The weather is cooling, the leaves are changing, and the Holiday season has officially kicked off! Has anyone stopped by a local MAC store or counter to see the new holiday sets? I had the chance to preview these great sets ahead of time and have some thoughts to share with you! The holidays are all about Gift GIVING (not getting, sorry ladies!) and these kits were designed with that intention, but we all know that gift giving can wear out the wallet if you don't plan and stick to a budget! As such, my review will involve a lot of price/value discussion. There are 4 collections of holiday sets to choose from, priced at a range to suit everyone on your list...

The least expensive sets are the Lip Kits, priced at $22.50 each. One set, Heavenly Dish, contains three lip colors (two lipsticks and one gloss) in neutral tones and the other, Possessed by Pink! contains three pink tones. The packaging is cute and is priced perfectly for a $25 and under gift exchange but if I had the choice for myself, I'd rather pay $14 for a full lipstick that doesn't require a brush or unsanitary finger dunk application!

Next in price are the four eyeshadow palettes, each containing 6 shades and priced at $36. Devil May Dare is a warm, neutral palette, Mystic has cool colors, Smoke & Mirrors is a non-traditional smoky-eye palette, and Sorceress has some fun n' funky colors to play around with. These are great gifts for someone who needs more color variety or who is trying to build their collection. These palettes fit easily into a purse or makeup bag, for quick and easy makeup application on the go. The colors are very similar to the holiday collection from last year, but I know they are useful because I always pack my two palettes from last year when I am travelling! They are so well-packaged and so not prone to breaking.

MAC has added face kits this year, priced at $38 and containing three fun face products. The Hocus Focus colorful is great for lighter skin tones, while the Fabracadabra kit is better for warmer, darker skin tones that want to look sun-kissed bronzy. Both kits contain a product that can be used to contour, a blush, and a highlighter. Again, a great gift for someone who needs to bump up their beauty routine! I actually like both sets for myself, as they are once again really conveniently packaged and saves me the hassle of packing the three individual products into my purse, makeup bag, or travel makeup bag. This is one of my favorite sets this holiday season, so I highly recommend checking it out for yourself and a friend!

Next up are four bag sets, each priced at $36 also. Two sets contain lip products (a mini liner, mini Dazzleglass, and full sized lipstick), and two sets contain eye glam (a mini Zoomlash mascara, mini eyeliner brush, full-sized Fluidline, and full-sized pigment). Each set houses its products in a cute, tiny bag with a huge bow and button. I liked these sets but they aren't very big for the price. The value is good, however, as one MAC pigment is $20 and Fluidline is $14. Its a nice little gift if you know someone who really wants these items, but otherwise I personally feel your $36 could be spent on a bigger, more impressive gift. Just my opinion though!

Now we have some fabulous brush sets, priced at $49.50 and each containing 5 "key" brushes in a miniature size. These sets come in a very pretty, larger case that can be re-used as a pencil case, or clutch maybe! The quality of these brushes are better than the usual MAC special-edition brushes and so is the selection. The favorite seems to be the Wave of a Wand set, which contains a foundation, blush/powder, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and contour brush. This is a great gift for the $50 and under list and is definitely worth the money.

The most expensive and "exclusive" gift set is the Exclusives Mineralize Sets, each priced at $59.50. There are two, one pink and one bronze, and each contain a mini kabuki brush, mineralize eye shadow, mineralize blush, and mineralize skin finish. Both sets are absolutely beautiful and make a great gift for your favorite friend!

Last but certainly not least, MAC has released a special Viva Glam lip set for the holidays. The set contains two lipsticks and one gloss from the Viva Glam collection and is priced at $22.50. The best part of this set is that the entire purchase price, $22.50, goes to the Mac Aids Fund. Nothing says holiday spirit like giving to such a worthy cause, and for us to buy this set is actually like giving two gifts. I highly recommend picking this up to benefit the MAC AIDS Fund and surprise a friend, all for less than $25!

That concludes our MAC Holiday set wrap-up, I hope you found this post to be helpful and informative in your holiday gift giving decisions! Good luck and happy shopping ladies!