There are so many gorgeous Christmas makeup gift sets around that it’s hard to know where to begin, so I’ve narrowed it down to four across different budgets; two Christmas specials and two festive-friendly releases from recent months. I didn’t intend for them to coordinate so well - neutral with a twinkly accent appears to be the theme!
First up is Bobbi Brown’s Holiday Collection and the limited edition Greystone Eye Palette (top left), for office wear to glam with a top notch dual ended brush.
The Mini Lip & Eye Palette in Bellini includes a nude lipgloss, 3 matte eye shadows and two shimmer shadows. I find the latter work best as a wash of shimmer pressed over other shades rather than stand alone, dazzling glitter. At £26.50 this is a great intro to Bobbi Brown, which is probably why I struggled to find one in stock online! I also love that it’s handbag sized.
Shimmer Brick in Pink adds a silvery pink glow to cheekbones - while I’m not the biggest Shimmer Brick-er I like the cool tones of this one and if ever there’s a time for sparkle, this is it… my advice: restrict to tops of cheek & brow bones.
My favourite of all the above is the new Luxe Lip Color. The Neutral Rose and Soft Berry shades look gorgeous for Winter (I’m saving Retro Coral for Spring) and you’re bound to find a favourite among 24 colours of this new formula. Highly moisturising, these literally turn my lips from blah into soft and sumptuous… within a couple of minutes they literally look and feel smoother and plumper. The colour lasts well and the weighty, extra large golden packaging is super luxe.
There’s something about giving a single luxury lipstick that makes the perfect gift in my opinion, especially for someone unlikely to treat themselves - and you’ll be pushed to find a better one than this. I’ll definitely be treating myself to another.
I also posted about the new Sterling Collection recently if you’ll like a little more festive Bobbi inspo.
If you like to get a lot for your dollar, Pixi Beauty’s Christmas sets are great finds. The Natural Contour Kit includes 4 face shades (2 matte and 2 satin/shimmer), 6 matte eyeshadows and 2 large shimmer eyeshadows that could also be used as a cheek highlight. It’s an impressive collection and I’m especially excited about they eye shades as I do love a good contoured eye look, particularly forgiving when you have hooded eyes.
The Endless Silky Eye Pen Quartette (30% off) includes 4 richly pigmented, long wearing gel eyeliner pencils in Black Noir, Black Cocoa (dark matte brown), Deep Plum and Slate Grey. All really wearable and the plum in particular is a stunner. These really are silky smooth and very pigmented, easily smoked out with a pencil brush for a quick smokey eye.
KIKO Silk Pearl Illuminating Bronzer and Cream Radiance Highlighter are part of its Midnight Siren Collection and their Christmas bauble-esque shape and party-ready textures lend them well to festive makeup. It really is hard to go wrong with KIKO and I’m a fan of their bronzers; this one is light enough to wear in Winter - to match your face to a self tanned body or to enhance frozen features! The highlight has a cream to powder texture and comes in two shades; this is 01, a pale creamy champagne gold.
Last but not least is a personal favourite that I’ve been meaning to share for a while: Topshop Mono Eyeshadow in Pyrite and Smoke Stick shadow/liner in Fools Gold, which together give the quickest, easiest smokey eye. Pyrite has an intense glittery foil finish with incredible payoff and true wow factor. Fools Gold Smoke Stick is a metallic blackened gold that can be worn alone, smudged long the lashline or paired with the shadow - just dreamy… I’m wearing both in this pic and suggest you add an extra set for yourself if you’re ordering! Formula varies between the shades but these two are absolute winners and one of my best makeup discoveries this year.
