NYLON’s Holiday Beauty Gift Guide 2020: Eye Makeup

Ah 2020, the year where face masks have become the norm every time we step out of the house. You know how it is. Are lipsticks even worth it anymore? Same goes for any makeup below the nose, so it’s about time we started dressing up the “windows to the soul” instead — gotta pay attention to the eyes then. It’s not just palettes, palettes, and more palettes here. There are also beauty hauls for the brows, and ways to lift, lengthen and thicken your lashes too. Best to master that wink now.

YSL BEAUTY COUTURE COLOUR CLUTCH PALETTE
$129, available at YSL Beauty stores, TANGS, Metro, Isetan and BHG

With leopard prints all over YSL Beauty’s Holiday 2020 Couture Colour Clutch Palette, you know you’ll be wanting to create the perfect graphic cat eye, as seen on Kaia Gerber in the campaign images. Gift a dear friend who’s always up for a wild time, with a fancy eye palette adorned with the YSL Cassandre logo on the outside, while encasing 4 eyeshadows and 4 shades that can be used on the eyes or as highlighters.

DIOR 5 COULEURS COUTURE GOLDEN NIGHTS, IN 549 GOLDEN SNOW
$107, available at Dior boutiques and counters

As mesmerising as the holidays comes Dior’s classic 5 Couleurs eye palette, now in two Couture Golden Nights versions, both imprinted with a poetic snowflake pattern for the collectors among us. The Golden Snow set arrives with harmonious shades of gold and copper, for a romantic glow you’ll want to flaunt every date night.

CHARLOTTE TILBURY BEJEWELLED EYES TO HYPNOTISE INSTANT EYE PALETTE
$130, available at Sephora

Darlings, you’ve got to be ready when Charlotte Tilbury is here with her holiday collection, where she lives up to her reputation of red-carpet glamour. The magic of jewels shines through in the return of this sold-out Instant Eye Palette in ‘Bejewelled Eyes To Hypnotise’, a holiday favourite that manages to capture the coveted Christmas light-up look across 12 versatile shades, inspired by brilliant gems, whether you’re going for a peachy glow or smokey quartz.

MARC JACOBS BEAUTY EYE-CONIC MULTI-FINISH EYE PALETTE, IN CHERRIFIC
$76, available at Sephora

Lookin’ extra cute is this Marc Jacobs Beauty eye palette, part of the Very Merry Cherry holiday collection that sees their beauty staples wrapped up in a cheery cherry print, with berry shades to boot. The Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eye Palette presents cherry-inspired hues that range from wearable neutrals and buttery mattes, to satin and metallic lamé, of juicy reds and berry.

LAURA MERCIER PRIMA BALLERINA MINI EYESHADOW PALETTE
$50, available at Laura Mercier stores and counters, and Sephora

Everything’s here en pointe, especially since Laura Mercier’s holiday series comes inspired by the elegant world of the Paris ballet. You’ll find 6 synchronised colours in this limited edition palette, with three shades of soft luminous shimmer, two mattes, and a bold pink metallic that are ready to effortlessly grace your eyes.

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS SOFT GLAM II MINI EYESHADOW PALETTE
$48, available at Sephora

We’ve raved about the intense but soft-textured payoff of Anastasia Beverly Hills’ eye palettes before, and you know how highly-regarded the brow queen is among beauty circles. Here, you’ll find a versatile palette of 8 eyeshadow shades that range from soft neutrals to bright sparkly tones, including two shades from the cult-classic Norvina Palette, for you to create and blend a wide range of eye looks.

BYREDO 5-COLOUR EYESHADOW, IN SYREN
$110, exclusively available at the Byredo boutique-

Fragrance brand Byredo’s makeup collection launched this year to great excitement, with all their beauty items looking like museum artefacts due ti the sleek, sculptural designs. The 5-Colour Eyeshadow compacts are no different, and bring together intriguing, unexpected shades in glamorous cases that recall the look of vintage cosmetics.

SHU UEMURA X ONE PIECE TREASURE BOX EYE PALETTE, IN THOUSAND SUNNY
$123, available at shu uemura stores and counters

The world of Japanese manga knows no bounds, now making its way onto a glamorous eyeshadow palette thanks to the collaboration between shu uemura and ONE PIECE. Done in exquisite detail, you’ll find the familiar faces of Luffy and his Straw Hat Crew across the outer shell of the eye palette, in a themed treasure box design that houses 9 warm shades within, including that happy-looking yellow.

PIXI EYE EFFECTS EYE SHADOW PALETTE, IN ROSETTE RAY
$36, available at Sephora

The great thing about Pixi Beauty is that you’ll able to enjoy the most silky eyeshadow shades in a one-stop compact, while still being budget-conscious if you’re setting a monthly makeup spend limit. We feel ya. The Eye Effects palette here blend like a dream, with 9 shades of rosy and neutral hues that are versatile enough for daily eye looks.

NATASHA DENONA GLAM PALETTE
$98, available at Sephora

There are a lot of shades here — 15 in total — of neutral and golden taupe shades across matte, metallic and sparkling finishes. This everyday palette is great for those who like to switch up their looks constantly while keeping to the same earthy neutrals, and lets them create everything from a natural eye to a dramatic smokey eye.

THEFACESHOP GLITTER UNIVERSE EYESHADOW PALETTE
$33, available at THEFACESHOP stores and online

Consider this for a stocking stuffer that would delight. THEFACESHOP’s holiday theme of a Glitter Universe really comes through with this handy eyeshadow palette that houses 9 pink-rose shades in extra glittery packaging. The silky formulas here melt at your fingertips for easy application, and last up to 24 hours. Pretty worth it, we must say!

MILANI MOST WANTED EYESHADOW PALETTE, IN 130 BURNING DESIRE
$20.40, available at selected Watsons and the Watsons e-store.

Your go-to palette for neutrals, we can get behind the curated shades of Milani’s Most Wanted Eyeshadow Palette in 130 Burning Desire, of neutrals and terracotta browns with pops of warmth. It feature 6 vegan, finely-milled and pigmented shades that are blendable and buildable, suitable even for beginners.

LANCÔME GRANDIÔSE WATERPROOF MASCARA SET
$50, available at Lancôme counters

We told you, it’s not just eye palettes here. Considering how the cult Lancôme Grandiôse Waterproof Mascara is already $50 on its own, this set definitely has all the perks of the additional Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover and L’Absolu Rouge to accompany that 24-hour wear formula. You’ll also notice that its brush is uniquely swan-neck shaped to work with the curve of your face, so it can grasp onto every lash for length, lift, and volume.

BENEFIT COSMETICS PARTY CURL MAKEUP KIT
$75, available at Sephora

How exciting would it be to receive these Benefit Cosmetics eye makeup goodies, in a fun Benefit-branded tin that your friend can later reuse! The limited edition holiday set will give super-curled lashes, full brows, perfectly-lined eyes, and flawless skin, thanks to these bestselling items of the Gimme Brow+ brow gel, Roller Lash mascara, POREfessional smoothing face primer, and a mini Roller Liner Eyeliner.

VELOUR GIFT OF EYES LASHES SET
$34, available at Sephora

The most fluttery lashes call for some effort, by way of false eyelashes — though Velour swears that theirs are made easy enough for beginners. This lash set features 2 best-selling lashes in a travel-friendly pouch for day to night eye looks, while each lash features a thin comfort-fit lash band for effortless application. The day-appropriate ‘Caption This’ is a subtly flared, natural volume lash, while ‘Don’t @ Me’ has a round shape with wispy tapered edges to amp up the volume.

TARTE CURL’S BEST FRIEND LASH CURLER SET
$35, available at Sephora

Draw even more attention to the eyes with this compact Tarte lash set. With a cute name of ‘Curl’s Best Friend’, the duo features the fan-favourite Lash Curler in a limited-edition sparkle design — as you know, curling your lashes is important to lift them before applying any further product. Then, complete the ritual with their Deluxe Big Ego™ Vegan Mascara for long, voluminous lashes.

STILA TWO LUCKY STARS EYE SET
$34, available at Sephora

Here’s another great stocking stuffer idea, a Stila eye set that features their bestselling smudge-proof Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner, and a mini Glitter & Glitter Liquid Eye Shadow that’s now done with a thinner tip for precise application, in order to create those glammed-up sparkly holiday eyes.