Today I’m sharing a few picks from Ulta Beauty’s holiday gift guide that are each a great value, perfect for holiday exchanges with your girlfriends or a small present-to-self to get ready for this season’s parties! First up on my list is the Tarte Dressed to the Nines LipSurgence Lip Creme set with nine mini tubes of color. They’re super creamy and easy to glide on, and the colors range from light & buildable to bold – I’m testing 4 of the limited edition shades up above!
I like that they’re packaged in sets of 3, so you can gift as a whole set or break it up. I own a full-size lip creme from them which is $24 a piece, so thought the variety set was an awesome value for $34. I see this set just sold out online, but was told Ulta Beauty stores should have it in stock.
Another product on my gifting list is one that I started using this year at the recommendation of a friend – the popular Anastasia contour palette. I use the “light to medium” powder palette and would love to hear anyone’s thoughts on how it compares to the cream version! My daytime makeup routine is pretty minimal so I usually reserve this for going out at night, or times when I know I’ll be in a lot of photos. Here’s a before and after:
After applying foundation, I just do a little contouring along my nose and cheekbones to give them more definition. You can use a variety of brushes, but a denser one like this Real Techniques flat contouring brush works well for precision shading along the cheekbones. And for the nose bridge I simply use a small eyeshadow brush. Definitely start with a light hand and just accentuate your natural features; a little bit goes a long way – it’s easy to be overzealous with shading and end up looking like a patient on “Botched” ; )
Next up is this cute TOO FACED “La Petite Maison” eyeshadow palette with a good mix of smokey neutrals and highlighting shades. I made one of my first smokey eye tutorials with my other Too Faced palette which lasted me for years. This one comes nestled in an Parisian-inspired box along with a small tube of their “Better than Sex” mascara, which a few of my friends swear by.
Last but not least, I love a good mini polish kit, especially with holiday colors that you’re not likely to use up a full bottle of. My tip is to search on Google images for swatches beforehand, so there’s no surprises of how polishes look when applied! The OPI All-Stars 4-piece mini set has a nice variety for this season ranging from a true festive red to a deep, rich plum and two metallics. The champagne silver is probably my favorite, esp. with a coat of Essie Luxe Effects glitter topcoat layered on.
(left) “Love is in my Cards” and (right) “Press * for Silver,” both with glitter topcoat
Thank you to Ulta Beauty for partnering on this post! Would love to get some more ideas for my makeup-loving friends…please share some of your favorite beauty gifts to give (or receive)!
