Picture this: ‘tis the week before Christmas, shopping centres are pumping, children are kicking and screaming, mothers are crying, and you’re wandering aimlessly around without a game plan… Painful.

The good news is, when it comes to Christmas gifts, beauty products are always welcome.

Why? Everyone uses them, and they eventually run out, so we all need new ones at some stage. Plus, the truly luxurious ones are something people wouldn’t usually buy themselves (unless they’re going through a post-breakup bout of retail therapy), so you can almost guarantee you won’t be giving them something they already have.

It’s also a nice thing to look forward to post holiday season when we could all do with a little TLC, so they’ll thank you later.

And whether you’re ready to splurge or sticking to a budget, we got the lowdown on the best of the bunch for guys and girls , so read on…

By Carmen Hamilton.