You've been there before: you know someone well enough to buy them a Christmas present, but not well enough to actually know what to buy them. It's enough to tear your hair out. So if you have someone like that in your life, who lies on the fringe of friendship—maybe they’re your boss or your best friend’s girlfriend—here are three beauty gifts no one will return, all under $40, cheapskate. 

Oh, Daphne Guinness. If you told us your dabbling in cosmetics was inspired by virgins' tears or cyanide, we'd believe you. Fortunately for us, the real inspiration behind your MAC collection is so much weirder than anything we'd imagine. Channeling the "whispered luxury of an antique Chinese porcelain vase" and "pigeon's blood," Ms. Guinness also hopes to evoke "how the intricate wings of a butterfly resemble the images of deepest space."

Acclaimed avant-garde designer Gareth Pugh and cosmetics giant MAC have been working together on a makeup line for going on two years, and the suspense has been killing us. So good thing it was just announced that this November, Gareth Pugh for MAC will finally launch. Until then, we only have hints about what to expect from the Rick Owens protégé, who comes from a fine lineage of Goth-inspired British showmen.

As you head to the mall or your computer today to make returns and spend gift cards, keep in mind that New Year’s Eve is just four days away. And no threat of snow is going to keep you cooped up that night (unless you’ve already planned to be), so you’ll want to look your best. MAC recently released three new collections, perfect for those of us really looking to kick-off the new year with a bang. The first, appropriately titled "Cham Pale," is the most reserved of the three, but the stunning neutrals will leave you perfectly frosted and glowing for the big night—the line includes four lip glosses, two shimmering pressed powders, and four paint pots that go on creamy, but dry to leave you with perfect, all-day eye color.

Gift-giving during the holiday season is good for the soul and all, but it's also fun to treat yourself to some seasonal gift items, especially if you're into limited-edition products and creative packaging. And if you're really into makeup like we are, you know that there's nothing more exciting than a good holiday makeup collection, complete with new color palettes, brushes, and goodies you wouldn't normally buy on their own. Never ones to deprive our readers of a good tip-off, here's a list of some of the best makeup sets available now, for a limited time—so act fast!

Photographer's agent, Chanel ambassador, and longtime girlfriend of Terry Richardson, Jen Brill has remained a fixture on the NYC art and fashion scene for quite some time, thanks to her business-savvy creative eye and effortlessly cool style. In short, the girl gets it, and it's that je ne sais quoi that has girls everywhere enthralled with just about everything she does. If you're one of those girls, you're in for a treat over at Into the Gloss, an insider's beauty blog started by former Teen Vogue intern Emily Weiss. In the latest feature, Brill breaks down her mainstay beauty products and detailed makeup tricks, including her serious mascara routine: "At night I’ll do the bottom lashes too and make crazy spider legs. It takes me at least 10 minutes every day to put on my mascara. Ten minutes, literally—I paint each lash. I’d never do lash extensions though, too fussy," she tells ITG.

Tag, you're it! During fashion week, the list of parties and shows taking place on a daily basis is seemingly endless. In hopes of bringing some order to the madness, MAC, Milk Studios, and creative agency All Day Every Day are banding together for a game of phone tag via Live.MilkMade.com. They've extended invites to everyone from industry movers and shakers to the fashion hoi polloi, asking them to contribute cell phone picks of their fashion week experiences. "ALLDAYEVERYDAY have designed a curated website composed of real time photo content created by influencers who will use their mobile devices to give the public an unprecedented look at MAC & MILK and New York Fashion Week: from the castings and fittings to runway tumbles, to carnivals under the Highline, extravagant rooftop dinners and secret midnight concerts," the project's press release reads. Contributors include Andrew Mukamel of Kell On Earth fame, Byrdie Bell, designers Anna Shefield and Frank Tell, and dozens of other fashion week fixtures.

About a month ago controversy began brewing as a result of Rodarte having launched a makeup collaboration with MAC that took its inspiration from an unlikely place: Juarez, Mexico. Having cited the same town as an influence on the luxury fashion brand’s SS10 collection, Rodarte came under a firestorm of criticism for having referenced a factory town notorious for its violence and aggression against women. The Frisky was the first to call foul, but the call to arms became so robust that MAC and Rodarte eventually issued an apology and vowed to put proceeds towards the betterment of Juarez. But now it seems the controversy has become too much: MAC has pulled the line entirely; it will not be produced and it will not be sold in stores.

Just last week the blogosphere erupted in a Rodarte backlash. In collaborating with cosmetics mavens Mac, it seems designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy created a storm of controversy over some ill-chosen monikers. The sisters cited Juarez, Mexico as the inspiration for their FW10 collection as well as a color of nail polish that shares a name with the boarder town. Blog The Frisky called foul play. "Why's it tasteless? Juarez is an impoverished Mexican factory town notorious for the number of women between the ages of 12 and 22 who have been raped and murdered with little or no response from the police." The Frisky was the first blog to make the connection, but the linkage has resulted in a small-scale scandal.

There's more that goes into the 'no makeup' look than not wearing any. If you just didn't wear makeup, this would be a lot easier. For one, I wouldn't have to write this post. And you would save money. Or maybe spend more on skin treatments. But I'm just going to go with my gut and assume that if you're reading this, you probably wear a little makeup. Or at least like Alexander Wang. And therefore you probably know how casual and cool his all-American girls looked with those bold brows and dewy faces for spring. Here's how they got it, who does it, and where to get it.