on10 Disney Red Apple Lip Balm SPF 15 ($9.00) is a tin pot filled with lip balm. The lip balm contains SPF15, which is always a good thing (especially since I often forget about SPF on my lips!).  I think the selling point of this product is the Snow White drawing on the tin.  It’s cute and very vintage, so it feels more sophisticated/adult.  The lip balm formula contains coconut oil, beeswax, olive oil, and cocoa butter.  It goes on clear, despite looking pink in the tin, and it lasts for an hour or two before I feel the need to reapply.  I don’t know if I’d grab more of these, though I’d definitely consider the set of them ($38 for 9, slightly smaller tins).  I think it’s a great stocking stuffer for the Disney fan in your life, though!

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When you’re looking for lipsticks to create that perfect holiday lip, consider Estee Lauder’s Hot Kiss & Maraschino ($22.00 each).

Hot Kiss is a subtle mauve-berry-brown color with subtle shimmer.  It goes on more brown with hints of mauve in the color on the lips, but it is a very sophisticated lip color that doesn’t attract attention like a more traditional holiday red pout does.  It reminds me of how a nice coral lip can look in the summertime, but this is taken down to a deeper level ideal for the fall and winter, when lip color goes darker.

Maraschino is a sexy, sultry reddish color that looks red in the tube, but has a great pink base, which gives you a good mix between the two.  It’s a great alternative to the bright red lip often seen at holiday parties–it’s something to consider regardless of whether you’re a bit wary of red or if you’re looking to move away from a signature red.

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Calvin Klein Delicious Light Glistening Lip Gloss in Maven ($16.00) is a great night-on-the-town kind of color.  It’s a very pigmented gloss in a deep shade of burgundy-wine, so it gives lips a dramatic look without being too high maintenance.  The gloss formula itself is non-sticky as far as I could tell, but still thick enough that it’s not a balm or a sheer gloss.

When applied, the color goes on smoothly and looks almost like shimmering water (if water was burgundy and that was acceptable!).  The shimmer is just right; it’s obvious and noticeable, but it isn’t chunky or gritty.  I found the gloss lasted for several hours before fading, and I didn’t get the dreaded lipgloss ring at the end of the day.  I rarely like a gloss enough to wear it alone, but I find this one to be exceptional for that purpose.

This gloss is perfect for nights out, but you can definitely rock it during the day time.  Right now, I keep it in my purse, because its an easy grab-and-go color I can wear if I need to amp up my look while out and about.

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Philosophy’s Red Velvet Cake Lip Shine ($12.00) is one of Philosophy’s flavors for the holiday season. It smells very chocolaty, but almost like a spicy chocolate (though not too spicy!). It gives a smidgen of color (it deepens your natural pigmentation), lots of gloss (duh), and it’s a great way to keep your pucker look kissable without sticky gloss or rich lipstick. I find that the lip shines just work really well when I have down time or I’m just running errands. I mean, you just can’t kiss your boyfriend with lipstick and lipglass on–for one, mine doesn’t want all that on his lips; and second, it’ll still mess up my perfect color combination anyway!

Anyone with some brand new lip shines hanging around who doesn’t want them?  Let me take them off your hands! ;)

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Philosophy’s Under the Mistletoe Trio ($28.00) consists of three delicious lip shines. You get Gingerbread, Spicy Pear Cobbler, and Orange Cranberry Spritzer–and all three smell exactly like their names. Don’t let Spicy Pear intimidate you, because it doesn’t actually make your lips look green! It gives them a lovely high shine finish with a touch of golden-green tint that doesn’t look unnatural. Think MAC’s Spring Bean lipglass in terms of actual application. Lip shines are ridiculously glossy; they definitely give your lips a high shine finish. This little trio makes a perfect stocking stuffer, too ;)

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Philosophy First Snow Set ($26.00) is a three-piece set featuring Snow Shower exfoliating shower gel (4 oz.), Snow Body Shimmer Lotion (2 oz.), and Snow Kiss Lip Shine (0.5 oz). The Snow Shower is a glittery gel that exfoliates and sloughs off rough skin without being rough. I’d consider it a gentle body exfoliator. The Snow Body Shimmer Lotion is adorable; it’s such a fun product to use when you want to pamper yourself. The shimmer went on subtly, which is great, because while I love some body shimmer, I don’t want a glittery hot mess either! I love, love, LOVE Philosophy’s Lip Shines (you know how some people obsess over Juicy Tubes? Lip Shines for me!). It’s not surprising that Snow Kiss is a nice low key choice. It’s a sheer, shimmery gloss with blue-toned glimmer. It’s kind of like frost/ice in a sense.  There’s a scent/flavor to it; I’m not exactly sure what it is… reminds me almost of raspberry lemonade.

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NP Set by Napoleon Perdis is a line designed for and carried by Target. I’ve used a few Napoleon Perdis products in the past (China Doll foundation being one of them–which was fab, though pricey), and I haven’t been disappointed. I was interested to see how NP Set would meet my expectations. This post is only about the lipsticks (not the primer pictured above). The lipsticks in Rio and Boston Cream Ginger ($15.00) were the ones that I ended up giving a try.

Rio is described as a brick red, but it’s too subdued to be a real brick red. I’d say it is a pinked brick red if anything. It’s a nice color, though, nonetheless; it’s perfect for fall and winter. It’s not pastel or pink or springy in the least bit, but it’s also not overly vampy or dark. It should work with most skin tones. The lipstick formula itself is matte in finish, but it is not at all drying–very moisturizing for a matte. In the lip swatch, you’ll notice despite being advertised as a matte, there is still some noticeable sheen.

Boston Cream Ginger is an incredibly creamy coral-melon color. It’s definitely one of those colors I’m drawn to, because corals are my favorites! The creaminess factor is a huge plus, because a lipstick should be moisturizing and hydrating. It should never dry your lips out! Since I can’t reapply balm throughout the day when I have lipstick on, I only bother wearing lipsticks that keep my lips soft and pouty. This one also has a lot of glossiness in its finish, which makes it incredibly wearable without adding any gloss whatsoever–something I rarely feel comfortable doing!

I’m very impressed by these lipsticks, and I wouldn’t mind checking out the other shades the next time I’m at Target (but I avoid going at all costs–I always end up with a cart filled with 99% of things I didn’t intend to buy!).

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Tarte’s Purse Your Lips Lipgloss Clutch ($39.00) features nine stunning shades of lip glosses. Each brand new, limited edition shade features Tarte’s “t5 super fruit complex” (which kind of makes me giggle–let’s be honest). The clutch that holds the lipglasses is large enough that it should fit all of the lipglosses, and then perhaps another twenty more. It’s quite roomy, so you can definitely utilize it as a holiday clutch, and not just a makeup holder, during the winter. The color of the clutch is a faux snakeskin pattern with a dark purple base with golden-greenish sheen/shimmer.

What I liked most about this holiday set is you get a lot of fun colors to play with. I wouldn’t say it’s the greatest value (you get nine 0.02oz glosses for $39, while one 0.2 oz gloss runs you $21), though it would depend on whether you consider the clutch something you’d use. But anyway, half of the time I go for a holiday set is because I can try several products out at once for less than just one. This holds true here. The shades range of peach-nude to creamy red. You’re bound to find a few favorites, and even ones that you’ll use, but hold off for that special occasion.

A downside to this set of glosses is that they are all limited edition. They were intended to be sold in this clutch only; you won’t even find names listed on them (how annoying, by the way!). So if you fall in love with one, don’t expect it to hold you over for very long, and you will have to be on the hunt for a similar shade, since no full-size exists.

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Clinique’s Blackberry Bloom collection for the holidays has a few stunning products definitely worth a trip over to your local Clinique counter! Particularly lovely is the Fresh Bloom Allover Colour in Blackberry Bloom ($29.50) (pictured above), which is a pleasant shade of muted raspberry-mauve. It’s not too warm or cool, making it ideal for all skin tones. It has low level pearl in it; no over the top shimmer, more like a sophisticated sheen. Black Coffee ($14.00) is a rich shade of warm brown with golden flecks in it. I think it would be perfect way to add definition to the crease paired with a nude shade all over the lid. All of the shadows had great texture and consistency; they were smooth, pigmented, and blended easily.

Along with these holiday products, Clinique has come out with Party Red, featuring shades of red and coordinating products for those bold red lips. Both the Butter Shine Lipstick in Parisian Red ($14.00) and Long Last Lipstick in Party Red ($14.00) are excellent choices for your perfect holiday pout. Parisian Red seemed more like a truer red than Party Red, which is just a little subdued and has more of a frost finish to it. If I had to pick one, Parisian Red is the one I’d lust over!

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Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick ($38.00) According to Bobbi Brown, there are five shades found within this shimmer brick: Candlelight, Gold, Copper, Beige, and Sand. I like the subtle glow it gave me; it’s very subtle, not too much color–more of a shimmer, highlighting effect. Some shimmer bricks give more color than others, but I’ve always liked the shimmer they’ve given, regardless of actual color (since I still consider these highlighters rather than blushes!). Copper Diamond is probably more suitable for warm-tones, just because it’s so warm itself. I still think cooler skin tones will enjoy this shimmer brick, because it won’t bronze you in a fake, orange kind of way.

Copper Diamond Glitter Lip Balm ($19.00) is a very subtle and sheer lip balm. It’s not sticky or tacky; it barely went on for me, to be honest. I saw a hint of shimmer/glitter on my lips, but the color itself was minimal. I haven’t tried the other shades, so perhaps those are more pigmented–otherwise, I’d skip these and head straight for the new, limited edition glitter lip gloss (the ones in the compact).

Glitz Metallic Eyeshadow ($20.00) is a new shade to the line’s existing metallic eyeshadows. The metallic eyeshadows have a more–you guessed it–metallic finish. I find they’re shimmery/frosty finishes, some of them do seem more metallic than others, though. Glitz itself is a soft, pale yellow-gold that goes on with a nice dose of shimmer and glitz (ha!). I think it’s a great shade for the holidays, as it’s a great all-over lid color to match with festive holiday-red lips! Oh, by the way? While they’re sold in their individual compacts, you can always pop ‘em out and put them in Bobbi Brown’s customizable palettes. Depotting without the hassle that comes alogn with MAC pots–awesome.

Ball Glitter Lip Gloss ($19.00) is actually my favorite product from the two collections. It’s a thick, semi-tacky gloss that is full of glittery bits with decent color. I picked up Ball, which gives lips some warmth and golden shimmer. It’s a great gloss over reds, especially a red like MAC’s Port Red, because of the lipstick’s subtle gold shimmer.

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