Both sides of the spectrum: Holiday skincare sets from Fresh & Burt’s Bees + a giveaway!

One week left!

So although my holiday is actually pretty much over (it’s the last night of Hanukkah tonight), I’m going to assume the vast majority of you celebrate Christmas, and since the holiday is happening this Sunday, if you haven’t found the perfect gift yet, let me help you out.

Here’s a hint, if you’re absolutely stuck, a skincare or bath & body gift is always a good idea. I do like to think of it as a “I didn’t know what to get you, but this is safe”, but when it comes down to it, who doesn’t need another lip balm or a face cleanser? These everyday gifts are always a good thing to gift, even for the gal or guy that has it all.

So I present to you a couple options from two brands, Fresh and Burt’s Bees. Both are phenomenal and offer up a ton of sets at different price points to choose from.

Fresh Sugar holiday gift sets

First up is are the various Sugar lip balm sets from Fresh. I’ve gifted these every year and always find them to be great gifts since the Sugar formula is very luxurious and doesn’t dry out your lips. They have a ton of different sets available, but I love the Sugar Lip Beauty Box (C$54) that has six shades of the Sugar lip balms, plus little pencil crayons that you can use to colour in the tin. Another great option is the Perfect Pink Lips set (C$23), which is more affordable and has a Rose Sugar lip balm and a Sugar Cream Lip Treatment in Blush, which is essentially a creamy formula that nourishes the lips and leaves a rosy pink shimmer. The Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment has SPF 15 in it, making it perfect for vacations, whether you’re lounging on the beach or skiing the alps.

As for actual skincare, they have a ton of different sets available and their skincare products are top notch! My favourite set is the Holiday Glow Skincare Set (C$56), which contains a 50 ml of their bestselling cleanser the Soy Face Cleanser (I’ve used this and love it!), a FreshFace Instant Glow Luminizer, and a Sugar Face Polish. All three of the products in this set are larger sizes so they will last you awhile. I have used the Sugar Face Polish a couple times and it kinda acts like a mask. Slather it on your skin and then leave it on for a few minutes before washing it off for radiant-looking skin.

Fresh skincare sets for holidays 2017 Fresh skincare sets for holidays 2017

If you want something for someone who lives and breathes Fresh, then the Best of Beauty Bundle is the way to go. Retailing for C$90, this five-piece set includes a 50 ml of the Soy Face Cleanser, a 30 ml of the Vitamin Nectar Vibrancy-Boosting Face Mask, a 15 ml of the Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream with Super 7 Complex, a 5 ml of the Black Tea Age-Delay Eye Concentrate, and a Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy. This set has everything you need for skincare, morning and night. Start first with the cleanser, then use the eye concentrate, then the face cream, before slathering your lips with the Sugar Lip Treatment. For something extra special a couple times a week, use the face mask.

If you’re on a budget but still want some fab gifts from Fresh, they have some smaller options available as well. Like I said, I absolutely love their Soy Face Cleanser, so the Skincare Cult Classics set is a great choice as for C$26 you get a 50 ml of the cleanser, plus a Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy. If you want to gift something that would introduce the brand to a friend, then the Facial on the Fly set (C$41) is a great option as well. This set includes a 50 ml of the Soy Face Cleanser, a 15 ml of the Rose Face Mask, and a 15 ml of the Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream with Super 7 Complex. This set provides the basics for great skincare.

Fresh Best of Beauty Bundle gift set for holidays 2017

If you’re looking for some great stocking stuffers, then Burt’s Bees has some wonderful options as well.

I carry around lip balm wherever I go and there’s often a stick of it somewhere in every room of my condo. Since I love anything gingerbread, I couldn’t wait to slather my lips in the Ginger Spice Lip Balm (C$4.89, also comes in peppermint), which is made from 100 per cent natural ingredients and doesn’t contain any parabens, phthalates, or petrolatum. This stuff is super moisturizing, and best of all doesn’t dry out your lips afterwards like other lip balms have the tendency to do. They also have the Beeswax Bounty Fruit Mix set (C$12.99), which contains four of their lip balms in Wild Cherry, Pink Grapefruit, Coconut & Pear, and Strawberry. There is also the Kissable Colour set (C$9.99 in warm and cool), which includes three natural lip shimmer shades. These are similar to the balms but provide a little bit of colour and shimmer to the lips while nourishing and moisturizing them with Vitamin E and beeswax.

Burt's Bees holiday sets for 2017 Burt's Bees Beeswax Bounty Fruit Mix set, Ginger Spice lip balm, and Kissable Colour set

As for actual skincare, since I travel so much I can totally relate to the Travel Essentials kit (C$14.99), which contains carry-on-approved sizes of the Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion, a mini Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, a 10-count of the Facial Cleansing Towelettes with White Tea Extract, a Beeswax Lip Balm, and a Coconut & Pear Lip Balm.

The Facial Essentials kit (C$22.99) is also a fab gift as it contains a pack of the White Tea Towelettes for removing makeup, dirt, and oil; a Peach & Willowbark Deep Pore Scrub; a Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream; and a Coconut & Pear Lip Balm.

Finally, for the hands and feet, the Mani Pedi set (C$22.99) makes the perfect Secret Santa gift (I actually gifted this for Secret Santa). It has a Peppermint Foot Lotion, a Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, an Ultimate Care Hand Cream, and an ecoTools footbrush and pumice. This is perfect for that guy or gal that loves hosting at-home pedicure nights, complete with some vino, a face mask, and the newest episode of Riverdale.

Burt's Bees Mani Pedi set Burt's Bees Face Essentials kit

When it comes to skincare, you don’t need to fork out an arm and a leg to get a great gift. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the holidays are the perfect time to stock up on your skincare faves or introduce a family member or friend to your favourite brand since the companies always come out with special gift sets that are reasonably priced this time of the year.

Now for the fun part, if you’re still stumped on what to get a certain someone, or if you’re just frazzled from all the holiday shopping, another fabulous drugstore brand, Garnier partnered with me to host a giveaway to one lucky Instagram follower of mine.

Garnier Canada holiday beauty giveaway

Up for grabs are the following all-star products from Garnier:

  • 1 x Clear Brighter Skin Active Daily Moisturizer
  • 1 x Garnier SkinActive Micellar Water with Argan Oil
  • 1 x Miscellaneous set of Fructis Shampoo and Conditioner
  • 1 x Miscellaneous Skin Active Sheet Mask

To enter, head on over to my Instagram account, follow me, follow @GarnierCan, and tag a friend who would love these Garnier goodies in the comments featuring the above photo. Contest is open to Canadian residents only and closes December 22, 2017.

Good luck!

Are any sets from Fresh or Burt’s Bees on your list this year?

Please note, I was sent these products from PR. All opinions are my own.

Like what you read? Check out these related posts:


Sephora.com, Inc.