To Get The Gift You Really Want? Buy It For Yourself
October 22 | 4 minute read
Words by Kerri Gordon
Self-gifting is my love language. Getting exactly what I want, when I want it? It doesn’t get better than that. As a wise drag queen once said; “if you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else!?”
One year I asked my parents for a blender (I got a steamer). Another, I asked friends for bed linen (I got a terrarium). Surprises run the risk of disappointment and I’m not the one to take such risks.
There’s that, and the fact that growing up, I never celebrated Christmas. Instead, to me, wrapping up the year means spending time with family, self-reflection, a healthy dose of partying and shopping for me, myself and I!
As a beauty obsessive with a double vanity and three overflow cabinets in play, here’s what’s on my self-gift wishlist.
The sweetest scents
Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s yeasted apricot cake recipe gets an absolute workout in my kitchen over the holiday period. It’s a little bread-y, not too sweet, seems to absorb any scandal from the night before and fills your home with the most comforting aroma of cardamom and apricot. When I first smelled Jo Malone London’s Sandalwood & Spiced Apricot Cologne, it teleported me to the moment I’d pull this godly cake out of the oven. I need it, desperately.
On the note of sweets, Flamingo Estate has snuck their Prinsesstårta Candle onto the shelves at MECCA Bourke Street as a destination (and online!) exclusive – it’s scented after one of my favourite cakes, the Swedish princess cake, mimicking the cake’s delicate layers of lemon sponge, vanilla pastry cream and marzipan. As a side hustle baker (and front-hustle beauty editor) it’s got my name written all over it; figuratively and soon, literally – did you know MECCA Bourke Street does complimentary engraving?
On the note of sweets, Flamingo Estate has snuck their Prinsesstårta Candle onto the shelves at MECCA Bourke Street as a destination (and online!) exclusive – it’s scented after one of my favourite cakes, the Swedish princess cake, mimicking the cake’s delicate layers of lemon sponge, vanilla pastry cream and marzipan. As a side hustle baker (and front-hustle beauty editor) it’s got my name written all over it; figuratively and soon, literally – did you know MECCA Bourke Street does complimentary engraving?
A few years ago I was gifted Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540 Ritual Set. It’s a cult-classic and infallible fragrance gift, however at the time, it wasn’t a scent I wore. I slowly began using the hair mist, applying the body oil post-shower – or layering a spritz of the EDP atop my usual fragrance – and became hooked to its ability to bring sparkle, pizazz and a moreish-ness to any scent. I’m overdue for a restock and am thrilled it’s back.
An Australian summer is incomplete without the nostalgic minerality of SPF wafting from your skin, which is why Comme Des Garcon’s ERL Sunscreen EDT is on my list, as well as Tsu Lange Yor’s Pool, in both candle and EDP formats. They have bergamot, lily of the valley and musk in common, however CDG takes a creamier, coconutty route, and TLY brings notes of gazpacho to the table with a crisp, vegetal spin.
An Australian summer is incomplete without the nostalgic minerality of SPF wafting from your skin, which is why Comme Des Garcon’s ERL Sunscreen EDT is on my list, as well as Tsu Lange Yor’s Pool, in both candle and EDP formats. They have bergamot, lily of the valley and musk in common, however CDG takes a creamier, coconutty route, and TLY brings notes of gazpacho to the table with a crisp, vegetal spin.
Makeup that glitters and glows
I’m incredibly embarrassed to admit that my favourite blush palette is one I’ve been using since my year 12 formal makeup service at MECCA (that makes it older than Kardashian heir, North West). Long overdue for replacement, I have my sight set on the NARS Ethereal Aura Blush Palette. It really has it all: warm tones, cool tones, shimmers, sparkles, mattes and sheens, and NARS is the blush G.O.A.T – I couldn’t possibly go wrong.
While we’re stocking the staples, I’ve also got my eye on the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk™ Icons On The Go set, the ultimate side kick to any serial bridesmaid. Everyone’s favourite pinky-browny-nude lipstick is packaged up with the correlating mini lip pencil, eye shimmer and mascara, sized to slip into even the most inconvenient of mini bags.
While we’re stocking the staples, I’ve also got my eye on the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk™ Icons On The Go set, the ultimate side kick to any serial bridesmaid. Everyone’s favourite pinky-browny-nude lipstick is packaged up with the correlating mini lip pencil, eye shimmer and mascara, sized to slip into even the most inconvenient of mini bags.
Space for two more? I’m all about a glitter eye for my 9-to-5 and collect Half Magic Eyeshadow Singles like they’re Pokémon. Eyelectric Butterfly and Elvin Things (how fitting) are next on my list, and an essential addition to my collection before I see Chappell Roan in February. To close out the category, I’ve actually already gifted myself Violette_FR’s Plume Lip in Mon Cherie. I tried it on for the first time in Paris and have never felt more Frenchie-chic in my life. It even stayed put as I knocked back escargot in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Skincare? It must be a joy to use
If you’re not using the holiday period to stock up on your favourite skin sets… it’s time to reprioritise. All your faves, all dressed up, with a little dosh shaved off? It doesn’t get better than that.
The Tatcha Dewy Skin, Plump Lips Set curates the world’s greatest lip mask (I’ve tried them all) with my go-to under-makeup moisturiser and favourite gentle cleanser. Summer Friday’s The Holiday Trio is essentially your ticket to free Lip Butter Balm, pairing two hot choccy-inspired flavours with a mini Jet Lag Mask – a.k.a. the moisturiser that, after 30-hours of airtime, made my skin look better at arrivals than it did at the departure gate.
Then, moving down to the body, there’s the Sol de Janeiro Drench & Dazzle Delicia Drench Body Routine. I recently fell in love with the scent’s Shower Oil iteration following trial of a free sample, enduring the Greatest Shower Of My Life. It has the most luxurious texture with a hydrating ‘slip’ that makes it the perfect partner to your shaving ritual. And it smells SO GOOD. I can’t imagine ever returning to a bog-standard shower gel.
The Tatcha Dewy Skin, Plump Lips Set curates the world’s greatest lip mask (I’ve tried them all) with my go-to under-makeup moisturiser and favourite gentle cleanser. Summer Friday’s The Holiday Trio is essentially your ticket to free Lip Butter Balm, pairing two hot choccy-inspired flavours with a mini Jet Lag Mask – a.k.a. the moisturiser that, after 30-hours of airtime, made my skin look better at arrivals than it did at the departure gate.
Then, moving down to the body, there’s the Sol de Janeiro Drench & Dazzle Delicia Drench Body Routine. I recently fell in love with the scent’s Shower Oil iteration following trial of a free sample, enduring the Greatest Shower Of My Life. It has the most luxurious texture with a hydrating ‘slip’ that makes it the perfect partner to your shaving ritual. And it smells SO GOOD. I can’t imagine ever returning to a bog-standard shower gel.
Wrapping it up
The star at the top of my list is and will always be my most-replenished MECCA product, the MECCA Cosmetica To Save Face SPF50+ Brightening Sun Serum. Every year at Holiday I’ll stock up on the limited-edition version, wrapped in the works of our NGV-collaboration artist (this year, Karen Black). If you’re loyal to the brand’s cream formula, this year the tube itself is adorned in the painterly works of Black – a collector’s item for the SPF-obsessed.
