THE THREAD
4 Minutes ReadBudget-Friendly Skincare Brands For Students
Written by Cosmohue Editorial

There are maybe five great things about the holidays. First there’s the food, then family, the endless specials on TV, and of course the gifts. Or uh, maybe not all of those are so great all the time. Families are complicated, grandma’s homemade cranberry sauce isn’t exactly what you might call a hit, and every other 25 days of Christmas movie is littered with plot holes. Even gifts! Thinking of things you want, thinking of things your friends and family will want, thinking of things you can actually budget for… it’s not exactly a walk in the park. So here’s this: let ITG make this holiday season a little easier for you. We’ve rounded up 30 ideas of satisfying gifting for everyone in your life, at every price point. We don’t have the heart to tell grandma the canned stuff is always better than her homemade sludge, but we’ll let you in on the thoughtful, unusual gifts that’ll brighten up anyone’s day. One problem solved for now. Let’s get started.
Photographed by Shana Trajanoska
For A Fancypants
“Fancy” is less of a price point and more of a state of mind. Anything can be fancy as long as it elevates what is otherwise ordinary. Rose-scented pencils? Fancy. Uni-dusted chips? Fancy (and delicious). For the fancypants in your life, start with the most beautiful facial spray to hit a Top Shelf. Dehiya’s Safi Mist smells like fresh cut geraniums and makes your skin feel like it’s taken a trip to the tropics—practically balmy. Speaking of which, Monastery’s Universal Balm is a head-to-toe winner. It certainly feels and smells good—you can thank mango butter and a few sophisticated woody and neroli notes for that—but the tiny key that the salve comes with really kicks the whole experience up another notch.
Moving along to lips, there are two-under-the radar options. Chic! Orcé’s Lip Tint delivers a wash of color in a smooth, high shine layer of non-sticky gloss. Meanwhile, Ever Amid’s Rouge Stain is part beauty product, part objet. The handcrafted porcelain pot doubles as a keepsake when the stain is used up, which, by the way, paints the prettiest rosy flush on lips and cheeks.
Even if they’re not a beauty person, they still need to tie their hair up from time to time. Lelet’s gold pony cuff functions like a scrunchie, but looks like jewelry. Alternatively, surely there’s a hot beverage calling their name. Gustaf Westman’s chunky cup is the perfect vessel to store it. Even if their name isn’t Nara Smith.
Gustaf Westman Chunky Cups, Dehiya Beauty Safi Mist, Ever Amid Rouge Stain, Monastery Universal Balm, Orcé Water Magnet Lip Tint, Lelet Glossy Dome Cuff
For The Skin Expert
Your skincare-obsessed bestie doesn’t need another serum or moisturizer. They need a Medicube Age R Booster-H, the Hailey Bieber-approved wand that uses electroporation (a word you only know about because of aforementioned bestie) to push products deeper into the skin. No more worrying whether skincare is simply sitting on top of skin or actually getting to work and absorbing. Throw in Currentbody’s Series 2 LED light therapy mask for the ultimate “glazed donut” combo. Using over 200 LED bulbs, it emits not one, not two, but three wavelengths for glowier, plumper, and smoother skin.
But what if they already have an LED face mask? Consider MZ Skin’s LED eye patches for a more targeted approach to tired under-eyes. Or if you want to skip the LED route entirely, there’s always a LYMA laser. Also a big hit in Hollywood—Carey Mulligan bought herself one as a gift for winning an Oscar—it uses low-level laser therapy to stimulate collagen and promote healing. Sure, it costs a pretty penny—2,695 of them to be exact—but this is one gift that we can practically guarantee no one else will give them and they’re down to share, right.