Clinique's Strawberry Fudge Holiday Palette

I love it when my husband actually bothers to use my Christmas list when shopping for Christmas presents. It's a great feeling to know the time I put in to writing it down actually paid off. This year, I had been admiring Clinique's holiday palette - and I'm glad I asked for it, and even more glad I was able to open it early.

This palette includes a full sized eyedshadow trio in "Strawberry Fudge," and a fully sized Soft-Pressed powder blush in "New Clover." It also includes a brush and double ended applicator, as well as a card to help you create the signature look for this collection. This is available for $36 many places Clinique is sold (currently available at Nordstrom, as it appears to be sold out on Macy's website. I believe Sephora doesn't get Clinique collections).

I'm a bit of a trailblazer (okay, not really), so I ignore the tip card, and just care about the goods. The three shadows are fairly neutral (not warm or cool), and the blush (on me) leans ever-so-slightly to the cool side, but it's wearable for me. Clinique doesn't seem to be touted as an extremely pigmented brand, however I found these shadows (like most of the brand's shadows I've used) to be of decent quality. The largest eyeshadow pan, the recommended highlighter, is a very pretty pink with gold sparkle in the pan. On the skin, however, it imparts a soft, glowly highlight. The middle shade is probably my favorite part of the palette - an almost metallic (no where near over the top, though) pink-brown shade, with a kiss of grey. The final eyeshadow is a slightly-chalky matte dark brown. This color leans a bit cool. All of the shadows blend well.

The blush, "New Clover," is described as a "soft blue violet" by Clinique. I don't believe this description matches the color. It looks more like a mauvey-nude type tone. This blush, while soft, isn't incredibly pigmented. It's nice, and using a MAC 169 blush brush gives a light, easy application.

This is a great all-in-one palette. I think most skin tones could easily wear this. With the exception of the matte eyeshadow, this palette is definately worth the price of admission. If you want a quick-and-easy travel palette, I'd recommend taking a look at this!