That’s right, today I’m bringing you Christmas in September.
Prepare to ditch your pumpkin spice lattes and start craving eggnog! The Too
Faced Grand Hotel Café holiday set was released just last week, and I knew I
had to have it. It includes three scented palettes, a little dollhouse
container, and a sample of the infamous Better Than Sex mascara. I’ve been
swatching and playing around with these since they arrived and I can’t wait to
share my thoughts about this adorable holiday set!
First of all, the packaging. The. Packaging. Too Faced
always kills it and this gift set is no exception. The three palettes and the
mascara are enclosed in a pastel dollhouse about the height of a book. To open,
you take off the roof and fold open the doors, where the products are enclosed
and displayed upright in a plastic holder.
Each palette had a different theme, scent, and packaging
that looks so cute and make me feel so Christmassy every time I reach for one.
By this point, I’m almost ready to skip Halloween and Thanksgiving and get
right to the holidays!
The theme of each palette is Gingerbread Cookie, Peppermint
Mocha, and Eggnog Latte, hence why the set is called the “Grand Hotel Café”.
The palettes are cardboard and each include six eyeshadows and either a blush
or a bronzer. In total, you are getting eighteen shadows, two blushes, a
bronzer, and a mascara sample for $49.
Too Faced has one of my favorite eyeshadow formulas, but
some of the shades were hit and miss for me. While each palette has a different
color vibe, there seem to be some similar shades in each. It seems unnecessary
to have a matte white/cream shade in each palette and I wish they included some
better highlighting shades. I personally prefer a shimmery shade for highlighting.
The matte shadows that are included are really beautiful,
just the right balance between creamy and powdery. They blend really easily and
are super pigmented. Some of the shimmers are the same way. However, a lot of
the shimmers included are really glittery and on the skin it shows up as just
colored glitter. For some shades this works nicely, like the Gingersnap and
Winter Dream shades in the Gingerbread Cookie palette, but for others I wish
there was some more pigment along with the glitter. Even for the better glittery shades, it was hard to work with.
The shimmery shades that
aren’t glittery are really soft and fine, some of my favorites in the palettes.
As for the blushes, I really like the two colors that they
included. The peach shade in the Eggnog palette is nicely suited for fair skin
while Santa Baby in the Peppermint Mocha palette would be gorgeous on medium or
dark skin tones. The bronzer is definitely more suited for fair to medium skin
tones and it’s very blendable and has a hint of shimmer to it. The powders all
remind me of Benefit powders. They’re pigmented, but a little powdery. This
makes them easier to blend in my opinion!
Now to break down each palette individually! I don’t have a
favorite, to be honest. There are a few shades in each that I love and some
that I can’t see myself reaching for. I prefer using a combination of the
palettes to get a pretty eye look, but they could definitely be used alone,
too. An * indicates my favorite shades.
Eggnog Latte is a pastel blue palette and it includes…
Frosty Nog: a matte white
Eggnog Latte: a shimmery pale gold
Iced Coffee: shimmery medium brown
*Skinny Latte: matte light brown
Cold Brew: Glittery silver
*Central Perk: shimmery forest green (F.R.I.E.N.D.S
reference anyone?)
*Peach Cobbler: matte peach blush
Most of the shadows in here are good, and now that I think
about it this might be my favorite palette. Central Perk is gorgeous. Not many
palettes include a pigmented green shade! Eggnog Latte is the only
disappointing shade for me, it’s too much shimmer and not enough pigment. The
scent is also stronger in this palette than the others, although it’s still not
as strong as the Too Faced chocolate bar palettes.
Gingerbread Cookie is a dark brown palette and it includes…
Ginger Cream: matte cream
*Maple Syrup: matte cool-toned medium/dark brown
*Gingersnap: Glittery gold
Winter Dream: Glittery lilac
Cup of Joe: shimmery dark brown, almost black
Black Coffee: matte black (shows up as more of a dark grey)
*Gingerbread: neutral-toned shimmery bronzer
Gingersnap and Winter Dream are hard to pick up on a brush,
but if you can get them to work for you they are gorgeous shadows. I wish Black
Coffee was more pigmented as well, I had to use two layers to swatch it. Gingerbread
is a great bronzer for me so I’ve been reaching for this palette a lot even if
I’m not using the shadows!
Peppermint Mocha is a pale pink palette and it includes…
Peppermint Cream: yet another matte white, really similar to
Frosty Nog
Christmas Blend: glittery pale gold, really similar to Eggnog
Latte
*Peppermint Mocha: shimmery brownish plum
Candy Cane: matte pale pink
Sprinkles: shimmery purple
*Coffee Chip: shimmery dark brown with a hint of plum
Santa Baby: matte bubblegum pink blush
The scent in this palette is the weakest, which is
disappointing to me because I would love a peppermint mocha. I suppose it’s
better than all the unscented palettes that I have. The first two shades in
this palette are really similar to the Eggnog Latte palette, so I wish there
would have been a shimmery white and a matte golden shade, instead. However,
the pink and purple tones in here are really pretty so I can forgive the
repeats. I can make the blush work for my fair skin but again, I think it would
suit deeper skin tones better!
The Better Than Sex sample is smaller than I expected, but I
love it. At first I thought the wand would make my lashes clump really badly
but somehow it doesn’t! It gives loads of volume really quickly and I’m glad I
get to test out this popular mascara before committing to the full size. I can
see why everyone loves it!
Overall, I think this would be a great Christmas present, either
for yourself or for a friend. You could even give away each palette separately!
With all that’s included, it’s a good value and while there are a lot of
neutrals, some of the shades are really unique and fun to use for those who own
a lot of makeup. My biggest gripe is that this collection is getting me in the
Christmas mood so early! I might have to put these away until the snow starts
to fall…
What do you think of this holiday collection?
Xx Katie
Oh my, these are just ever so gorgeous! I think my favourite has to be Peppermint Mocha although I definitely wouldn't say no to all of them! xo
ReplyDeleteHanney | Blog About Hanney
I haven't heard about this product yet, but I am definitely going to have to check it out for myself. Plus, it is never too early to start thinking about or getting excited about Christmas. Eggnog Latte looks absolutely gorgeous! I am also a big sucker for great packaging too, haha.
ReplyDeleteAshlee Liz
www.ashleeliz.com
It gets me everytime!
DeleteI think I'm in love!
ReplyDeleteThese are so gorgeous! I think Eggnog Latte has to be my favorite though.
A New Old Fashioned Girl
I absolutely ADORE Too Faced products, their chocolate eye shadow palette is my favourite! I've been meaning to try the Better Than Sex mascara for SO long now, heard some great things!
ReplyDeleteHayley xo
www.frockmeimfamous.com
Too Faced might be my favorite brand, too! If you're into voluminous mascaras I think you'd like Better Than Sex, it's so effective but quick x
DeleteGreat pieces
ReplyDeletexx
https://theonethattravels.wordpress.com/
I have seen a few review on this set and they are always good! The BTS mascara didn't work on my pathetic lashes though. :-(
ReplyDeleteShireen | Reflection of Sanity
What a gorgeous set! I love the look of the Eggnog Latte one! Too Faced can do no wrong!
ReplyDeleteDanielle's Beauty Blog
These are gorgeous sets! I love the look of the Peppermint Mocha one. Looks really nice!
ReplyDeleteNicole | The Glam Surge
This such a great post, truly inspiring, I love your blog, thank you for sharing!!!
ReplyDeletexxx
www.bridesonamission.com
Too face always have the cutest makeup packaging. x
ReplyDeletewww.themakeupaficionado.com
Ohhhhmmmmuyyy god this is so so gorgeous! I am so endlessly jealous i can feel my face going green <3
ReplyDeleteTOo faced also has the most incredible packaging!
Xx Sofia
www.lifefromsofia.blogspot.com
I love this the packing is so pretty :)
ReplyDeletewww.enjoytheadventure.co.uk
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