The temps are dropping, the sun is increasingly AWOL, and twinkling string lights are popping up outside many a neighborhood homes. Yes, the holiday season is finally upon us.

With the cheer and the jolliness also comes a lot of items on the to-do list in preparation for gift-giving season. The stress can sometimes be overwhelming, but with a solid plan and copious amounts of hot cocoa, this might just be hold best holiday season yet.

Shopping for everyone on your list is one of those tasks that can either be really fun or really frustrating. After 21 years on this earth, I’ve begun to learn a thing or two about getting gifts for other people.

You see, the key to shopping for people who never give you a definitive wish list is to play to your strengths. Since I know Sephora’s entire layout by heart (both in-store and online), it’s easy for me to envision beauty products that would be perfect for each of my relatives.

If you’re a beauty junkie like myself, shopping for makeup is always fun, whether or not it’s for yourself.

With Black Friday right around the corner (see our full list of sales here), there will be a plethora of beauty deals flooding the market claiming to be the “lowest prices in the history of ever” and a million other things. In reality, not all of these products are actually going to be worth the discounted price.

However, after reviewing sneak peek after sneak peak of the upcoming beauty sales, there are a number of products that are amazing steals, guaranteed to fulfill the wishes of even your most picky relative or friend.

No matter who you’re shopping for this Black Friday (including yourself), make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck by utilizing my “cheat-sheet” shopping list:

Table of Contents

1. Urban Decay Nocturnal Shadowbox Palette at Ulta, $14.50

The perfect way to fake your way through the holiday season is to give out this UD palette acting like you were one of the shmucks that actually paid full price for it. As much as I love Urban Decay Shadows, I love them even more when (if ever) they go on sale.