Every December, advent calendars multiply like rabbits. Sephora, Net-A-Porter, Saks, Bluemercury—if you want 24 mini bottles of face cream in a box with punch-out doors, you’re covered. But for Hanukkah? Eight glorious nights of candles, latkes, and gifting potential? Crickets. Nada. Bupkis.
It’s almost offensive. Why cram all your beauty joy into one stocking-stuffed morning when you could stretch it out over a week? Eight nights is basically a built-in beauty festival, and yet brands keep pretending it doesn’t exist. Fine. If the industry won’t get on board, we’ll build our own menorah-friendly countdown. The rules are simple: eight beauty gifts, bite-sized but fun, with a budget that stretches longer than that mythical oil.
Here’s how to glow night after night—no advent calendar required.
Night One: Balm Like You Mean It
Forget dreidels—you need lip balm. Kosas Lipfuel Snack Pack comes with three, which is perfect, because one balm is never enough. These are minty, tinted just enough to make you look alive, and buttery enough to survive December winds. Plus, the shiny little tubes look like candy-coated M&Ms. Pro tip: stash one in every coat pocket. Winter is not the season for monogamous balm use.
Night Two: Paint It Red
Nothing says “holiday” like a perfect red polish. Jinsoon’s Coquette is that red—neither too dark nor too bright, shiny enough to double as jewelry. It’s chic without trying too hard, and the bottle looks like it belongs on a Parisian vanity. Consider it your manicure menorah.
Night Three: French Pharmacy, But Not Boring
Most French pharmacy gifts are basically oatmeal in a tube: good for you, but yawn. Enter Nuxe Honey Makeup Removing Gel. It smells like actual honey, feels like jelly, and melts makeup off without leaving you tight-faced. You’ll say “ooh” at the brand, “ahh” at the texture, and possibly lick the air around your sink.
Night Four: Liquid Sparkle Therapy
By night four, you need drama. Danessa Myricks Twin Flames liquid shadow (Crazy 4 U) is pure multichrome magic—peach, gold, and aqua in one swipe. It’s low effort, high payoff, and makes even Zoom lighting look intentional. Basically, the latke of makeup: crispy on the outside, satisfying all the way through.
Night Five: Sheet Mask Math
Eight nights, ten Mediheal NMF masks—coincidence? No. This is strategy. For $13 you’ve got hydration, soothing, and a built-in excuse to lie down for 20 minutes. Developed by Korean derms, these are cult classics for a reason. Light candles, sheet mask, spin dreidel. You win.
Night Six: Hands That Sparkle
Your dreidel hand deserves glam. Layer Jinsoon red with a glittery topcoat or stickers, and suddenly your manicure is a party trick. Bonus: looks great in candle selfies. Who needs diamonds when your nails can throw light like this?
Night Seven: Blowout, No Babysitter
It’s time for the big one. Revlon’s One Step Plus brush is a modern miracle: the easiest at-home blowout tool, now sleeker, lighter, and less likely to fry your strands. Dyson who? This is the splurge-that’s-not-really-a-splurge. Think of it as eight nights of good hair karma in one plug-in.
Night Eight: The Sparkly Sendoff
The finale calls for shimmer. A highlighter stick, a glittery gloss, even a mini perfume with enough sparkle to rival the menorah—pick something that feels like a mic drop. You’ve made it through eight nights of gifting glory; end on a high note (literally, if your gift smells good).
The Bottom Line
Hanukkah deserves more than bupkis from the beauty industry, but until someone designs the world’s first menorah-shaped gift box, we’ve got this. Eight nights, eight little luxuries, eight reasons to light candles and look good doing it.
Now grab a latke, swipe on some balm, and toast to your glowing reflection. Mazel tov.
