Holiday 2025 Shopping Advice Thread: What’s in Your Basket?

[TeamBIC]

Holiday Shopping Advice 2025

It's finally that tiiiiiiiime: Holiday season has entered the chat! 🥳 This thread can serve as your destination for giving – and receiving! – unbiased shopping advice all season long, whether you’re stacking gifts for others, or looking to treat yourself to these enticing beauty deals! Either way, you’re in the right place to trade beauty recs with your fellow Community members, show off what's in your basket so far, and get help making those hard gifting decisions… and don’t forget to share all your gorgeous swatches, unboxings, and more! 🎁❄

Don’t be shy! Hit the reply button below. What are you adding to your basket this holiday season? Be sure to tag any products you mention using the “#” sign! 

[caitbird]

@PrettyPaint  great choices! If you're still looking for brow gel recs, I personally swear by Glossier Boy Brow Volumizing Eyebrow Gel-Pomade , partly because it's one of the few I've found that a) has an auburn/red option, and b) the auburn/red option is neither too dark nor too light for my natural eyebrow shade (I'm neither auburn-haired nor strawberry blonde, but somewhere in between, which brow products rarely include). Apart from the color, I feel it does a good job of giving my eyebrows more fullness and definition and holding them in place.

[PrettyPaint]

@caitbird Thanks so much! I forgot about Boy Brow! I know I tried it a long time ago, but I remember liking it!

[Sunnysmom]

I love the Merit brow gel @PrettyPaint . Great color choices too! 

MERIT Brow 1980 Volumizing Tinted Eyebrow Gel-Pomade Brown Black 

[PrettyPaint]

@Sunnysmom Thanks so much. I definitely haven't tried this one before!

[curlychiquita]

@PrettyPaint My favorite brow gel is Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Tinted Eyebrow Wax Shade 3.5 Im going to buy my third so far during the sale. The only tricky thing is the colors. I had to buy it for the first time after trying it on in store to see which color would match me best.

[PrettyPaint]

@curlychiquita Thank you so much! I don't have a store nearby, so I'll need to go by online swatches. I think 3.5 would probably work best for me as well (because it doesn't look too warm).

[curlychiquita]

I need a few new lipsticks- I went through mine and needed to declutter a lot of them because they had that “crayon” smell, which makes sense because a lot were purchased pre-COVID. 

I’m tagging a few people for advice based on other threads, but everyone please chime in for me!

If you had a choice among these brands, meaning not drying but not so creamy it spreads everywhere, which would you pick? 

• Tom Ford
• Prada
• Hermes
• something else

Thanks!! @WinglessOne @itsfi @Sunnysmom @blackkitty2014 @Winthrop44 @TraceyEB @Titian06 

[TraceyEB]

@curlychiquita, among the brands listed, I would choose Tom Ford; they're creamy and look beautiful on the lips though they can develop that crayon smell in time. Bobbi Brown lipsticks have similar traits. Their Luxe lipsticks are my most reached for and they rarely go bad. For occasions when I want my lipstick to not not budge, I use Chanel's Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue lipsticks. That said, I have been buying MAC's Taupe lipstick for decades as an easy go-to shade for warm makeup looks (I have gone through countless bullets). Looking forward to hearing what you decide to purchase!

[curlychiquita]

Thank you, @TraceyEB! I just purchased my first Chanel Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue lipstick!  I need to take a picture of my purchase in the Chanel thread. None of the products are new releases, but they’re new to me.

[TraceyEB]

@curlychiquita, yay! I hope you like it! I picked up another one in Tender Beige. It's beautiful! Yes, please share what you picked up on the Chanel thread! I've been dabbling in the regular line myself!

[gonerogue]

@curlychiquita  TF's are too creamy for my liking since they need to be reapplied so often. Came here to say you should give lip tints a shot. I went out and got like 5-6 of the Sephora Collection lip tints when they came out earlier this year and have been wearing them almost exclusively. I picked up a few of the Rare Beauty ones, too, when they went on sale in the summer and those are great, too. Comfy, not drying, and leave a nice little tint after an hour or so.

[curlychiquita]

Thanks, @gonerogue! I’m going to look now at the Sephora Collection lip tints!

[Sunnysmom]

@curlychiquita I would echo Prada mattes as being very comfortable tho I agree with @WinglessOne on the tricky shape. It works after using awhile. You may love new Lisa E for sure. I can only get the mattes to last for me but I do love them.  My other favorites for longer lasting satins and mattes would be Hermes mattes (and satins which last a good long while ), Gucci mattes (love satins too), DVNoten -wonderful in mattes and feel great, some of Chanel shades last decently plus of course the great color ranges, and Sarah Creal makes a very nourishing lip that feels and lasts pretty well. Oh and the new Jones Road satins too tho they don’t last as long on me but love the colors. ! Maybe I smack my lips too much. 😆I have loved TF in the past too but mine have turned quickly tho they do feel amazing as @blackkitty2014 mentioned.  

Excited to hear what you choose! Not sure but maybe you’d like these pinks or nudes. 🤗 

Sarah Creal Speak For Yourself Hydrating Lipstick She.E.O. 

Prada Beauty Prada Monochrome Soft Matte Blur Lipstick P158 MERANTI 

Gucci Long Lasting Satin Lipstick 201 The Painted Veil 

[curlychiquita]

Thank you, @Sunnysmom! It sounds like Prada, Hermes, and Lisa Elgridge have strong votes!  I’m going to look at the colors again. I’m getting excited!

[Sunnysmom]

We will be so excited to see what you try @curlychiquita ! 🥰

[CynthieLu]

Tom Ford and Prada get my vote @curlychiquita ✅ But I have heard a lot of chatter on BIC that the Tom Ford lippies spoil quickly ( Thou I haven't experienced that myself. )

[miss8]

@CynthieLu , #SendUsTheChatterLink 👄 What Do You Know About #TomFord And #Prada 😋

#PRADA

[curlychiquita]

Thanks for the intel, @CynthieLu!  

[Titian06]

@curlychiquita - I just tossed a bunch of my lipsticks this past weekend. 😄  I love my one TF lipstick.  I haven't tried Prada yet, and I'm not interested in Hermes.  On the Something Else side, my fave lipstick is Gucci Satin.

[curlychiquita]

Thanks, @Titian06! I’ll look at the Gucci Satin, too. 

[WinglessOne]

@curlychiquita   I’d pick Tom Ford, though nearly every TF lipstick I’ve ever had went bad sooner than expected. This comes from someone who still uses some 25+ year old lipsticks. 😅 The TFs do live longer than RMS and Chantecaille bullets though.

I like Prada’s lipsticks—both Soft Matte and Hyper Matte—except for the bullet shape. Some folks have no problem with it, but I had to reshape mine to make application much easier. TF bullets are creamier. Prada’s don’t make my lips a desert, they’re just not as creamy comfy as TF’s. I haven’t tried Prada’s balm so I can’t speak to that formula, but I imagine it’s pretty comfy on the lips.

In the “something else” category: Lisa Eldridge Rouge Experience lipstick for sure. Crazy lightweight feel, non-drying, good pigmentation (can be easily sheered down or built up), and no bleeding/feathering. But since LE’s not sold at Sephora… I’m a very big fan of the new Dior On Stage lipstick formula, so I’ll recommend that if you’re good with a glossy (but not quite high-gloss lacquer) finish and want something low-transfer that’ll last all day, 

Can’t wait to see what you pick!