Every holiday season, brands put out numerous sets, palettes, and tempting morsels, but which ones are worth your money? We’ve been testing many of the latest and greatest holiday offerings, and here are the ones we felt were the best of the best:
Laura Mercier Mini Caviar Stick Eye Colour Quartet
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A+ |
An excellent highly-pigmented and long-wearing cream eyeshadow formula now available in a quartet of travel sizes makes this an easy gift to give (or receive!). There is also a six-piece set for $55. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$38.00 at Sephora, Nordstrom
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Guerlain Rouge Parade Rouge G Lipstick
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A+ |
The consistency is lightly creamy–enough that it glides on easily without tugging while yielding even, opaque color coverage in one stroke. Bonus: red lacquered case. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$54.00 at Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, NM
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bareMinerals The Magic Act Eye & Cheek Palette
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A |
It’s a warm-toned mix of neutral eyeshadows and mid-tone blushes that folds-up into a slim palette, making it great for travel. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$39.00 at Beauty.com, Sephora, Nordstrom
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Becca Champagne Gold Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed
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A |
It had really good color payoff that was buildable, blendable, or easily applied as true-to-pan color, if desired. The texture of the powder was soft, almost creamy, and very smooth. This one is particularly good for deeper skin tones. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$38.00 at Sephora, ULTA
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Make Up For Ever Studio Case
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A |
With twelve, miniature-sized eyeshadows from the impressive Artist Shadow range, this is a great introduction that won’t break the bank. These were high-quality eyeshadows with great pigmentation and wear. Full review |
Where to Buy
$59.50 at Sephora
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Chanel Camelia de Plumes Highlighting Powder
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A |
A light, almost cool-toned gold with a luminous sheen that yields a soft, glowing look that doesn’t emphasize pores and blends beautifully on the skin. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$72.00 at Nordstrom, Macy’s
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NARS Digital World Lip Pencil Set
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A |
A set of five, travel-sized lip pencils in shades of coral to fuchsia to red. They’re richly pigmented and long-wearing, and a nice value for anyone who’s longed to try NARS’ Lip Pencil formula. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$49.00 at Sephora
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NARS Holiday 2014 Lip Gloss
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A |
The three limited edition glosses from NARS’ holiday color collection are all lovely; Burning Love is a ruby red, while Corsica is a glossy, rosy plum. Soleil d’Orient is a shimmering confection of golden beige–perfect for the dazzle of the holidays. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$26.00 at Nordstrom, Sephora
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Guerlain Perles d’Etoiles Meteorites
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A |
They are soft, silky, and finely-milled with a low-level sheen without any over-the-top sparkle. The gold and bronze pearls bring a lot of warmth to the party, but it is sheer enough that it can be dusted all-over for a warm, luminous glow. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$60.00 at Nordstrom
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Urban Decay Full Frontal Lipstick Stash
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A |
A set of six, mini-sized Revolution Lipsticks, plus a full-sized clear lip pencil makes for a lovely holiday treat. The Revolution formula is hydrating, comfortable to wear, and cremay. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$39.00 at Sephora, Beauty.com, Nordstrom, Macy’s
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Bite Beauty Remix
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A |
They’re comfortable to wear, as they don’t cling, and they were lightly hydrating with rich color payoff. This travel-sized kit is an awesome way to try out these twist-up lip pencils! Full Review |
Where to Buy
$25.00 at Sephora
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Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette
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A |
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes have a very soft, finely-milled feel. They have good color payoff that’s buildable as well as blendable, while having a lightly luminous finish that’s not shimmery but not matte. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$58.00 at Sephora, SpaceNK
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Makeup Geek Vegas Lights Eyeshadow Palette
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A- |
A limited-edition, Vegas-themed palette with all the glitz and gold you can handle. If you love your warm-toned palettes, this one just might be up your alley. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$37.99 at Makeup Geek
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Marc Jacobs Beauty The Parisienne Style Eye-Con No. 7
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A- |
A smoky, cool-toned palette that features seven eyeshadows ranging from matte to frost, beige to eggplant in a glossy black compact. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$59.00 at Sephora, Marc Jacobs Beauty
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Formula X Alchemy Nail Lacquer
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A- |
A dirty, antique gold base with silver, gold, and copper micro-glitter. It almost seemed like sparkle, because the particles seemed even finer than most micro-glitters. A twist on a holiday lacquer. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$12.50 at Sephora
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MAC Sweet Sentiment Mineralize Blush
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A- |
A cool-toned, muted meidum-dark pink with a hint of lavender. It has a soft, frosted finish that goes on easily, blends out nicely, and wears well. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$30.00 at Nordstrom
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Marc Jacobs Beauty The Sky-Liner Petite Highliner Collection
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A- |
The seven-piece set of travel-sized Highliner Gel Crayons is an excellent value ($130.26). The formula that is incredibly long-wearing with an interesting mix of shades and finishes. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$45.00 at Sephora, Marc Jacobs Beauty
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Anastasia Tamanna Eyeshadow Palette
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A- |
An assortment of warm-toned neutrals with a pop of teal and burgundy housed in a slim, cardboard box that will make a nice stocking stuffer or holiday gift to friends. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$29.00 at Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy’s
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Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O’ Blushes
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B+ |
A set of six of Benefit’s powder blushes, plus a small bit of their cream highlighter, housed in a metal tin. A little bulky, but it’s a budget-friendly way to try their signature blushes! Also, readers have mentioned the blushes are easily depotted! Full Review |
Where to Buy
$36.00 at Sephora, Macy’s
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Sephora Collection All Occasion Eye Ensemble
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B+ |
A set of ten of Sephora’s Contour Eye Pencils. I really like Sephora’s eyeliner formula here, because they come in such a wide array of colors, have just enough creaminess/waxiness to glide on without tugging, fairly good color payoff, and wear for eight to ten hours. Full Review |
Where to Buy
$49.00 at Sephora
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