Sometimes I use the holidays to give a beauty gift of luxury; something I just don’t see that person buying for themselves necessarily. Here are 5 that will dazzle and delight!

1. TOO FACED Mr. Right Perfect Powder Brush ($36 @ sephora.com) – never underestimate the power of a quality makeup brush! It just feels so nice to sweep one across the skin, right?

2. BARE MINERALS ‘Precious Gems’ Lip Oil Balm Trio ($26 @ macys.com) – these are some of my favorite tinted balms and I always keep one tucked in my purse. Each has a hint of color you can actually see (hate when one promises tint and there is none!).

3. SEPHORA COLLECTION Ombré Obsession Eyeshadow Palette ($25 @ sephora.com) – OMG, how great is this palette?? I’d say it falls into the Product As Art category for sure. And what a great value at $25 (they claim it’s worth $175!). I can’t put enough exclamation points in this blurb about it!

4. HOURGLASS Nº 28 Lip Treatment Oil in Icon ($42 @ nordstrom.com) - lips are always center stage so you’ve got to keep them looking great in these cold temps. And this one has a dash of color in it.

5. ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Contour Cream Kit $40 @ ulta.com, sephora.com) – I know I’ve tried using bronzers, eye shadows and other dark shades to contour with. Pick her up the right products to use for it, ok?

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

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I’ve tended to shy away from luminous powders on a whole as I always seem to try some that are just too much; too much shimmer or sparkle. And I’m just not too sure they are all that necessary. However, this one is definitely not(it) too shimmery and not at all sparkly and totally wearable. HOURGLASS COSMETICS’ new Ambient Lighting Bronzer ($50) is like a regular bronzer/blush with just a kick of luminosity to it. Seriously! I really thought this was going to be too much for me but it wasn’t. 

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Unlike the trend of highlighting and contouring, or HACing, the trend of liquid lipsticks is pretty doable for anybody. With HACing, you really have to have some kind of idea of what you’re doing, what you want to bring forth or set back, blah, blah, blah. And yes, I don’t have it totally down either, just parts of my face.

With the liquid lipstick trend, it’s basically lip color on steroids so if you can apply lipstick or lip gloss, you can apply liquid lipsticks!

It seems to have started out as just a handful of brands a few years ago with MAC (I even have theirs in my Hall of Fame), Korres, Addiction NV (who I don’t think is around anymore), Make Up For Ever and L’Oreal and it wasn’t even called liquid lipstick; not even sure when the name liquid lipstick started surfacing with these.

I’m a fan of all the aforementioned brands but just in case you were wondering, I think the OG liquid lipstick brand has to be LipSense by SeneGence. Thoughts?

But now, this seems to be a full-on trend with whole brands being built just on it like Jeffree Star’s new collection, Pretty Zombie Cosmetics and I’m sure others I just haven’t caught up with just yet.

So just what is liquid lipstick anyways? Click after the jump to find out!

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So much buzz over this latest release from HOURGLASS COSMETICS! This Modernist Eyeshadow Palette ($58 only @ sephora.com) is so unique with the colors inside all swirled into one another; just simply gorgeous to look at, dontcha think? But, at the end of the day, a more important question arises - how does it perform? Click after the jump to find out!

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I love exploring the summer makeup collections as it gets hotter, the colors get brighter and just more fun! The HOURGLASS COSMETICS brand is expanding their Panoramic Long Wear Lip Liner with 4 new shades and added 3 new shades to the Extreme High Shine Lip Gloss collection. Let explore the two here!

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I love brow products! Pencils, powders, especially something like this where the artist comes out in me! So what’s the latest to come out? Below are two for the pencil lover in you that you may want to check out. 

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Now that summer has wound down, so have the vacations. But we still want to go on those getaways, if only for a weekend but how many times have you forgotten something?

Here are some essentials you should pack before hitting the road next time:

Makeup Bag - SEPHORA COLLECTION The High Roller ($48 @ sephora.com) – this one had velcro’d in see-through makeup bags inside that you can store all your weekend items. Unroll it and hang it from the door with its built-in hanger to see all your items at one time.

Hair Volumizer - TAYA Amazon White Clay & Acacia Collagen Hair Plumper ($24/8oz @ tayabeauty.com) – no matter where I travel, I seem to bring my flat hair with me but this one seem to keep the case of the permanent flatsies at bay. The combo of a mousse and hairspray in one helps give hair volume and hold.

Nude Lippie - HOURGLASS COSMETICS Femme Nude Lip Stylo in Nude No. 5 ($30 @ violetgrey.com) – I love a lip balm when I’m traveling but I also need a little color or rather polish to my look, so what better way then with a nude lippie?

Sun Protection for Hair - L’OREAL Everpure UV Protect Spray in Rosemary Mint ($8.99/8.5oz @ amazon.com and drugstores nationwide) – since going full on red, as in redhead, I am super protective from keep it true as long as possible. The sun can wreak havoc on hair color, so do yourself a favor, if you’re not wearing a hat, spray on this protective “hat” of sunscreen. You spend good money on your hair color so shouldn’t you make it last?

Sun Protection for Skin - COPPERTONE Faces Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50 ($9.89/2oz @ target.com) – no matter what time of year it is, You. Need. Sunscreen! Sometimes sunscreens can sting but this one is formulated for sensitive skins and doesn’t leave a white hue behind.

Deodorant/Antiperspirant - CERTAIN DRI Antiperspirant Roll-On for Excessive Perspiration ($6.29/1.2oz @ walgreens.com) – I’ve tried sooooo many out there and at the end of the day, this seems to be the only one that works and works consistently.

Cheek Color - NARS Multiple in Portofino ($39 @ sephora.com) – I find that a medium coral on cheeks looks swell any time of year and is unexpected in the fall to winter months. And it makes me look wide awake than I may be feeling.  

Face Mist - NEAL’S YARD REMEDIES White Tea Facial Mist ($19/1.52oz @ nyrorganic.com) - to soothe skin with the possible climate changes. No matter what time of year, I like to have a face mist on hand and this contains 92% organic ingredients. 

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

Doesn’t it seem that most illuminating face powders are for print work or just look really great in magazines when the light is just perfect? That’s what I think of when I come across these kinds of powders. Just out is HOURGLASS COSMETICS Ambient Lighting Powder ($45 @ bergdorfgoodman.com) and it’s like one of those foundations with the light diffusing properties that blur imperfections. They describe it as, ““photoluminescent technology” - micron-size spherical particles that refract light and create transparent coverage. The only other time I’ve see a powder like this was quite a few years ago here and that reminds me, I should pull it out of the drawer to use it again as I really liked it. Eh, so much makeup, so little time!

Anyway, this one comes in 6 different shades and the one I tried was the Diffused Light, which helps quell redness, and one seems to specialize in bringing out/hiding something existing in your skin. Quite fascinating and worth investigating the other shades and while these don’t look like much in the compact, it’s what it does to the face that’s worth it. Is this something up your alley?

A lot of buzz around the Opaque Rouge ($28 @ sephora.com) from HOURGLASS COSMETICS – a liquid lipstick, super matte finish and long wearing. So how did it work for me? Click after the pic!

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I’m sure you are well aware of my love of this mascara, which I am now calling My Beloved, and I’d even go as far as saying it’s probably my all-time favorite beauty product. So I don’t try many mascaras because for the most part, they just don’t live up to My Beloved. I do have to admit though that HOURGLASS COSMETICS’s Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara ($28 @ nordstrom.com) gets some high marks from me when it comes to volume and length. I’ve worn it a few times on its own and a few with My Beloved layered over it as I just don’t trust any mascara to stay on from morning until night  without flaking off. But I do have to say that the Film Noir held up better than most that I’ve tried in the past 6 months.

The formula contains pro-vitamin B5 (remember that ingredient from hair products that helps condition strands?) and a polymer to help it adhere to lashes. It does get a little clumpy when applying a few layers to lashes, which I’m so used to and use this comb to fan them out.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided to Cybelesays.com for review purposes.