Ahead of our epic gift guide, we round up some of the best holiday-ready makeup collections. Think: gilded, glitter and gold. Everything that you’ll want to feel like the belle of the ball, even if our festive celebrations may be a little more muted this year. We’ve talked about some of the them before — the N°5 collection from CHANEL is an iconic homage to a celebrated fragrance, Dior dazzles with ‘The Atelier of Dreams‘, while shu uemura is out to charm with a cute collab with Hello Kitty. Ahead though, we’ve gone through our many, many emails — trust us — to pick out the most extra holiday stuff for you to (jingle bell) rock.
1. GUCCI BEAUTY
Could this be Gucci Beauty’s first eyeshadow palette we’re spotting? The Palette Beauté Des Yeux Floral ($230) is every bit the stunner we expect, in a gold-trimmed case that features vintage-inspired florals on a black backdrop. Gor-geous. Inside, it holds 12 luxurious highly-pigmented shades of satin, matte and metallic textures, which reflect vibrant blooms at various times of the year; there are floral-inspired soft pinks and neutrals, as well as a few pops of blue for a more creative eye. For the lips, Gucci Beauty has introduced a limited-edition trio of the Rouge à Lèvres Mat lipsticks, where their tubes are adorned with a retro black print of gold hearts and stars. The three shades are: 217 Valeria Rose, 519 Pauline Red and 25* Goldie Red.
Available at Gucci Beauty counters, and online at store.takashimaya.com.sg, tangs.com, bhgsingapore.com.sg and SEPHORA,SG.
2. YSL BEAUTY
Give us more gold, we say. YSL Beauty delivers with an absolutely ideal gift wrapped in dazzling gold. Everything from the Couture Colour Clutch to the exclusive Le Cushion Encre De Peau, and even the LIBRE Eau de Parfum and Rouge Volupté Shine, is dressed in a gold leaf design that’s unique to each item, making each piece even more exquisite. For the collector-worthy palette, you’ll find pale pink as well as light gold, and Fall-inspired hues of brown, rose and rouge. This season’s festive Rouge Volupté Shine lipstick is now infused with a subtle golden shimmer, while two star shades of the classic Rouge Pur Couture, in #1966 and #21 come flecked with gold amidst their luxe satin finish.
Available at all YSL Beauty stores and the YSL Beauty eBoutique at yslbeauty.com.sg.
3. CLÉ DE PEAU BEAUTÉ
Inspired by an imaginary, whimsical Garden of Splendour, Clé de Peau Beauté’s take on a holiday collection feels just as enchanting as the season itself, while the brand has collaborated with French artist Michaël Cailloux for nature-inspired illustrations of flora and fauna, set to vivid colours of pink, purple and green. His work features an etching technique that requires meticulous detail, hence intricate motifs that wrap themselves across limited-edition shades of the Eye Color Duo, Lipstick Shine, Cream Blush, and more — even a bottle of the precious La Crème sees exquisite tones of radiant teal and lavender. For the eyeshadow duos, ‘Sunrise in the Garden’ is an unexpected combination of soft coral and blue green reminiscent of the morning sun, while its more romantic counterpart, ‘Sunset in the Garden’ features magic-hour shades of pink and lilac.
Available at all Clé de Peau Beauté stores and their Whatsapp Concierge Service.
4. CHARLOTTE TILBURY
For a darling collection that reminds us of trinkets and treasures, Charlotte Tilbury’s treasure trove of holiday goodies is unparalleled. For one, the always-stunning (and usually sold-out) Instant Eye Palette is back — the new ‘Smokey Eyes are Forever’ edition is grouped into four eye looks, which take us from the soft romantic champagne glow of Love Eyes, to the taupes and gold-greens of Power Eyes and warm-toned Happy Eyes, before ending our journey at the bold smokey tones of Confident Eyes, consisting of a plum purple, deep brown, and true black. Another holiday quad is designed with a star pattern across its gilded case, and includes Tilbury’s highly-blendable eyeshadow formulas in blush pink, a duochome pink-gold, bronze brown, and pearlescent gold.
Available at SEPHORA.
5. CHANTECAILLE
Speaking of a pearlescent glow, we can’t peel our eyes off Chantecaille’s beautiful packaging this season, where its single-shade eyeshadow, blush and highlighter compacts are encrusted with hand-adorned pearl baubles. “Rose pearls represent love, kindness, and good fortune; a wonderful promise for a good future,” says Olivia Chantecaille of her choice of design. The shades within are just as beautiful to behold too — a luminous, creamy rose gold eye shade is ideal for a statement eye, since the colour-shifting pigments give added dimension under the light; a powder-balm blush creates a natural rosy flush; and the Perle Lumière is a highlighter dedicated to a delicate, lit-from-within glow.
Available at chantecaille counters, at TANGS at Tang Plaza and Takashimaya Department Store.
6. NARS
Dark and edgy is the vibe of the day at NARS, which sums up why we love their makeup anyway, and the brand doesn’t disappoint with what they’re calling an “infatuating collection designed for the ultimate NARSissist”. Of the range, NARS’ limited edition holiday palettes stand out for their interpretation of cult-favourite shades, wrapped yes, but haphazardly so with ribbons strewn across their outer casings. The Bijoux Eyeshadow Palette features 16 high-impact eyeshadows in jewel tones and velvety neutrals, as well as glitter toppers, while a cheek palette zones in on the celebrated Orgasm blush alongside Tempted, Behave and Laguna. Elsewhere, there are mini eyeshadow palettes, our go-tos for on-the-go makeup, an oversized Orgasm cheek palette, and many coveted brush and lipstick sets to get excited about.
Available at NARS stores and counters, and SEPHORA.
7. INNISFREE
Cute and quirky at the same time, k-beauty brand innisfree taps on the talent of L.A.-based artist Steven Harrington, whose illustrations are splashed across the limited edition skincare and makeup from the eco-conscious brand. With a playful spirit in mind, Harrington was inspired by California’s mystical, diverse landscape and mix of cultures, resulting in an eye-catching design of laidback characters enjoying the holidays while celebrating Earth. On top of bestselling skincare such as the Green Tea Seed and Black Tea line, presented with less plastic packaging for a greener season, innisfree’s Airy Twinkle Eyeshadow Palette and highly-popular Airy Matte Tint are given a witty makeover too, a must-have if you’re a fan of the artist.
available at INNISFREE stores and counters.
8. ETUDE
Plaid shirts and red scarves — uncanny reference to Taylor Swift’s RED album re-release aside, ETUDE’s Winter Checkered Collection checks all our boxes for the cosiest Christmas vibes. A wintry Play Color Eyes Mini palette gives you a neutral pink base that works across warm and cool skin tones, topped with pearly shimmers that are incredibly easy to work with, and wrapped like a gift for full measure. Elsewhere, blushes and highlighters are milky-soft while imbuing a natural glow, just as this season’s star tinted lip balm, the Syrup Glossy Balm, completes your holiday look with fool-proof, hydrated, and ultra-shiny lips.
Available online on SHOPETUDE.SG, Shopee and Lazada, as well as in stores islandwide.
9. LAURA MERCIER
Of course, we had to end our list with a full-fledged holiday collection of limited edition bestsellers, which is where Laura Mercier’s The Grand Ball Holiday Collection comes in. Notable items include the cult-favourite Translucent Loose Setting Powder, accompanied by their signature Velour Puff so you get the most out of its finely-milled pigments that disappear when on skin, as well as the First Ball Cheek Palette, a day to night palette with tiny embossed stars that recall the elegance of a Parisian grand ball. Designed to complement all skin tones, the blush and highlighter shades offer everything from a diffused glow to more dramatic date night-worthy looks.
Available at Sephora.
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