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Holiday makeup palettes and gift sets you'll love

Multi-coloured, neutrals, whole face or just eyes or lips -- what's the best makeup set for you? Get tips for buying holiday makeup palettes that take the guesswork out of choosing cosmetics.

By Janine Falcon

I confess: I'm a beauty geek, still as entranced by cleverly assembled, multi-hued palettes of makeup as I was as a little girl. Nifty boxes that pull or fold out to reveal a rainbow of little coloured squares of eye shadow, blush and lip gloss, plus tiny compartments that hold mini mascara, eyeliner and lip pencil...it's a makeup party in a super-cute paintbox. And every holiday season, more palettes come out to tempt our inner girly-girls to play.

Here's a round-up of this year's holiday makeup palettes and tips on how to make the best choice.

BUYING TIP 1: If you love it, buy it!
Don't let anyone tell you this isn't a valid way to make a decision. Still, given the plethora of palettes on the market this season, you're in danger of falling in love with many, many more than just one set (or three), so you may need help narrowing down choices. If you can decide quickly based on how the packaging of that makeup palette appeals to you, and how many of the colours you like or want to try, snap up your favourite. If you're still waffling, it's time for the next tip.

BUYING TIP 2: What do you need?
Some palettes are all-inclusive kits, complete with concealer, highlighter, mini mascara, mini pencils and mini tools. Other kits may focus only on the eyes or only on the lips. Still others are limited-edition palettes in holiday packaging. What do you need?

If you have a mascara you swear by, perhaps you want a kit that doesn't include mascara. If you have good makeup brushes, you might not want a kit that includes mini applicators. If you love, love, love eye shadow, you may want a simple, pretty palette of just that. If you don't wear much eye makeup, you might prefer a lips-and-cheeks or a lips-only kit. If you love neutrals, look for a palette in that colour range. If lots of colour makes you smile, choose a palette with so many colours it makes you want to dance in the aisle.

BUYING TIP 3: Choose a brand you've always wanted to try.
Gift sets are a terrific way to sample a brand you've always wanted to try. Not only do you get a good range of products, you get them at a much better price than you would if you were buying each item separately.

For instance, Hollywood makeup artist Carol Shaw has her own line of makeup, Lorac, which receives lots of beauty press. An eyeshadow is $16, blush starts at $16 and lip gloss is $18. But for $52, you could have her Lorac Fairytale Life kit which features eight eye shadows, two blushes, two lip colours, mini mascara and a mini brush.

BUYING TIP 4: Fit your budget
Sometimes that silly thing called a budget calls the shots. Fear not -- adorable palettes come in a variety of price points. Benefit Cosmetics' Ten Palette for eyes, cheeks and lips; $28 at select Bay department stores, Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutiques and Sephora. Pop Beauty's Lid Bronzer, Lid Silver and Lid Gold are adorable six-shade eye shadow palettes for $22 each at Sephora and www.sephora.com. And Quo Cosmetics, offers the Beauty Wallet ($20), which has a mirror, four eye shadows, four lip glosses, a blush and an applicator in a wallet-style set that even has a slot for your ID.

BUYING TIP 5: Let your inner girly-girl play.
Of course, you could possibly receive a makeup kit as a gift -- yay! If you're a neutrals girl and the palette is all about colour, you can still make the most of it. If you're feeling adventurous, use a fluffy eye shadow brush and sweep a single shade of eye shadow across your lid. If you're a little more conservative, dip an angle brush into a fun colour and apply it as liner at the base of your upper lashes.

Makeup is supposed to be fun, so let loose and try something new. And if you think you won't use the majority of the palette, wrap it up and re-gift it -- chances are you have a friend who will adore it. If not, I can send you my address...

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