VIDEO: Holiday Beauty Gift Guide

The ultimate holiday shopping guide for makeup lovers.

By Charleen Gonzalez for Shine Latina

Makeup companies usually release a slew of new products and gift sets during the holiday season. It can be overwhelming to decide what to invest in, so I investigated different beauty items and have prepared some of the best worth checking out. There are a few fun sets in the mix, as well as a few staples I think every woman should have.

Makeup gift setsin beautiful colors
Tarte came out with so many fun holiday gift sets this year that it was hard to narrow it down to just a few. By far my favorite has to be their Carried Away Collector's Set, which includes 24 eyeshadows, 8 maracuja lip glosses, a blush, their famous Light's, Camera, Lashes! mascara, a full sized face brush, a finishing powder, as well as a beautiful travel bag to fit it all in. The eyeshadows are housed in a compartment behind a large mirror in the included makeup bag. I just love how this set has practically all the makeup you'll need when traveling. The eyeshadows are really pigmented and come in color coordinated quads. The glosses come in a variety of different colors- from light baby pinks to sparkly reds. Overall, this set is worth over $500, and at $54 you are getting an amazing deal!

Watch for great stocking stuffer ideas:


For lip color lovers, Tarte offers their 5-Pc Holiday LipSurgence Collection. This assortment includes five full-sized LipSurgence lip tints which are normally $24 a piece, but this set is only $34! I love the variety of sheer to opaque, and matte to shimmery finishes. I always toss one of these in my purse, as they are so easy to apply and feel very moisturizing. Give one to each of your friends, or grab the set for yourself! Tarte also has a For The Love Of Lipgloss 15-Piece Maracuja Lipgloss Collector's Set, which includes three sets of five lip glosses in one.

Check out how to get a makeup look that's perfect for the holidays

Staple brush sets
Having a reliable and solid brush set is a must for any makeup lover, and when I think of quality and affordable brushes, I always recommend Sigma's line. Sigma's Essential Kit-Mrs. Bunny brush set is amazing in so many ways. For starters, I just love the girly pink and baby blue design. They do have the brushes in classic black (Mr. Bunny), but I think that the colorful variety are so much fun! The brushes are made of synthetic, cruelty-free bristles that are super soft and work beautifully with both wet and dry products. This 12-piece set comes with four face brushes, and eight eye brushes that fit perfectly into the baby blue travel container which also doubles as a brush holder. At $120 it's an investment, but the brushes come out to $10 each, so it's an incredible value. Plus, the brushes will last for years to come!

Sigma also has another synthetic brush set, their 10-pc Synthetic Essential Kit, that I think would be great for gals who are really into makeup and love a flawless foundation finish. The large face brushes in this kit work perfectly to buff out liquid foundation, especially in hard to reach areas. They also work great to buff in powder and apply blush or bronzer. The bristles are super soft and dense, so they don't absorb or waste as much product as other brushes might. The kit also includes five mini versions of the large face brushes for smaller areas of the face like under the eye, nose and mouth area. They work great to blend in concealer and for applying highlighter.

Sparkling polishes and smudge-proof pencils
I don't know about you, but I think the holidays are the perfect time of the year to wear glittery nail polishes. Zoya's Ornate Collection was made to turn your nails into sparkling jewels with holographic glitters and foil finishes. My favorite out of the collection is Blaze, a medium mulberry red with micro diamond holographic glitter. This color is perfect for the winter time: vampy, yet girly. The set also includes Logan which is the color of sparkling evergreen trees and includes a duochrome shimmer. Give these polishes away as stocking stuffers, or add them to your own collection.

One last gift set that would be perfect for anyone who loves a variety of eye pencils is Stila's Seeing Stars Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner Set. I adore this set! It includes five full-sized liners, normally $20 each, for only $32 (a $100 value)! The liners' colors range from smoky purple to olive green and sparkling black. I love how they last all day and pack a ton of pigment. They're so worth the buy and a great present to boot!


To see more of Charleen's beauty videos check out her YouTube channel

For content that speaks to you, visit Shine Latina