So you really want something for your makeup bag for Christmas, but you don’t really trust your boyfriend to get it right.  Well, you can either direct him to this page, with massive hints, or simply print off the page and circle the stuff you want! 

If I take the men in my family as average men (2 brothers, 1 father and a husband!), I doubt any of them would know where to start with buying for their wives, and I would think that many men are like this.  After all, their own pampering routine is shampoo and showergel with a splash of aftershave and deodorant chucked in, and for the more skin savvy men, some moisturiser too.  They don’t have a clue about cosmetics, so we can’t really fault them for not knowing where to start.

If you do however, have a man in your life who does know how to shop for you, can you send him to me, and ask if he does training courses for other men!!!

Okay, now print this out and hand it to your chap, the rest is for him to read!

So what is out there on the market for Christmas gifts?  If your wife or girlfriend wants a new eyeshadow, unwrapping a 1.5inch square box doesn’t really meet the Christmas-gift-ideal, nor does opening a small thin box containing a lipgloss, but put them in a palette or a mini makeup case, wrap them up and put a snazzy bow on, and you’ll have a very happy girl!

I’ve done a little online shopping for you (we women know you men like to use your computers at any given opportunity!), and come up with some ideas of things your lady might like!

You could check out the Estee Lauder counter at your local department store, or larger Boots stores.  They have ready made cosmetics sets – try the ‘Gloss to Go’lipgloss set with 6 glosses inside a luxurious gold bag, or perhaps the ‘Lipstick Luxuries’ set with 5 suit-all lipsticks in a red satin box.

Either of those would go down well with most women, however, if you know she likes her fragrances, why not treat her to some perfume, and get her one of the Makeup Artist Collections.  These are worth a whopping £312, however, when you buy the fragrance, you get the opportunity to buy one for just £49.  Trust me, that would get you some serious brownie points!

Or maybe you want to try Clinique, famous for it’s colour range that just seems to morph and suit everyone.

They too have a gloss set, ‘Long Last Shine 2009′ with 4 glosses in a snazzy pink makeup bag, or my personal favourite (and recent purchase!) 12 mini lipglosses in a wide variety of colours, their ‘High Shine-to-Go’ set.

And if you really want to treat her, then perhaps choose their ‘Best of Clinique 2009′ collection, stuffed full of makeup products, skincare, bodycare, and a gorgeous vanity bag to carry it all in.  Sneak tip here chaps, my husband bought me something similar to this when we got married in 2002.  If I wasn’t already delighted to be getting married, I was doubly happy now with my perfect honeymoon gift!   A great way to start off life as a husband…!

But why stop there?  Let’s shop some more!

Benefit have come up trumps this year, with a collection of ready made ‘guy buys’ for men who don’t know where to start, including their Celebutantecollection, containing lipsticks, benetint, high beam, dallas and eyeshadows.  Okay, so benetint and high beam probably mean very little to the average guy, but believe me, these are cult products, and to get a mini size in a great travel pack, wonderful!

And like Clinique and Estee Lauder, they have also brought out a collection of lipglosses, Glitz and Glam, though all of these are brand new colours in double ended wands, but still a bargain, particularly if you have a lady who loves to be very on-the-button with her trends and colours.

Maybe you want to buy her a piece of jewellery, but aren’t sure what to buy, and equally, you know that she loves her makeup too.  Dior have combined the two this year, with their seasonal dual purpose product.  This is the Cristal Boréal, their crystal gloss jewel.  Working with Swarovski, they have created an Aurora Borealis crystal that houses a shining gloss.

Illamasqua also has a fabulous new Limited Edition Christmas box, inspired by the success of the cult Liquid Metals. You probably remember how much trouble they had keeping this product on the shelves, so they have created a gift around the two best sellers, Phenomena [from Dystopia collection - the lovely shimmering silver] and Solstice [the original metallic gold cream]. 

But there’s still more shopping to do!  Ruby and Millie have got a few new products out for Christmas, 2 eye palettes, a bright and a natural, both are available at Boots stores, and are a nice stocking filler. 

I love the look of theirMetallics set, with shimmer creams, body colours, eye creams and all things to make them look gorgeous and glamorous, perfect for the festive party season.

And once again, following the seasonal theme, there is a lipgloss set, in a cute purse.  These are 3 click up glosses with built in brushes.  Probably means nothing to men, but women love these modern glosses!

And finally, it’s always worth bringing out the glitter in a girl at Christmas time, definitely take a look at the cult brand Urban Decay.  Their coveted 24/7 liners have been packed together in a set of 9 (for the first time gentlemen) in a mini size.  But even better, they’ve put together a set of their Hall of Fame products containing everything from the base upwards.

And to top off the seasonal Urban Decay offerings is the Book of Shadows II with an amazing array of colours for all and every occasion, particularly ideal for a girl who maybe isn’t so confident with her makeup.  This set of colours shouldn’t put her off, given that it contains a mini magazine with makeup tips!

For more glittery offerings and stocking stuffers, Barry M (at Superdrug and online) have put together two ‘get the look’ products, one in candy pinks and purples, and the other in apple green and deep shades.  Very affordable, these would make any girl smile and put a sparkle in the air.

They’ve re-released their glitter eye candy set.  I’ve actually used these professionally in the past.  So easy to work with!  They come with fixing gel and the oh-so-fine glitter and a brush.  Stick the gel where you want the glitter to go, dust on the glitter and away you go!  Very easy to do intricate looks too!

All of these brands have many more products than these few shown here, but these are the easiest shopping purchases you’ll make, and without doubt, your wife/girlfriend/sister will be delighted with any and all of them!