Essie's all-creme holiday collection is off the beaten path, but I approve. I get red-and-green fatigue this time of year, and I think the collection has something different-yet-seasonal for everyone.

Bangle Jangle is a dreamy lavender. Cocktail Bling is a light blue-grey. Brooch the Subject is Kate-Middleton-nude-shoe peach bisque. Bobbing for Baubles is a dark, greyed/muted navy that I think

If you've walked past Make Up For Ever recently — in store or virtually — you've probably seen their winter visual. I am in love with this look, so I asked the company for a breakdown, which they very graciously provided.

Complexion:
Prepare your skin with HD Elixir (a brightening, hydrating serum) followed by HD Microperfecting Primer

Like MAC, Bobbi Brown's holiday offering is extensive: individual items, palettes, sets. I need to swatch my way through it systematically, but I wanted to cross a few of the more manageable holiday collections off my to-do list first.

I NEED to tell you about the Ultimate Party Palette, though. The combination of shadows is one of

Today's guest swatches come from AlexandraRC. If you don't already read her blog regularly, you are missing out. She has perfect hands, impeccable nails, flawless manicures, and she is wildly creative. Oh, and she takes fantastic pictures of holographic nail polishes, which is extremely hard to do. But I'm rambling.

A few weeks ago, I posted pictures of

There are a few sale codes floating around out there, and I wanted to make sure you knew about them. Arranged in alphabetical order by brand:

ARMANI
Take 20% off your order at GiorgioArmaniBeauty-USA.com (plus free 2-day shipping if your order is over $75) with code GAHOLIDAY1. I'm not sure when this one expires.

BEAUTE
Take 20% off

Dior's holiday collection is delightfully well edited — by which I mean both that it's not overwhelmingly complicated, and that I like what they've put together.

There's a new, limited edition eyeshadow quint, 554 Couture Golds ($59). The palette includes a shimmery white; a shimmery muted pumpkin/peach; a sparkly very pale gold; a sheer, dark, grey-brown-black matte;

In hindsight, swatching Chanel's holiday collection was a mistake. If I hadn't swatched, I could have lived in blissful ignorance — instead I'm placing my Nordstrom.com order.

The holiday collection includes two limited edition eyeshadow singles ($28.50). 407 Blazing Gold is a slightly chunky shimmery yellow. 417 Beige Lamé is a nutmeg-tan satin with very tiny blue and

File this under Things I Want But I Can't Have: Cle de Peau's Vintage Palette III, the world's most heavenly luminizing face powder.

For the third year in a row, Cle de Peau has created a special, limited edition holiday powder. Each year is unique, and though I haven't seen Vintage Palettes I or II myself, my

Come one, come all!

Neiman Marcus Northpark is having a party to celebrate the launch of Tom Ford's makeup line, and everyone's invited! (Aren't we SO lucky we live in Dallas?)

The event is Friday, November 18, from 5 – 7 pm, and the new Tom Ford beauty counter is where Laura Mercier used to be.

As

Lately, I cannot get enough of dark, deep, muted, greyed blue nail polish.

I think the obsession began with Dior Bond Street this past spring. It was cemented in place by Dior Perfecto and NARS Galion this fall. And it's run amok with Chanel Blue Rebel, Nubar Dark Wash Jeans, and Essie Bobbing for Baubles.

NARS has a "regular" holiday collection of individual items, but they also have several gift sets to choose from. These sets were inspired by François Nars' travels in Japan, and were all designed in the concept of "Modern Kabuki."

True NARS aficionados will remember (and probably own) the first "Bento Box," released in very limited distribution for holiday

Ken Downing and Le Metier de Beaute have one more pun-filled beauty treat up their sleeves for 2011: StocKen Stuffer nail polish sets.

Each boxed set is $32, and contains four polishes and a leaf ornament. The ornament is an actual electroplated leaf, so no two are exactly alike. (Or is that snowflakes?)

The Merry Metallics set

In addition to their Eye Bags, MAC created three six-pan eyeshadow palettes for holiday. These are $38 each, in white compacts with a flattened-dome, glitter-filled snowglobe on the lid. Each palette also includes a little 213 eyeshadow brush. I'll admit, I put these off for last because they're not my favorites.

The Warm eyeshadow palette (on

Matte lips are so hot right now.

Chanel just introduced a (highly anticipated) new lipstick formula: Rouge Allure Velvet, a creamy-matte in the click-click case. Available in eight shades, Rouge Allure Velvets are $32 each.

La Ravissante (the beautiful) is a coral pink — my favorite, of course. La Câline (the cuddler) is a muted, mauvey blue-rose

Congratulations, Jessica (of Wisconsin), on winning last week's Shu Uemura holiday prize!

Don't worry, folks, more giveaways are just around the corner.