The brand-spankin’ new Benefit World Famous Neutrals kits

If you decide to add one of Benefit’s new World Famous Neutrals kits to your holiday wish list, there’s a good chance (at least 93.5%) that your sis, mom, BFF or Secret Santa will find it hard to resist keeping it for herself.

(Because that’s totally what I’d be tempted to do.)

These three new $30 Sephora exclusive kits are some of the most exciting neutrals I’ve seen since Naked2, and I’m going bananas (B-A-N-A-N-A-S) over the colors, almost all of which are new.

Just when I thought the whole neutral palette craze was completely played out, along comes Benefit to put their signature spin on it.

First, they created “Eyenessa,” the magical, mystical makeup maven/character who graces the covers of all three World Famous Neutral kits, and judging by her giant hoop earrings and affinity for gold jewelry, she’s a girl after my own accessories-lovin’ heart.

Second, there’s the Creaseless Creams! — which are my favorite things about these. Each kit comes with two of them in tiny pots, along with four Longwear Powder Shadows.

Now, it seems like every brand has a nude/neutral palette of powder eyeshadows, but not many of them come with cream shadows. By including two Creaseless Creams with each of these, Benefit takes these kits to the next level. I think the Creams give Bene-babes much more power to layer and create their own custom combos.

What do ya say we take a closer look now at each of the kits?

KIT #1: Most Glamorous Nudes Ever

Abracadabra! This spellbinding kit’s combination of rich, warm neutrals is prompting me to put my obsession with Skinny Jeans on pause (BTW, have you tried Skinny Jeans yet?? It’s one of my favorite cream eyeshadow colors of all time!). The kit features two enchanting Creaseless Creams of its own, the shimmery champagne Birthday Suit and My Two Cents, a shimmery warm golden copper.

The kit also comes with Longwear Powder Shadows in Call My Buff (a pearly, peachy beige), Kiss Me I’m Tipsy (a warm reddish brown with a hint of plum), It’s Complicated (a shimmery pinkish gold) and Gilt-y Pleasure (a shimmery peachy gold) to add even more glow to your eye looks.

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I love the smell of a good bargain in the morning…

It smells like…victory!

LOL! I’m pretty sure that’s not how that actual line goes, seeing as how Apocalypse Now is one of my top five favorite films of all time, but it is how I feel about Tarte’s new Treat Yourself to Gorgeous Gifts From the Amazon Collection kit.

Talk about great stocking stuffer material. I love breaking apart holiday kits to use as stocking stuffers, and this $49.98 one (a $496 value) looks perfect for that.

But it’s a qvc.com exclusive, and the sale only lasts a few more hours (sale ends tonight, November 28, 2012)!

It’s conveniently divided into three separate, easily giftable sets, the first with four Cashmere Waterproof Gliding Liners, the second with four Maracuja Divine Shine Lipglosses and the third with 20 Amazonian Clay Eye Shadows.

As gifts, the sets work out to about $16 each, and would ya look at that? — they already look gift-wrapped!

The Amazonian Clay Eyeshadows

Another look at the Eye Shadow set

The Maracuja Divine Shine Lip Glosses

The new Make Up For Ever Ultimate Eye Liner Collection ($160)

Ouch! I know I asked you to pinch me to see if I was dreaming, but dagnabbit! — did you have to pinch so hard?!

That’s alright… I forgive you. I’m sure you’re probably just excited about the new $160 Make Up For Ever Ultimate Eye Liner Collection like I am and couldn’t control yourself. Heck, I might have done the same thing.

Wowza! That’s a lotta liner…

The new limited edition release of pencil eye liners comes fully equipped with 14 full-size eyeliners in three different formulas to make holiday dreams come true (and to cover all of your liner bases). With seven long-wearing Aqua Eyes pencils, three smudgy Crayon Kohls and four vibrant liquid Aqua Liners, it really does try to live up to its name as the Ultimate Eye Liner Collection.

And the price also represents a hefty savings (even though $160 is still a ton of tacos).

If you were to buy all 14 of these liners separately, it would set you back $269, but in the kit, the liners work out to $11 each, which is a lot less than the $17-23 MUFE usually charges.

The colors in the kit should flatter a wide range of skin tones. MUFE thoughtfully covered most of the major color bases, sprinkling some fun greens, purples and a shimmery champagne into a mix of everyday basic black, brown and gray shades.

I would’ve loved to also see a bronze or a gold here, but that’s probably just my warm skin tone talking.

Khol Pencils from the left: #1K Deep Black, #9K Matte Mocha Brown and #4 Intense Green

Aqua Liners from the left: #4 Diamond Lagoon Green, #7 Diamond Black Purple, #15 Iridescent Anthracite and #13 Mat Black

Aqua Eyes from the left: #23L Champagne, #11L Purple, #3L Iridescent Navy, #5L Bronze Green, #2L Pearly Brown and #0L Mat Black

It may be cold and rainy here in the Bay Area tonight (boo!), but at least I don’t have to see dudes with long toenails wearing flip-flops. #glasshalffull

The rain also gives me an excuse to stay home and gaze at the sparkly clutch that comes with Sonia Kashuk’s new $24.99 Gilded Cages Holiday Brush Set…

(And rub the six ultra plush brush heads all over my face.)

From the left: Powder/Blush Brush, Eyeshadow Brush, Foundation Brush, Crease Brush, Synthetic Flat Liner Eyeliner Brush, Fan Brush

From the left: Flat Eyeliner Brush, Fan Brush, Powder/Blush Brush, Foundation Brush, Crease Brush and Eyeshadow Brush

Cute clutch!

CUTE!

Wearing the new Sonia Kashuk Precious Gems Lip, Liner & Nail Set ($12.99), available now at Target

QUESTION: What’s better than a fantabulous smokey eye look?

ANSWER: A fantabulous smokey eye look with a twist!

There are so many reasons to like Sonia Kashuk’s new four-piece Precious Gems Lip, Liner & Nail Set, like the price (just $12.99), and Sonia’s contemporary take on the mixed metal theme…

From the left: Nail Polish in Golden Ticket, Nail Polish in Smoke & Mirrors, Lipgloss and Eyeliner

…but my top reason, by far, is the liquid eye liner that comes with the set. It’s a metallic, rosy golden taupe with a mirror-like shine that illuminates lash lines like Hollywood special effects.

Remember the gorgeous Chanel Rose Platine eyeliner from spring 2011? Well, this metallic meistro is like a liquid liner version of that.

I almost can’t believe the set is only $13, because it kinda looks like something Coco would do (and sell for considerably more!).

To take a pair of smokey eyes for a metallic walk on the wild side, just do your regular smokey eye look first (here I’m wearing MAC Patina Eyeshadow on top of a base of MAC Feline Eye Kohl). Then, line your upper lash lines with the liquid liner from the set.

The stuff is packed with metallic pigment, so one or two layers should do the trick.

Lipgloss on the left, and the Eyeliner on the right

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