Sweet surprises: Holiday goodies from Sephora Collection

The countdown is on! If you are still unsure of what you are gifting that loved one/friend/acquaintance/coworker, there’s always a store that will help you find the perfect gift.  Why Sephora of course!

Although the beauty giant has mostly every brand you could possibly think of, they also have a fabulous in-house line of products that rival their beauty counterparts. I’ve tried numerous products from Sephora Collection and for the most part, have been impressed with their quality. Why spend almost $30 on one Beauty Blender, when you can get two for less than C$20?

With so many products and gift sets to choose from, anything from Sephora Collection would make a perfect gift. If you’re absolutely stumped on what to get that certain someone, I’ve always been super impressed with their brush sets, and the holidays are the perfect time to pick up new brushes, usually in affordable gift sets that cover a gamut of different uses. I don’t have any brush sets to show you today, but they do have some in store and online that always make fab choices.

So speaking of Beauty Blenders, Sephora Collection has had their own version of these for awhile. Although I didn’t actually like the quality of them when they first came out, they’ve definitely made great strides in improving the texture of the sponges.

There are a couple different sets to choose from depending on the size of the sponge. First up is the Sephora Collection Snow-Fetti Mini Sponge Set (C$15), which is a set of five mini sponges that you use for contouring, applying concealer, or anything else that requires precision for smaller areas. I actually have a set of these from a couple seasons ago and was always so impressed with how soft and bouncy they are. Make sure you wet them first as they expand in size and then also don’t absorb the product. Although I don’t think you necessarily need five of these guys, you may want to split them up. Also, if you’re wondering how these compare to their full-size counterparts, they just make applying product in smaller areas much more efficient.

Speaking of their larger counterparts, there is a two-sponge set, Blend ‘Til the End, for only C$15 that include a total coverage and detail-oriented sponge in red and green (so festive!).  These work the same way as any other cosmetic sponge on the market, first wet them then blend the product into your skin for a flawless, total-coverage makeup application.

For brushes, like I said, they do have some brush sets available, but if you are looking to keep your shopping on a budget, the Sephora Collection Dark Rainbow PRO Flawless Airbrush #56 brush (C$40) comes in a limited-edition holographic colour that will surely get anyone’s heart beating faster. This brush can be used for a variety of different uses, foundation, contouring, blush, highlighting, etc. I love a good multi-use brush, and this one is perfect and comes in a show-stopping chrome finish.

For even more accessories (which are always a good idea), a good makeup bag is always needed and thankfully there are some majorly cute ones to choose from. When it comes to the holidays – or really anytime of the year – I am always partial to glitter, so clearly the Sephora Collection Let’s Disco makeup bag is a top choice. This makeup bag is perfect for the holidays, New Years, a vacation, really any day where you want to feel like partying. It’s a clear bag that has floating multi-coloured confetti in that that surprisingly holds a lot of makeup. I took it with me to the P&G Beauty Awards last month in Toronto and fit basically everything I needed in there. It’s quickly become my new favourite travel makeup bag.

Pair your glam makeup bag with an eye-catching mirror like the Sephora Collection Dark Rainbow Compact Mirror (C$15), the perfect stocking stuffer for your fave glam girl. This heavy-duty mirror is compact in size and opens to a normal and magnified reflection. The best part is obviously the coloured and gunmetal stones that are so sparkly that you’ll want to carry this with you everywhere you go, regardless if you’re wearing makeup or not.

More travel-friendly options include the Sephora Collection Z Palette, which is something part of their regular collection, but they have come out with a limited-edition version in the dark rainbow finish (C$38, but on sale for C$24). They also had this last year in gold and glitter and found it super useful since you can de-pan your single or duo eyeshadows/blushes/powders, and pop them in here so you have one palette instead of 20 different ones.

Sephora Collection Dark Rainbow Dual Boar Brush and House of Lashes Holiday Gem Lash Set

Also making a comeback for the holidays this year is the Sephora Collection Dark Rainbow Dual Boar Brush (C$19), which again, is something I got last holiday season. This brush is a mini size but perfect for travel (in fact, I always carry last year’s with me in my travel toiletry bag). It looks like the only changes from last year are the finish and it’s now available in a limited-edition oil-slick coating.

A favourite of mine from last year also made an appearance for 2017, the House of Lashes Holiday Gem Lash Set (C$33) is always a good idea since it comes with a beautiful pair of lashes, two lash glues (clear and black), and a stunning travel case which lets you hold three pairs of lashes and a compartment that opens up to carry the glue and tweezers for application. This particular set is a top choice for me this season.

Sephora Collection Wonderful Stars Eye and Face palette

Moving on to actual makeup, there are a variety of different palettes to choose from.  The best part about Sephora’s palettes is that they come in every shape and price point.

First up is the Sephora Collection Wonderful Stars Eye and Face palette (C$23), which contains nine nude eyeshadows, two blushes, and a highlighter. Since the shade range in here is so neutral this is a universal palette to gift really anyone on your list. It’s also a fairly big size, so I was surprised to see that it was only $23. I tried it out in the photo below and was very happy with the pigmentation of the product. I did do a little glitter eyeshadow overtop from a separate palette, but everything in here is nice and silky.

Look using the Sephora Collection Wonderful Stars Eye and Face palette

The brand also has some other eyeshadow palettes available, but I was actually super impressed with the little mini one they put out that is perfect for those on the go. The Sephora Collection Midnight is Coming palette has three eyeshadows housed in the tiniest little compact complete with gold glitter on the top (it looks like a matchbook at first glance). This opens up to a silver and two brown-toned shadows that will give you the prettiest smoky eye.  I have mini palettes from them from previous holiday collections, but this one is definitely the tiniest one I have seen them release yet.

As for blushes, there are a couple to choose from. Blush and face palettes are easy gifts to choose from since they are so universal.  The Sephora Collection Winter Flush blush palette (C$20) has four duo blushes in a range of shades perfect for any skin tone. Each pan contains mattes and shimmers that can be worn alone or combined together for a custom look.  The Sephora Collection Winter Queen Blush palette is a sparkly slim palette that opens up to four powders that make it easy to travel with. There are two blushes, a bronzer, and a highlight in here that make this the perfect palette to gift someone always on the go.

Sephora Collection Midnight is Coming eyeshadow palette and Winter Queen blush palette Sephora Collection Midnight is Coming eyeshadow palette and Winter Queen blush palette

Finally, for the lips, there are a ton of options available, but if you’re like me and love a good matte lipstick, then you’ll definitely want to go with the Sephora Collection Mini Cream Lip Stain Set (C$15), which has four Sephora Collection best-selling Cream Lip Stains in on-trend colours.  I reviewed these previously in the year and was super impressed with the formula and the price, so if you want to introduce someone to this particular formula, this is your chance. Although these are small, it gives the recipient a good idea of the product and lets them explore different shade ranges.

If you’re looking for a finisher gift, a lip balm is always a good idea. The Sephora Collection Emoji Lip Balm (C$6) comes in two different shades (pink and nude) and contains a nourishing and lightly tinted balm for everyday wear. Best of all, it comes in a super cute tin with an emoji on it.

Phew, another long blog post for the books! But seriously, I just touched on a few different gift ideas that Sephora Collection is offering up this season. I don’t know about you, but I love just walking around the store and taking in all that they have to offer.  Regardless if it’s a branded product or one from their in-house line, anything you choose will certainly bring a huge smile to your recipient.

Are any Sephora Collection items on your wish list?

Please note, I was sent these products from PR. All opinions are my own.

Like what you read? Check out these related posts:


Sephora.com, Inc.