The gift of beauty: you shouldn't have, but you did! And the smile on the face of anyone who opens one of these great beauty finds makes it all worth it

Shape, Dec, 2004 by Jody Buffalo, Kate Williams

In our dreams, the holidays are filled with pure white snow, festive decorations and relaxed dinners with friends and family. The reality, though, as we know all too well, is a season that can often leave us stressed as we try to get everything done. One of the biggest sources of anxiety? Trying to find the perfect gift for everyone on our list while staying within budget. That's why we've done the legwork for you by rounding up the best beauty-inspired gifts for family, friends--and maybe even yourself. Now sit back, relax and enjoy, knowing that your gift giving is wrapped up.

Fabulous finds for the home

Ask any veteran party hostess and she'll tell you that scent can transform a room. That's why candles, sachets and potpourri are terrific gifts for anyone who loves entertaining.

1. Bath & Body Works Perfect Christmas trio ($36; at Bath & Body Works stores) is a sequined satin box with a large jar candle, a small pillar candle and a gold tea-light holder with nine refills (all in either a Warm Vanilla Sugar or a Cinnamon Stick fragrance).

2. Crabtree & Evelyn Pillow Sachets ($20; crabtree-evelyn.com) are three small silk pillows in red, white and gold that are scented with a blend of frankincense, spices, cranberry, orange and Siberian fir--perfect for tossing in a drawer but decorative enough to leave sitting on a dresser.

3. Aveda Peace in a Pod ($20; aveda.com) comes with five soap spheres scented with organic orange, petit-grain and grapefruit in a rattan and sea-grass basket--perfect for a guest bathroom.

4. RedEnvelope Aromatherapy Gift Set ($55; redenvelope.com) is just the thing for an aromatherapy lover, with three vials of essential oils (lavender, sweet orange and grapefruit), a dropper and a porcelain warmer, plus two meditation balls that are meant to be rolled in the hands to stimulate pressure points.

5. Cucina Dolce Scented Candle Set ($50; fruits-passion.com) contains eight handmade candles poured into traditional Italian cafe glasses, with two of each mouthwatering scent--Espresso, Fresh Cream, Hazelnut and Nutmeg and Orange Zest. All are packed in a reusable collectible tin.

Luxe fragrances

Fragrance is a classic gift, and--because it's so personal--best suited for close friends or family members.

6. Narciso Rodriguez Musc For Her Oil Parfum ($72; at Saks Fifth Avenue stores) is the designer's signature musk fragrance in a sleek little bottle with a roll-on applicator.

7. Carolina Herrera 212 Sexy Eau de Toilette ($55; at department stores) is a fresh scent with mandarin, sandalwood and vanilla. Plus, the unique bottle (two small orbs joined together) is handy for travel.

8. L'Occitane The Fragrance Merchant ($75; loccitane.com) is a storybook sampling of five 0.68-ounce bottles of the brand's new perfumes: Rose, Magnolia, Vanilla, Orange and Mimosa.

9. Annick Goutal Vanille Exquise Eau de Toilette ($65; at department stores) is a sweet and sexy blend of vanilla, almond and white musk.

10. Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille ($89; at select Barneys New York stores) translated means "vanilla wood," and it's just that. The rich, sensual fragrance envelops you with Mexican black vanilla, sandalwood, bitter almond, musk, coconut milk and rose.

Body treats

With the holidays comes an overabundance of candy and other sweets (which can bring about that all-too-familiar icky feeling of overindulgence). But dessert-scented body lotions and creams can be a calorie-free substitute, so go ahead and spoil someone.

11. Fresh Orange Chocolate Shea Butter ($38; fresh.com) is a seductive blend of dark bitter cocoa extract and Italian orange peel in a moisturizing and skin-renewing balm from the African shea tree.

12. Laura Mercier Tarte au Citron Souffle Body Cream ($55) and Honey Bath ($40; both at lauramercier.com) are truly exquisite, with their lingering, mouthwatering scents and good-for-your-skin ingredients like shea butter and sunflower-seed extract.

13. Philosophy The Gingerbread Man ($25; philosophy.com) is a hot salt scrub that smells just like the classic holiday cookies; it exfoliates away rough and dry winter skin and warms up on contact, making it the perfect cold-weather treat.

14. Origins Cocoa Therapy Body-Buffing Scrub ($25; origins.com) fills your shower with a chocolaty scent as walnut shells and apricot seeds exfoliate and cocoa butter moisturizes your skin.

Face finds

Who doesn't want to look as gorgeous as possible this time of year? Any of these products--all create luminous skin and lips--would be greatly appreciated in a gift box.

15. Bobbi Brown Train Case ($85; bobbibrown.com) is a sophisticated makeup tote that's also highly practical: The thick exterior means products and makeup won't get crushed midroute, and the lift-out tray makes it easy to find the beauty products you want to use.

16. Caron Paris Poudre Peau Fine ($45; 877-88-CARON for locations), a feminine and delicate lightweight loose face and body powder scented with Bulgarian rose, is packaged in a classy metallic case that adds a bit of glamour to any dressing table or evening bag.