There is something about looking at makeup gift sets that totally transports me back to my childhood. Do you remember those childish makeup kits, filled with loud shades of pink and purple, bubblegum lipsticks, and shimmery blushes? Ahh, there is a part of me that misses those days. Those kinds of holiday and Christmas gifts were always my favorites, back in the day, so it is no surprise I turned to the beauty and makeup industries for my career.
That’s why I’m happy to bring you this awesome list of 15 of the best makeup gift sets for Christmas 2016, which make for excellent gift ideas for all of the gorgeous women in your life. We have options here for your makeup guru friends and relatives, your makeup phobic ones, and just about anyone in between.
The great thing about a lot of these Christmas gift ideas is that they feature a variety of different high brands’ bestsellers, so you can leave someone the full set under the tree, or split it up and use each individual item as a fun stocking stuffer… or, you know, buy everything for yourself, as all of these sets also offer some serious discounts.
1. Pat McGrath Labs Metalmorphosis 005 Kit
It seems as though Pat McGrath has single handedly created the metallic trend that is all about glamorous neo-futurism. As a true artist, she focused on making these makeup gift sets that will be versatile, unique, and on trend.
These kits include a cream pigment, a pressed powder pigment, mehron mixing fluid, and a precise dual ended black liquid liner. The pigments can be used as shadows, highlighters, blushes, or lip sheens – it’s all a question of which set you choose, and how crazy you’re willing to get while playing with them.
This is the perfect Christmas gift for the artistic and wild spirit in your life. These metallic sets are available in silver, gold, copper, and bronze, so there is something for every taste and skin tone. The kit is available at Sephora.
2. Lancome Le Parisian Warm Beauty Box
Gifting makeup can be difficult, since it is hard to predict what will work for whom… but with these kinds of makeup gift sets, you can rest easy. Lancome, after all, is a world-renowned brand, and the products in this set will suit anyone.
This set includes 11 of Lancome’s bestselling items, including their award winning makeup remover, natural and berry toned lipsticks and blushes, staples like eyeliner and mascara, a warm and wearable eyeshadow palette, and their miraculous Youth Activating Concentrate. This set will be a sure hit with any mature relative, and it’s only $59.50 available at Nordstrom.
3. MAC Nutcracker Sweet Nude Mineralize Kit
Continuing the lovely strobing trend, we’ve got this gorgeous little kit from MAC. It’s one of those great Christmas gift ideas that will suit anyone who likes a softer look. Global Glow is a soft highlighter that gives a perfect, lit-from-within glow for almost any skin color. Additionally, this set also includes a soft nude lipstick, and a pale peachy gloss. Everything comes in a glamorous pink pouch, with gold accents, available at MAC Cosmetics.
4. Too Faced The Chocolate Shop
The great thing about Christmas gifts that smell great is that the response to them is instant and emotional. That is why almost any of Too Faced’s chocolate scented products would work as a gift, but this set gives the best of the brand. This set includes a palette with 21 wearable and blendable shadows along with Too Faced’s best bronzer, blush and highlighter. There is also a Better Than Sex mascara, Shadow Insurance, and a Long Wear liquid lipstick in a nude peachy tone that you can get from Sephora.
5. Chanel Travel Makeup Palette
When you really have to impress someone with your Christmas gifts, know that you cannot go wrong with a brand like Chanel. This makeup set might be small, but it is mighty. The travel palette includes 5 neutral and plummy shades, a rosy blush, a setting powder, and 5 wearable lip shades. It also comes with Chanel’s INIMITABLE black mascara. It’s great for on the go touch-ups, and is available at Chanel.
6. NARS Sarah Moon Get Real Lip & Eye Set
If you need Christmas gift ideas for a wild yet glamorous woman, NARS have got you covered. One red lipstick, another even redder lipstick, and Audacious mascara, which will give lashes for days, all come in a sleek keepsake box. This set is a holiday collaboration with French photographer Sarah Moon, and it oozes French sophistication combined with a cool aesthetic. It’s available at Nordstrom.
7. BECCA Glow on the Go Shimmering Skin Perfector Moonstone Set
We cannot get enough of these highlighter based makeup gift sets for Christmas 2016. BECCA is the best of the best, when it comes to creating dramatic highlighters, so this is definitely an ideal gift for any makeup enthusiast.
Your makeup-addicted friends might already have their highlighter game on lockdown, so this would be perfect for a younger niece or cousin who is just getting started. Included in this set are both liquid and powder based highlighters, in a perfectly glowing champagne shade. It’s available at Sephora.
8. Too Faced Merry Kissmas
This is another one of the Christmas makeup gifts that is best for a makeup-loving newcomer, because it will jump-start their lipstick collection with ease. This makeup gift set from Too Faced boasts their 4 best selling long-wear liquefied lipsticks, in nude, rose, magenta, and a holiday apple red. These liquid lipsticks are creamy and moisturizing, yet super long-lasting – no smudging or creasing, guaranteed. They’re available on TooFaced.com.
9. Yves Saint Laurent Essential Makeup Set
Gifting a classic is always a good idea, so consider this phenomenal holiday makeup gift set from Yves Saint Laurent. This set will amp up just about anyone’s look, with the iconic Touche Eclat illuminating concealer, a cream Rouge Pur Couture lipstick in a shade of rose that is quickly becoming the color of the season, a volumizing black mascara, and a long-wearing black pencil eyeliner that is perfect for a smoky smudge. Such phenomenal Christmas gifts don’t come often, and you can snag this at Saks Fifth Avenue.
10. Benefit Cosmetics Dandelion Wishes Baby-Pink Makeup Set
Have no fear, my list of 2016 Christmas makeup gift ideas is indeed featuring the most retro-chic of the beauty brands. This makeup set is pure joy distilled, in peachy-pink shades that are just this side of soft and shimmery. It includes iconic Benetint items like their Roller Lash mascara, High Beam liquid highlighter, and Dandelion blush, as well as guaranteed favorites like their tinted lip balm and baby pink lip-gloss. Available at Sephora, this is the set you want to give to the girly girls in your life.
11. Charlotte Tilbury Dreamy Look in a Clutch Collection
This luxurious makeup gift set from makeup goddess Charlotte Tilbury is such a steal, it more than makes up for the uninspired name. It’s one of the more eye focused makeup gift sets, which includes black mascara and eyeliner, as well as a beautiful palette of shimmery, golden-toned eyeshadows.
For the lips it’s a berry bonanza, with a gorgeously neutral raspberry lipstick and a lip liner. These products all come in a chic black and gold clutch that is instantly impressive, available at Nordstrom.
12. Benefit Cosmetics Defined and Refined Brow Kit
If you are a little nosy or passive aggressive, like I assure you I am, this is one of the best Christmas gifts for 2016 you could get for that one aunt with over plucked eyebrows. With this gift set, she will get the message loud and clear. After all, you’ve got a primer here to nourish and stimulate the brows, a guide to make sure she gets the shape right, a thin and precise brow pencil (available in 3 shades), and a highlighter to brighten things up a bit. This set is available at Sephora.
13. Milk Makeup Limited Edition Triple Threat Glow Set
Skincare and makeup gift sets are some of my favorite Christmas gifts, because they target more than just the superficial. Giving someone skincare is like telling them “I want you to take care of yourself” – it’s the height of love. This holiday makeup gift set includes the nourishing Sunshine Oil, toning Face Mist, and a bit of glowy fun with the Milk highlighter. They come in a stylish reusable box that is sure to impress, available at Sephora.
14. Smashbox Try It Kit
This 5-piece Christmas makeup gift set is a steal, featuring all of the Smashbox hits that thousands upon thousands of people already love. This is another one of those makeup gift sets for Christmas 2016 that are perfect for total newbies, since it includes high quality, travel sized basics, like the Photo Finish primer, waterproof black liner, a rosy lip gloss, black mascara, and matte eyeshadow trio in the kind of neutral shades every makeup wearer should own. It’s retailing at Sephora for a shockingly low $22.00.
15. Marc Jacobs Beauty Up All Night Five Piece Petites Le Marc Lip Creme Collection
As far as Christmas makeup gift sets that come in pouches are concerned, this is one of the most impressive. This hot pink case is an unusual square shape, embellished with an on-trend black tassel. In it, 5 moisturizing 10-hour wear lipsticks are nestled, ready to beautify for any occasion. This set has all the colors mandatory in a lipstick collection: an apricot nude, a rose, a warm red, a fire engine red, a trendy plum. It’s available at Sephora.
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