The 47 best beauty gifts of 2023: Makeup, skin care, hair care and more expert picks

"One of my favorite holiday hacks is to purchase gift sets like this and split them up to make multiple presents," says Reed. She'll pick up Tarte's Juicy Lips gift set and this set of four makeup palettes, and then wrap a lip and palette together — "So with purchasing two sets, you'll have four individual gifts that will bundle so nicely together!" she explains.

"I grab at least three or four of these mascara sets every year," shares Sephora beauty director David Razzano. "It’s a great gift for anyone who loves mascara because it allows them to try out all the new and iconic formulas. This way they can have fun, and maybe find a new favorite or two. These sets are also great to break up if you are creating custom gifts." The best part? After you've tested the sample sizes, you can redeem the included Mascara Coupon to get a full size of your favorite from Sephora at Kohl's.

Makeup artist Jaleesa Jaikaran says she's a huge fan of Fenty Beauty's ultra-shiny glosses. A must-have gift from Ulta Beauty at Target, the mini sizes are perfect for testing popular shades.

If you're already a fan, you can go for the full-size glosses and go to Fenty Beauty's site for a custom, you-pick-three set of your favorite Gloss Bomb shades or pick a trio from the holiday collection.

Celebrity hairstylist and Ulta Beauty pro team member Danielle Keasling loves this lip and eye set. "This set is a fantastic choice for anyone who loves dramatic lashes. The mascara formula is designed to provide volume and length, while the included eyelash primer helps to lift and curl lashes for an even more dramatic effect," she says. "Plus, the packaging is fun and festive, making it a great gift option."

A multi-tasking beauty product created by celebrity makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes, the Hyper Shine High Lite Kit is perfect for adding luminosity to your makeup looks. "Get your glow on during the holidays with [this] customizable glow kit that allows you to adjust your level of shine whatever the occasion," says Hughes.

Makeup artist, hairstylist and Ulta Beauty pro team member Mat Wulff loves these liquid highlighters for glowy skin. According to the expert, they look amazing worn as a base, over makeup and all over the décolleté.

"I've been using this mascara for YEARS at this point, and it's truly the best one that I've found — it stays all day long without flaking," says Reed. "I always use this primer too, so I love this set that is a discounted price for both the mascara and the primer together."

Jaikaran says this is one of her favorite makeup removers she uses on herself and clients. The duo comes with 4.2-ounce and 6.7-ounce bottles ($88 value) of the waterproof makeup-melting remover, so you can stock up and snag a deal.

"I love the gift of relaxation and some 'me' time," says Autumne West, Nordstrom's national beauty director. "The body polish, body butter and oil in this set are pure luxury on your skin. You’ll feel good and look good as you indulge in every product in this set."

Another one of Jaikaran's favorite gift sets, this skin care kit features four products to target plumpness, brightness and hydration. It's also recommended by Keasling, who says, "it's an excellent introduction to Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair range, designed to fight signs of aging and help skin recover overnight."

It includes a full-size Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex, as well as travel sizes of the Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Creme, Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Gel-Creme Synchronized Multi-Recovery and new Advanced Night Cleansing Gelée, for a complete nighttime skin care regimen.

This under-$100 gift set features Glossier skin care essentials, including the Super Bounce hyaluronic acid serum, After Baume barrier repair cream and Milky Jelly cleanser. The gentle products are suitable for all skin types.

Pro hair stylist and Ulta Beauty pro team member Michelle O’Connor is a fan of Beekman 1802's clean skin care products. This moisturizing duo will keep skin hydrated with the Bloom Cream Daily Moisturizer and Oh! Mega Milk Fermented Barrier Boosting Facial Oil.

Chanel's viral eye masks make a cute gift set or stocking stuffer. The two-step system features a roll-on serum, followed by the soothing hydrogel patches. You'll want to pop the calming treatment on after a night of holiday celebrations.

Wulff says you can "never go wrong with Clinique skin care." This handy set comes with full-size skin care and makeup best sellers (including the viral Black Honey Almost Lipstick), as well as travel-friendly makeup remover, eye cream and a mini-sized Clinique Happy perfume spray.

"I use this duo every single morning while I have coffee and while I apply my eyeshadow," shares pro hairstylist and founder of Day Rate Beauty Aviva Jansen Perea. "The cream creates the perfect canvas for concealer and the masks catch the pesky fallout. I love that they are reusable and the carrying case make them perfect for travel."

Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Marnie Naussbaum says this super luxe skin care set is "a sensorial indulgence for the skin." The Swiss brand is known for its caviar-infused formulas that deliver youth-preserving benefits. "I love the smell of the Skin Caviar collection and of course the lifting and firming benefits," says Naussbaum. "The set includes its iconic Luxe Cream which is rich and glides on the skin smoothly, leaving the skin velvety soft." Along with the cream, it comes with the Skin Caviar Essence-in-Lotion, Skin Caviar Harmony L'Extrait Serum and Skin Caviar Liquid Lift Serum to cover your day and night routines.

This vanilla-forward floral fragrance is soft, sweet and pretty, with notes of blackcurrant, jasmine grandiflorum and bourbon vanilla. It's one of Jaikaran's picks as well as my own, since it's a fan-favorite scent across generations — both myself and my mom love it and wear it often.

Keasling says this trio of travel-sized Gucci perfumes is "a beautiful choice for anyone who loves floral bouquets." All of the scents are inspired by different flowers. The expert especially loves the jasmine scent, which she says is "is charming, with its delicate, sweet aroma."

"In fragrance, I often think about a fragrance that needs replenishing, but with the bonus of a travel or purse size bottle in addition to the full size," says O'Connor. She keeps Prada Paradoxe in "heavy rotation" so she loves the idea of grabbing this two-piece set for the price of a singular bottle.

"We included six mini perfumes in a beautiful gift box for under $70, and these scents are luxe, elevated and absolutely perfect for the holidays," Reed says of her brand's fragrance gift set. "Gift to a friend, split into multiple gifts or keep them all for yourself — you’ll love these!"

"I’m a sucker for minis, and I love so many products in this line," says hairstylist Nikki Providence. "The smoothing hair balm is my number one and I love that they include a perfume because the scent is fantastic. Also, some portion of proceeds go to preserve the Amazon rainforest!"

"This dry shampoo set is amazing," raves Reed. "I can go an entire week in between washes with a combination of the Living Proof original dry shampoo and the Advanced Clean, and this set is nearly 50% off for both products. We all need a good dry shampoo, and these are truly a 10/10 for me!"

Providence loves Bumble and Bumble's Hairdresser's Invisible Oil line, which you can try with this three-piece gift set that includes travel sizes of the collection's shampoo, conditioner and heat protectant primer. Alternatively, you can get a trio of the full-size products for $74.

Ulta Beauty pro team member, Redken ambassador and celebrity hair stylist and colorist Sean Godard can't get enough of this restorative hair care collection. "This system can literally repair visible hair damage with one use," he says. "It’s been one of our most successful and loved launches in hair." The four-piece set comes with the Acidic Bonding Concentrate shampoo, conditioner, intensive treatment and leave-in conditioner.

"Whether you style your hair naturally, curly or love a blowout, the Oribe Gold Lust Collection is exactly what you need to look like you just stepped out of the salon," says West. "It makes for a great gift for someone who has everything and wouldn’t think to buy this for themselves." The three-piece set includes the Gold Lust Repair & Restore shampoo, conditioner and hair oil, housed in a gorgeous box you don't even need to wrap.

Your loved one may have their shamoo and conditioner covered, but what about their pre- and post-wash routine? This hair care set, recommended by Providence, comes with a full-size bottle of Fable & Mane's best-selling pre-wash hair oil, along with travel sizes of the scalp scrub and finishing oil. The expert says the products "smell divine" while delivering "hydration, strength and protection."

"Verb is such a great option for hair care and what better way to get into the line than by trying the holiday kit with a shampoo, conditioner, oil and air dry cream," says Wulff.

"This dry shampoo became a staple in my kit the very first time I used it," says Jansen Perea. "It’s invisible so you won’t get any white cast, and also contains nourishing ingredients, and is incredible for refreshing the hair and adding lots of airy texture. This bundle comes with a Petite Power Pin from my brand Day Rate Beauty, making a power duo for creating any updo for the upcoming holiday party season and at $39 for both ($53 value) it makes for such a beautiful gift for the hair lover in your life!"

"You can’t go wrong with the 12 Days of Nails Christmas Calendar from Le Mini Macaron for the DIY nail person in your life," says West. "It is an exciting Advent calendar that provides gel-like long-wearing polish, plus all of the pieces you need for shaping, color, base and top coats with all the holiday flair."

One of the quickest at-home manicures you can do, these gel nail strips come with several shades, accent strips and nail art stickers so you can customize your look. Once you cure them, they'll look just as shiny and last just as long as a gel manicure from the salon.

Nail polish lovers will appreciate this kit, loved by professional nail artist Betina Goldstein, that gives long-lasting manicures at home. "This system is revolutionary," Goldstein raves. "It goes on like gel and removes like regular polish. This is perfect for people on the go who don’t have time or patience to wait for polish to dry, but hate the process of gel remover. Easy enough for at home use or bring it with you to the salon."

With a skin care-inspired approach to nail care — which makes sense for a dermatologist-founded brand — Dr. Dana's nail renewal system helps keep nails strong, healthy and shiny.

Let's be real — buying men's grooming gift sets is practically like checking some boxes off of a grocery list. Instead of picking up his favorite drugstore shampoo, help him upgrade and grab this trio of hair and body washes. "I love how the Big Sir Body & Hair Cleanser from the Jack Black The Clean Team Set smells on my husband, so this might really be a gift for me," West says.

I gifted my boyfriend a body care set from Malin + Goetz last year and it's since become his favorite body wash and lotion. The Rum scent is a favorite for the both of us, so this duo is a no-brainer for restocking some tried-and-true products.

Celebrity groomer and Every Man Jack ambassador Michael Dueñas loves this beard and skin care set. "It has a gentle beard and face wash, beard oil for softening your hair and hydrating your skin and beard butter for controlling flyaways," he says. The groomer loves that the formulas include beneficial, naturally derived ingredients like jojoba, squalene and avocado oils. "The scent of all the products is Hinoki spice and it is amazing," he adds.

Celebrity groomer Laila Hayani says that "Jaxon Lane is one of the cleanest and most effective men’s grooming lines out there." She and fellow celebrity groomer KC Fee both recommend this set from the brand. “Guys love the simplicity of the routine and the packaging," says Fee. "Skin care can be intimidating for men but Jaxon Lane has created a line with ease. This is a fantastic starter set for your man with all of the original hero products.” 

O'Connor recommends this grooming set with a shampoo, conditioner and Fiber styling product. "This is great for a few reasons," she says. "One, it gets him to stop using yours, and two American Crew is not only a very classic brand in the category of men’s grooming, but the scent in their products are so rustic and sultry."

Hayani appreciates the quality of Every Man Jack's products and recommends this kit. According to the expert, the brand is "driven to deliver exceptional grooming care," which is displayed in this convenient set that includes a beard comb, brush and shears for easy, everyday maintenance.