Holiday 2018

Anastasia Holiday 2018 Mini Lip Gloss 4-Piece Set ($25.00 for 0.28 oz.) contains four, limited edition (and new) shades that are supposed to have the brand's "full-sparkle formula," which is really just code for shimmery, sparkly gloss with less coverage from color and more shimmer-related coverage. All four shades were moderately sparkly, and as they wore down, I could feel the texture of the sparkles come through, so if that's a deal-breaker, keep that in mind. I actually enjoyed the glosses, but as someone who likes to layer shimmery glosses over more opaque lip color. The brand's full-sized lip gloss retails for $16.00 and contains 0.16 oz., which gives the set a value of $28.00. The set will be online at retailers on October 9th and in stores on October 12th.

I wonder if there was an oversight in the text on the packaging, as these are marketed online to have a "mirror-like glossy finish with a sparkle effect" (and stripping the description of them as opaque/full coverage) and the brand's swatches reflect a sheerer base formula, but the back of the box actually states "opaque, high-shine, vanilla-scented lip color." (One shade is described as having a "clear base"! Two have "opalecsent" bases, which seem to refer to the milky quality of them, I guess...) I normally defer to the point of purchase for descriptions, so I will defer to what's listed online but wanted to point out the discrepancy.

• Brand Description