Anastasia Beverly Hills 2012 Holiday Sets:Swatches & Review

I know I know---it's halfway through January and I'm only now touching on some holiday stuff. I've had these Anastasia Beverly Hills Holiday sets for about two months and I've really enjoyed playing with them. I didn't have time to do much blogging before the holidays so unfortunately I couldn't get this post up when they first came out. I have seen them on the Anastasia website though (here) so you may still be able to get ahold of them!

First up is the "Kisses On My List" lipgloss set.

L-R: Jolene, Sharona, Roxanne, Lola, Maggie May, Moi

These are the 6 closses included in the kit. It contains three Hyperfull Glosses, Sharona, Maggie May, & Moi. These are supposed to be hydrating and on the sheer side. I however found that all of the lipglosses were pretty pigmented and could easily be worn alone.
The other three, Jolene, Roxanne, & Lola are the Hypercolor glosses---they are supposed to "react with your skin's chemistry to stain your lips a custom hue that is all your own."They certainly stain the lips though they stain to a similar color in the tube--just slightly deeper. Overall, I absolutely love these glosses--and that is definitely saying something because I have definitely become a lipstick/lip stain girl over the past two years. The formula is super hydrating and very comfortable on the lips, longwearing, and the colors are SO pretty. Only thing I don't love is the spatula like applicator (which I complained about before in this post here). Hopefully they will change them in the future because they don't make applying the gloss very easy.

Jolene: shimmery light pink
Sharona: Warm, shimmery, golden peach. I can see wearing this a ton in the summer with coral blush.
Roxanne: peachy coral shimmer. Sort of like Nars Orgasm in lipgloss form.
Lola: cool toned barbie pink. To make this one work I need to put it over a warmer lipstick!
Maggie May: light pinky, milky nude. the perfect compliment to a smokey eye!
Moi: Creamy rose--i love this one, perfect for everyday!

The next set is the "Want You To Want Me" which contains a palette that fits perfect in the size of your palm, a liquid eyeliner, a mini dual ended brush, and a mini clear brow gel.

I'm a newbie when it comes to liquid eyeliner but I have really enjoyed playing with this one. The applicator is very thin, yet easy to use and you can get a perfectly skinny line along your lid. Perfect for winging out your liner. You can see a swatch of the liner in the picture below, all the way to the right.

Next, I was SO excited they included a clear brow gel in this set---in the last set I tried HERE, it included a brow gel in the wrong color for my hair---the one thing I wished for that kit was for it to include clear brow gel, that way anyone can use it! Good choice, Anastasia! The brow gel is perfect--keeps my brows in place and does not get flaky or stiff. I will definitely repurchase when I finish it up!

Here's the swatches for the little palette:

L-R, top to bottom:
Platform Wedge: a great blending color
Front Row Center: peach with silver glitter---not my favorite as it looks slightly gritty
Ziggy: lavender with silver sparkle
Members Only: love this one as crease color. matte.
Power Ballad: buttery smooth taupe
Jellies: smooth pearly pink
Graphict's: Brown sparkly brown--it goes on sheer but built up it's very pretty
Brass in Pocket: warm rose gold--great texture on this one too
Iron On: Sparkly burgandy pink. Beautiful color but if you over blend the sparkles disappear.

Great choice of colors--it includes mostly neutrals but also has a few pops of purple and pink so give variation to your looks. I did a classic smokey look a few months ago using this palette--you can check that out here! I did notice a fair bit of fall out with some of the colors--especially because there are a few with silver glitter in it. You just have to make sure to tap of your brush really, really well before applying. In all honesty, I do think I prefer most of my Urban Decay, Nars, and Inglot eyeshadows as I find them to be more pigmented and smoother to blend. For the price however, Anastasia is wonderful and the size of the palette is absolutely perfect for travel.

Regardless if you can get your hands on them or not, these sets just go to show that Anastasia Beverly Hills has really stepped up their makeup game--they are no longer known as an eyebrows only company. Their makeup products are great quality and the sets they have come out with are priced well and contain beautiful colors! The lipgloss set was priced at #30 and the latter at $34--very affordable for all the stuff you get. Of the two sets, my favorite was the lipgloss one just because I absolutely love the formula. Definitely check out their makeup next time you can play at a Sephora or a makeup counter!

Disclaimer:  The product was sent to me by Anastasia Beverly Hills PR to review for free. I am not affiliated with Anastasia Beverly Hills, nor am I paid at all to endorse their products. My views are completely honest and influenced by my personal experience only.