The Best Beauty Time of the Year

It's beginning to look a lot like.... a beauty lover's holiday! Happy Holiday Season, everyone!! I went back and forth a lot about the theme of this post. Originally I wanted this to be my holiday wish list, as the timing seemed appropriate with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But guess what, I've bought many of my most wanted sets already! However as I perused all the new deals available this year, it made me think back to a few years ago at Christmas, when I really started to notice all the different brands and options of makeup in the world. It was at that time when I was struggling with my acne, searching for the right cosmetics without any idea of what I needed and overwhelmed with the choices and the prices. That's when I first saw that the bareMinerals Get Started Kit was on sale for the holidays, and my whole life changed. With the convenience of a value set, I was able to try a wide range of products from a single line and decide what I liked without extreme investment.

It's in that spirit that I write this post.
The holidays are the absolute best time for a makeup beginner or even a makeup maven to discover new brands, stock up on old favorites, and get great deals. Below are some of the best kits I've seen that are the most bang for your buck, and are fantastic for those unfamiliar with these brands to try out. Please forgive me in advance for some of the photos, many were taken on the spot in the middle of Ulta and Target!

Drugstore brands put out some awesome sets this time of year, where familiar names such as elf and NYX that are already known for their budget-friendly nature provide collections that are even easier on your wallet.

I found this little gem with three NYX Butter Glosses at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

This set retails at $9.99, but I had a 20% off coupon. Each individual Butter Gloss sells for around $5, so this is at least a $15 value for less than ten bucks. Not too shabby. I already know I love Butter Gloss, but maybe you've never tried it before. Or maybe you're already obsessed with these glosses and are looking to expand your ever growing collection. Either way this is the perfect set.

And check out this HUGE collection of elf holiday sets at Target.

Elf is already an established "cheaper" brand with most single items being around $1-$3, but many of these sets are $10 and include a ton of products (check out that eyeshadow palette in the lower right!), and some are even $5. These sets are perfect to bulk up your stash, or maybe you're just starting out and want to experiment with eyeshadows, lip glosses, or blush colors. These sets are chock full of all the gorgeous shades anyone could ask for, so they are great for playing around without breaking the bank. They also have great brush sets, and I am a huge fan of elf brushes, as they are high quality at very  reasonable prices.

There are some extremely good value sets on the higher end of the cosmetics spectrum as well. I know that I am always hesitant to plunk down a lot of money on single items without knowing if I'll like them or not. It's like taking a huge leap off a cliff without knowing if there's a net to catch you at the bottom. I am what most call "frugal," so it literally pains me to pay full price for a high end product that I've never used before (and even for products I know I love). That's the beauty of the holidays, since I can get a lot of products at a less pain-inducing price!

bareMinerals is my HG brand. I've got their back because I know that no matter what, they've always got mine. But I'm not going to lie, a lot of their items are pricey! For example, one Ready Blush is $22, and a Ready eyeshadow duo is $20. With that in mind, take a look at The Magic Act kit.

This compact little collection has four blushes, six eyeshadows, a mirror, and guides for two different looks, all in a cute and portable case. This set is $39. What?!? Granted I don't think they are full size blushes and eyeshadows, but they are certainly close. If you're new to bareMinerals and don't want to put out the cash for all these different shades (who does), this, my friends, is the kit you need to pick up. Also, in case anyone is out there looking to buy me a gift... hint hint.

A makeup brand that is pretty new to me is Mally Beauty. I've talked about her Evercolor eyeliner in my October Favorites, but I don't have much else from her line. If you're like most of my friends, you may not have heard much of Mally, since she used to be sold only on QVC, however now has expanded to Ulta and is more readily available. If you're looking to expand your high end collection, I would wholeheartedly recommend Mally Beauty, but again, it's a bit pricey.

One of Mally's holiday sets, the Golden Rule of Beauty, is a great way to introduce yourself to the line's best products, including the Evercolor eyeliner, High Shine Liquid Lipstick, her famous Volumizing Mascara (love, love, love), and more. The bonus is that it comes in an adorable gold ruffled makeup bag, so even if you don't love every piece in the collection, you at least get to keep your favorites in a stylish bag.

And now the two sets that I believe are the best value of all, two sets that I've been salivating to get my hands on (and snatched up the second I saw them!).

Let me start off by saying I love Benefit products. I think their line is wonderful for beginners, and perfect for those more familiar with makeup. But as with other prestige brands, I'm always hesitant to buy any item full price no matter what my feelings for the brand are. However, they've really outdone themselves this year with their collection of Sweet Shoppe holiday sets, with the most notable being the Sweet Tintations and Cheeky Sweet Spot kits.

I've been wanting to try Benefit's lip balm line that is based on their cult followed tints, but at $18 a pop, there was no chance I was going to spend the money on one little tube. When I saw this collection, however, everything else went dark and this beauty was the only thing I could see. For $26, not only do you get one full sized lip balm, but you get two! Plus it comes with the matching tint shades in pretty big sample sizes (these little tubes last forever, trust me I'm still working on some I got last year). You may be thinking, "So what, it's some lip balm," but the versatility of this kit is so impressive. Not only do you get the two lip balms, that are beautiful sheer red and lilac pink shades, but you also get the two tints that can double as both blush and lip stain. Also, you can double up with the sheer balm over the matching tint on your lips and get a more opaque look, OR you can even mix and match the red and the pink shades and get a brand new color! This little collection has great potential, and is perfect for someone who wants to try out the Benefit line. I highly recommend putting Benetint on your lips first and layering the Benebalm on top for a very easy, natural red lip look that's extremely flattering, even if you don't think you can pull off the intimidating red lip!

Benefit Box o' Powder blushes are normally $28 each. That is a lot of money to spend on a blush, despite the cute packaging and beautiful shades. But with the Cheeky Sweet Spot, you get all six from the collection, plus a little pot of Watt's Up highlighter all for $36.

I love Benefit, but I can't afford $28 for a blush. Plus, how do I know which one I like best? This kit is absolutely perfect for me, and anyone in a similar boat, because now I can try them all out or even mix some together if I wanted to. The kit comes in an adorable, reusable tin box, and includes a pamphlet with ideas on how to use each color. The included brush is worthless, but that's a small setback for this otherwise awesome set. I'm also impressed with the size of each pan of blush. Obviously not the same size as the full boxes, these blushes are only slightly smaller. Most are .17 oz in this collection, and a full size is .28 oz, so not a huge difference. Unfortunately, many people saw the value of this collection as well and it is getting harder and harder to find.

So whether you're a pro looking to stock up, or a novice figuring out what's best for you, the holiday season is the time of year where you can get fabulous makeup deals and not empty your wallet. These kits are what I think the standout collections this season are, but there are so many more from brands like Tarte, Too Faced, Stila, and others that are also impressive.

What are some of your most wanted kits this year?