Bare Escentuals Holiday 2011: Box of Gems 20-Piece Color Collection Swatches and Review

Here is one of a slew of beautiful gift boxes from Bare Escentuals' Holiday 2011 collections. This Box of Gems is one of my favorites. It is actually a jewelry box that you can use after you take out the makeup pieces from this kit. It comes in 10 eye colors and 10 luscious lip glosses for that really festive look for the holidays.

Here's a look at the eye colors:



















The eye shadows are 10 0.01-oz eye colors in Sparkling, a diamond hue; Gleam, a pale peach; Glow, a golden tan; Jewel, a violet; Solitaire, a silvertone shade; Gem, an emerald shade; Twinkle, a chocolate shade; Locket, an amethyst shade; Incandescent, a topaz hue; and Beam, a sapphire color.

Eye Color Swatches:

Beam, Twinkle, Glow, Gem, Incandescent




Gem, Incandescent, Gleam


Glow, Gem, Incandescent, Gleam


Solitaire, Locket, Jewel


Solitaire, Locket, Jewel, Sparkling



I am really liking the eye colors. They are rich without being too bright or garish. Others are subdued and are perfect for everyday looks. The darker ones are great for holiday or festive smokey eyes. My favorites are Solitaire, Twinkle, Locket, and Incandescent, and most especially Gem. What a beautiful, rich green!


Lip Colors:


Top: Natural Lip Glosses in Apple Butter, Sprinkles, Energy Drink, Angel Food Cake, Cranberry Sorbet
Bottom: Buxom lip glosses in Sandy, Gabby, Dani and Betty (not pictured: Kanani)



Aside from the 10 eyeshadows, this kit comes with 10 mini-lip glosses for those holiday-perfect lips. I am excited to create looks using these! The Natural glosses have more sheer coverage but have mega watt shine, while the Buxom glosses are lip plumpers for that pillowy luscious shine. These glosses are:

Five 0.07-fl oz Buxom Lip Polishes in Kanani, a sheer pink; Betty, a crimson shade; Dani, a berry pink; Gabby, a grape wine shade; and Sandy, a pink nude; and

Five 0.08-fl oz Natural Lip Glosses in Sprinkles, a diamond hue; Cranberry Sorbet, a cranberry shade; Angel Food Cake, a peach shade; Energy Drink, a grapefruit shade; Apple Butter, a berry shade.


Buxom lip polishes


Natural lip glosses

Lip Gloss Swatches:

Buxom Lip Polishes:


Kanani




Sandy, Gabby, Dani and Betty







Isn't Kanani gorgeous? Other faves would be Gabby and Dani. As with all lip plumpers, these give a tingly sensation to the lips. For those who are sensitive at the lip area, I'd say avoid plumpers as they can sting, but if you are tolerant to these, they are truly gorgeous and will plump your lips for that luscious lip look.

Natural Lip Gloss Swatches:


Apple Butter, Sprinkles, Energy Drink, Angel Food Cake, Cranberry Sorbet (bottom)






Cranberry Sorbet

These operate much like the Buxoms, except that they don't give the tingly feeling of lip plumpers. My faves are Cranberry Sorbet and Energy Drink, which are the more pigmented ones. The others have subtle sparkle that you can use over lipsticks for that shiny, moist lip look.

All in all, this is a really good gift idea for somebody that equally loves eye shadows and glosses. I love shadows and glosses so this is right up my alley. For $80, you get 10 eyeshadows, 10 mini-glosses, and the pretty nifty box. Right now, it is on 4 easy pays of $19.98 plus tax, shipping and handling on QVC.com. $20 a month for this gift set, it's an easy decision!

The Shades Of U Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Note: Media sample was provided by a representative of the company for consideration. All opinions are completely mine.