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
Gabrielle
October 14, 2015 at 11:53 amI love the Dior, Shu uemura, and MAC palettes so much, but they are all so gorgeous! @velvetwhip
Angela Diaz
October 14, 2015 at 11:53 amLancome L’Absolu Palette is so different and stunning!! @BostonAng
Sonya
October 14, 2015 at 11:52 amThese are all so beautiful! The Guerlain palette is stunning and Estée Lauder is always amazing. Thx for the insight Dave
MARIA
October 14, 2015 at 11:46 amI can not tell i love them all @kentrotamaria
helenlam
October 14, 2015 at 11:43 amMy favorite is the Shu palette!
@helenlamby
Dar
October 14, 2015 at 11:37 amThey are all superb. Any one of these collections would be a welcome addition to my holiday glam!
Rozeena Karim
October 14, 2015 at 11:32 amThem them all oh look at Chanel.. Inwill Say Mac, love there Colours and the pigments,But si is Dior!
Ally M
October 14, 2015 at 11:31 amI would have to say I love them all!
Ally8161
Amy L
October 14, 2015 at 11:30 amlove the dior palette with the darker tones for fall. @amyli3u
Ally M
October 14, 2015 at 11:30 amI love the Armani and the Guerlain palettes, fantastic colors and long lasting, perfection!
Debra
October 14, 2015 at 11:29 amMAC is great @chanien9
Elena T
October 14, 2015 at 11:27 amToo Faced has the nicest packaging and it’s available in my country, so this would be my favorite.
@babygirlMV
THEODORA
October 14, 2015 at 11:25 amI have to say I love MAC! I find their holiday collections exceptionally beautiful! @Theodora28A
Nicole
October 14, 2015 at 11:24 amMac is my most favorite of the holiday collections
@mythreehgb
tracy k
October 14, 2015 at 11:23 amlove bobbi brown sets! @daydreamsun3
Brittany Kauker
October 14, 2015 at 11:13 amThat Bobbi Brown eye and cheek palette is so gorgeous! Never tried it.. But would love to. I love my Urban Decay palettes.. And Tarte too! They’re perfect for gifting 🙂
Stephanie D.
October 14, 2015 at 11:11 amMAC’s holiday palettes! @steviebiala
September Dee
October 14, 2015 at 11:09 amThese palettes are so great for collectors of beautiful functional things. My favourite is the YSL since it contains eye, cheek and lip colours. This multi-usage palette with the cute kiss print case is all one needs for a holiday party touch up or a night out on the town.
Katerina giabridoy
October 14, 2015 at 11:09 am@katerinatolis
Kiera petrie
October 14, 2015 at 11:08 amI never really buy any holiday palettes honestly. But I’d love to add one to the collection this year!
@crownofgold_
Ξενια Δασκαλακη
October 14, 2015 at 11:08 amMac holiday palette is my favorite! Thanks Dave @xen21das
Barbara
October 14, 2015 at 11:07 amThe Estée Lauder palette has an amazing selection of eye shadows shades. It’s great opportunity to try colours I may not normally wear. For that reason, the Lauder palette is my pick of the lot.
Sajeda Islam
October 14, 2015 at 11:05 amThe Estee Lauder Colour Portfolio has a diverse number of wearable colours and would be a great buy !! Though, I must say all the palettes are excellent !
Paige Wynn
October 14, 2015 at 11:05 amMy favourite would have to be the Bobbi Brown eye palette! But also love the Chanel, that gold shade is amazing!?
Pat B
October 14, 2015 at 11:02 amTough choice, but I do love Bobbi Brown @bcgirll