Gorgeous last minute gifts for under $50

If you're stuck for a gift to give last minute and are on a bit of a budget I highly recommend one of these:

For girls who love makeup and like to experiment with color, you can't get better than this: 78 Color Eyeshadow & Blush Combination and it's only $25.00!! The colors are amazing and go on beautifully. I have this and got one for my friend for her birthday too.

Give the gift of beautiful skin Murad Acne Complex Kit/ for problem skin ($80 Value) 60 day supply. This kit is great value at only $45.00.

For calming down after the hectic holiday season how about this for the women in your family Serenity Gift by LUSH. They can escape to the peace and quiet of the bathroom for an hour and pamper themselves. $34.95.

For party hair, give them Jonathan Dirty and Flirty Kit http://www.jonathanproduct.com/ this little beauty contains Travel size Silky Dirt Shine & Define Crème, Shimmer Silky Dirt in Soft Pink and in Golden Glow, perfect for New Years Eve hair and is on offer now at $20.00 (20% discount)!

This next gift is one I'd LOVE! I've bought these before and am hoping someone will give me a Sephora gift card for Christmas so I can get one! Sephora Favorites LashStash Mascara Deluxe Sampler ($104 Value) LashStash Mascara Deluxe Sampler It's $39.00 for 10 mini mascaras.

For a quick and easy tan (I used this before I went out last night and it was amazing!) get Fake Bake Instant Self-Tanning Spray Air Brush 207ml/7oz. It goes on fast and dries even quicker giving an instant tan that deepens over a few hours. $29.95

Candles make a great gift, I love them and have many around my house (be careful to blow them out though!) I recently was sent this one Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange 10.5oz Boxed Candle and it smells so good I want to eat it! At only $19.50 it's great value and they do a lot of other great scents too.

Another bathtime treat that is sure to transport you to the tropics (if only in your daydreams) isPure Fiji Spa Pure Fiji Coconut Milk Bath Soak-Coconut Infusion (16 oz) I love this line of products. The coconut smell is gorgeous and they make your skin sooo soft. $29.95.

A great and inforamtive beauty read is Liz Earle's Natural Beauty Kit $35.00 and is the gift that keeps on giving - giving great skin that is!

(some of the above brands were provided to me and some I bought)

Inflight beauty

As it's getting close to the time of year most people travel home for the holidays, I thought I'd let you in to a few of my secrets on how to arrive looking great, even after a long haul flight.

I travel a lot for work and like to be comfortable and for it all to go as smoothly as possible. So to start with, I always make sure I have a few essentials with me:

• My own pillow - I like to try and get some sleep and those little pillows they give out just won't do! Take your own and even if you don't sleep it's far more comfortable to lean on!
• A wrap or throw - I use the blanket they give out on my feet and legs, they are a bit scratchy so like to have my own wrap to put around my upper body to keep me warm.
• Noise cancelling headphones - their headphones don't usually work so well. My ones also block out the sound of all the commotion around me so I can sleep or catch up on movies in peace!
• A big bottle of water - get this after you've passed security and sip throughout the flight to keep you hydrated. I also like to bring a packet of Glowelle http://www.glowelle.com/ to add to it to give my skin a boost.
• Fruit - you can make a fruit salad at home or bring pieces with you. These also help to keep you hydrated and is better for you than all the salty snacks the crew pass around. Be sure to eat it all or get rid of it before you land though - you can be fined for bringing it in to other countries!
• Makeup remover wipes - I like to take my makeup off after I've gotten on to the plane. Wipes pass the security measures too.
• A bag with travel sized beauty products - I put my beauty travel items in a clear plastic bag before I leave the house. It enables you to pass security quicker as they are already together and within the limits of what you are allowed to take on.
• I bring: Liz Earle http://www.lizearle.com/ Instant Boost Skin Tonic - the travel size of this comes in a handy little spray bottle. I spritz with this throughout the flight to stop my skin from drying out.
• Arcona http://www.arcona.com/ Peptide Eye Serum from the Four Your Eyes Only kit. The serum helps repair and moisturize the eye area and also helps depuff, ideal after a long flight. The rest of the kit is great for travel too, I keep it in my checked baggage for the rest of my trip!
• Talika Eye Decompress http://www.talika.com/ These amazing little eye masks are in tablet form that you immerse in the liquid they come with. They transform into an instantly cooling and soothing mask that refreshes tired eyes and helps smooth fine lines. I put one under my sleep mask (www.dreamessentials.com do great ones that are molded so they don't press against your eyes) just before the lights come back on!
• Janson Beckett http://www.janson-beckett.com/ Alpha Derma CE comes in a small bottle too so that you can take this on with you. I moisturize with this at the start of the flight when I've removed my makeup, it keeps your skin from looking dry and tight at the end of your flight.
• Orlane http://www.orlane.com/ Morning Recovery Concentrate is a miracle in a little bottle! Just before you reapply your makeup at the end of the flight, apply this and give it a minute to work. It revs up circulation and gives you a glow making you look like you slept even if you didn't! It's also non greasy so you can put your makeup on straight over it.
• Colorescience Pro http://www.colorescience.com/ Lip Serum looks like a gloss so it does double duty, but is really an intensive treatment for dry, parched lips.
• Jonathan http://www.jonathanproduct.com/ Pocket Redo freshen up wipes are an ingenious product! They not only freshen your skin but are for use on your hair too. Removing smells and grease and leaving a subtle scent. Perfect for 'redoing' your hair just before you deplane.
• Pacifica http://www.pacificaperfume.com/ have a great selection of solid perfumes. I like to take these onboard as obviously they pass regulation and don't offend other passengers by clouding the air! Leave the plane smelling as sweet as you got on with a quick swipe of this behind the ears and on the wrists.

With these tips and products you can arrive looking as great as when you left, even after an 11 hour flight - I do this a lot!