Would you buy someone make up as a present?

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My DIL, early thirties, wears a bit of makeup but not much, usually very cheap brands because she hasn't got loads of money to spend on herself. Could I risk buying her some make up or would I just get the products / colours wrong and waste the money?

Would love some advice please?

Could you get a look in her make up bag to get an idea for colours or maybe go to a counter and tell them about your DIL's colouring and see what they could suggest? Failing that, I'd get a gift card/voucher for one of the counters so she could pick her own products.

Ooh I love getting make up bought for me! Definitely a great idea. You can buy little palate collections by people like Dior or Estée Lauder that include everything from mascara to lipstick and fit into a bag easily. They usually start around the 35 to 50 quid mark, or maybe an urban decay palate, their 'naked' palate is great and lasts forever. there's also loads of offers where you buy two ski care items and can hen buy a really lovely all singing all dancing case of goodies from make up to remover to mascara all in a lovely case. Try john lewis or debenhams for collections. Debenhams often give tester freebies too which you can keep for being a fab mil!

Skin care not ski care ha ha

Thanks Caketinrosie, those tips are fab. I will check it out this weekend when I get a chance to shop.

She is quite pale skinned, a little bit freckly with mid-blonde hair - will be enough of a description? I could subtly photograph her and bring it along with me

I would suggest a lovely mascara, lip gloss and a voucher. That way she has something to open and can also choose her own.

Similar colouring to me, I love a muted browns palate but I can happily go bold on the colour chart. I could talk make up all day, I think I didn't get enough crayons as a child. Ebay have some fab fab fab collections of makeup brushes that are very similar identical to some very expensive brands Mac that I love for a quarter of the price. But don't go near the makeup on ebay it is crap.

Vouchers are nice but if she is skint the temptation to spend it on the family and not her will be great. been there done that

I think MAC do gift vouchers. So many choices there she could choose herself if you're not sure on colours.

I love getting make up. My sister buys it for me, but she knows the kind of stuff I love and suit.

I'm that age and love benefit make up - they have counters in some boots stores and most debenhams stores - if you took a photo in they would definately be able to help you with some bits and bobs. They do some really good sets. I would live benefit make up as a Christmas present!

Does she like make-up? I don't wear much, spend my money on other stuff etc, and I'd find it a bit insulting if my MIL bought me something that suggested that I needed to take more care with my appearance.

If she says she wishes she had nice stuff, then absolutely, if not, I wouldn't.

Thanks noblegriaffe, I am going on my DSS's advice (strictly speaking she is my SDIL but that's too confusing). His view is that she buys cheap brands because she feels guilty about spending money on herself (they have a baby and a doer-upper house).

She likes clothes/fashion/different hair styles. She is an ace bargain hunter / eBay shopper so I always feel if I buy her clothes she can be thinking "I could have found that for 1/2 the price."

Oh, and she always looks pretty fab - she's got lovely long blonde hair and was back to a size 6 within days of giving birth

My MIL sometimes buys me posh makeup and its such a treat. Often a mascara or lipgloss but occasionally a nail polish in a trendy shade that she's read about in the Telegraph.
I think it's a lovely personal gift.

I'm the same age and similar colouring and would love posh make up. Benefit stuff is great and maybe a nice mascara, some lipgloss would be great. Or a Bobbi Brown shimmer block? I have the cheapo Asda version which I love and wear as a blusher every day but the real Bobbi Brown one would be a great gift.

Benefit do really nice sets at this time of year. Miniature high beam, bad gal mascara, primer, eye shadows etc. They range from £20 up to about £28. If you want to spend a bit more, maybe you could get two (different) sets?

The Urban Decay Naked or Naked 2 pallettes of eyeshadows are brilliant. They're about £35 or so.

You can get both brands in Boots (thus earning advantage card points for yourself!).

I am the same age and love make up as a gift. Clinique is pretty failsafe as they do lots of neutral and natural looking makeup. They do lovely eye palettes, lip gloss collections, blusher and bronzers.

My MIL bought me a YSL touché éclat and mascara set and it was one of my fav presents ever! Ooh and I got Lancôme pressed translucent pressed power in the most beautiful compact and I loved that as well!!

I think makeup is a fab present and christmas is a great time to be buying it as the premium brands tend to have gift packs which are great value. I have got this for one of my friends:clinique 3 chubby sticks for lips I think they are about half size but good value as the individual ones are £17. The colours look lurid but as its a balm they are actually quite subtle.

My DH just picked me this up in the USA: lancome mascara gift pack. Great value as it's the same price as the single mascara so the eyeliner and make up remover are effectively free.

Not normally a debenhams fan but they have a lot of similar examples of gift packs: here

Another tip that I think is worth following up if possible is to buy nice makeup from Harvey Nicks or Selfridges if you can get to them as it's so nice to receive things in their posh packaging and prices vary very little. Also my experience is their concessions are incredibly generous with samples compared to Boots etc. I always ask for samples for my DD when I'm buying anything and generally end up with lots of extra bits.

I love make-up and would love someone to buy me some at xmas but despite me dropping hints no one ever does. Mil buys me a perfume set every year which is lovely as she knows the one I like but sometimes I wish she would buy me make up instead-its on the same counter!!

My mum buys me make up for presents and it's lovely.
I live makeup but never buy 'decent' stuff for myself.

On my recent birthday she bought me some nars lipsticks (a neutral one and a dark one) and some nars eyeshadow.

I would have never bought them for myself and they are lovely

Ooh agree with buying it from v posh retailers - with big brands the prices don't vary much and the packaging really adds to the gift. Clinique and Estee Lauder always seem to do gift sets at this time of year, and the Benefit ones are fun.

Thank you everyone, I have loads of ideas and more confidence that I can make a good decision. You are all great

I've had sets in the past which I just don't use.

I would either buy a voucher (could get her a make-over from MAC redeemable against purchase, I think) or the Soap and Glory Yule Monty is on sale at £27 in Boots on 13th Dec and includes loads of stuff, mascara,lip gloss and huge bag.

nice tip, ygritte, though I see there is a note on the boots website that
This item is not the limited edition star gift - the star gift code is 1284568 and will be available to purchase from Friday 13th December

so I wonder if the star gift won't be as good as the one online now.....

Does she live in London, OP? Kiko (branches in both Westfields and on Regent St, next to Oxford Circus) do vouchers and they have a great range - it's like an Aladdin's Cave with some very good stuff (pressed mineral powder, amazing "water eyeshadows") all about £5-10 cheaper than MAC per item so she could pick up a few things for a real treat without feeling that she was being "greedy". All the ideas above are lovely too though. A NARS blusher - Orgasm is truly lovely but so are others - would be a serious treat as well.