Secret Santa: The 5 best beauty gifts for £10 and under

A beauty gift can be a canny approach, especially as right now the shops are positively stacked with festive baubles and crackers, each containing enough of an indulgence to please almost anybody.

Amazing Face, £10, Emma Hardie, marksandspencer.com ( )

Whether it's shared among colleagues, close friends or family, the Secret Santa tradition is supposed to be a fun one. Why then does choosing the right gift tend to be an ordeal that's anything but joyful?

The perfect present must be within the agreed budget but without seeming stingy, and it must show that you have put some thought into the receiver's tastes, not just bought something you'd like for yourself. It should also be a bit silly or kitsch, but not totally tacky – unless of course they particularly like that sort of thing.

The whole process is enough to bring out the Ebenezer in even the most enthusiastic Christmas shopper. A set of smellies might seem like a cop-out, but a beauty gift can actually be a canny approach, especially as right now the shops are positively stacked with festive baubles and crackers, each containing enough of an indulgence to please almost anybody.

Holiday cracker

£10, nuxe.com

A great all-rounder: this cracker contains Lilliputian takes on four of the brand's loveliest and best-known products.

Amazing Face

£10, Emma Hardie, marksandspencer.com

For stressed skin: this mini cleansing balm and face cloth will be a real treat for anyone feeling the effects of the cold weather.

The express cracker

£10, St Tropez, boots.com

For tan fans: this mousse and application mitt gives a helping hand in the healthy-glow stakes that some of us need in the winter months.

Citrus stars set

£10, Bliss, asos.com

For a sleepy head: this zesty body wash and cream duo is just the thing to clear the fog the morning after a Christmas party.

Nails bauble

£5, topshop.com

For the life and soul of the party: this glittery little number will provide the perfect ammo for multiple seasonal festivities.