My beauty-lovers gift guide 2024

As I’m fortunate enough to be writing to a beautiful bunch of fellow beauty-lovers, tonight I’m sharing all my non-BASE skin favourites. These are items that I think you’ll love to give or receive and it says a lot that even though I’ve tried and tested them all, I’d still be extremely happy for them to reappear in my stocking this year…

1. My Foundation Alternative...

In my teenage years and early 20s my favourite product was a camouflage foundation, to try and cover up my acne struggles. But the older I get and the more clear my skin has become, the less makeup I like.

At the start of the year, I was using a beautiful CC Cream by the brand Erborian (shade Clair), which I still love. However, applying a product to my whole face felt kind of unnecessary when my skin had such a natural glow thanks to BASE. So I started using just a touch of concealer in a few key areas and leaving the rest bare.

For me, these areas are around my nose, my chin and a little on my cheeks where I naturally flush. My favourite product for this is the Lancome Wear All Over Concealer (Shade 250 Bisque), which my youngest sister kindly introduced me to. It’s comfortable, breathable but creates a filter-like effect in all the right places, with just a couple of dots.

2. My Haircare Game-Changer...

I always used to say that all 3 of my siblings were blessed with thick, glossy hair and that the gene pool seemed to have forgotten to include me in this category…Until this year! About 6 months ago I began receiving hair compliments for the very first time both via Instagram AND in real life too?!

I say it like it came out of nowhere, but in actual fact, it happened when I started to pay my barnet some much needed attention! Firstly, I began getting regular trims and after both my sisters and sister-in-laws got balayage - I copied 😂 But perhaps the magic ingredient in amongst all these changes is my beloved hair growth serum.

I was talking about my fine, flat, limp hair to my hairdresser one appointment and she asked if I noticed my hair shedding often, which I did. So she recommended an anti-hair loss serum called Nioxin and I am genuinely astounded by the results. Not only does my hair feel fuller and thicker, but you can actually see new baby hairs growing in! So if you have naturally thin hair like mine, I’d highly recommend asking Father Christmas for a bottle.

3. The One Mask I Believe In...

Every week when I do my ‘Ask Amy’ segment on Instagram, LED face masks come up. These Halloween-esque gadgets work by using red light to ‘energise’ your skin cells. This extra energy is then put to use by repairing any skin damage and increasing your collagen production too.

However not all LED masks are created equal. Many on the market simply won’t penetrate deep enough to give you the desired outcome, which is why I always recommend the brand CurrentBody instead. Their tools are all scientifically-proven to do what they say they’ll do and explains why they are definitely in the ‘main present’ category!

With this being said though, they are definitely a ‘nice to have’ and not a ‘need to have’. If you’re using your 5 Minute Kit daily and your TLC Roller twice a week, please rest assured that your collagen levels are already supersonic!

And that is my skincare stocking officially filled! I know many of you lucky things have also got 5 Minute Kits waiting for you under the tree too and I truly hope they bring you complete complexion confidence and a flawless, year-round glow…You so deserve it ✨