Fall is upon us, as the Starbucks PSL will attest.
The crunching leaves and cooler weather are an excuse to buy some new, snazzy products to live this season right! Dark lips, pale blush, jewel tones. These are all particularly trendy in the fall and winter months.
The holidays are in the distant horizon, and that means brands are preparing to roll out their biggest and baddest holiday beauty kits. Here are some of the slew of the best and WORST kits brands want you to stuff in your stocking.
Lancome’s Auda[city] in Paris
Verdict: Yay (with caution)
Excuse the weird, bracketed name. This kit contains 16 eyeshadows that can be used as shadow, liner, or highlighter. I personally believe that Lancome is leaning in to format of Naked palettes from Urban Decay. Don’t you think it resembles one? Except, it offer 4 more eyeshadows than the Naked palette. Shots fired, people. Shot fired.
I think this palette offers a ton of options; however, it’s really tough to know what the colors actually look like. If you research images of the palette, you’ll see a HUGE range. Some are gorgeous and vibrant, while some look rather muted. See just a few of what I found:
Price: $68
Sephora Collection’s Beautiful Crush Blockbuster Palette
Verdict: Hell to the NO
Photo courtesy of Sephora.com
Price: $49.50
You might not know that Sephora comes out with a giant kit every year (usually for a little under $50). It contains dozens of eyeshadows, lipglosses, liners etc. It’s like a 200-in-one kit. Great right? Usually, yes. It gives you good quality product in crazy and neutral colors that fits away in an easy foldaway design. This year’s blockbuster, however, appears to be marketed towards 11-year-olds. Each eyeshadow is placed in a heart-shaped pan, and each lipgloss in a lip-shaped pan. It looks like a cheap makeup kit you buy for a little girl just beginning her foray into the world of beauty. I would not pay $50 for this. I would not pay $25 for this. If you’re able to get over the packaging, because you need this kit ASAP and can’t wait a year, just be sure to hide it when not in use. It’s that hideous. #SorryNotSorry
Laura Mercier’s Candleglow Luminizing Palette
Verdict: Yay
Photo courtesy of Sephora.com
Price: $58
In the dead of winter, the dry air and constant indoor-living can lead to our skin look less than stellar. You need to moisturize and baby your skin, and luminizer and help add an ethereal oomph to your face. This kit has got great, powdery illuminators in white, pink, and yellow tones to suit most skin tones (although, I really don’t think these would work on very tan or deep skin tones. They might wash you out).
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit
Verdict: Don’t be fooled
Photo courtesy of Sephora.com
Price: $80
At first, this palette looks bomb. You get 6 freakin’ ambient lighting powders that include selections of their standard ambient lighting powders and blushes. Huzzah! Better yet, it’s only $80. A single Ambient Lighting Powder costs a whopping $45. One for $45 or 6 for $80? That’s a great deal! It’s almost…. uh oh……. too good to be true?
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gif courtesy of gifsgallery.comMarc Jacobs’ The Sofia Petits Marc Collection
Verdict: Heck yes!
Photo courtesy of sephora.com
Price: $45
One of the few holiday kits not available at Sephora, and I’m okay with that (not loving their too-big-to-fail attitude as of recent). This kit is available online at MarcJacobsBeauty.com, and it’s adorable. It contains 5 beautiful MATTE lipsticks in wearable shades you’ll actually use for every occasion.
I’ll also mention that he is releasing a kit at Sephora (no doubt because they got all butthurt). It’s called The Sky Liner. It comes with 7 mini eyeliners in shades that are all totally wearable, plus a fun turquoise to push you out of your comfort zone juuuuuust a bit!
Photo courtesy of sephora.comPrice: $48
Tarte’s Light of the Party
Verdict: You’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands
Photo courtesy of tartecosmetics.com
Price: $59
If you only buy one kit this holiday season, make it this one. For the price of $59, it’s a FANTASTIC deal. Actually, it’s supposed to be a $394 value! This kit is gorgeous and comes in a cute, little, sequined case. There’s bronzer, blush, highlighters, eyeshadows in EVERY color and finish, a mini mascara, and a friggin’ double ended brush. SOLD.
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I honestly think 11 year olds ARE the target of those Sephora mega palettes! WHO needs all those crazy colours?
Wow, that Hourglass palette – when you do the math is such a shocking rip-off! Money grab much, Hourglass?!!
Oh man, I still kick myself for not grabbing a Marc Jacobs’ holiday set last year – these look amazing again.
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Haha. Meanwhile, if 11-year-olds even knew what to do with that much makeup, I’d be concerned! It really looks awful. And that Hourglass palette is such a letdown. I was so excited for it. I shoulda known 😦
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