Emma has put Chanel at the center of holiday beauty shopping with a curated edit built entirely around the brand’s cosmetics, skincare and fragrances. Her recommendations range from a pinkish-nude nail polish and shimmering frosty highlight to hydrating eye patches, plus gift-ready sets that make the luxury feel immediate.
That is why the search for The Substance lands here now: the piece is aimed squarely at holiday gift planning, when readers want polished answers instead of a sprawling beauty rabbit hole. Emma, an associate beauty editor of branded content who lives in New York City, says she found every single recommendation at Chanel and frames the selection as one for beauty-loving friends who expect something more elevated than a standard present.
The edit also stretches beyond single products into bundled gifts. Emma points to a multitasking lip duo, a perfect touch-up trio and a set of glistening glosses, each described as coming with a cute pouch. She also singles out Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu, a juicy, gourmand fragrance, and Chance Eau Splendide, an airy floral scent, showing that the Chanel pitch is not just about makeup but about the full gift counter, from color to scent.
Chanel’s cosmetics already carry the cachet of being a favorite among celebs, editors and makeup artists, which helps explain why the recommendations are framed as ultra-luxe without ever being priced out in the open. That missing detail matters. The edit invites shoppers to trust the brand signal and the curation rather than a numbers breakdown, even as it leaves readers to do the actual budgeting themselves.
Marie Claire positions the guide as an expert shopping and styling recommendation, with Emma’s voice doing the heavy lifting. Nikki Ogunnaike is the publication’s editor-in-chief and Hannah Baxter its beauty director, but the pitch here is simpler: if you want a holiday gift that feels like Chanel, the path is already mapped. What remains unanswered is not whether there are options, but which exact products from the full edit a shopper will choose first.
