8 of the best beauty tools to gift this year

Target

For that person in your life who loves a blowout but hates the hassle of doing one at home, this Revlon brush is a serious game-changer for your hair. It’s a hair dryer and styling brush combo that takes away the hassle of having to hold two different styling tools at once. 

We can personally attest to how brilliant this brush is, and almost everyone we know who’s tried it feels the same way. For example, one of us used to have to spend 20 minutes trying to blow out our naturally curly hair. But now, we let it air dry slightly and then spend about 5 to 10 minutes with this brush. That’s all it takes for sleek hair that has a bouncy “I just came from the salon” look.

Sephora

We all want to look our best wherever we go, and unfortunately a lot of hair tools really don’t work on Black women who have tight coils. Fortunately for us, companies have caught on and started developing products that can help us get one step closer to achieving our best look, including Pattern Beauty from actor Tracee Ellis Ross.

Three tools are included in this set: a hair pick, wide tooth comb and shower brush. A wide tooth comb is great for detangling hair without pulling it out, and a pick defines an afro while also detangling the ends of your hair. And the shower brush can tackle tangles in water if that’s preferred.

Screenshot by Mercey Livingston/CNET

For mani-pedi lovers, this at-home manicure set by Olive and June comes with a nail polish bottle handle designed specifically for someone who is painting their own nails (versus someone dolling them up for you). The flat, wide handle gives you better control as you paint, and it’s more comfortable to hold than a typical polish bottle handle. The kit also includes a nail polish remover pot, nail clipper, file, buffer cube, top coat, nail polish and a cuticle serum. 

Amazon

Here’s another Revlon product that can’t be ignored. It can be used on any hair type, but for our curly hair, this hair dryer takes tight coils to stretched locks, all under an hour. It really has transformed the way we straighten hair before styling.

This tool has three different heating settings, but we usually use the lowest one to avoid drying out the hair cuticles or damaging it from excessive heat. The machine also cools down quickly and is easy to store, even though it is a bit bulky.

Sephora

For that person who always uses white strips, help them brighten their smiles with this tech kit that steps up their teeth-whitening game. The kit uses a Bluetooth-enabled LED light and heat (similar to professional tooth-whitening treatments) mouthpiece that is supposed to make teeth whiter, faster. The device syncs to an app so you know how long to use the device and how often, get reminders on when to use it, and track your teeth’s whitening progress. 

Amazon

Pedicures are equally as important as manicures. It’s essential that you take time to treat yourself, especially for the body part that is often neglected. Packed with a ton of tools, this kit has everything you’ll need to remove dead skin, refresh your cuticles, clean and trim your nails, salon-style.

Dyson

Like all Dyson products, this chic, modern and high-tech blow dryer is a splurge of a gift — for yourself or others. Increasingly cropping up in professional salons, the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer dries hair quickly and with minimal heat damage. With a number of attachments, it controls air in different ways and is suited for the gamut of hair types.

For example, the Dyson Supersonic comes with a flyaway attachment, styling concentrator, diffuser, gentle air attachment and a wide-tooth comb that can give you salon-ready looks. Buyers with 4A to 4C hair types should keep in mind that each attachment, with the exception of the wide-tooth comb, may require straightening your hair before use. If you’re using wigs, weaves or extensions, you should be fine.

Sephora

This Dermaflash pore extractor and serum infuser will help you prepare your pores with its extraction tool, and then infuse the benefits of your moisturizer on your skin. Any facial connoisseur can tell you that monthly trips to the aesthetician can add up fast. This tool can give you a great, quick facial for a fraction of the price — and it makes a pampering gift for anyone seeking smooth, hydrated skin.