The best of holiday beauty gift sets

'Tis the season...to drink mulled wine, eat gingerbread cookies, sport burgundy-polished nails, layer yourself in wool, break out the electric blanket, watch college basketball, light cinnamon-scented candles, and buy gifts for family and friends. Of course, the latter - gift giving - can be a source of frustration because deciding on the perfect gift for different types of people can be exhausting as each person has individual likes, wants, and preferences. Examples include Uncle Joe who breathes sports, cousin Jack who lives to play video games, best friend Hannah who is obsessed with baking, and so on. And then there will always be a beauty fanatic in every family. Safe to say that I fill that niche role in my family, and I know that others are out there, be they closet beauty addicts or full-blown, out-in-the-open-beautyholics.

Beauty fiends can be tricky to shop for because it is very likely that said fiends have zealously researched and tried out the things that they are lusting after, and thus know what products are currently in stores, which products will be arriving soon, and how well each product fares thanks to reviews posted on every e-commerce site from other beauty fans. A foolproof way to supply these people with the objects of their affection is to give them a holiday gift set because, more often than not, these contain bestselling, top of the line products that are packaged together, sold at veritable deals, and are limited time only. 

Check out these beauty sets that take the guesswork out of gift giving, and that will make the recipient of such a set one happy little elf (too cheesy?)


The Sephora fragrance sampler is an amazing choice for those that like to gift fragrances for the holidays, and yet are unsure as to which scent would appeal to the gift recipient. After all, scents are highly personal and subjective, and it can be tricky trying to home in on what to buy. This kit contains 12 fragrance testers, plus a voucher for a full-sized perfume. That means that the recipient can smell some of the most popular scents and decide which one she likes best, and then take the voucher into a Sephora and exchange it for a full-size bottle of her preferred fragrance.
It's foolproof, it allows for choice, and at $50, everyone is happy.

Another Sephora "It Kit" that contains smaller versions of some of the bestselling luminosity-enhancing goods seen on the beauty retailer's shelves. For $45, two eyeshadows, a nail polish, one mascara, one lipgloss, two bronzers, one powder luminizer, and a full-size eyeliner is included. The kit is very diplomatic, as many brands (such as Nars, Stila, Laura Mercier, Lorac, etc.) are featured.
(I'm a fan of the Laura Mercier Black Karat eyeshadow and Lorac Liquid Lustre inside!).

Josie Maran, AKA the supermodel that founded her own all-natural skincare and makeup line, has presented Sephora shoppers with a mega deal and all-around fantastic skincare kit. Six products that contain the brand's claim to fame, argan oil, treat various areas of the skin. From a cleanser to an SPF-enriched moisturizer to a whipped body mousse, plus others, this kit will ensure that the harshness of winter weather won't touch your skin should you be wearing these Josie Maran products. And for $35, it's obviously a steal.
And if you'd rather, instead of gifting it as a set, you can break up the pieces and dispense them as stocking stuffers.

This beauty.com offering is an all-in-one bag of essentials that almost every man can use, plus the travel bag makes carrying the goods a cinch. I've tried Anthony products before, and they smell nice and aren't irritating to the skin, so no excuses. Coming in at $35 for a whole skin routine isn't too shabby.

Shiseido sets make me weak in the knees. Shiseido is a brand that is dedicated to providing both  luxury and efficiency, and by offering its wares in a do-it-all kit, this is a homerun. The packaging is lovely, natch. Bloomingdales has encapsulated the products from Shiseido's White Lucent linent line, all of which help to lighten and brighten.

For a gift that is truly universal, try the adorably packaged The Body Shop Lemon Cube. No matter the recipient, everyone bathes, and thus - perfect gift.

For the people that like a) surprises and b) the newest products on the market, a beauty box subscription would be the ideal way to go. Companies such as Glossybox, Birchbox, Ipsy and New Beauty Magazine all send out monthly boxes filled with regular size and deluxe samples of some of the newest items that have or will hit beauty shelves. Most of these companies offer various subscription types, ranging from a one-time purchase for three months of beauty boxes sent up to a full year's worth.


Say you like the idea of the aforementioned grab bags, but want to personalize it by picking your own products, here is a fun accumulation of things that can be used pretty easily by almost everyone on your beauty-buying list.
 From Space NK Apothecary, a small space full of boutique beauty and grooming brands, comes from master hair stylist Serge Normant's line, with the Mega Lush Volumizer. 

From Ricky's NYC is the glitzy OPI shade 'Goldeneye' from the new Bond Skyfall collection.

Urban Outfitters offers an uber abundant assortment of hair chalk sticks in every color under the sun, as well as an adorable Anna Sui formal dress-shaped nail color.

Asos gives that beauty maven two Model's Own rounded blending sponges that will deliver an airbrushed finish to skin with every foundation application.

Amazing brand Pinterest pages

Is there anyone in the wide world that hasn't spent a few days hours ahem, minutes on Pinterest, the online "inspiration board" that now serves as a way for people to share their likes, loves, wants, and needs with a slew of other viewers? Pinterest's claim to fame isn't just acting as a website to host users likes, but instead serves as a hybrid of sorts; one part magazine, one part forum, one part instruction manual. Pinterest's function is simply to inspire, which is does by connecting users who urge each other to expand their creative horizons. It is, after all, much easier to get started on a project - be it a clothing DIY or a recipe - when you see (via her pictures posted to her Pinterest board, of course) the success your best friend had with it, as opposed to seeing the project in the pages of Martha Stewart Living, where impossibly perfect projects scare away all but the most experienced crafters.

Brands have caught on to the amazing opportunities Pinterest presents for engaging with consumers. Some have expanded onto the site by pinning pictures of their upcoming releases (example: LOFT) while other brands prefer to pin photos that represent the way that they want their consumers to view them (example: Neiman Marcus) using their brand USP.

Pinterest, like Instagram, is about whetting the customer's whistle to buy or do. Whether it's by taking LOFT's approach and showcasing upcoming designs so as to increase excitement for a launch, or by surrounding consumers with images of what the brand "represents" so that said consumer will buy the product/service in an attempt to gain the same connotations associated with the brand.

Let's break Pinterest down by interests.
Are you a foodie? Why not check out Kraft, Rachael Ray Mag, America's Test Kitchen,
or Nestle?

Kraft

Rachael Ray Mag

America's Test Kitchen

Nestle Kitchens

Interested in magazines? Hop on over to Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, New Beauty, Details, or Womens Wear Daily.

Glamour

Harper's Bazaar

New Beauty

Details

WWD

Some stellar clothing brand pages: Topshop, Marc Jacobs, Urban Outfitters, Free People, and Todd Snyder.

Topshop

Marc Jacobs

Urban Outfitters

Free People

Todd Snyder

How about some beauty brands? Julep, Too Faced, Tarte, and Sephora make the goings-on within this industry very fun to watch.

Julep

Too Faced

Tarte

Sephora

Upcoming designer collaborations

It's a beautiful thing when brands and designers decide to collaborate together, whether it be by designing a single item for a store, or a complete collection. It's probably the "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" synergistic idea, but I believe that when two creative, talented groups join forces, the result is going to be doubly amazing. See: Target's GO collection which paired the store with several high-end designers for capsule clothing releases, and also MAC's limited edition collections with clothing brands, artists, designers, musicians, socialites, etcetera.

Without further ado, here are some upcoming collaborations:

*Karl Lagerfeld and Shu Uemura - The Chanel designer paired with the asian beauty brand (which recently disintegrated all of its boutiques and counters in the United States, but can still be purchased online) to create a capsule collection of makeup. Harper's Bazaar offered up the recently released video which shows Lagerfelds rendering of the cheeky, cartoonish "Mon Shu girl". An interesting fact is that Lagerfeld claims to have used Shu Uemura cosmetics for the last decade when he sketched his designs, as he claimed that the makeup produces the most beautiful colors. Beauty High published a first look of the collection's packaging which shows the Mon Shu girl...with red eyes. Hmmm.

*Sephora and Disney - Beauty chain Sephora already has a few exclusive collections that it houses in-store, such as the Tarina Tarantino, Hello Kitty, Kat Von D, Tokidoki and Charlotte Ronson makeup lines. And in October, Sephora and Disney will send out a cosmetics collection centered around Cinderella, which will include fragrance, eye makeup, lip gloss and nail polish  to be followed a few months later by two other, as of yet unannounced, Princess collections. InStyle recently published a photo of a few of the items in the Cinderella line.

*Milly and Sperry - This pairing was one of those, "Why didn't we think of this sooner?" ideas. Both companies are known for producing items in classic silhouettes and simple styles with prints ranging from demure to fantastical ((For example: Sperry Exhibit A (classic style) and Sperry Exhibit B (fantastical style)). Both Sperry and Milly sell the collaborative collection on their respective websites, though Milly's site seems to offer a few more styles than does Sperry's.

(photos c/o revolveclothing.com)

*MAC and Archie Comics - MAC always pairs up with established names to create limited-time only, interestingly named and uniquely packaged makeup...and the collaborations show no signs of slowing down. There are usually at least three or four in a given year, each only being on shelves for a short few weeks before a new collection rolls out. My personal favorite past MAC collabs were the Barbie Loves MAC, as shown by Makeupbag.net, and the MAC for Manish Arora, as shown by Musings of a Muse. Musings of a Muse also gives a short "about" section regarding the release of MAC and Archie Comics.

*JC Penney and Marchesa - Yeah, this seems to be a sensitive subject considering that JC Penney's recent marketing strategy and brand placement overhaul has hit a snag, what with seriously low first quarter profits and with the president Michael Francis peacing out from his position. There isn't much information available regarding this upcoming pairing, and I'll admit that the teaming up of these two brands makes me scratch my head. Target's GO collection, for instance, relies on higher-priced (but not costume or couture) brands pairing with the cheap-but-chic store, and it works out. But JC Penney -known for its overpriced, cheaply made clothes - pairing with Marchesa, the brand responsible for outfitting celebrities in the dreamiest gowns cut from the loveliest fabrics on the red carpet...seems like a stretch. I can't picture what a product of this collaboration will look like, but I'm definitely interested to sneak a peek if and when it hits stores.


*J Brand and Christopher Kane - Considering that this will be the third time that the nature-motif loving runway designer and the upscale denim brand have paired up to design a collection, it's safe to say that the duo works well together. She Finds released images of a few items that will be available for purchase from the latest collection, with most pieces erring on the neon side of the color spectrum.

*H&M and Maison Martin Margiela - H&M is the inexpensive, freestanding, clothing-only boutique answer to Target. So it makes sense that the chain is partnering with high-end designer labels on some of its collections. The pieces created by the  Maison Martin Margiela label skew toward the dark and deconstructed, with gratuitous doses of minimalism (oxymoron?) added in for flavor. And though no photos or promotional images have been released as of yet, Fashionista.com delved into the details of the partnership here. I do hope that this collection is more subdued - and thus, wearable - than the H&M and Versace collaboration, as that collection looked like an explosion of tropical plant prints that would be better suited on "not-worn-in-an-ironic-way" Hawaiian shirts sported by senior citizen tourists. But hey, that's just my two cents.

*Nordstrom and Miss Wu AND Topshop - Nordstrom isn't pulling any punches in its pursuit of bringing not only new brands, but also well-known, established brands to its legions of customers. Nordstrom will play host to an in-store Topshop "shop" as well as a lower-priced Jason Wu collection called "Miss Wu". With the addition of several beauty labels (Jouer, Kevyn Aucoin Beauty and Vincent Longo), Nordstrom's recent update has definitely hit the mark. I can say that I personally am excited about Kevyn Aucoin, Vincent Longo and the Topshop offerings, as I am already a loyal customer to all of those brands.

 (Looks from the Miss Wu line)

J.Crew and New Balance - The American-made shoe brand has paired with the All-American outfitter for yet another limited-edition version of the classic 998 sneaker. Kicks on Fire shows the details on two sneakers offered; one with a suede navy upper and gray, white and red accents, while the other has a gray upper with blue, white and orange accents.

 

Target and Odin - Target is pairing up with boutique Odin to create a collection for the store's Shops at Target. Odin is a small menswear shop that houses well-curated pieces from select designers such as 3.1 Phillip Lim, Thom Browne and Shipley & Halmos. Shops at Target are collections within the store where well-known stores, hotels, restaurants, spas, etcetera, in the nation collaborate with the mass retailer to create clothing that encompasses each individual  brand's unique aesthetic. For instance, in stores now is clothing for The Webster (a Miami boutique), Privet House (a Connecticut odds-and-ends shop), Cos Bar (an Aspen-based beauty shop), Polka Dog Bakery (a Boston canine treats store) and The Candy Store (a San Francisco sweets shop).

(Odin c/o nymag.com)

 (Odin c/o ny.racked.com)

I'm pretty excited about everything I see, but I'd love to know what your favorite collection is. Are you partial to the Target collaboration or the smaller partnerships? Can't wait to get your hands on all of the new Nordstrom offerings? Comment and let me know!

At the Vanity - Makeup samples and subscription boxes

Ah samples, who doesn't love them?

Why would I buy a full-size product and hope that it lives up to the claims on its packaging when, instead,  I can test out a small-size portion on my own time, away from garish department store lighting and pushy salespeople? Many times, these samples are what draw customers back to in to buy the full-size portions. When I'm working in Sephora, several clients will return to the store days after having sampled a product, asking to buy the full-size product.

With the advent of stores like Sephora and Ulta, whose claims to fame are the accessible testers of each item sold in-store, consumers now want to test out products before buying them. And with good reason. For instance,several people have very sensitive skin that reacts negatively to certain ingredients found in many products. Others simply want to test out a product to wear over the course of a normal day in their life to see if it works with their specific wants and needs (say, a cross-country skier with perennially dry skin will need a different moisturizer than a teenage girl who is looking to cut down on oil and shine). At Sephora, we make sure to ask each client what issues he or she is looking to target and fix. This enables us to create samples of products that are specifically targeted to fix said issue while keeping in mind the unique preferences of the client.

Sephora has a "club" that shoppers can join which allows them to rack up beauty points that can be traded in for large, consistently updated samples of products. At any given time, there will be three different 100-point products, and one or two 500-point products offered in deluxe samples to beauty insiders. These samples usually change on a weekly basis. At my Sephora location, the three 100-point samples for this week are a Tarina Tarantino Fleur de Lash mascara, an Ole Henriksen  Truth Serum Collagen Booster and a Too Faced Tinted Beauty Balm. The 500-point gift is a Caudalie 3-piece Beauty Essentials kit.

(photo c/o sephora.com)

These products can be chosen in-store or online, and there is a link on the website where Beauty Insiders can see which products are being offered at any given time. Even if shoppers aren't part of the Beauty Insider program, every online order allows them to choose three samples from a large selection of possible choices.

Aside from free samples, the store has a section called "Beauty To Go" where smaller sized versions of popular products are available so that, as with sampling, clients can try products to see if they like them before throwing down a pretty penny on something that leaves them feeling "meh". These junior versions of products in Beauty To Go can also function as travel size products when one doesn't want to deal with the hassle of redistributing a product into different containers.

It's not just Sephora that's in on the "deluxe sample" action. New Beauty (of the magazine) recently set up a boutique shop in the Los Angeles Fred Segal boutique, where they launched the TestTube, a sampling station inside of the store where customers can pack a capsule with samples that they choose from the 30 available options.

 But it's not just brick-and-mortar stores that offer freebie packs.

Beauty brands such as Julep have started subscriber programs where, for a monthly fee (Julep's is $20 per month) the brand will mail a box of items (some sample-sized, others full-sized) every month for the user to try.

Birchbox, Glossybox, Joliebox and Lust Have It are all companies that were founded on the same premise as above (a subscription to a monthly box of beauty goodies), but instead of sending only a single brand's products, various brands are represented in each package. And though there seems to be a point of contention between these brands (they are essentially built on the same business model), not all are stationed stateside - Glossybox focuses on international brands and is based out of several different countries, Birchbox is also home-based, but focuses both on well-known brands and up-and-comers, Joliebox is made in the United Kingdom and France and Lust Have It is Australia's version.

 (photo c/o birchbox.com)

(photo c/o glossybox.com)

(photo c/o joliebox.co.uk)

(photo c/o lusthaveit.com.au)

 Blogger Pink Sith showed the goods that she received in her June 2012 Birchbox: a full-size Stila bronzer, a Juicy Couture fragrance sample, a Coola mineral sunscreen, a lip stain from The Balm and a colorful ziplock bag that is the perfect size to take on flights. (Did you click on the link for the Stila bronzer? Anything that is sent out in the monthly Birchbox can be purchased from birchbox.com).

If one is a fan of novelty and discovering new products and brands, then these subscription boxes may be just the answer. As was discussed on Pink Sith, the $10/month price for the Birchbox may seem negligible when a $36 bronzer is delivered in the box. However, it's a gamble. What if a subscriber doesn't like anything that was sent in the box for three months? Is that $30 that could have potentially been spent on one full-size product that the subscriber knows that she would have loved? But then again, people pay for magazine subscriptions with the hope that each issue will behold information that is relatable and interesting. That doesn't always happen, either.

So, what are your thoughts on these beauty subscription/sampling services? Would you be willing to pay for one, and if so, which?

At the Vanity - New Makeup Lines and Collaborations

I love learning about new things going on in the beauty industry, and I'd probably be hard-pressed to find any beauty junkie that doesn't share that same avid interest. And though it always gives me a thrill when a well-known beauty brand releases a new product, nothing can upstage the moment when I hear about a completely new brand, new store or new collaboration in the works between companies. Why? Because a new brand, store or collaboration means A) more than just a single or few new pieces for me to peruse, as instead, there will be many and B) a completely new brand identity that could fill a niche in the market (examples: Benefit's retro-chic appeal or Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics' intensely pigmented products filled gaps in the market).

 

 (photo c/o racked.com)

One such new line that I will be tracking obsessively as it nears its inception is Christian Louboutin Beauté, which is popular red-soled heel designer Christian Louboutin's foray into the beauty world. Though his beauty products won't start hitting shelves until 2013, we will no doubt start seeing promotional pictures and catching tidbits about the items that will be offered in the line (a red lipstick will undoubtedly make an appearance), shade names, possible spokespeople or models for campaigns, etc. I wonder if his go-to muse Dita Von Teese will be a top choice for said promotions campaign? The appeal of buying makeup from luxury brands that previously produced items for only one category (be it shoes, clothing, fragrance, etc.) is that we may not all be able to buy the expensive handbag or pair of sky-high stilettos the brand offers, but we can still buy a luxe, decoratively packaged lipstick or elegantly designed compact from the same line.

 

(photo c/o laduree.com)

The French macaron company Laduree announced a few months ago that it would soon be entering the beauty realm with its own makeup line, dubbed "Les Merveilleuses de Ladurée", according to New York Magazine. The brand is known for it's much-clamored-over, pastel-hued sweet eats, and the entire cosmetics line is packaged with the same touch of luxurious and romantic elements found in the sugary confections. The line was recently launched in Japan, so there are a few pictures here and there of some of the line's offerings - but not many - and almost no pricing information is available except that products will be expensive.
However, more pictures and information on pricing should trickle in closer to the date that the range will expand to the rest of Asia and the United States. Here is the Japanese version of the Laduree website where you can see photos of the highly coveted (and highly priced) products. My personal favorite new product is the cheek petal blush (as seen in the photo above), where an egg-shaped container holds blush powder pigment in the form of faux rose petals whereby you sweep your blush brush across the "petals" and then swipe the pigment across your cheek. And...I'm sold.

(photo c/o style.com)

As was announced early last month, designer Marc Jacobs will be collaborating with Sephora to create his own beauty label. This isn't Jacobs' first dabble in the beauty industry, as he already has an established line of fragrances - plus another perfume coming out in July - but it will be his first time delving into the makeup, as opposed to scent, end of the industry. I wonder if Marc Jacobs' brand will stand on its own and be able to expand beyond Sephora's walls at some point in time, or whether it will be a "Sephora Originals" brand, such as Charlotte Ronson and Tarina Tarantino, which means it will have an exclusive contract with the upscale beauty chain. I suppose only time will tell. I am very excited, because if Jacobs' plans to use the beauty aesthetic that he utilizes at his shows, I will be a very happy camper, as the makeup for his runways shows always look amazing.

(photo c/o english.visitkorea.or.kr)

A trendy, urban cosmetics store called Too Cool For School, which currently only has locations in South Korea and Indonesia, will be breaking ground for a New York City store this year, and I am pumped beyond belief. I first saw pictures of the Asian beauty boutique while I was reading Beauty Inc, a monthly magazine published by the creators of Women's Wear Daily, and from the few pictures shown, the store's vibe seems to be MAC-meets-artist's studo feel, as some of the product offerings include lipsticks packaged to look like crayons and tiny sketchable doll heads, faces and hands. In short, Too Cool For School looks like a place where my inner child and my grown-up cosmetic maven can unite.

In this Issue No. 12 - The Glopstil

I have a love/hate affair with "all the rage" products spreads like this Elle "It List" monthly feature. This is because even when I am casually and noncommittally perusing a magazine, these sorts of lists always - and I do mean always - halt me in my tracks and make me actually pay close attention to what I see on the pages. These pages that claim to play host to the latest and greatest products arriving (or just having arrived) on the market (perfumes, eye creams, nail polish, oh my!) suck me in with their dazzling, artistically displayed wares. And then, even after I've attempted to languidly start flipping through the magazine again, I've lost my rhythm due to one - or sometimes a myriad of - the items that continue to taunt me from the "It List' page. Instead of accepting the fact that there will always be a steady stream of new things coming out to tantalize consumers, it's like I unintentionally create mission for myself to discern whether a new product is actually better than anything I have at home on my own vanity. Because I'm always on the lookout for those Holy Grail items, you see.

Elle magazine's March 2011 issue, which I picked up to reread, featured in its "It List" two Clinique Chubby Sticks (and can we take a moment to appreciate the way I penciled in a tiny, self-defeated arrow at the products because as much as I regret admitting it, I was sucked in). These were vibrantly hued lipcolor hybrids - a lip gloss, pencil and lipstick in one well-rounded, glossy package. They were glopstils, lipstlosses, penglosticks...these hybrids possessed no common moniker as of yet. And look! There was also a self-dispensing turnstile attached to the bottom of the stick that released more product when it wore down from use. I wanted from the spread the pink Chubby Stick that was halfway hidden behind Mr. Red displayed prominently in front of it. 

It was brilliant. It was shiny. It was glossy, colorful, moisturizing (I'm sure it would be, anyway), convenient and pretty. I had to have it.

However, even after moseying to the nearest Clinique counter to check out there selection, I could never find quite what I was looking for. Sure, the moisturizing, glossy element was there, but none of the colors looked quite natural against my skin. They looked a bit garish, in fact. Somewhat disappointed, I left the store.

But don't worry, it gets better.

A few days later as I was browsing (casually, noncommittally - remember?) through a Sephora catalogue, it happened again. Another spread caught my eye, one in which a half dozen red lip products were displayed atop a millieu of women all of whom each embodied exceedingly different facial features. And yet, these various women were all wearing red lipstick as though to assert, "Hey you, reader! Yes, even you can pull off a bright red lip because you, no doubt, look a little bit like at least one of us on this page, and we're all pulling off the red lips with aplomb. No excuses from you, now! Go buy!"

After I weighed the pros and cons of a stark red lip, I noticed that the product listed fourth on the page reminded me of the Clinique Chubby Stick. It was Tarte's LipSurgence natural lip luster. It was a new glopstil (I'm keeping that word)!

After checking out the shades at Sephora, I went with a glimmery pink glitter-infused color called Adored. After performing the, "Does this make me look like a 12-year-old because of the sparkles and the pink?" check and passing with flying colors, I knew it was a go.