Holiday Stocking Stuffer Review

It’s been two weeks since I returned from holiday break and I’m just now unpacking my car and shlepping loads of clean laundry and newly acquired Christmas loot into my teensy apartment. This year, I was gifted an unusually high number of beauty products—some stellar, some … not. Let’s take a look:

Bare Minerals Pretty Amazing Lip Collection: Featuring two lip colors (“Savvy” and “Confidence”) and two lip glosses (“Sass” and “Oomph”), this collection is ideal for transitioning from day to night. The glosses are a bit thinner and shimmery, where the colors have a thicker texture, reminiscent of oil paint. I use the more neutral “Savvy” by day, but for my evening endeavors I perk up with a little “Confidence” followed by a sweep of “Oomph.” Covet factor: 5

Aveda Hand Relief Moisturizer: This citrusy, vitamin-enriched formula has a pungent aroma (think Tang), and frankly is just too greasy for everyday use. A quick douse feels refreshing, but this lotion’s inability to seep in is a major flaw. Clammy hands and a slimy keyboard aren’t providing much “relief” right now. Covet factor: 0

MAC Iced Delights Eye Bag: This prize pack comes with a Graphblack Technakohl eye-liner, a Zoom Fast Black Lash mascara, a slightly mini, slanted shadow brush, and a brilliant eyeshadow duo featuring “Silverwear” (an iridescent silver lilac) and “Blue Spruce” (a smoky teal with copper shimmer specs). This baguette is a stellar deal at $45 — yes, in the name of journalism, I looked up how much my grandmother spent — and makes creating a high-drama, smokey-eye look (in seconds, no less) a breeze. Covet factor: 10

Sephora Rhinestone Tweezers: These dazzling slanted tweezers jazz up my cosmetics cabinet and grab hard-to-reach hairs, while the rhinestones make the grip slip-free. Win-win. Covet factor: 10

Michael O’Rourke’s Leave It In Weightless Tangle Tamer: So the packaging alone is enough to turn heads, but it’s what inside that truly impresses. Loaded with soy, wheat, and oat proteins, Tangle Tamer stays true to its word: After a shower, just a spritz or two leaves hair soft, supple, and smelling like a day spa — all day long. Covet factor: 7