Are Beauty Gift Sets Worth It?

I really wasn't sure what to call this post, but basically have you ever seen those huge Christmas gift sets and wondered whether they were worth the money? Every Christmas, Estee Lauder does these gift sets, which normally require you to purchase a perfume in order to add the gift set on for £58. However, they often do an offer for a limited time where you can buy it without picking up a fragrance.

I decided to go for it last Christmas and picked up the Makeup Artist Collection for £58 (see here with a full price of £340!), as it included a full size Advanced Night Repair which is meant to be worth it on it's own. I picked it up with the intention of passing on the skincare to my Mum and then whoever wanted the makeup. Carry on reading to see what was included and what I made of it, hopefully this might help you with your Christmas shopping (I know, a tad early)!

Travel Case
The gift set comes presented in a study, black box. This is more spacious than it looks, hence me using my carpet as the backdrop. It might come into handy when travelling though, as you could probably fit all your brushes and even skincare in there.

The Deluxe Palette
I think this palette was one of the main focal points of the gift set, as you assume you're getting various high end shades for great value, it includes 16 eyeshadows and 3 blushers. The blush shades are limited edition, however the eyeshadow shades are from their pure colour envy palettes.

(LE 27 Luminizer, LE 28 Rosy Glow, LE 29 Sculpting Bronzer)

However, as you can see the three blush shades, although they're really a highlighter, blush and bronzer, are really not pigmented. The above swatches are from quite a few swipes, which is disappointing as you can get better quality at the drugstore. The highlighter and blush shade BARELY show up on my medium skin, the bronzer is slightly too warm to work as a contour but it only makes the slightest difference anyway.

 (07 untamed Teal 5, 10 Envious Orchid 5, 25 Fierce Sable, 27 Strong Currant, 05 Fiery Saffron, 24 Audacious Nude, 06 Currant Desire 2, 07 Untamed Teal 1)

(13 Savage Storm 5, 20 Ominous, 05 Fiery Saffron 5, 06 Currant Desire 4, 11 Decadent Copper, 05 Fiery Saffron 1, 11 Captivating Cocoa, 29 Quiet Power)

To be honest, I already had some doubts about the eyeshadows, as from pictures of previous years sets, the palettes did look a bit chalky. However, I did swatch them at Selfridges before ordering the gift set and it didn't seem too bad at all. Most of the shades do swatch well, so more than others, such as 11 Decadent Copper. However, unfortunately they don't translate too well on the eyes, in that some shades aren't true to colour and some of the lighter shades really struggle to show up well, which is a shame as they are some of the prettiest. A primer certainly helps, but the eyeshadow quality isn't really any better than some drugstore palettes, I prefer my Sleek ones over this. I also wish the shades were a bit more buttery, but then again Estee Lauder aren't really known for their eyeshadows, their focus is often on base products. So overall, the palette isn't really outstanding in my eyes, and a bit of a hit and miss.

(Top to Bottom: 410 Dynamic, 340 Envious)

The Lipsticks - RRP £26
The lipsticks, for many people, will be worth it alone! You get two Pure Colour Envy Sculpting lipsticks, a raspberry red in the shade 340 Envious, and a medium rose in 410 Dynamic. Both shades are super flattering, and I like the fact that you get two timeless shades that most people will enjoy. I honestly cannot fault the lipsticks, they're pigmented, creamy, hydrating and long lasting, with a satin finish. They get a huge thumbs up from me!

(Top to Bottom: Flirtatious Magenta, Discreet)

The Lipglosses - RRP £21
Again, you get two Pure Colour Lipglosses in Flirtatious Magenta, a bright, shimmery, deep red, and Discreet, a shimmery nude. The packaging is really fancy, and they come with a doe foot glass applicator which makes application super quick and neat. These sort of lipglosses aren't normally my thing, but they're nice enough, not sticky or uncomfortable. Flirtatious Magenta goes really well over the lipsticks, Discreet is a bit too pale for me but it subdues the lip colour when worn over a lipstick. I think they're a nice addition, especially if you prefer lipglosses.

Sumptious Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara - RRP £25.50
I haven't opened this yet as I have plenty of mascaras already, so I don't want it to dry out, but I do think a mascara is a nice edition, as you get to try out something new. It also has decent reviews online, so that's a plus.

Modern Muse Le Rouge 4ml
I LOVE mini perfume bottles, they're so cute! I've tried the original Modern Muse before so this is a lovely addition, although I always end up giving them to my Mum to put on her mantelpiece.

Skincare
I was thinking of picking up the Advanced Repair (RRP £53 - 30ml) for my Mum anyway, as I had seen a lot of positive reviews on blogs, but also some not so good reviews. Unfortunately, she said it irritates her sensitive skin so she only uses it on certain marks, but again I haven't seen a big difference. I've tried it out a few times and it's not as hydrating as I expected, I guess it's supposed to be used with the cream. However, I didn't really see a difference either, but I know I'm not using it consistently. As for the Revitalising Supreme + Cell Power Creme 15ml, she wasn't a fan of it, she said it was decent, but she gets better noticeable results with the Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream. I can't really comment on the Advanced Night Micro Cleansing Foam - 50ml, as we all have dry skin in our household, so nobody is really a fan of foaming cleansers. Overall, the skincare was also a hit and miss, I'm afraid it didn't meet the hype for me.

So do I think this set it worth it? For £58 I would say just about yes, the lipsticks are outstanding, the lipglosses are also quite good and the mascara sounds like it will come in handy. However, the palette really didn't meet my expectations, and the skincare was a bit of a hit and miss, so realistically I wouldn't have spent say over £60 for this. However, it does depend on what you're looking for, or if you are a fan of the skincare. It will also be interesting to see what products they include in this year's gift set!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Have you had any experiences with such gift sets, or did a product not meet your expectations?

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