Creative DIY Christmas Gift Ideas

Beauty Jar

Nothing screams “do it yourself” more than mason jars. I love upcycling and repurposing jars of all shapes and sizes, from baby food, jam, pasta sauce, coffee, giant pickle jars and even large candles; you never know when they will come in handy. If you want, you can spray paint the lids to make the jars look classier. You can put together jars with solely makeup, nail products, hair products or body items, or you can include an assortment of beauty items. Generally, you should line the jar with a soft item to cushion the other items so they won’t break. For example, cotton balls, a soft head wrap, a loofah or shredded kite paper. In you jar, you can include smaller sized items such as lip balm, single eyeshadows, lipstick, lipgloss, mascara, false lashes, travel sized setting spray, mini nail kits, nail polish, nail decals, cuticle oil, travel sized shower gel, body lotion, body scrubs, body butter and other similar items. If you want it to be more personal, fill the jar with items that are your recipient’s favorite color. If there’s still space in the jar, fill it with their favorite candy, or with glass beads, so that they can use the jar to store their brushes after they take the makeup out. Tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar, or stick a bow on top, and you’re done!

Sugar Scrubs

Sugar scrubs can be made using simple ingredients. You can use whatever essential oils you like to change the scent, but your base should be coconut oil, sugar (white or brown will work), your essential oils of choice and optionally, food coloring. For the sake of this how-to, I’ll teach you how to make a candy cane themed sugar scrub. Divide 1 cup of white sugar into two bowls. Add melted coconut oil, stirring in one teaspoon at a time, until the sugar starts to stick together without becoming runny. Once the desired consistency is achieved, stir in peppermint essential oil, approximately 5 drops per half cup of sugar. Add 5 drops of red food coloring to one bowl and mix thoroughly. Take whatever size jar you’d like to gift, and layer in the white and red mixtures, carefully pressing down with a spoon to compact each layer. You can tie a bow around the neck of the jar, and attach an actual candy cane to decorate your sugar scrub. Feel free to fill miniature jars with your candy cane scrub, and include them in the larger beauty jar. Handwritten labels will add an extra personal touch.

DIY Beauty Survival Kit

This is an easy and thoughtful gift to put together. Firstly, you’ll need a pretty makeup pouch. Simply fill this pouch with whatever travel sized “emergency” items you like. Your recipient can keep this pouch in their car or at their office desk. Some examples would be hand sanitizer, gum, mints, a mini flash light, pain killers, lip balm, hand cream, wet wipes, a compact mirror, tweezers, a mini first aid kit, a mini sewing kit, sample sized perfume, mini hairspray, dry shampoo, double sided tape, facial tissues, blotting papers, dental floss, a nail file, safety pins, bobby pins, hair brush, hair ties or whatever other items you think they can use in a pinch. You know at some point, these items will come in handy.

Tea Lover’s Gift

Start with a festive tea cup. You can add an assortment of tea bags, or loose tea with an infuser, homemade cookies wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow, sticks of cinnamon, candy canes and mini jars of honey or agave. If there’s still some room, you can pop in a pretty lipstick, lip balm or any other small beauty item. It’s a small but thoughtful gift.

Remember, if there’s something that you can make rather than buy, your gift will be far more personal. Items like body butters, sugar scrubs, foot soaks, cuticle cream and other beauty items can be made at home with a little research, creativity and love.