GIFT GUIDE 2016: Makeup Gifts!

by - December 01, 2016


I feel like the holiday sets started so early this year that a lot of them are already sold out and have been for a while. And by "I feel like...", what I actually mean is "I know that..." Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of how it played out this year, considering we started seeing holiday sets before fall even fell, but I guess I don't personally have any say in the matter. All of that said, I do love holiday sets because I feel like they're usually a good value and they always get me excited to both give and receive. I did a LOT of theoretical online shopping and also read and watched a lot of reviews so that I could put together what I think this the ultimate makeup gift guide for this holiday season!

Keep reading to see what made the cut!


The MAC Nutcracker Sweet Holiday Collection was pretty beautiful, but the piece that really caught my eye was the Sweet Peach Face Compact, which I think is A) absolutely gorgeous, and B) one of those really special things that will get use all year. I'd be more than happy to find this under the tree for me.

Next, the Too Faced Naughty Kisses & Sweet Cheeks set made this list because the Love Flush blushes are one of my favorite formulas and I think you get a really good selection of shades in this kit. Admittedly, I'm not a huge lip gloss person, but I also think the gloss shades are really pretty.

A really affordable and cute cheek option is the Sephora Collection Blushing For You Palette, which consists of three duotone blush pans containing really pretty, wearable shades. I think this would especially be a good gift for a makeup beginner.

The BECCA Radiant Glow Collection is another one I'd love to find under my tree. With an undereye corrector, two iconic highlighters, and a lip gloss I think this is a perfect kit for any makeup lover out there. 

Can we just take a moment and swoon on the gorgeousness of the NARS True Story Lip & Cheek Palette? The photos in the Sarah Moon collection are stunning to begin with, and then pairing it with these gorgeous blush and lip shades just knocks it out of the park. LOVE this one.

Next, the Smashbox L.A. Lights Blush & Highlighter Palette in Malibu Berry is a great little palette that I think would be really universally flattering. This is another one I don't have... yet.

Finally, I don't think you have to go Limited Edition or even knew to get a great holiday gift, and the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette is proof of that. This palette is perfect, in my opinion, and suitable for pretty much anyone. Plus, it's just gorgeous and feels really special. To me, anyway!


One thing that really jumped out at me from this year's holiday collections is the Colourpop Never Not Chillin' Super Shock Shadow Set. I mean, I think the record shaped packaging makes it a great gift and the shades are all really gorgeous and universal. 

If you want to get someone a palette that's really going to be impressive, I really don't think you can do much better than the Marc Jacobs About Last Night Style Eye-Con No 20 Eyeshadow Palette. It's spendy, but you really can't deny the chicness of it.

The holiday palette that jumped out most at me this year is actually kind of surprising. The Clinique Very Honey Holiday Eye Palette is just super pretty to me, filled with shades that are perfect for the colder months and I actually really like the formula of Clinique shadows.

Benefit really killed it with their new brow releases this year and the Benefit Soft & Natural Brow Kit is definitely my favorite of their holiday sets this year as well. It includes a brow pencil, a highlighting pencil and a brow gel as well as eyebrow stencils, which makes this the perfect set for a brow lover, in my opinion.

When it comes to holiday sets, I struggled this year because a lot of them let me down, but the one that caught my attention the most is the Too Faced Grand Hotel Café set, which includes 18 shadows, 3 blushes, and a Better Than Sex mascara. From what I've heard, the quality on this set is overall quite good... and they all smell yummy! 

One palette that I had to include in this that isn't a holiday release is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette. This is probably the best palette of 2016, in my opinion, and is perfectly on trend. Any makeup lover who doesn't own it... really needs to own it!

I really couldn't do a gift guide without one of the Sephora Favorites kits, since they're consistently some of my favorite holiday releases each year. The one I chose is a longstanding favorite of mine, the Sephora Favorites Lash Stash, which gives you a chance to try out a bunch of different mascaras... and will basically eliminate the need to buy mascara until next holiday season!


The first set on this list is one that I would have ordered myself... if I didn't already own two of the shades in full size. The Colourpop On A Whim Ultra Satin Lip Kit contains 5 nude shades of one of the best liquid lipstick formulas out there in my opinion. Perfect!

Next, the Lise Watier Mini Gourmand Collection has had my eye for a couple of weeks now and I suspect I might end up picking it up to split it up into gifts for my girlfriends, because it's just so damn pretty! This contains 1 full size lipstick and 4 deluxe sized ones in really pretty shades that are somehow both unique and wearable!

When it comes to the BITE Beauty The Perfect Bite Set, this is probably my most recommended set of the year so far. I absolutely love the formula, I love the shade selection, I love the price and I think this would be another gift that would work for just about everyone.

There are a LOT of sets out this year that contain full sizes of entire collections, but the Kat Von D Everlasting Obsession Liquid Lipstick Collectors Set was the one that caught my eye the most. At $300CAD, this is a pretty major gift, but I think that the person who receives this is a person who's going to basically melt upon opening it. 

Ever since I first saw the NUDESTIX #BerryNudeLip Mini Set I've had some grabby hands for it. I think these shades are all gorgeous and I absolutely love the NUDESTIX formula, so I definitely think that this is a great gift and will be really universally flattering and wearable as well!

I've yet to try this formula, but I've included the PUR Cosmetics Perfect Matte Lip Set because I love the shade selection and I think the set overall is just really, really pretty. I've also heard really good reviews on this formula, so I think this would be a great gift set for the liquid lipstick lover.

Finally, I've got another pick from the NARS Sarah Moon collection - the Mind Game Velvet Lip Glide Set. This is another formula that I've heard nothing but great things about and I think the combination of the shade selection and, again, the art in this collection makes it another out-of-the-park gift from NARS.


So, there you have it! The most exciting, in my opinion, section of this year's gift guide. I think these are all great options that any beauty lover (that doesn't already own them) would be thrilled to find waiting for them this holiday season!

NOTE: At the time of writing this, these were all in stock. Apologies if they have since gone out of stock.

Thanks for reading!

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