Last-minute Christmas gift guide for women - tried and tested

There are plenty of gifts out there for the men in your life - from the totally useful to the utterly wacky.

Dove handcare - intensive - £4.99 from Boots - 5/5

This DermaSpa product from Dove has everything I look for in a hand cream.

When using the cream, only a very small amount is required - seeming to indicate the product is of high quality and worth the price of £4.99 (Boots) for 75ml.

When applying the cream, it has a luxurious yet light texture, which nourishes the skin without feeling greasy, watery or heavy in the skin.

As an avid nail and finger biter, my hands often look awful and, with very dry skin, feel rough. This cream perfectly moisturised my skin and appeared to heal the ragged edges of skin around my nails perfectly.

What's more, the cream smells delightful - a light, floral scent, which lasts after use.

It comes in a small, slim bottle with a screw-top - perfect for slipping into a handbag, glove box or desk drawer; making it a product which is easy to take with you wherever you go.

Chameleon Concealer - £19.95 (50ml) from skinshop.co.uk - 4.5/ 5

Call me a cheapskate if you will, but I would never ordinarily spend more or less £20 on a concealer.

Using this concealer as a foundation, however, I found the product delightful - if not a little bizarre, considering it comes out a lime green colour.

But the green adapts wonderfully to the colour of my skin and gives a light tan to the face. Despite its effectiveness, the concealer has a thin, cream-like texture, which is a pleasure to apply and feels light on the skin throughout the day.

My skin isn't that bad overall. I get dry patches and some redness from time to time - but my main concern is dark circles around my eyes. Even the best of concealers don't cover them - perhaps because I already have fairly dark skin - and I find myself having to use thick, sticky concealers to cover the discolouration.

This concealer, unfortunately, was no different - it took away the majority of the darkness, but not enough for me to feel confident enough to wear it without any added, thicker concealer beneath the eyes for an evening. For day wear, however, it's excellent.

It was fairly moisturizing, however, so did not leave my skin feeling tight, as some concealers and foundations often can.

This product offers a mineral SPF20 to protect from UV damage - an added bonus - and is also paraben and perfume free.

Have a Very PERi Christmas - six pack - £9.95 - https://www.nandos.co.uk/eat/products - 5/5

This delicious sauce set is perfect for those who like to spice up their life.

It's not just for those who like it hot either, as a range of flavours are available in the customisable set - lemon and herb, mango and lime, garlic, medium, hot and extra hot.

These sauces are great as marinades, or for sauces with hot or cold food.

For £9.95 we thought this present was excellent - packaged in a stunning box and suitable for such a broad audience. After all, who doesn't like food??

Tangle Teezer - Thick and Curly - £11 from Topshop and Boots - 4/5

I have terribly thick, frizzy, dry and curly hair - so, as you can imagine, finding the perfect (or even a suitable) brush can be very trying.

I had used a brush of a similar design after receiving one as a Christmas present last year. And I was already impressed.

This Tangle Teezer product however, having been designed for thick hair has extra-long bristles, meaning time brushing my hair has been greatly reduced - as I have previously had to brush or comb my hair in sections.

I'm also a massive wimp when it comes to my hair being pulled, so it was nice that the Tangle Teezer eliminated much of the discomfort.

My only complaint with this product is that it takes the ringlets and curls out of my hair. This is the same with the vast majority of brushes, but having been designed for curly hair, I was hoping this time it might be different.

The brush does have two tiers of teeth, however, meaning the shorter teeth did leave my hair glossy and healthy-looking.

I would certainly buy this product - and, at £11, I think it's well worth the cost.

Leighton Denny's Light and Dark Delightful - £43.50 from www.ld-boutique.com - 4/5

If you love sweet fruity perfumes that can bring a touch of island bliss to any day, this is the scent for you.

The box looks very stylish with a logo of overlapping initials repeated diagonally, reminscinent of other designer brands. A bold pink centre piece punctures the otherwise monochrome design, distinguishing a very feminine and young scent. The bottle is simple clear glass with a flared rectangular design the flourish of colour coming instead from the perfume itself which has is a deep fuschia pink. I did worry that perhaps it might stain any white clothes but I didn't notice any obvious colour on the pillowcase I tested, but I would still exercise caution just in case.

The scent itself is almost mouthwatering, the blood orange and watermelon top notes give in instant punchy zest along with the ah ping mango and red apple. Jasmine and pink violet are amongst the flirty floral mid notes, which sugar the scent like candied blossoms.

Base notes of coconut sorbet, sweet musk and vanilla cream continue a subtle exotic sweetness making it a perfect summer or holiday scent.

Like most fruity perfumes I found it didn't last more than 3/4 hours and is more suited for the day rather than an evening scent.

If you are a fan of Escadas Rockin' Rio I would highly recommend this.

Leighton Denny Lip Dual - £12.50 from www.ld-boutique.com - 4/5

I'm a fan of Leighton Denny nail varnish so was very much looking forward to trying this. The base colour was lovely, and had a rich creamy effect with a nice sheen when on.

The sealer had a tingling effect when I first put it on, and a different taste, sweet and unexpected. Second and subsequent uses I didn't notice the tingle, and I would say the taste wasn't unpleasant at all.

It made my lips smoother and softer which would indicate that is has a conditioner in the recipe. I did have to touch my lips up at lunchtime as when I checked I couldn't instantly say I had any colour on my lips. Even though this was a lilac colour, it was very subtle.

A particular thing I did like was that it didn't leave a line of colour round my lips at the end of the day. Would I buy it again … yes, and the nail varnish to match.

Sleek Make-up Strobing Souffle (whipped cream highlighter) in smoky quartz - £7.00 from Superdrug - 4/5

12ml pot contains a highlighter with a whipped gel texture meaning it doesn't collapse like some mousses. It is not heavy or greasy, spreading nicely on bare skin and above foundation. For those with long fingernails or who want to avoid getting any glitter on their fingers (and you will), an eyeshadow brush will work as well as a fingertip for application, before using your usual blending techniques.

A pale peach shimmer creates a luminous base, which will have a dramatic effect on darker skin tones but also suits much fairer skin. The soufflé holds a fine gold glitter making it more suitable for highlighting cheeks and brows and great for a sparkling festive look that will go well with any baked shadows and bronzers.

Sleek Make-up I-Lust Palette in Hidden Gems - £7.49 from Boots and Superdrug - 4/5

This eyeshadow palette is ideal for women young and old, thanks to the stunning range of colours included: silver, green, pink, blue, gold and purple.

Each of the shadows is a pleasure to use, as the high-quality powder allows for easy blending and goes far.

The purple, green and silver is highly pigmented and can be applied as-if, whereas the gold, pink and blue have to be baked onto the eyes as the pigment is not as strong.

Each of the colours contains sparkles, which catch the light beautifully - and means the silver is also a great highlighter for above the eyes.

The set comes in an attractive, slim black box - perfect for slipping into a make-up bag or handbag - with an applicator which has a brush top on one end and a normal eyeshadow application sponge.

Lip VIP in superstar - £5.50 from Superdrug - 4/5

This lipstick is lovely - a moisturising shine colour, which can be applied lightly for a daytime tint or heavily for a stunning, bold, bright purple colour.

For £5.50, this is a great buy, though I do prefer products which have longer stay.

The lipstick itself is very visually pleasing - making it a super stocking filler - as the lipstick itself is moulded to look like a crystal.

Joan Collins Timeless Beauty Fragrance Silk Collection - £45 from www.joancollinsbeauty.com - 5/5

This gift set is absolutely stunning - and perfect for the more mature lady in your life. It contains a 12ml I AM WOMAN eau de parfum, a 12ml fragrant essence of the same perfume and a 100ml bottle of body oil infused with the scent.

Packaged in a matt black box, the products' presentation is very visually pleasing - the bottles contained are lovely too, with classy, unique designs.

The fragrance itself is a heavy, yet feminine perfume made up of citrus top notes, musk, and a wood base, with hints of floral scents. This is great for day, but better for evening as it fairly heavy.

The fragrance essence is nice too - and unusual, as it can be used to fragrance clothes and rooms alike.

The body oil, meanwhile, is a luxurious moisturiser, scented with the same I AM WOMAN perfume.

A lovely, indulgent set - and well worth the spend.

Oh K! Twelve Day Beauty Advent Calendar - £15 from John Lewis - 5/5

This super cute advent calendar is so lovely that the person in receipt of the gift will most certainly not care that the 12 days of Christmas has passed. Instead they will be enamoured by the delightful design and its high quality contents - and look forward to more than just 12 days of beauty cuteness with this gorgeous set.

The products themselves are inspired by Korea and so are wonderfully unusual.

It includes stunning eyeliner transfers, to lovely, high quality eyeshadow, comfy, sparkly ribbon bobbles, a luscious lip balm, false eyelashes, spiral hair ties, lip gloss and more.

A wonderful gift for the younger lady in your life - but, due to its outstanding quality and great price, also a superb present for make-up fans of any age.