9 Holiday Gifts For Moms Who Love Fashion & Beauty

My mother represents a strange contradiction — one that I have never fully understood, and that always gets in the way of finding the perfect gift for mom . On the one hand, she's a mom who loves fashion and beauty, fully appreciative of a cashmere tunic or luxe body cream. On the other, she is constantly coming up with excuses not to treat herself: She's too busy, too frugal, or too worried about her damn kids to spend any time indulging herself.

If this sounds familiar, then take note: The holidays are just around the corner, and it's the perfect opportunity to spoil mama with the things she loves but would never buy. For me, that's a novel thought: If I want something, I save up my money and buy it. For my mom (and other moms, I'm sure) it's slightly more complicated: She's got four kids, a house, two dogs, and a husband. With a to-do list like hers, it's unsurprising that there's no room in her schedule or budget for shopping trips to purchase luxuries.

Now that I'm an adult, there's nothing I enjoy more than splurging on treats for my mom on the holidays, and these are just some of the fancy goodies I've got in mind. Sure, maybe most moms aren't hung up on material things and would love anything you got them. Still, every once in awhile, it's nice to treat her like the fancy fearless leader that she is.

1. A Luxe Pair Of Leather Gloves

Women's Leather Cashmere Gloves, $69, llbean

There's nothing quite as classically chic as a pair of leather riding gloves, and it's the type of timeless piece that moms everywhere will certainly appreciate. There are so many cute pairs for sale now that you may even want to pick some up for yourself. Especially if mom doesn't mind matching.

Basic Leather Tech Gloves In Pewter, $51, Last Call

Wilson's Leather Knit Touch Gloves, $60, Wilsons Leather

2. A Sporty Apple Watch

38mm Silver Apple Watch With White Sport Band, $349, Apple

For those who can't splurge on the $10,000 Apple watch, this sporty alternative is more budget friendly and still totally cute for mom. Knowing my own mother, she'd appreciate this watch's durability, and it would be cute to watch dad peer enviously at her wrist.

3. A Cashmere Sweater

Classic Cashmere Open Cardigan, $169, llbean

It might seem like the oldest Christmas gift cliche in the book, but there's a reason that cashmere sweaters stand the test of time — and are the perfect last minute gift standby. No matter how many cute sweaters your mom has, you can bet that she'll appreciate one as luxe and soft as this, especially if you purchase one with a modern, sophisticated cut.

6th & Lane Cashmere Draped Cardigan, $198, Lane Bryant

4. A Posh Skincare Set

La Mer The Winter Indulgence Collection, $110, Cremedelemer

I don't know about you, but I'm not entirely sure what my mom keeps in her medicine cabinet. That being said, it's always nice to be treated to luxury skincare products that you wouldn't otherwise buy for yourself. These sets are a perfect way to treat mom to a little bit of skin care experimentation without worrying that the products will go to waste.

SK-II Pitera Essence Set, $99, Macys

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Set, $92, Estee Lauder

5. A Scarf That Speaks To Her Personality

Horizon Cashmere And Silk Scarf, $53, Nordstrom

My own mother doesn't take a lot of risks with fashion, but she will always ride for a flashy scarf. Finding the one that fits your mom's personality can be an easy way to buy her a piece of apparel without having to worry about sizing.

6. Neutral Jewels She Can Wear With Anything

Transparent Bar Glass Pendant, $25, Etsy

Neutral jewelry doesn't mean you have to purchase your mom some dated gold hoops. Instead, look for pieces that she can dress up or down, but that have a little bit of creative flair that she appreciates. The (secretly) best part about this strategy? You can borrow it when she's not watching.

Erica Weiner Acrostic Alphabet Necklaces, $300, Erica Weiner

7. A Sephora Gift Card

When in doubt, pick her up a gift card that she can use to get exactly what she wants, whether that be a new fragrance or an unexpected lip color. If you want to make the gift a little more special, join her on her Sephora outing and show her some cool products she probably doesn't know about.

8. A Mother/Daughter Salon Appointment

Whether it's manicures, pedicures, or hair, there's nothing the fashion and beauty-loving mom appreciates more than a day out at the salon. Bonus points if you can convince mom to go for a manicure that's not red, purple, or neutral.

9. An Amazing Scent

Sephora Favorites Perfume Sampler, $55, Sephora

Choosing a fragrance for someone else is a difficult process, but that doesn't mean you can't put one under the tree for your mom. There are several approaches to this gift-giving task. One, you can simply ask your mom what types of fragrances she likes, and make an educated choice from there. Another way is to give mom a cute (but empty) fragrance bottle and a card explaining that you'd like to take her to pick out a scent. Last but not least, you can give her a sample kit (the Sephora one pictured above contains a voucher for a full-size bottle) so she can try a bunch of different fragrances before taking the plunge.

With gifts like these, your mom's wildest fashion and beauty dreams will certainly come true this holiday season. She might never buy any of these things for herself, but she definitely deserves them — and this way, you don't have to trust dad or your siblings to figure things out.

Images: Courtesy Brands