[may contain affiliate links] Hello, class! As you know, normally I steer clear of holiday-themed packaging. However, there was something about this year’s Too Faced sets that caught my eye. In particular, the Too Faced Grande Hotel Cafe set became something that wouldn’t leave my brain, no matter how hard I tried.

The Grande Hotel Cafe features, according to the description on Sephora:

A makeup set with 18 eye shadows, two blushes, a bronzer, a mascara and a how-to guide for looks that are perfect for the season.

Now, the 18 shadows, blushes and bronzer are divided between three different palettes. Each palette has a different name that corresponds to its fragrance: Peppermint Mocha, Gingerbread Cookie, and Eggnog Latte. In my opinion, each palette can also comprise a complete “look,” or you can whip out all three and mix-and-match.

The set comes in a cute box with a roof that comes off and doors that swing open.

As with any holiday set, there is the worry that the powders are not up to par with the permanent line. Overall, I found the products in these palettes to have decent pigmentation, with a few exceptions. The satiny shadows performed the best, with the mattes being mostly OK, and the glitters needing perhaps a bit more finesse (think – fix+ and a patting motion, rather than sweeping).

Let’s take a peak at each palette and the corresponding swatches.

Eggnog Latte:

Gingerbread Cookie:

Peppermint Mocha:

Some of my favorite shades in the entire set are Sprinkles (from Peppermint Mocha), Iced Coffee, Cold Brew (both from Eggnog Latte), Ginger Snap and Winter Dream (from Gingerbread Cookie).

So, the important question is – do you need this? Here is my answer:

If any of these apply to you, then possibly yes-
– you have no other Too Faced shadows
– you love glitter and don’t mind working with it
– you like products that smell yummy
– a few of the shades really appeal to you
– you need a good travel palette
– you hate spending a lot of money on makeup

If any of these apply to you, then possibly no-
– you hate products with a fragrance
– you dislike glitter
– you’ve had problems with Too Faced shadows in the past
– you’d rather save up for a more expensive but better quality palette

Which category do you fall in? I’m definitely in the “yes!”

Shop Too Faced:

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[may contain affiliate links] Hello, class! Today I want to talk about Stila’s Stay All Day, Sparkle All Night set that is part of their holiday 2016 collection. This set contains five Stay All Day liquid lipsticks and one “Glitterati” top coat.

The Stila Stay All Day, Sparkle All Night set has a mix of new and old shades. They include:

• Baci (nude pink)
• Rubino (beet red)
• Fresco (mid tone dusty rose)
• Patina (dusty rose)
• Bacca (raspberry)
• Glitterati Lip Top Coat in Transcend (multi-color sparkle)

All of the lipsticks contain .05 oz of product. They have Stila’s traditional doe-foot applicator and the formulas have the somewhat thick consistency I have come to expect from this brand. My only big issue is the Glitterati top coat, which leaked through the cap when I didn’t shake it up enough before application (I think the liquid traveled from the applicator stick).

The glitter top coat is beautiful and does completely dry down. It does not change the color of the lipstick over which you apply it, but it does pack on the glitter. This product may not be your cup of tea if you are averse to plain ol’ glitter on the lips (as opposed to a metallic finish).

top to bottom: Transcend, Fresco, Bacca, Patina, Rubino, Baci

This set retails at Ulta for $35 USD, while Stila says it has a value of $71. So, the Stay All Day, Sparkle All Night is a great option if you want to try Stila’s liquid lipstick formula. This set will also make a great gift this holiday season!

Update: now available at Sephora, too!!!

more Stila holiday goodies:

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