Beauty Picks

Lip, lip, hooray!

MANILA, Philippines - I’ve always viewed Clinique as the brand that every woman can relate to and their holiday gift sets for the season reflect just that. I’m betting the Whole Lotta Candy gift set will be a popular stocking stuffer this year as it features three super wearable hues from the brand’s award-winning Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Color Balms: Pudgy Peony, a berry pink; Two Ton Tomato, a bright orange and Voluptuous Violet, a trendy grape. Shape-conscious descriptions aside, these shades are universally flattering and are a safe bet for gift-giving. Other gift ideas include their Party Tips nail set, which features nail enamels formulated specifically for women with sensitive skin. The colors featured in the set include the iconic Black Honey, Strappy Sandals and Polished Amethyst, a limited-edition shade that will only be available as part of the set. Five of their most popular fragrances have also been compiled into their A Little Happiness gift set, including the classic Happy, Happy Heart, Happy Heart In Bloom, Happy Hint of Citrus and Happy Wealth of Flowers.

Return of RiRi

If you were one of the forlorn MAC makeup fans who anticipated — and missed out on — Rihanna’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it makeup collaboration with the famed Canadian makeup company, take heart: The brand is bringing back the collection in time for the holidays and then some. Featuring the return of the best-selling RiRi Woo lipstick, they’ve also introduced two new lip colors: Pleasure Bomb and Bad Gal RiRi. It also includes a special RiRi Woo nail lacquer, Love, Rihanna bronzing powder, Phresh Out and 2X Dare Veluxe Pearfusion Shadow, two glimmering versions of Superslick Eye Liner and a double-ended MAC brush, all packaged in a special RiRi <3 MAC makeup bag. However, if you still miss out, there’s always the Stroke of Midnight eye, lip and brush holiday kits, which come in sleek, mod-inspired travel cases that are cute enough to double as emergency clutches, should the need arise. And last, because this is the season of giving, why don’t you pick a tube of Viva Glam The Original or any of the six philanthropic shades, whose sales go towards helping those affected by HIV/AIDS? If there’s ever been a good excuse to buy new lipstick, it’s this.

Ooh la la mer

If there is one cream that rules them all, it is, without a doubt, La Mer. The ultra-luxe label made their holiday offerings extra-special this year by collaborating with artist Yellena James. “La Mer’s passion and respect for the sea, for discovery, and the quality of their creations speak to my own inspiration and desires as an artist,” said James. “The design contains sea flora, kelp pods and the coral element which immediately take me under the surface of the sea into a refreshing and inviting atmosphere.” The four collections that Yellena has designed pretty packaging for include the Nourishing Collection, which is meant to hydrate and rejuvenate skin, the Radiance Collection, which is tailored for La Mer virgins and helps to bring out radiance in skin, the Ageless Collection, formulated to soften lines and restore youth, and the Supreme Créme, the most luxe package of all, which was created for the La Mer enthusiast and is packaged in a limited-edition lacquer case. “Water refreshes and replenishes, and it is essential for all forms of life,” Yellena further explains about her designs. “By looking at waves and currents, we can actually see the energy as it affects everything beneath the surface.”

Gold standard

When it comes to giving super fancy holiday beauty presents, Estée Lauder has pretty much cornered the market with the ornamental solid perfume and powder compacts that they launch every year as Christmas draws near. To date, more than 1,600 one-of-a-kind compacts have been created and sold worldwide. This season, they’ve chosen zodiac signs and talismans as themes for both gift items. The Zodiac Powder Collection contains the universally flattering Lucidity Translucent Pressed Powder, while the golden-matte compacts feature each one of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs embellished with Swarovski crystals. The Solid Perfume Compact Collection, on the other hand, has been fashioned into eight whimsical charms, like the Golden Horseshoe and Lovely Ladybug. The scents selected for the collection include Estée Lauder signature scents, like Beautiful, Pleasures and Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia. The brand also offers a number of fragrance and makeup sets, along with limited-edition items, like the Holiday Makeup Artist’s Portfolio, the Nail Coffret and the Beautiful five-piece set, which centers on the brand’s best-selling fragrance.

Gilt group

Katie Holmes isn’t exactly the first actress who comes to mind when you think of Old Hollywood beauties. However, the pretty brunette’s classic girl-next-door look transforms into vampy, yet glamorous when given the Bobbi Brown treatment, which is probably the point. After all, if Katie can have her frumpy days hailing a cab in New York, yet still manage to look this gorgeous when she needs to, who’s to say that you aren’t capable of it too? “It’s about what makes you feel glamorous,” Bobbi says of the shimmer-laden collection. The brand’s current collection centers on the idea of turning women into alluring, red carpet sirens for the holidays with special, limited-edition items, like the Old Hollywood Eye Palette, which features nine shadows ranging from soft silver and gold to rich chocolate and shimmering charcoal. Another standout item includes the Old Hollywood Lip Color, which is a timeless retro red. If you want to complete the look, you can also pick up the High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Rosé, Candlelight and Pure Gold; the limited-edition nail polishes in Siren Red, Tuxedo Black, Chrome and Solid Gold, along with the Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Tuxedo Black, 24 Karat and Bronze.