Saturday 22 October 2016

Too Faced Grande Hotel Cafe Christmas Gift Set | Review


So we're reaching that time of year again where the days are shorter, jumpers are worn, candles are being burned and all the Christmas Gifts set are being released - my favourite time of year!


One of the first brands to announce their Christmas offerings this year was Too Faced and I for one was very excited to see what magical collection of festive products they had come up this year and I was not disappointed! Every year they have a theme which all gifts are based on, with this years is "Christmas in New York" which I think is an amazing idea for this year's theme because let's face it, New York must be one of the most magical places at Christmas time! There are tons of different gift sets this year, ranging from £10 to £50+ which I think is brilliant as they really have catered for every budget. Today I'm going to be talking about one of the pricier items in the collection - The "Grande Hotel Cafe" set.


When I first saw the collection launch last month, I knew that I HAD to get my hands on at least this item if nothing else! First of all, let's just talk about how adorable the packaging is! All the products come in in this super cute case shaped like a little hotel (very reminiscent of last years "Le Grand Chateau"set!), which opens up to reveal the products inside! I think this makes it feel just that little bit more special, which is perfect for gift giving!


The Grande Hotel contains 3 festive scented palettes and a deluxe size of their best selling, fan favourite "Better than Sex" Mascara, which, unbelievably until now, I was yet to try until I got this set and I must say that I'm very much enjoying it, so much so that it could overtake  my years-long love for Benefit's "They're Real", although I feel like I need to test it out some more before I make such a bold claim, so keep yours eyes peeled for my thoughts on this in the future, but, for now, let's just say, I'm very impressed!


Another thing which I think is very cleaver is that Too Faced have put "To" and "From" labels on the reverse of each palette, which makes them perfect to be given out as individuals gifts on their own to different people. This actually works out at as a pretty good deal too as they then only work out at costing just over £15 each (and that's without considering the deluxe size of the mascara!) Although I'm gonna be honest here, I will be keeping all 3 to myself!



Eyeshadows L-R: Frosty Nog, Eggnog Latte, Iced Coffee, Skinny Latte, Cold Brew, Central Perk. Blush: Peach Cobbler
What does Eggnog Actually smell of? I don't know! But, what I do know is that this palette just smells like straight up Christmas and this is the only way I can describe it! But I LOVE it!

I feel like out of all three, it's probably the most traditionally festive in terms of the colours it has to offer, with it's warm-goldy browns and of course that gorgeous metallic dark forest green (can we also appreciate that it's called "Central Perk"! Seriously fan girling right now!) I also really like that there is a real mix of different finishes, not only just in this palette but all three with a great ratio of shimmery to matte shades. I often find that brands sometimes neglect matte shadows, especially in Limited Edition sets, so I'm pleased to see that Too Faced haven't done this here.

The only shade that I would say I was a little underwhelmed by was "Egnogg Latte" as in the pan it looks like an intense, metallic gold packed wth gold glitter, however, when it's swatched or applied to the eye, the base of the shadow is actually quite sheer. That being said it is still packed with glitter so it works really well applied on top of another shadow and so it gives a beautiful gold sheen to whatever you put underneath it.

"Peach Cobbler" is a very pretty blush colour, that I actually really like, which, if I'm honest surprised me as I'm not usually one for peachy/orange tone bush but it gives a very pretty slight peachy tint to the cheeks and is definitely way less scary and bright then it looks in the pan. (I promise!)



Eyeshadows L-R: Peppermint Cream, Festive Blend, Peppermint Mocha, Candy Cane, Sprinkles, Coffee Chip. Blush: Santa Baby

When I first saw these palettes online I knew that I would just love this palette in particular for it pinky-berry and brown shades, and I was not wrong! I'm a big lover of wearing these kinds of shades, especially in winter months, so I know this palette will be seeing a lot of love. My personal favourites would have to be "Festive Blend", "Peppermint Mocha" and "Sprinkles". Even a light baby pink like "Candy Cane" is actually really wearable as it's very subtle!

"Santa Baby" is a very typical blush colour for me, but again like "Peach Cobbler" it can be very subtle if applied with a light hand to give a lovely rosy flush to the cheeks.

I'm not gonna lie, it also helps that it smells like mint and chocolate and so it reminds me exactly of an After Eight! (who doesn't have "After Eights" at Christmas time?)



Eyeshadow L-R: Ginger Cream, Maple Syrup, Gingersnap, Winter Dream, Cup of Joe, Black Coffee. Bronzer: Gingerbread
I thought that this would be my least favourite out of all three as it has some of the more cooler toned shades, but, it actually has two of my favourite shades in, which are Gingersnap and Winter Dream; there different to all the other glitter shades in the two other palettes and remind me more of a foiled finish and are pack full of glitter! They would look super glam, packed all over the lid, even with just a brown blended through the crease and makes it look like you have made far more of an effort than in reality, you actually have.

Now let's take a minute to appreciate that there is a bronzer in this palette called "Gingerbread" that actually smells like gingerbread! (This makes me far happier than it should! BUT gingerbread is my all time favourite festive scent - it's also pretty tasty too!) I also worry a bit with bronzers that they will be too orange for my ghostly complexion, but this one sits nicely between being warm and cooled toned which I really like. I also think that it would work for a range of skin tones too as it can be applied lightly for the palest of pale girls like myself or that little bit heavier for those of you that have more of a tan.


Overall I'm very impressed with this set and the quality of the eyeshadows themselves; They are all really pigment (with the slight exception of eggnog latte as I mention earlier) and I didn't get any fall-out under the eye which is often a problem with eyeshadows with glitter in. They also blended really well which can be an issue with matte shades that I've personally found but these were lovely to work with! I also this that this set is a pretty good deal for £46 as you do get a good amount of product as each individual pan is actually quite big! So I think it's definitely one to pick up!

I will definitely be getting some Too Faced products in the future and I even have my eye on some of their other Christmas set as well (The Merry Macaroons" and  "Merry Kissmas" sets). 

Are there any products from Too Faced Christmas collection that you have your eyes on this year? or any products from them in general? Let me know your favourites so I can add them to my ever-growing list too! 


The Grande Hotel Cafe is available from Debenhams, Sephora, Ulta and at Too Faced for £46/$49.


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