NYLON’s Holiday Beauty Gift Guide 2021: Festive Palettes

With plenty of glitter and shimmer, these festive palettes let you rock up to any party in style — whether you plan to use them, or aim to arrive as the generous bearer of gifts. Plenty of these delight with the most exquisite packaging, while you may also expect bestselling shades of eyeshadows, cheek shades and highlighters, all packed into limited-edition sets perfect for the beauty-obsessed.

L – R — Dior Beauty 5 Couleurs Couture – The Atelier Of Dreams Limited Edition, $107 | shu uemura Rock The Party! Eye Palette, $123 | Charlotte Tilbury Instant Eye Palette in Smokey Eyes Are Forever, $130 | ESPRIQUE Mellow Feeling Eyes Parisienne Holiday, $36. 

Here with one of the most dreamy holiday palettes this season, is Dior, with two new versions of their classic 5 Couleurs Couture Palettes. Inspired by Maison Dior at 30 Avenue Montaigne, as you can tell from the subtle etched designs, you get to pick from a warm-toned series of satin beiges, copper and warm gold, or one with cool smokey tones.

Then, there’s shu uemura, who have teamed up with HELLO KITTY for major kawaii vibes, though not without their distinct edgy take. The colours and textures on the Rock The Party! palette are glam rock-inspired, and take after glittery lights on the dancefloor; it functions as a clutch as well, thanks to the gold chain attached.

Charlotte Tilbury’s always-stunning (and usually sold-out) Instant Eye Palette is also back, and group our holiday shades 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.

On the other hand, ESPRIQUE’s holiday-edition eye palette transports us to the glittering Eiffel Tour at night, with shimmery colours that replicate the charm of the City of Lights. Blue Trick Pearl pigments are infused into the blend to reflect blue light, a nifty technology that masks sallow dullness, giving one an elegant, pearlescent finish that’s further enhanced by diamond and pearl powders.

L – R — Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Universe Unlocked, $132 | Givenchy Beauty Le 9 Holiday Collection Eye Palette, TBC | Laura Mercier First Ball Cheek Palette, $80 | M.A.C Cosmetics Step Bright Up Extra Dimension Skinfinish Highlighter Palette, $79.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting powders come highly-raved about, and every holiday season, they give us a limited-edition palette that puts some of their best shades together. This year’s features a sleek marble case, along with two bestselling and three brand-new shades for a most subtle glow — trust us on this. Givenchy’s holiday palette is also bursting with radiance it seems, as the Le 9 de Givenchy presents multiple shades of gold in a palette that you’ll want to rock during, and after, the holiday season.

For one palette to rule them all, consider Laura Mercier’s 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.

Those who like a good theme would appreciate M.A.C Cosmetics’ Hypnotizing Holiday collection, which takes inspiration from magicians and their optical illusions. This Step Bright Up highlighter palette sees a hypnotising print, and features a trio of prismatic Extra Dimension Skinfinish highlighters within, in all-new Light or Medium/Deep shades.

 

L – R — Gucci Beauty Palette Beauté Des Yeux Floral, $230 | Burberry Beauty Limited-Edition Signature Eye & Face Palette, $125.

Could this be Gucci Beauty’s first eyeshadow palette we’re spotting? The Palette Beauté Des Yeux Floral is housed in a gold-trimmed case that features vintage-inspired florals on a black backdrop, while holding 12 luxurious highly-pigmented shades of satin, matte and metallic textures, which reflect vibrant blooms at various times of the year.

Burberry Beauty’s exquisite holiday palette, on the other hand, is part of their Festive Monogram Collection that arrives in sleek gold adorned with the Thomas Burberry Monogram. The Signature Eye & Face Palette sees four eyeshadows with signature Burberry shades and finishes, a universally-flattering blush, and a light-reflecting highlighter that promise great but subtle colour payoff.

L – R — Anastasia Beverly Hills Primrose Palette, $89 | Fenty Beauty Diamond Bomb Highlighter Palette, $64. 

The earthy, rose-inspired shades from Anastasia Beverly Hills’ palette might just be the inspiration for your next makeup look, especially since it takes us from soft, everyday makeup to ultra-glamorous holiday looks. Consisting of 10 shadows and pigments, and two new blush tones in extra-large pans, expect velvety mattes and stunning metallics alike.

As for Fenty Beauty’s Diamond Highlighter Palette, Rihanna’s enviable glow is all the more attainable with a highlighter palette that sees the Fenty Glow, Fu$$y and Hot Chocolit shades reimagined into glittery shades you can use on your face, eyes, and body.

L – R — Clinique Glow To Go Cheek Pop Palette (Limited Edition), $55 | Jill Stuart Palace Dream Collection Set, $105.

Here, you’ll find the Cheek Pop™ in three glowing shades of bestselling Pansy Pop, Melon Pop, and a new Ruby Pop with a pearl finish, housed in a vibrant to-go palette that’s just itching to be used. Dreamers and Disney Princess fans won’t be able to get enough of Jill Stuart’s girly series though; the holidays arrive extra dreamy in this set of highlight colours, cheek colours and 8 eyeshadows in a jewel-like compact, and an accompanying rouge lip blossom lipstick. Just for the ‘gram, there’s a charming pouch adorned with tulle and gold accents too, while a sugar mint tea scent is exclusive to the collection.

 

L – R — Nudestix Dark Romantics Magnetic Eye Color Pencil Set , $87| Tarte Best Of Blush Amazonian Clay Blush Set, $47.20.

If you’re going for an eye palette of shades you’ll want to use over and over, Nudestix has a Dark Romantics set that features 6 creamy, long-wearing eye pencils for a moody look, ideal if you’d like to create a smokey eye. Curated colours include a warm Terra, dark burgundy, and brown shades of Hot Stone and Cocoa. For the cheeks, we’re warming up to a Tarte set of give bestselling, travel-size Amazonian clay blushes and highlighters, which no doubt deliver the perfect holiday flush. Good news: you can split the loot with a couple of your closest friends too.

 


ALL ITEMS AVAILABLE AT THEIR RESPECTIVE BOUTIQUES, COUNTERS, AND ONLINE AT THE LINKS PROVIDED.