Gift Ideas for Women and Teenagers

Ugh. Before you know it, the holidays will be here. It's time to start thinking about great gift ideas now - not on December 23rd. Internet shopping makes life so much easier when it comes to gift giving: no parking hassles, no waiting in long lines at the register, no sales clerks who are of little help, no wandering from store to store just hoping the right thing will jump out at you. I feel your pain. I'm right with you trying to come up with new gift ideas every year. I know, "She's so hard to buy for!" How many times can you buy her clothes? OK, if she's a teenager, there aren't enough clothes in the world, but even teenage girls want to open something other than clothes!

I can almost hear your next thought: "Makeup as a gift?????????" Yes, makeup as a gift. No, not your average stuff you see at the drugstore - it doesn't wrap very well, and isn't very special. BUT... bare mineral makeup is special. Pure mineral cosmetics differ from any other types of cosmetics in that they look totally natural, feel as if you're wearing nothing at all, and if you're buying the right products, are not harmful for the skin. I've never tried any other type of makeup that I can apply at the crack of dawn, and still have it be just as fresh at bedtime. Women love this stuff, I'm telling you. It's easy to apply, goes on quickly, and we end up looking nearly flawless and model-perfect. Even my 13 year old can apply it without any lines by her chin. That says a lot right there.

There are many mineral makeup companies out there, and not all are treated the same. I've written an article previously about mineral makeup comparisons, so I won't repeat it all here. Bottom line: don't buy any mineral makeup that contains Bismuth, parabens, carnuba wax, or with expiration dates. Many of these companies offer bare mineral kits - THAT's where you want to look for gifts! One foundation powder is not a very exciting gift. But a bare minerals kit that has several basic essentials with all the necessary brushes make great gifts. Try to avoid kits that come with set colors inside it - no sense in buying a bare minerals makeup kit that has a blush color that your wife/girlfriend/daughter etc wouldn't wear even on a bet. You want something that they'd like and use.

Teenagers are makeup happy, but aren't really concerned about foundations. They tend to love eye shadows and nail polish, so look for a kit that is geared towards those products. Purely Cosmetics (www.PurelyCosmetics.com) has an Eye Starter Kit that includes 5 different pure mineral eye shadows (you get to pick all of the colors; none of our kits come pre-packaged with what we think you should have, or what colors we need to get rid of), an eye shadow brush, and an eye liner brush all wrapped in a gold candy box for a very reasonable price. And any of the mineral eye powders can be applied using clear nail polish for her nails.

Adult women fall into 2 categories: those who prefer to not wear makeup but need to cover skin imperfections (translation for men: does she wear eye shadow, mascara, etc, or just a little foundation and blush on her cheeks?), and those who prefer to fully make up their faces. Match a mineral makeup kit to fit her lifestyle - those that make up their eyes as well as their faces would use more products than those who are trying to fool Mother Nature. As an example, our best seller, the Best Of Everything Kit, includes not only mineral foundation, blush, color correctors and 6 different types of brushes, but also 3 choices of eye shadow powders as well (and a roadmap of how to apply it all). Boxed up and gift ready, of course. This bare minerals kit is a bargain buy for a woman who prefers her face fully made up when compared to buying each item individually. For those who just want to have an even tone to their skin color, and don't really like to wear much makeup, look for kits that just contain foundations and blushes - preferably one that has concealers or color correctors included. A breakdown of all of our bare mineral makeup starter kits can be found at the website, with a kit to fit every budget.

No matter which type of kit you buy, as long as it's geared towards their tastes in application and color, it's a sure bet for an original gift that will be used and appreciated. Want to do a whole theme? Try this: add a Spa Day to the mix. A massage, manicure/pedicure, and facial followed with a kit of great mineral makeup can't go wrong!