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Have you purchased any mega sets this holiday season?

You know, I recently caved on the Make Up For Ever’s Artist Shadow Collector’s Set, and I kick myself a bit for doing so, as there was no need (I own them all individually). Other sets for the season: Tom Ford Lips & Boys and philosophy 12 Days of Christmas.

— Christine

43 Comments

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Claudi Avatar

I purchased a big Estee Lauder Set with everything a beauty-addicted woman like me fancies: lipsticks, eyeshadowpalette, skincare etc. But, I have to wait to open it at christmas!

Katherine T. Avatar

I haven’t purchased a mega set yet, but doesn’t mean I won’t do it in future. So far, none of them have appealed to me enough to plop down $200-$300 for them. The MUFE Artist Collectors Shadow set was the most tempting, but I didn’t like many of the colors. At that price point, I get more picky. And those big mega sets with 50 shadows can really overwhelm me. I much prefer a smaller, well-edited set, with a cohesive color theme, like Laura Gellers Baked Shadow set in the Delectables (14 shadows in great autumn/winter colors of browns, greens, coppers, ambers, golds) or a nice quad ( Chanel Tissee D’Automnes)

Shana Avatar

Not for myself.
I bought the Estee Lauder’s Give every shade palettes for gift.
It’s not a mega set but has 3 palettes of 10 eyeshadow shades each.

Ok it’s less expensive than if you buy all products one by one. But there are always shades I don’t like in this sets, and you are not sure about the quality of some of them. That’s why I’m not that much interested in mega sets for myself. If there are products that don’t have the quality I’m expecting for, it just don’t worth it.
Only brands like TF have minimum failes. But those lipstick sets are just too expensive. And I only love some shades, not all of them. Same as the TF perfum set, there are some perfumes that I don’t like.

CT’s calendar was interesting to discover the products. But it was quite expensive.

I feel that those set trend are just “bigger” version of samples. It’s promotion, it’s marketing. It’s as if you pay for test. I prefer to test at the counter, ask for a sample, and pick those I really like in full size.
I don’t want to pay for “big” samples that I don’t like. Lol.

But they are good gift ideas !

Abir Avatar

I absolutely agree. Especially with the part where you say that it’s as if the customer pays for testing. Mega sets should always have the quality of full size otherwise I’m not interested.

Lulle Avatar

No, and I’m not planning to. I think that I’ve slowly started to favor quality over quantity (the size of my stash is an indication that it hasn’t always been the case…), and I find holiday sets are often not such a great value if you weren’t planning to buy each individual product to start with.

Nancy T Avatar

Not a mega set, not this year, at least not yet anyway. Closest I’ve come is 2 decent size palettes, the MUFE 15 Artist Shadows Palette and the Anastasia Self-Made Palette. I think I’m just too much of a picky perfectionist, and as such, nothing has gotten my adrenaline pumping enough in any of the mega sets with one exception, the MUFE Collectors Set! But it’s definitely out of my range pricewise, or I would grab that up!

Ray Avatar

My sister got me the OPI Brights set through her job (Refinery29). She usually has terrible taste, bless her heart, so I was totally thrilled that she grabbed it for me out of the beauty closet.

No other huge purchases, though I’m picking up a Becca matte primer from each retailer that’s offering a good discount or points special. Might as well stock up now – I finish a tube every two months or so.

Michele @Binxcat4ever Avatar

I usually don’t buy mega sets. Not because of the cost, although they are expensive, but because there are usually too many products/pieces I wouldn’t use. Since I gravitate to cool tones almost all warm tones in a set would be non-usable. It ends up being a waste of money for me. If a brand would come out (as Lancome has) with dual sets (a mega for cool and one for warm), I would consider making a purchase.

Wednesday Avatar

I caved on a a number of things, but no specific Mega Set: Far more TF boys than I had planned for including the dreaded ‘backups’.. have to say I’m happy I did with Vladimir (my personal fav from the new grouping). The new TF (not Tom Ford this time, but Too Faced) bon bons palette (a total pointless cave really), and a couple of palettes from Zoeva (en Taupe, and Mixed Metals),

Despite the eyeshadow haul above, I wish I had picked up that MUFE Mega set..truly kicking myself. I’ve grown to love the formula, found it a bit stiff at first, but realize that is part of the scene with the top layer of the shadows being a little tougher on the surface. I’ve got enough shadows to last me a lifetime. Sigh.

Aimee Palma Avatar

Why do you think the Too Faced bon bond palette was pointless? I have the first two chocolate bar palettes and like them a lot. Are these just a bunch like that or is the quality bad?

Wednesday Avatar

The palette is only pointless from the size and colour range of my own personal stash. I could probably dupe at least a third of the shades. I picked it up anyway despite my good intentions to stop buying eyeshadows for awhile and I have to say I really like both of my too faced palettes 🙂 and reach for them often. Sorry for late response. I missed this post.

Bananasforbourbon Avatar

Well, I bought the Viseart Paris Nudes palette…mega priced, if not a mega palette. I’ve been pretty happy with it, although a couple of shades seem to be plagued with a ton of fallout.
I’ve spent most of my holiday dollars on skincare, since I really can’t justify purchasing any more eyeshadow in my lifetime!

Nicole Avatar

I had the Laura Mercier Master Class palette. But, wound up returning it. It was the eye shadows. The matte shadows were just too patchy and there were no transition shades. So, I would need to pull another single ot palette and use a base. For $125 and it was just not acceptable to me. The case also was rickety. The promo pic is so misleading.
I also bought the Stila Sending My Love gift set on sale at Ulta ( Black Friday). I planned to gift it. But, the outer box was bent pretty badly in shipping . The products were not damaged though. So, I called Ulta customer service and they actually shipped me a new one at no charge. So, I have one for myself now!

Christina D. Avatar

Heck yeah! On top of all the other stuff I’ve ordered for myself, I bought the Urban Decay Naked Vault. Of course I already have everything included in it, but wanted it nonetheless.

Pearl Avatar

I forgot about the Urban Decay Naked Vault. I’m new to the brand this year, but I’ve gotten almost all the naked palettes (don’t have the Naked 2s yet). If I hadn’t bought the palettes already, I think I would’ve gotten that – it was such a great price, and I liked that it was only eye shadows/palettes.

The Silver Nail Avatar

No, because if they’re good quality then they’re too expensive, and the ones I can afford are poor quality. I don’t mean to sound whiny and I do buy high-quality palettes, just not the really huge sets. Those strike me as more for younger girls that are just starting out in makeup that want the holiday “wow” factor anyway.

fuji Avatar

I haven’t purchased any mega sets at all. I’ve been doing well on staying within the budget for the past 6 months. I think my stash is well around so my goal has shifted from “filling in the holes” to “collecting high quality products” which includes but not limited to high-end limited edition products from designer brands and interesting innovative products (Colourpop, for example). So mega sets stop making sense to me and they are hard to travel with.

Kat Avatar

I got the Bite Discovery set and I’m so glad I did! But I’m not sure if that counts as “mega.” I tend to be very wary of sets, especially if they’re “mini” sizes; the quality isn’t always there, so I don’t usually buy them.

Abir Avatar

Haha! You must really love those MUFE shadows since they’re a big size so it’s not like you’re going to run out of a shade for a long time.
Out of curiosity’s sake, what did make you buy it (other than the fact that you love the formula) since you didn’t really say why?

Lauren Avatar

Not really. I have in the past, and I’m generally disappointed in the quality. I have a Tarte set I bought that I never use because I don’t like most of the products (the mascaras were DRY, the eyeshadows are not flattering) and I have the Smashbox Wondervision set – products are great, packaging is absolutely terrible. I also have bought the big Sephora lip sets, but again, high cost and products are too hit and miss. I don’t wear ANY of the full sized lip products I got in my set last year because the colors simply aren’t flattering on me.

This year, I decided that I would definitely skip the mega sets. They just aren’t worth it. During the Sephora VIB sale, I bought the Bite Beauty Lip Pencil set for $25 for me, a Fresh Lip Treatment set for around $36, and a Philosophy Renewed Hope set for around $50. I already know and use these products. I love Bite Beauty. The Fresh set is a gift, but I LOVE those products. And the Philosophy set was only $5 than the 2 oz version of my regular moisturizer and came with an eye cream and a night version of Renewed Hope in a Jar. So it was really something I use already with 2 extras at a low cost.

Nicole Avatar

I think the only one I’ve bought is the Kat Von D Studded Obsession: Studded Kiss Collector’s Edition. When I first saw it I thought that there was no way I was going to get it, lol, but I ended up caving and I’m so glad I did. I really love some of the shades in there-ones I never would have picked up on my own for myself. So yeah, it was a good investment for me.

Jennifer Avatar

Umm..
Estée Lauder All the colors palette(s) , the Clinique set that had the heather pop blush ,and the skinny stick eyeliners set , then I succumbed to the Elizabeth Arden red traincase pwp and the purple clutch pwp set . Most of these worked for me aside from about four lipsticks and one lipgloss out of the whole lot that I bought.

Elizabeth Avatar

The only “mega” set I have bough is the Sephora’s Favorite Lash Stash. This is the third year I have bought it. I use some as stocking stuffers, and I keep a few. I have a friend who needs an eye lash curler, and I really like the Tarte one that comes in it, so I have another gift. I can’t justify buying other big kits because so many of my favorite brands have items I have in the kits. I have no more room for any backups. I am on a mission to use stuff up and not be tempted.

Claudi Avatar

I purchased a big Estee Lauder Set with everything a beauty-addicted woman like me fancies: lipsticks, eyeshadowpalette, skincare etc. But, I have to wait to open it at christmas!

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