12 Lust-Worthy Holiday Palettes. There is something ironic about the name “holiday palette” in the beauty industry. The truth is most of these spectacular limited-edition items have long sold out by the time December rolls around. Fashion houses ship these collections in mid-September for an early October on-counter date. Most of us are still wearing t-shirts and enjoying late summer weather at that time. But retailers want to be the first to launch any collection so the earlier the better is the common mantra.
With that said, October is the perfect month to check out your favourite brands for limited edition Christmas collections. There is always one or two items that are stand outs and worth the investment. Department and specialty stores usually only get a handful of the most special palettes. That is because these items cost so much to produce. Beauty companies don’t make money on them. They are used to create excitement and demonstrate the craftsmanship and quality of the brand.
I’ve reviewed all the major collections for holiday and found some wonderful limited edition items for the holidays. Here are my top picks.
The Giorgio Armani Hollywood Palette
Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani takes inspiration from 1930s and 40s film sirens for this Hollywood limited edition makeup collection. The star product is this dual-tiered palette that boasts 10 eyeshadows and two shades of cream foundation, and luminescent compact powder. The eyeshadows are both matte and pearlescent silky textures. Ranging from gold to jet-black, the colours are those favoured by film stars of the 30s. Choose from discreet nudes to full-on glam. This palette is beautifully done. A collector piece for sure.
Bobbi Brown Deluxe Eye & Cheek Palette
New York makeup artist Bobbi Brown is known for her neutral palettes and this one is ideal for evening. You’ll find a mix of deep chocolates, champagne and ivory with a pop of pink for the cheeks.
Guerlain Palette Ors et Merveilles – Eyes & Blush Limited Edition Palette
Intelligent and ultra-compact, this golden case combines two levels containing the essentials of sophisticated makeup. It comes with a large mirror and two devoted applicators to make application on-the-go easier. On the top level, five lustrous eyeshadows with notes of champagne, brown and gold combine with a twist of plum and pink for an iridescent result. On the lower level, you’ll find four versions of pink blush with matte and shimmer finish.
Lancome L’Absolu Palette
This spectacular holiday palette reflects the poetry and colours of a secret Parisian garden. The packaging boasts a golden doorway that allows entrance into Maison Lancome during a mysterious winter night. You’ll find warm browns, snowy white and deep black hues.
Estee Lauder Colour Portfolio
This is one of Lauder’s best palettes of the year. Play with 30 fashionable eyeshadow shades, an eye pencil and pair of lip gloss – all for $49.50. It’s worth over $250. Even better, you’ll receive three look cards to give you tips and tricks on how to get the hottest holiday looks.
NARS Holiday look
NARS Despair Cheek Palette
Enjoy four hues of blush in pinks and blushing bares. It comes with a mini Kabuki Ita Brush for flawless application. The palette casing is topped with a Steven Klein fashion image.
Yves Saint Laurent Beaute Kiss & Love Multi-Usage Palette
Red hot lip prints are the starring accent for the French brand’s edgy holiday collection. This palette contains eye, lip and cheek colours to create the perfect festive party look. Update your smoky eye look with dark brown accented with high pearl gold, silvery shimmer and champagne hues. A pop of coral blush enhances the complexion while two Rouge Volupte shades: Light Pink and Pure Red are infused with gold pearls. It’s a beautiful palette that will impress your most discerning beauty friends.
Shu uemura beauty remix smoky eye & cheek palette in Indigo
Rework your smoky eye this season with navy accented with pink blush. You’ll find gold and white shades to add a sophisticated accent. This limited edition holiday palette from Tokyo-based shu uemura brand is one of their best.
Dior 5-Couleurs in Blazing Gold
The iconic French fashion house updates its famous 5-Couleurs eyeshadow palette with a subtle wave pattern. This particular combination pairs burgundy, a pale ivory with silver and a grey-brown. It is a sophisticated colour palette.
Chanel Exclusive Creation – The Signe Particulier
Get ready to party with this palette of four eyeshadows. Revolving around a deep, luminous and matte rouge noir, a warm saffron gold lights up makeup, a velvety parma violet adds a touch of softness and a slightly rosy satiny beige delivers a dash of light. Each eyeshadow can be used on its own or in a duo for an intense look.
MAC Holiday Enchanted Eve Eyeshadow x 6 Palette in Mauve
This palette is a nice alternative to beiges and browns. You’ll find six shadows that run from a rich blackened plum to white with pink pigment.
Bobbi Brown Sterling Nights Eye Palette
This sleek black lacquer eye palette features nine of Bobbi’s favourite neutral shades for the season. Wear them on your own or mix and match.
I gave away one of my favourite collector palettes from my archives. YSL’s Wildly gold from holiday 2014 was a showstopper. The animal print palette revealed party-worthy eye and lip shades. I invited readers to share their favourite palette in a blog comment below. I then drew a name at random. Congrats to Melissa from Canada.
479 Comments
Grieta
October 14, 2015 at 8:30 amI love them all, but at the first glance I think Armani one grabbed my attention.
@griechux
laura
October 14, 2015 at 8:29 amoh my! they’re all to die for! especially the Guerlain, Estee Lauder and Chanel ones! i’m not a super makeup addicted but these are sooo pretty! i’m in love
Paulina Jose
October 14, 2015 at 8:26 amSo Beautiful! Love them all!!! but probably my favorite brand for holiday collections is probably Chanel! I Love it! Twitter:@Pepirios
MariJo
October 14, 2015 at 8:20 amI save up for them every year. My go-to has to be Lancome or Bobby Brown @mpezpez
Connie
October 14, 2015 at 8:17 amWow luxury luxury luxury I have a tie Chanel and Guerlain love them all anyway @conniepeixoto
Sophie
October 14, 2015 at 8:16 amThey are so beautiful! Like toys for grown-ups! My favorite are the 2 from Bobbi Brown.
@VanilleRouky
Maria P
October 14, 2015 at 8:16 amYSL as the colours are always fantastic and the packaging is always note worthy.
@maria_palumbo
denise
October 14, 2015 at 8:15 amGuerlain Palette Ors et Merveilles – Eyes & Blush Limited Edition Palette
@momof3boysj
Lulubelle
October 14, 2015 at 8:11 amMy favorite brand for holiday collections is probably Guerlain – they are just so luxurious looking! Armani is probably tied, though. @lulubel107
Andromaxi
October 14, 2015 at 8:10 amLancome ,Estee Lauder and Bobbi Brown nights eye are my choices ( for now at least!)
Anita Steenkamp
October 14, 2015 at 8:07 amI just adore the Estee Lauder colour Portfolio, gorgeous and such great value for money! Twitter @anitasteenkamp1
Rachel Canning
October 14, 2015 at 7:59 amDior, I’m still mad about last years golden shock collection ?
Twitter RachelCanning89
Sheerie Franks
October 14, 2015 at 7:55 amThey are all fabulous but I’m loving Guerlain Palette Ors et Merveilles – Eyes & Blush Limited Edition Palette
@SheerieF
gloria patterson
October 14, 2015 at 7:50 amTRUTH I have never tried/used any of them budget plays a big part in my life
@1560gl
Christine Northrop
October 14, 2015 at 7:29 amI love the Dior and Chanel but all of them are brilliant @chrin60
Saribel Deslauriers
October 14, 2015 at 7:29 amI love the YSL and the Guerlain too.. the Channel is so pretty that I wouldn’t want to touch it and I would just stare at it and droll.
@sarydes
Beata M
October 14, 2015 at 7:26 amI love them all. They’re gorgeous.
Meenal Rathore
October 14, 2015 at 7:24 amOMG, I love all of them but Giorgio Armani Hollywood Palette, the Lauder, Mac and Guerlain are my favourites … @Meenal_Rathore
Nathalie Sheridan
October 14, 2015 at 7:20 amYSL and Clarins @NASheridan
Hilda Whincup
October 14, 2015 at 7:14 amI am loving the Chanel, Dior and MAC palettes so far. All are gorgeous. @Hildawhincup
Stella K
October 14, 2015 at 7:13 amGuerlain Palette Ors et Merveilles – Eyes & Blush Limited Edition Palette is my favourite!
donna
October 14, 2015 at 7:11 amI love Mac , the beautiful packaging and the products live up to the hype!
Gabriella L.
October 14, 2015 at 1:12 amAll of them look awesome. But I love Estee Lauder Colour Portfolio.
Jaime
October 13, 2015 at 10:59 pmMAC always has really aesthetically pleasing holiday collections, and I LOVE the holiday kits Laura Mercier puts out every year!
@girllovesgloss
Linn B
October 13, 2015 at 10:57 pmAll of the Palettes are so nice. But I will go with the MAC Holiday Palette. TH is @rainynitz.