This year, why not treat your friends and family to a really great – and very useful – beauty product as a present rather than the usual Christmas jumper, box of chocolates or voucher?

To help ease your shopping stress, I have been on the hunt for fun and affordable Christmas beauty products. Whether it’s the ultimate luxury fragrance, something for the gym-goer, the disco diva or the makeup junkie: I’ve done all the hard work testing and trying lots of beauty products to help you on your merry way.

So here goes!

For The Ladies

The No 7 Star Beauty Collection Christmas Box (1), €100 from Boots, is bursting with beauty treats. The nourishing day cream with an SPF15, combined with the intense advance anti-wrinkle night cream and the anti-aging light refreshing eye cream will be every lady’s dream gift.

Before applying your daily makeup, use the skin illuminator included as your primer to make your makeup last longer and smooth away fine lines. It also comes with a long-lasting, smudge-proof mascara and a high-shine, lip-tastic gloss. No 7 definitely gets a 10 out of 10 for this excellent box of tricks.

The Liz Earle “Make Every Day Radiant” gift set, from stockists including Arnotts at €58, features the InstantBoost skin tonic to leave the skin glowing and revitalised and SuperSkin rich moisturiser with sweet-smelling neroli. Also included are two high-quality muslin cotton facecloths to softly wash away unwanted makeup and leave your skin crystal clean.

Tom Ford “Black Orchid” eau de parfum (2) from stockists including Debenhams from €70 is the most sensual smelling fragrance ever made, in my opinion, by mixing exotic black orchids and Eastern spices. The perfume is bottled in a beautiful statement fluted black glass bottle, giving you a sense of pure opulence.

Sanctuary has put together a “Best of Everything” beauty box (3), €59 from Boots, which includes a bubbly foam bath soak, a heavenly smelling body wash, a softening foot polish, a healing heel balm and a luscious Sanctuary wet body lotion that melts into the skin, leaving it smooth and supple.

For The Gentlemen

Baylis & Harding has created The Fuzzy Duck gift set for him, available from stockists including www.theperfumeshop.com at €17. Their cedarwood and wild sage foot balm will soothe tired, over-walked feet and is accompanied by a pair of cosy woollen boot socks and a rather smart Fuzzy Duck gunmetal-grey mug for a strong morning cuppa. Any boyfriend or father would love this gift.

Champneys has put together the most useful overnight care kit, available from Boots at €26, including a zingy face wash, an energising shower wash and the totally rewarding moisturising face balm combined with the temple balm, which will leave any man feeling clean and super fresh.

Hawkins & Brimble have put together a luxury grooming kit for every man who likes to look his best, available from stockists including www.hollandandbarrett.ie at €59.15.

This marvellous set includes pre-shave scrub, shaving cream, shaving brush, post shave balm, beard oil and their classic moulding wax.

With something for every step of his shave and styling products for his hair and beard, this gift has every base covered.

For younger lads, Boots stocks the Hype “Bag It Up” washbag, €20, which includes a body wash and shampoo, and the FCUK wallet and body wash duo, €23.50, which contains an urban body spray and hair-and-body combined shower gel with a really smart leatherette wallet.

For The Teens

Millie Mackintosh Couture Beauty Ultimate Beauty Collection (4), €38 from Boots, is a new collection of everyday makeup for every occasion and includes an autumnal and vanilla-tone eye shadow quad, long lasting brow duo, a shimmer face illuminator and a bronzer to give the complexion a sun-kissed look.

There are also eye and lip pencils and a lush champagne-coloured lip gloss. A cute and useful makeup set.

Claire’s Accessories multi-glitter spray €4.50 is a wash-out hair and body spray to disco diva up your hair and body. Add a fancy Claire’s JoJo Siwa white pearl signature hair bow to finish off any outfit, €6. The bows come in an array of funky colours.

The Jack Wills cosmetic brush set (5), €26 from Boots, is a perfect selection of high-quality brushes for great definition and easy blending. A must-have for every girl’s makeup box.

The Toni and Guy Style Fix Waver, €39 from Boots, is a brilliant handbag-size professional hair-styling tool. From beachy waves to volume with a curl, these magic wands are fabulous and so useful. They also come in pretty pink.

Secret Santa

Elizabeth Arden has introduced their “White Tea” candles (6) for Christmas, RRP €25. A pure, exquisite and uncomplicated new home fragrance, the selection of sea-breeze notes and white-tea extracts combine with a subtle musk aroma to leave any room invitingly fragrant. Available at Elizabeth Arden counters nationwide.

The IsaDora Christmas set (7) is the perfect gift to pop into your glitzy party bag at just €9.99, but worth over €25! It comes with a terracotta bronzer, a free kabuki brush and mini-mascara. Available in Shaws department stores and leading pharmacies nationwide.

Maybelline’s Colour Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid lipstick (8) RRP €10.75 smells yummy and looks catwalk perfect.

Benefit’s “Minis” three-for-€30, offer make for a great stocking – and handbag – filler with products like Hoola blush, Gimme Brow eyebrow gel and They’re Real mascara. I use all of these products in my professional makeup kit. A glorious bargain.

I wish you all a very peaceful and happy Christmas with your friends and family and a healthy and prosperous New Year. CL