There are only a few events a year that make our beauty team collectively, well, freak the eff out. The epic drugstore beauty drop in January is one of them, Ulta's biyearly blowout is another, and our hearts go aflutter for Nordstrom's mid-summer extravaganza (even if we're lucky enough to try products for free).
But the one we truly lose our minds over? The big holiday beauty drop. Not only is there a slew of amazing deals and packages, but this is also the time beauty brands put out the shiniest, sparkliest, most lust-worthy launches of the season. Around this time, tiny gasps and audible squeals at our desks are normal — and quite frequent — whenever the mail comes.
That's why — despite the fact that we've yet to reach Halloween or Thanksgiving — we're so excited to share the sources of our giddiness. Ahead, we've rounded up the most covetable beauty-product launches so far. Sure, they're meant to be gifted...but, in this case, it can be to yourself.
At first glance, you might mistake it for the cutest ever evening bag, but zip it open and you'll find everything you need for a clutch makeup look: blush, contour, highlighter, and six drop-dead eyeshadows.
Marc Jacobs Beauty Objects of Desire Face and Eye Palette, $69, available at Sephora.
This sleek, metallic leather pouch comes with five travel-friendly brushes — making you the chicest person to ever pass through TSA.
Marc Jacobs Beauty Your Place Or Mine? Five-Piece Travel Brush Collection, $180, available at Sephora.
This animalistic blend of powdery musks and fresh gardenia is almost too sexy for a dinner party. (Unless it's at home, alone, naked, with your S.O.) And that bottle? Meow.
Cartier La Panthère Édition Soir, $142 for 2.5 oz, available at Cartier.
We already loved Shu Uemura, but we reached next-level obsession when the brand tapped Japanese artist Takashi Murakami (the illustrator behind Louis Vuitton's famous bags and Kanye West's Graduation album cover). Nothing makes us happier than these psychedelic flowers on its fan-favorite cleansing oil.
Shu Uemura Murakami Holiday Collection Anti-Oxi+ Cleansing Oil, $77, available at Shu Uemura.
Pros swear by eyelash curlers as their secret eye-widening weapons, and this is one of the best on the market — and the holiday iteration has an added colorful touch that makes us smile every time we clamp it down.
Shu Uemura Murakami Holiday Collection Cosmic Black Premium Curler, $20, available at Shu Uemura.
Consider this formula your new one-two punch: Not only does it look like a piece of art, but you can also use the liquid on your lips and cheeks. It dries to a dreamy matte-powder finish after you swipe it on.
Dior Holiday Splendor Limited Edition Diorific Matte Velvet Colour Lip & Cheek Fluid in Marvel, $38, available at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Interstellar beauty is having a major moment right now, and this nail polish is no exception — right down to its name. The first layer goes on semi-sheer, so keep layering to reach your ideal level of Milky Way.
Dior Holiday Splendor Limited Edition Diorific Vernis in Cosmic, $28, available at Saks Fifth Avenue.
This lusty red comes with the sweetest lip-print cap we've seen. (Plus, we can't get enough of the all-natural, food-grade goodness that is Bite Beauty lipsticks.)
Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick, $26, available at Sephora.
We majorly fangirled when we first got our hands on Nyx's L.A.-inspired eyeshadow vault, so you can imagine our excitement over its travel-themed advent calendar. Included are 12 Instagram-worthy eyeshadows and 12 matte lip creams.
Nyx Wanderlust Advent Calendar, $50, available at Nyx Cosmetics.
We consider makeup sponges one of our ride-or-die beauty products for flawless-looking skin, but rarely do they come with nostalgic carrying cases. This one brings us back to our Furby-loving days, and even better? You can attach it to your keys.
Sephora Collection Studley Sponge & Travel Case Set, $18, available at Sephora.
This kaleidoscope compact of blush, bronzer, and highlighter gives the most glowy after-effect — people might think you snuck away from the party for a quickie.
Sephora Collection Blush, Bronzed and Ready to Glow! Face Palette, $32, available at Sephora.
These eyeshadow brushes look like Champagne-flute stems — making you feel extra-fancy every time you blend your cut crease.
Sephora Collection Glimmer In Her Eye Canister Brush Set, $22, available at Sephora.
You can personalize this makeup bag with your friend's initial — or use it to stake your territory and keep everyone else's hands off your beauty goods.
Sephora Collection Jetsetter Bag, $20, available at Sephora.
The brand's fan-favorite candle, Baies, is as indulgent-smelling as it looks, warming your house or apartment with an intoxicating bouquet of roses and blackcurrant. This gold-adorned version makes it twice as nice — but, unsurprisingly, will cost you a pretty penny.
Diptyque Limited Edition Baies Indoor/Outdoor Candle, $350, available at Diptyque on November 1.
Now, this is our kind of ménage à trois: These three new decadent scents pay homage to iconic parts of the holidays, like the Star of David, gingerbread men, and Christmas trees — and each smell is just as joyous as we'd imagined.
Diptyque Holiday Candle Trio, $100, available at Diptyque on November 1.
If this dark, mysterious floriental — which mixes notes like jasmine, rose, and vanilla — doesn't bring you out of your shell, the clutch serves as a helpful reminder.
By Kilian Love Don't Be Shy, $260, available at Bergdorf Goodman on November 1.
Press-on nails go from "mall girl" to "cool girl" with these cheeky designs. Plus, they make for an adorable accessory for your ugly-sweater party.
Kiss Nail-Spirations Limited Edition Holiday Collection, $5.97, available at Walmart on November 1.
We can't wait to display this limited-edition, gold-and-sapphire packaging on our vanities — and dip into the pearlescent formula with our biggest, fluffiest brushes.
Guerlain Météorites Perles de Légende, $65, available at Nordstrom.
Fragrance-shopping for someone else can feel almost impossible — especially since scent is so personal. Pinrose, the online-centric perfumer, is on the mission to change that: First, it introduced a question-answer approach to finding your perfect scent; now, you can add a custom-printed photo to any bottle. Cute.
Pinrose Personalized Perfume 30 ml, $60, available at Pinrose.com on November 1.
We love a holiday countdown, and this eyeshadow palette gives you one supremely wearable, highly pigmented color for every day of the month. (Disclaimer: You'll definitely want to use more than one at the same time.)
Laura Geller 31 Days of Holiday Baked Color Intense Shadow Palette, $59.09, available at QVC.
Do you love The Nutcracker ballet? Then you're going to lose it over this MAC holiday collection. The entire range features 40 (!) products, but we can't stop drooling over this set of glimmering, miniature pink glosses.
MAC Nutcracker Sweet Nude Lip Gloss Kit, $35, available at MAC.
Also available are the miniature loose pigments, a.k.a. fairy dust.
MAC Nutcracker Sweet Nude Lip Gloss Kit, $35, available at MAC.
Yep, that's a cream lipstick. In compact form. With an embossed kiss print. To boot: The rosy-nude hue will flatter any skin tone. Take all our money now, Charlotte.
Charlotte Tilbury Pocket Kiss Lipstick, $22, available at Charlotte Tilbury.
If you're a sucker for pearls, consider this your more affordable option. In this set, you get three new shades — satiny gold, opal white, and shimmering black — that stay looking good for days. (We've tested, just to be sure.)
Jin Soon Holiday Pearl Collection, $42, available at Jin Soon.
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