Makeup Gift Kits

Even if you'd prefer not to wear makeup most of the time, it's hard to deny that makeup gift sets are a lot of fun to use. Please consider this your guide to the best of the makeup kits, with which you'll be able to experiment with a lot of different effects from daring to demure, concentrate on what works best with your skin tone, and accent your eyes, enhance your lips and compliment your hair style and color. These make fantastic gifts for friends, particularly for young ladies who are still fine tuning their personal "look".

Even if you'd prefer not to wear makeup most of the time, it's hard to deny that makeup gift sets are a lot of fun to use. Please consider this your guide to the best of the makeup kits, with which you'll be able to experiment with a lot of different effects from daring to demure, concentrate on what works best with your skin tone, and accent your eyes, enhance your lips and compliment your hair style and color. These make fantastic gifts for friends, particularly for young ladies who are still fine tuning their personal "look".

However, you'll probably enjoy these for yourself as well, as it's always a good idea to try new things and create a fresh approach to your morning (or evening) beauty regimen. Just like an artist -- yes, a makeup artist -- you'll find that the more colors and textures you have to work with, the more you can blend together for flawless tones, or use in contrast with one another for a dramatic effect.

All-together kits can be the most fun, such as a Bare Escentuals bareMinerals makeup collection, each of which effectively matches different skin tones and includes products for your eyes, cheeks and lips. These eight-piece sets start with a pair of eyecolors and liner shadow, a blush, and lip polish, but the added brushes remain useful long after the makeup is gone. Fresh Minerals offers a similar set with different starting and ending points -- SPF foundation and finishing powder are included, along with three applicator brushes, two eyeshadows and a Touch of Sun, which is not quite a blush or a bronzer, but adds a bit of glow wherever you need the color.

We're very impressed with the variety of some makeup sets, such as Shany's Professional Makeup Kit, boasting a 78-color eye shadow palette. Colors are deepened with mineral oil, and between six eyecolor foundations, 12 highlights and liners, and 60 different eyeshadow colors, you are guaranteed to find several new ways to enhance and redefine your eyes. For something a bit more portable, which lends itself to touch-ups during the day, we recommend Cameleon makeup kits which include simple compact-style brushes with a colorful choice of eye shadows, blushes and lip glosses.

When a makeup gift set showcases just one product, it's how the added accessories work for you that adds real value to the set. We like the e.l.f. Mineral Glow Makeup Starter Kits, which offer some sexy shimmer or a gentle bronze glow, and are paired with a body brush and a handy makeup case. Bronzers and shimmers are so versatile -- dust on just a bit to enhance natural tones, or focus more on one area, such as across the eyelids, for a more dramatic effect.