Do you like holiday beauty gift sets and palettes? Why/why not? Do you feel like you save money or overspend?
— Christine
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36 Comments
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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!
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;
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).
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.
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.
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).
🙂
Hm. Quite an aggressive response. I can mix the colors with other shadows, now that I have more shadows. I didnt have ANY shadows at the time, which is a main reason its hard to work with.
Calm down 🙂
lovin sheryls comment lol
I usually like them– especially when they are all unique colors or are all a look in one type deal.
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 🙂
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 🙂
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? 😛
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.”
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!
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!
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.
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 🙂
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.
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
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.
i like some of the new sephora samplers. I am really wanting that blitz and glitz one 😛
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).
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
I LOVE them – sometimes I specifically ask for it. I might do it again this year!
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.