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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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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The secret to getting your makeup look done and out the door in 5 minutes is to use multi-taskers like ones that are tinted. Since you don’t have to be as precise with tinted versions, time is on your side. Here are some in each category you should cover in order to at least look polished.  

First up is a Tinted Moisturizer or tinted BB Cream. They can be applied with your fingers or a sponge and not only are they usually available in quite a few shades but they give just a hint of tint so you don’t have to worry about overdoing it. And some even come with a built-in SPF, so you’re saving a few extra seconds on your routine right there! Here are some I recommend:  

1. PIXI BEAUTY H2O Skintint $24/1.18oz @ target.com

2. BEAUTY ADDICTS Mineral SheerTINT $32/1.25oz @ beautyaddicts.com

3. MAYBELLINE Dream Pure BB 8-IN-1 Beauty Balm Skin Clearing Perfector $8.99/1oz @ maybelline.com and walgreens.com <--- this is a good one too if you are prone to acne.

4. TOO FACED Tinted Beauty Balm SPF 20 $34/1.5oz @ toofaced.com

Just remember that if you do choose one that doesn’t contain sunscreen, make sure you apply some before one of these. 

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Hot summer months are all about apply your makeup once during the day and having it stay. So when I saw TOO FACED’s new Bulletproof 24 Hour Eyeliner ($22 @ toofaced.com), I knew they were a must-try.

One side is the fat pencil liner and the other is the smudger, or what they call the Blending Ball. These are waterproof and have a sharpener hidden under the Blending Ball, which is convenient.

So do these live up to the name? Click after the beat to find out. 

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I swear if there was a hands-on class offered here in LA on all things bronzers, I’d take it in a minute! I mean, I get the basics of bronzers (applying in a #3 seems to work best for me) and the purpose but I still feel like I missing something, especially when it comes to the shades. I had put bronzers down for a few when I was playing around with HAC-ing (highlighting and contouring) but I’m back to them now that I have the TOO FACED Little Black Book of Bronzers ($139 @ sephora.com - this product is long sold out but you can pick up one of their bronzers here) in my hands. And this ain’t just any regular palette with pressed bronzers in it. It’s 8 full size bronzers and really any type you will ever need in your lifetime!

So maybe the feeling of never being sure if a bronzer color is for me will go away after I play in these for a few? I’m hoping so. Or I can just look for that class at my local college, right? 

Look how HUGE this palette physically is!

So true!

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I think the lipstick formula that tops my list these days has to be liquid lipsticks. The colors, the texture, the longevity of them, they just seem to perform really well on my lips. The latest to hit the market with a total buzz is TOO FACED Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick ($21 @ sephora.com and toofaced.com) and these seem to be right up my alley, but are they really?

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There are two makeup palettes that are taking the makeup world by storm right now. So what are they? See the preview below and click after the jump to explore them further!

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What It Is: Ok, it’s the weekend before Christmas and you’re not even close to being done, so here are some recommendations to help you knock it out quickly. So if you go by online, most sites have expedited shipping. If you go by store, you’ll find these sets in the major department stores or Sephora. Don’t sacrifice quality just because you are late to the game!!

Why I Like ALL  of These: Quality, Price and Usability! So here are gifts that are guaranteed to get a “WOW!” out of the recipient.

BARE ESCENTUALS Degrees of Dazzling – now marked down to $49 @ bareescentuals.com

What It Is: 20 of their bareMinerals Eyecolors in 4 different finishes.

Why I Like It: Heck, what’s not to like?? This set rocks!

MARC JACOBS Trio Rollerball Gift Set - $39 @ bloomingdales.com.

What It Is: 3 of his best-selling scents: Daisy Eau So Fresh, Dot and Daisy.

Why I Like It: Even though I think these scents are more reserved for the springtime, it’s good to stock up now! And I love a rollerball form for the purse.

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TOO FACED just came out with some pencils for eyes and lips and I’m really into them, especially the smudgy end on the liners. Yes, they are doing something different than everyone else!

So let’s check out TOO FACED Perfect Eyes Eyeliners and their Perfect Lips Liners after the jump.

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When a lipstick lists one of the benefits as “moisturizing” I take it with a grain of salt. Of course it will be somewhat moisturizing, for at least 1 minute, but I guess I didn’t expect what I got from TOO FACED’s new La Crème Color Drenched Lip Cream ($22 @ ulta.com). Super smooth, very moisturizing and great wearable colors.

They include white lotus flower and what they call power peptides for moisture and wow, this could be a lip balm but just in a thinner form. So while it doesn't score big points in the longevity department, it does in the on-going moisture department.

As far as pigment, these gave off a nice color with a few coats but not so much that you have to be precise with your application.

Click the below link to see more pictures and swatches.

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