postage. Every store has a different last day for buying so that your items will arrive in time for Christmas. 

Makeup

Makeup is usually the easiest thing to buy for someone who loves cruelty free beauty. You should however stay away from complexion products like foundations and concealers, as they need to be an exact skin tone match and that is too hard to do when you don’t have the person there to test the products. I tend to buy eye products like neutral eyeshadows and eyeliners, pink or red lip products and beauty tools like makeup brushes the most as presents, as they are makeup staples and they will suit all skin colours and types. 

My favourite eyeliners are the Eye Of Horus Goddess Pencils ($30), I did a full review on them, but the Hourglass 1.5mm Mechanical Gel Liner ($26) and Marc Jacobs Beauty Fineliner Ultra Skinny Gel Eye Crayon ($36) are also great eyeliners. 

Eyeshadow palettes are a great cruelty free Christmas present for the beauty lover in your life. TheBalm Meet Matt(e) Nude, Meet Matt(e) Trimony and Meet Matt(e) Ador are 9 pan matte eyeshadow palettes with colours that everyone can find a way to use. TheBalm is available from the Beauty Next Website, David Jones, Target and Priceline. Designer Brands (an all vegan brand) have released a range of eye and face palettes for the holiday season. They have three new 9 pan eyeshadow palettes that are very affordable at only $14.99 each. There is Neutral With Neptune, Mauve on Mercury and Jump For Jupiter. If you’re buying for someone who likes natural makeup then Nourished Life has the Lily Lilo Iconic Eye Collection Set available ($67).

There are lots of lip products and beauty sets launched before Christmas as they are a popular Christmas present. Mecca Max (a fully vegan brand) has the 5 Minute Pocket Palette ($28) which comes in three shades and includes eye, cheek and lip products for doing makeup on the run. Mecca Max also has some mini Christmas sets like the Light The Night Prep And Set Duo ($32). Mecca Cosmetica, the other Mecca house brand, also has some cute makeup sets. I love all the sets that include the tinted Lip De-Luscious balms – The Tint Trio ($45), Glossy Glide Ornament ($32) and Pout Popper Cracker ($22). There are also sets that include their well loved highlighter and eyeshadow pots – On The Glow Signature Set ($70), Glisten and Glow Set ($100), Eyes So Bright Eyeshadow Duo ($50) and the Enlightened Ornament ($28). 

Another brand from Mecca that has lots of Christmas sets is Smashbox. My favourite set is the Holidaze Photo Finish Travel Primer Trio ($32) but they also have lip, mascara and eyeliner sets available. Hourglass Cosmetics have two limited edition lipstick sets out for the holidays, the Confession Lipstick Duo ($49) and the Confession Lipstick Set ($88). If you’re looking for a more affordable lip set then you could check out the Australis Goal Getter Lip Cream & Scrub Duo ($14.95). 

I will frequently buy makeup tools as presents for other beauty lovers as good makeup tools really make a difference with makeup application. My favourite makeup brush brand is Furless (affiliate), I have written lots of reviews on their brushes as they are so good. I tend to buy one of the Black, Purple or Pink makeup brush sets ($89.99) as they come with their own vegan leather travel case which makes them so easy to travel with. If you want to go big then there is the Professional Makeup Brush Set ($169.95) which contains 20 makeup brushes. 

Other brush brands that have sets that you can buy as a cruelty free Christmas present are Real Techniques and Eco Tools. Both brands are available at Priceline but you can also find Eco Tools at Big W, Flora and Fauna (affiliate) and the Eco Tools Australian website. Makeup sponges are also a great present as they need to be thrown out after three months of use for sanitary reasons, so makeup loves are always in need of more. Beauty Blender have various Christmas sets, which have sold out on the Sephora Website (affiliate) at the moment, but Sephora stores often have items in stock that aren’t on the website so it’s worth checking. There is the Sweet Indulgence Set ($95), Blender’s Delight Set ($60) and Sweet Surprise Set ($30), but a single Beauty Blender ($30) is a good gift too if you can’t find the sets. 

Skincare

Skincare can be a hard present to buy for someone else, as you don’t know their skin like they do, however if you know the person loves trying new skincare items, then skincare can be a great present. I like getting skincare more than makeup, so my Christmas wish list was full of it this year. Mini skincare gift sets are a great present as a set is much more affordable than buying the products full size and it’s a great way to try each product to know if buying the full size is worthwhile in future. La Mav have three mini travel skincare sets ($24.95), Anti-ageing, Ultra-Hydration and Skin Brightening. I bought the Ultra-Hydration Travel Minis set for my recent trip overseas and I ended up buying some of the full size products when I got back. Flora and Fauna (affiliate), Nourished Life (affiliate) and the La Mav website all stock the brand but the La Mav website has a limited edition Christmas Brightening Kit ($89) and Nourished Life has a La Mav Hydra-Calm Cleansing Creme Gift ($35)  set which aren’t on the other sites. I have a full review on the La Mav Hydra-Calm Cleansing Creme and Anti-Dark Circle Eye Gel that you can check out. 

Trilogy is another brand that make great mini skincare sets that are great cruelty free Christmas presents. My picks are the Beauty Trio Celebration Set ($37.95), Brilliantly Boosted Deluxe Celebration Set ($52.95) and the Glow Up Celebration Set ($47.95). The Rosehip Skin Treats Mini Celebration Set is only $22.95 if you’re on a budget, and the cult classic Certified Organic Rosehip Oil 20ml is $25.95. Most of Trilogy’s products are great for sensitive skin, the only set I wouldn’t get for someone with sensitive skin would be the Brilliantly Boosted Set due to the Active Enzyme Cream, but everything else would work well. Priceline currently has a 4 piece Trilogy Skincare set which includes the Cream Cleanser, Vital Moisturising Cream, Certified Organic Rosehip Oil and Bamboo Facial Brush for $26.59, which is 30% off the RRP of $37.99. 

If you’re looking for something more expensive then check out the Mecca website or go to a Mecca Maxima or Mecca Cosmetica store. They have lots of Drunk Elephant skincare sets available including some limited edition Christmas sets – the Agent Elite Kit ($129), Rescue Party Kit ($110) and the Inspector Drunk Kit ($143). I got the Agent Elite Kit for Christmas as it has the full size of their C-Firma Day Serum which I know I like, but if the person you’re buying for hasn’t tried the brand then The Littles Set ($123) or the mini duo sets: Nightbright ($40), Rise + Glow ($33) , or Hit It Off Duo ($29) would be a good gift. The Hit It Off Duo would probably be the best for someone with sensitive skin. 

Another set from Mecca that I asked for for Christmas is the Sunday Riley Power Couple ($124). It has their most well known items in it, Good Genes and Luna Sleeping Oil. This is a set that would be great for someone who already loves these products but it’s an expensive set to get for someone if they were to have problems tolerating either of the products in it. So just get it for someone you know loves these products or this brand. 

Mecca’s house brand, Mecca Cosmetica, has lots of Christmas sets available. Every year I buy myself the Daily Defenders Set ($28), as it contains the To Save Face SPF 50+ Sunscreen and Lip De-Luscious Balm with SPF 25 which are perfect to carry in my handbag during the Australian summer. The First Resort Kit ($50) is another sunscreen set or there is The Suite Life Set ($48) that contains their cleanser, moisturiser and plumping balm. 

The Body Shop has a large range of gift sets that include skincare, bath and body products as well as sets aimed at women and men. They have shower gel and body butter sets that are $12 if you need a stocking stuffer or Secret Santa gift, as well as much larger gift sets. 

Both Flora and Fauna and Nourished Life (affiliates) sell various gift sets that they have curated as well as brand specific gift sets like the Black Chicken Remedies Allsorts Set ($104.30) which includes 12 products to try out. 

Nail Polish

If you are buying for someone who loves nail polish then you should really consider buying them an Australian Indie Nail Polish and they’re hand made and more unique than anything you will find in stores. Some of the Aussie Indie brands also stock cuticle care, hand care and general bath and  body products. My favourite Cuticle Oil comes from Emily de Molly and it would be a good stocking stuffer if you need one. I asked the Aussie Indie Polish brands to post their Christmas opening times and when the last day to order for Christmas delivery is in the Australian Indie Appreciation Society Facebook Group. You can check out the group for their opening times but the brands that gave definitive Christmas ordering cut off days are Bettie Pain Polish (order before the 14th to get orders before Christmas Day), Emily de Molly (order before the 15th), and Sayuri Nail Lacquer (order by 15th at the very latest). When Boxing Day gets closer, I will ask the brands to post their upcoming sales so you can figure out what you want to buy in advance. 

Eco Friendly

If you’re looking for something that is more environmentally friendly, then I have some ideas for you. Eye Of Horus Cosmetics have Bio Lipsticks which are vegan, have a great formula and they also come in biodegradable packaging, so they can go back to the earth when used up. I have a full review on them with swatches that you can check out. A new colour, Vesta Red, has just been launched for the holidays. There is a limited edition Vesta Goddess pack which contains 1 Bio Lipstick in Vesta Red, 1 Travel Sized Goddess Mascara and black mesh makeup purse for $45; and 10% from every pack sold in December will be donated to Red Dust charity (for indigenous women’s health in the Northern Territory). 

I only found out about Elate Cosmetics this year, but I wish I knew about them earlier. They make cruelty free and vegan cosmetics and use bamboo in their packaging to make their products sustainable. Flora and Fauna (affiliate) are the Australian stockists of the brand and there are some Elate Cosmetics gift sets available on the site at the moment. There are Lips and Lashes Kits ($107.95), a Liners, Lips and Lashes Kit ($139.95), and Capsule Beauty Boxes ($189.95), plus all of the individual products as well. Also available on Flora and Fauna are various mixed brand gift sets like the Flora and Fauna Jet Setter Gift Box ($58.45) which contains an Eco Max Travel Body Brush, Wotnot Mini Wipes Pack, Eco Tools Mini Make Up Brush Set, EO Hand Sanitiser in Peppermint and LaVanila Mini Deodorant. Flora and Fauna also stocks lots of Eco Friendly things that aren’t beauty related like the original reusable travel coffee cup, Keep Cup, as well as other reusable coffee cup brands like Joco and Perky (bamboo reusable cups). 

I like to go to my local markets to find handmade and eco-friendly products. I went to the Ethical Night Market recently and found lots of new small businesses that I had never heard of. One business I found is called Nur Organics and they have cruelty free and vegan lip balms that come in cardboard packing so they can be fully recycled when you finish the product.  I’ve got a temporary Story highlight on Instagram called “Xmas Market” so you can see what sorts of things you might find at a market near you. 

Finally, I just wanted to include something completely unrelated to beauty, but still a great present for anyone who loves animals and the environment. You can “foster” an Elephant for yourself or a loved one through The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. For as little as US$50 a year you can support an orphaned Elephant. I love presents that give back, if you know of anything else like this, including products that have the proceeds going to charity, let me know in the comments. 

I hope I have given you some cruelty free Christmas present ideas that you can use. If you have any ideas to add, please leave them in the comments below. I love spending time finding the right gift for my loved ones as the time and effort I put in to doing that shows them how much they mean to me. However, remember that presents aren’t everything and that the time spent with your loved ones is what matters these holidays. I have lots of cruelty free blog posts planned so stay tuned for those. I hope you have a happy and safe holiday season.

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