PSA: Chikuhodo LE Noel Lumiere & Noel Rose holiday brush sets

Japanese brush brand Chikuhodo has recently released information about their limited edition 2015 holidays brush sets. This year they have two sets available - the Noel Collection Lumiere and the Noel Collection Rose. Chikuhodo makes limited quantities of their LE holiday sets, so if you are interested I recommend pre-ordering quickly. These sets are up on the CD Japan site and the Japanese Chikuhodo site, but I haven't seen them on Visage or Beautylish.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot O'Blushes comparison swatches

As promised in my review of the Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot O'Blushes holiday blush palette (here), I now have comparison swatches to share. Before purchasing this palette, I didn't own any Benefit powders. This limited edition palette includes Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Hoola, Coralista, and Rockateur, plus a mini cream Watts Up highlighter.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot palette swatches

From left to right, Benefit Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Hoola, Coralista, Rockateur

Keep reading for comparison swatches to other products in my collection. All swatches in this post were done with my finger on bare, unprimed skin.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlights Set review & swatches

I took a mini-break from blogging this last week to take care of some wedding planning details, but I had to do some damage at Sephora. I had a friend share a Sephora Friends & Family Sale code with me, so I picked up a few items from my loves list. I have been wishing that Becca would make a mini set with their Shimmering Skin Perfectors because I know I would never finish a full size.

Becca's new Glow To Go Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlights is a limited edition holiday set that comes with three mini sizes of the cult favorite liquid highlighter. This kit comes with three shades - Pearl, Opal, and Champagne Gold. Pearl and Opal are from the regular line and Champagne Gold is a new holiday shade. Each Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlight mini contains .17 oz of product, compared to 1.7 oz in the full size. This holiday trio retails for $25.

Real Techniques Nic's Picks brush set review & comparisons

When I saw that the holiday limited edition Nic's Picks Real Techniques brush set had 5 brushes I didn't own AND they had pretty silver handles, I had to jump on it. I picked mine up from iHerb for $30. I have also seen the set for sale at Kohl's and other retailers.

Nic's Picks set includes 5 synthetic brushes with limited edition silver handles:

1. Duo fiber face brush (also in the Duo Fiber Collection, LE)
2. Cheek brush (set exclusive)
3. Angled shadow brush (set exclusive) 
4. Base shadow brush (also in the Starter Kit, permanent)
5. Eyeliner brush (set exclusive) 

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes palette review & swatches

I have been wanting to try the Benefit Box O' Powders for a long time now and I'm a total sucker for holiday sets, so I had to jump on the Cheeky Sweet Spot Box O' Blushes palette as soon as I saw it on Sephora's site. The palette contains mini sizes of Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugarbomb, Hoola, Coralista, Rockateur, and Watt's Up and is packaged in a tin that looks like it should have stale gingerbread in it. I bought mine at Sephora for $36 and the kit includes 1.08 oz of product.

Laura Mercier Custom Artist Portfolio review & pictures

I have been searching for a long time for a makeup and toiletries case for travel. I wanted a cosmetics travel bag that included flexible configuration, secure construction, and makeup brush storage. I chose the Laura Mercier Custom Artist Portfolio, which I bought at Macy's for $98. This item is limited edition, but Laura Mercier frequently comes out with new and updated versions so don't panic if you miss out on this version.

Bare Minerals Multi Tasking Stars Kit review & swatches

I admit, I'm a total sucker for value sets. I saw this in Sephora and had to pick it up! The Multi-Tasking Stars kit from Bare Minerals is a limited edition set that sells at Sephora for $49. The set includes:

- A pink neoprene padded bag, 9" x 6.5"
- Natural Light Mineral Veil Finishing Powder, 0.07 oz (mini)
- Lash Domination 10-In-1 Volumizing Mascara in Intense Black (full size)
- Spring2Triple Take Color, Gloss & Stain in Coral Pink, 0.12 oz (exclusive, full size)
- 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow in Candlelit Peach, .1 fl oz (exclusive preview, full size)
- bareMinerals Ready Bronzer in The Skinny Dip & Cheek Tint in The Endless Summer Duo (exclusive, full size compact)

Before this set, I had tried only a few items from Bare Minerals before - their classic mineral foundation and a Ready eyeshadow quad, so I was excited to try out lots of products from the brand! Let's break it down: