Temptalia Asks You – Do you like holiday beauty gift sets and palettes?

Date: Saturday, September 26th, 2009 Author:

Do you like holiday beauty gift sets and palettes? Why/why not? Do you feel like you save money or overspend?

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I like it when it feels like a brand has put thought into it. Sometimes I feel like they’re just pushed out to be snatched up for gifts/”convenience,” but they may not be stellar.

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36 thoughts on “Temptalia Asks You – Do you like holiday beauty gift sets and palettes?

  1. Danielle Sharkey says:

    Yes! I totally love it when these sets come out – I actually wait for it with baited breath! Ive become a quick fan of the Mac sets with the 6 e/s that we see at holiday – If I really like most of the colors – has to be atleast 4 or 5 that I truly love I will certainly snatch it up! For example – last holiday I picked up 3 of the 4 quads – except for the poppy one? I believe that was the name of it….point being – I really loved the colors but a few of the textures just didnt work for me and so I passed on it…. I think the trick is not be sucked into the limited edition factor but to really see if this set can work for you – is it cost effective based on what you will actually use out of it – and how many of the products included can you truly see your self using on a daily basis? I probably do over spend but what I do buy I know I will use and for me thats a good thing!

    • kurisu says:

      Agreed! Also, I’ve seen quite a few LE stuff that end up being re-promoted in future sets (MAC, UD), so I’m really pick when it comes to buying sets.

      I end up passing up on most sets, and sometimes I do regret it. But then again, I often feel like there will be new, better sets out the next year (read: holiday). For MAC, it’s nice to hit up the CCO every once in a while – sometimes I will see past LE palettes, shadows, or lippies, for a discounted rate. I’m a bargain hunter, and sometimes LE stuff is amazing – the trick to really test it out! That’s why I live Sephora – I can try before I buy! And the MAC employees are really kind (at least where I live), so it’s easy to get them to help me in the process of purchasing. :3

      Although, those holiday MAC brushes tend to suck, but they look so cute (the handles). ;’[ BTW I would say I’ve seen some CRAP stuff thrown together, regardless of whether it’s holiday season or just a LE collection. Definitely not worth it! D;

  2. Angela says:

    Yes, I really do love holiday sets. I only dislike them when the packaging is nice and the product is just useless (not pigmented, cheap, etc).

  3. Deedee says:

    I like unique holiday sets. For MAC, I thought the little darlings were adorable, and I actually got a set of the mini pigments for Christmas. I dont like holiday sets where it just seems like they threw it together just because its simple.

  4. Kesha says:

    One of the first items I ever bought that was MAC was a Holiday palette; the Pleat 6 Cool Eyes from 2006. This has been the single most difficult product for me to work with. I really regret buying it, but I see the colors are all LE so, Im keeping it but ug…so hard to work with. I just loved the classy satin packaging so much :)

    But then theres the Smokey Eye Holiday palette from 2008. I am still kicking myself for passing that one up. The colors are absolutely perfect for a smokey eye; so well put together. And the palette design is gorgeous.

    It might have just been a beginners mistake on my part, in choosing bad colors; now that I know what looks best on me, Ill definitely take a closer look at Holiday palettes.

    • sheryl says:

      you still regret a purchase from 2006??? Girl, cut your losses, give yourself some slack and just toss it if the colors don’t work (or give it away, or find 5 more empties… take it to mac and get a lippie).

      :-)

  5. MC says:

    I usually like them– especially when they are all unique colors or are all a look in one type deal.

  6. Marilyn says:

    Rarely. I like palettes that only have eyeshadows (I don’t really use blush and I don’t like using lipstick/gloss pots).

    For gift sets, I love that they’re usually a great deal if you planned on buying two of the more expensive items in the set anyway :)

  7. Tina says:

    Yes, definitely, I use holiday sets very often. It is just sometime when you are going for real long holiday, the small beauty sets seem insufficient.

  8. lisa says:

    I love holiday sets when they are out is probably the time i spend the most on beauty products such as lipgloss, eyeshadow, perfumes etc because i get to try several in a set than pay full price for something that i may not end up liking after a while and regreting i bought it. I love the lipgloss sets because sometimes i dont like a certain color and would never buy it in full size but like having it in a miniature version to layer over a lipstick color

  9. Ashlee says:

    I love them. I try not to buy alot of makeup until Holiday sets come out. Just because it saves money.

    In general I just like sets.

  10. lunatwinkle says:

    I love them so much! I get all excited over the prety packaging, plus the fact that you get more bang for your buck in palettes vs. individual e/s pots, etc.

  11. Christy says:

    Only when the products are equal to what is regularly available or better. One of my faves was the Smoky palette from last year’s MAC Holiday collection. I use it for when I’m traveling. I always find its best to check them out in store before buying just to make sure they are up to par.

  12. Cherokee says:

    I never got caught up in the Holiday Madness because I feel it is always hype and a way to get people to spend money. Because of this notion, I tended to walk on by with tunnel vision not giving any thought to it. However, now that I am more into makeup I will be paying more attention this coming holiday season. Now I am actually excited.

  13. Dancerwendy says:

    I love when cosmetics companies come up with sets, not just the holiday ones. I buy them to try out new products/colors and to take along for travel. However, they are only a good value if all of the products or shades included are what I find desirable, so I’m very careful about what I buy…

  14. happybadfish says:

    No, I don’t like them. I never buy them, nor would I buy them for someone else. I usually don’t like the packaging. It looks nice, but usually doesn’t function well. I find they end up looking messy. I like to pick my colors out myself.

    I once bought these 5 small pigments from MAC at Christmas, the little jars were impossible to use. I ended up having to buy new containers to put them in, and I actually only really like one of the colors. I forgot I even had them until right now. What a waste.

  15. If I like most of the shades then I think they are a great deal. I travel a lot and am always looking for ways to minimize my travel makeup but still give me enough variations that I can do several looks.

  16. alicia says:

    Yes, I like sets, but it’s hard to find a set that in which I like all the colors. I like mini gloss sets more than e/s sets. Lip gloss is getting way too expensive these days, and I love carrying minis.

  17. amy says:

    Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t for the last couple of years I was not really impressed by MAC’s holiday collection and I haven’t picked on up. The only time I did pick something up was when I got my first job and can afford to indulging myself to bigger purchases at MAC but that was years ago. These holiday gift sets can be a good way to introduce beginners and those not familiar with the brand to the product.

  18. DevilishDoll says:

    I usually love MAC’s, I have cool eyes palettes from the past 3 years, but I don’t think I’ll get an palettes this year. I love the mini sets, so I’ll probably get all 3 of the lipglass ones, might get a pigment one too, haven’t decided.

  19. Sarah says:

    I like the holiday collections but you just have to use common sense and not buy everything simply because it’s there. I really enjoyed mac’s viva glam lipstick palettes because I could try them out instead of purchasing the whole thing. and then when i’ve used all the lipstick in the cases, I can clean them out and re use them :)

  20. Dusty says:

    I like holiday stuff on two conditions: 1) The product is unique and the packaging really cool. 2) If it’s actually a “deal.” If a company is bundling together a bunch of products in one collection I want to be saving bucks for buying the bundle.

    I used to look forward to Aveda holiday sets every year – There was always something for everyone I was shopping for (men or women). The packaging was always cool and ALWAYS reusable in some fashion (not just cardboard boxes, their packaging is meant to be re-used as something else). But over the past two years they have just been tossing together sample sizes of products and knocking off about 5% off the total. What’s up with that? :P

    Bottom line is it has to be useful. I won’t fork over the dough to get something that’s just going to sit in a landfill later because I never used it but it “looked cute.”

  21. Jane says:

    I like the idea of the holiday sets, but for me personally, they usually contain colours I already have, or too many that I know I won’t ever use. I do usually buy the MAC holiday sets with the small vials of pigment. I find they are a good way to try colours you might not have before, and they last a really long time!

  22. Margarett says:

    I am on the fence on this one. One holiday set from MAC I got a few years ago, 2005 I think, was a set of mini paints with a tiny concealer brush. I still love that set. I am just about out of the paints but I still use that tiny brush. In 2008, I bought the MAC Little Darlings:5 Cool Pigments and I have used them maybe a grand total of 5 times this year and I wear make up everyday. Two of the colors I have not even opened. This year I am going to focus on getting myself better brushes because I have more make up now than a Clinique counter at Macy’s!

    • Deedee says:

      I think thats the same set I have. Is it mostly purples along with a teal? It did take me a while to get into the colors, but the purples make for a soft smokey eye.

  23. Emily says:

    I love getting the smaplers form Sephora. I also like the sets the brands throw together. I dont have a huge collection, so it helps me find new things :)

  24. Jennifer D. says:

    I generally like the warm palettes or smokey palettes. However, I rarely buy them because as a makeup artist with a pro card these are not applicable and I can find duplicates with MAC or elsewhere. I have also found that later throughout the year they release quads that copy some of the shades in these holiday palettes that were not discounted. I dont necessarily look forward to the holiday items.

  25. Lyn says:

    Ive just recently gotten into holiday makeup sets, but Ive been bitten by the Dior bug and started collecting their palettes. I love the clutches because you can take the makeup out and use them as a lil purse for a night out. Looking forward to see what the Cristal Boreale Holiday clutch looks like

  26. Connie says:

    YES! YES! YES! You get great products at great prices. Especially when it comes to MAC–you save so much money by buying it in holiday gift sets. They also last a very long time.

  27. luv2smilexo says:

    i like some of the new sephora samplers. I am really wanting that blitz and glitz one :P

  28. Miss_M says:

    Yes, I do like the gift sets and palettes different brands (BB, EL, MAC) release every year, but it really depends on the colors. I’m not buying a palette just because it’s LE or has an pretty package. I only buy a palette if I know I will be using at least 80% of all the colors, otherwise I don’t think it’s a good investment since these palettes are pretty expensive over here (E40,- euros and up).

  29. Jasmine says:

    I love holiday gift sets but I don’t love the holiday brush sets. I think they’re not even half the quality of the regular size brushes. I love holiday lipgloss sets and eyeshadow quads. Its a great chance to try out new colors that you might not purchase individually

  30. Alexis says:

    I LOVE them – sometimes I specifically ask for it. I might do it again this year!

  31. Rachel says:

    Rarely. I find myself rarely like eyeshadow palettes(i mean those comes with more than 6 colors, I wonder if anyone ever use more than 6 colors on eyes other than Halloween) , not to mention those comes with everything, I mean, eyeshadow+blush+lipstick pots…..they stupid and useless to me.

    although i do like those comes with a set, consisting of eye palettes and nail polish and…you know, stuff… with discount price.