The Beauty Bestie Gift Guide: For the Friend Who Always Asks What to Buy
She sends you Sephora screenshots and asks which lip liner to buy. This is her gift guide — foolproof minis and sets, picked by a makeup artist and licensed aesthetician.
6 min read
She sends you screenshots from Sephora. She asks which lip liner to buy. She loves a beauty moment, but faced with seventeen blush options, she would like you to make the decision. This is her gift guide. I'm calling it the “Beauty Illiterate” Bestie Guide, with love — because loving beauty and knowing what to put in your cart are two very different things. As a makeup artist and licensed aesthetician, I put this edit together with our 35+ besties in mind: a little makeup, a little skin prep, and a few treats to make an everyday routine feel special. And my favorite way to gift these? Split up the sets and build a small beauty collection just for her.
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Step 1
One Gift Set, Several Very Happy Besties
You can absolutely wrap a set exactly as it comes. But several of my picks include multiple individually contained products, which gives you room to get a little creative. Choose a lip liner for the friend who lives in neutrals. Give the rosy blush to the bestie who loves a fresh cheek. Add a lip balm, tuck everything into a cute makeup bag, and suddenly you've made her a personalized beauty edit. You've also answered “But which shade should I use?” before she has to ask. There's no obligation to divide everything equally — the point is to choose thoughtfully, with each person in mind.
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Laura Mercier
Mini Caviar Stick Eyeshadow Trio
Divide the shadow-sm sticks by the shades each friend would enjoy wearing.
MAKEUP BY MARIO
Mini Ultra Suede Sculpting Lip Pencil Trio
A starting point for choosing a liner for each bestie's usual lip look.
Charlotte Tilbury
Mini Unreal Blush + Glow Trio
Pick a shade with each friend's coloring and preferences in mind.
Summer Fridays
Lip Butter Balm Minis
A little addition to round out a beauty pouch or basket.
Step 2
For the Friend Who Wants Her Makeup Picked Out
Some friends would appreciate a ready-made pairing — and I included options for them, too. The MAKE UP FOR EVER lip pencil and gloss duo gives you a lip combination to gift together. The Natasha Denona Mini Eye Sculpt set offers a compact eye-focused gift for the bestie who wants to explore a little more. You could make either one the main present, then add a Beautyblender or the ONE/SIZE Mini Powder Melt Glass Setting Spray.
Pro Tip
Consider how she actually gets ready. If she wears the same simple look every day, build around that. If she's always asking you to teach her something new, choose a gift you can show her how to use — a quick beauty lesson over coffee would be a very cute part of this present.
Step 3
For the Bestie Who Loves the Getting-Ready Ritual
A beauty gift doesn't have to be all color cosmetics. For the skincare-loving friend, choose the one that makes sense for her existing routine — you don't need all three to make a lovely gift. For a little pampering moment, add eye masks and a spa headband set. And for the friend whose beauty obsession extends to her shower shelf or fragrance collection, there's a mini body wash and a fragrance duo. Choose scent gifts with her preferences in mind — we all have that friend who loves vanilla, and the friend who would politely rehome it.
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rhode
Mini Glazing Milk
ILIA
Mini The Base Face Milk
MERIT
Mini Great Skin Skincare Essentials Set
YSE Beauty
The Overachiever Eye Patches
Pixi
AntioxifEYE Eye Mask Goggles (3-Pack)
Amazon
Spa Headband & Wristband Set
CYKLAR
Mini Vanilla Verve Sensorial Body Wash
CLEAN RESERVE
Go Glow Sun-Kissed Papaya Fragrance Duo
Step 4
Three Ways to Put It Together
The Everyday Makeup Bestie: a shadow-sm stick, a lip liner chosen for her, and a lip balm mini — a small edit she can keep together in her makeup bag. The Blush-and-Lips Bestie: a blush from the Charlotte Tilbury trio, a complementary lip pick, and a little handwritten note explaining why you chose those shades. The Self-Care Bestie: an eye-mask packet, the mini body wash, and a spa headband set — add a skincare mini if it suits her routine and your budget. These are starting points; make the gift as small or generous as you like.
Pro Tip
When separating sets, keep each product unopened and retain any relevant labels and instructions. Check sizes and contents before ordering — many of these picks are minis, which is part of the fun.
Step 5
Make the Advice Part of the Gift
Presentation can be simple: a reusable pouch, a small basket, or tissue paper and a pretty ribbon. Then add the part she can't get from a shelf — a note from you. “This is the shade I'd pick for you.” “Keep this one in your handbag.” “Wear these two together.” For the bestie who always asks what to buy, your guidance is part of what makes the gift special.
Her beauty shopping, edited. Your bestie duties, fulfilled.
