It’s finally upon us … the Olympics of shopping … the ultramarathon of gift-giving … the holidays. Have I started my present picking yet? No, but with the sales already well underway, it’s time to get after it and cross all those names off my nice list.

For the next three weeks, I’ll share my best beauty, fashion and home picks for gifting this season. As always, they come from tried and true, MIDDI-favorite brands that deliver quality at a reasonable price while still looking fabulous.

You can view my past gift guides here — let’s get after it.

ishgaskincare

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Previously featured here, Ishga was my favorite beauty discovery of the year. This Scottish brand’s star ingredients are seaweed and seawater, which are rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. In their Exfoliating Face Mask (£43), dried flakes of knotted wrack seaweed gently slough away dead skin cells, while Hebridean seawater and glycerin hydrate the skin and salicylic acid helps to further clarify. I don’t normally go for physical exfoliants, but my skin had no adverse reaction to this product — it was just silky smooth and vibrant.

maisonmargielafragrances

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Who doesn’t love the smell outside after it rains? My top fragrance purchase of the past year was Maison Margiela’s When the Rain Stops (on sale now starting at £51). It is, I think, the sleeper star of the very popular Replica collection (I, too, also own and love By the Fireplace). With notes of moss, pink pepper, rose and patchouli, this fragrance is light and refreshing. I picked up a small bottle as a travel scent, something not too aggressive for work trips or while sitting on a plane. And having just come back from Dublin, the city that inspired it, I can confirm it’s perfect.

moyou_london

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If you know someone whose nails are always in tip-top shape, MoYou London is a brand worth introducing them to. A lot of us tried to master the at-home manicure during the lockdown days, but I never trusted my skills enough to try a longer-lasting gel mani on my own. MoYou’s gel strips have since changed my mind — they come in a huge array of colors and patterns, and are so easy to apply I have my nails done faster than it would take to walk to the salon and pick a color. One of their starter kits (on sale right now for £51.99) includes a light, applicator and two sets of strips.

In case you missed it …

The MIDDI Guide to Surviving the Holidays Petra Canan Trudell · Nov 11 Read full story

MIDDI is a weekly newsletter highlighting the best mid-priced beauty, fashion and home buys written by a millennial with a (somewhat under control) shopping problem. Let me know what you’re shopping for in the comments or send me a message.