I usually can’t get excited about MAC’s gift set offerings for their Holiday collection any more. After you’ve followed them for a few years, you start to see the semblances, and also mostly, the quality is usually not quite there. And don’t get me started on either the brush sets or the eyeshadow palettes! But there’s usually one item I’m tempted to get (please note that we don’t talk about the colour collection here) – and that’s the creamsheen glass set.

This year’s section of this particular offering is called Irresistibly Charming, and consists of three pigment sets, three gloss sets, and two patentpolish (AKA chubby sticks for lips) sets. The gloss sets have the best value, a very nice colour selection and also my favourite lipgloss formula.

MAC Irresistibly Charming Lip Gloss/nude set
MAC Irresistibly Charming Lip Gloss – nude set

 

While a normal Creamsheen Glass (CSG) consists of 2,4g of product and costs 22,50€, the set has 3 CSG and one Dazzleglass. Each one is also (!) 2,4g, and the whole set is available for 38€. Amazing. While Dazzleglasses aren’t my favourite gloss formula, I’ve nothing to say against the quality – they just tend to be a bit too sparkly for me (and they’re definitely more sticky than the CSG).

MAC Irresistibly Charming Lip Gloss/nude set
MAC Irresistibly Charming Lip Gloss – nude set

 

While MAC’s usual glosses tend to be a bit sticky, the CSG never are, while at the same time they’re really moisturizing. I like the feeling that I don’t have anything on my lips when I’m wearing them. I also love that they tend to smooth my lip lines and make my lips look full and shiny (not crazy, liquid latex shiny. Nicely shiny.). The only downside they have is that I tend to go through a tube quite quickly – maybe because they wear down quickly and you’ve to re-apply quite often. But then, that’s true for nearly every gloss for me. Milky colours also tend to settle in lip lines a bit, but that’s only visible in close-ups in real life life (and whoever comes that close to you that they can discern that, they aren’t probably interested in your lipgloss anyways).

Swatches! l.t.r. my bare lips, Dress the Part, Deelight, Deep Kiss, Dressed to Dazzle
Swatches! f.l.t.r. my bare lips, Dress the Part, Deelight, Deep Kiss, Dressed to Dazzle (swatched on bare lips without any primer, liner, or photoshop)

 

This year’s sets come in either Nude, Pink or Violet – I chose the nude set. The Dazzleglass is called Dressed to Dazzle and has a lot of gold and pink glitters in a taupe base, which translates as a nude with multi-coloured glitters on the lips. Dress the part is the lightest CSG in the set and it’s a true nude shade. Deelight is in the permanent range as well and is a mid-tone neutral per MAC’s description. I’d call it a nude mauve. Deep Kiss is the darkest shade of the set, a pinkish brown shade, veering into the burgundy territory, but without any red tones in it. While I’d wear the Dazzleglass over a deeper lipstick, I’d wear the other three on their own for simple day looks or just while I’m lounging around. And now I’m set with nude glosses until next year!

Swatches: f.l.t.r. Dressed to Dazzle, Dress the Part, Deelight, Deep Kiss
Swatches: f.l.t.r. Dressed to Dazzle, Dress the Part, Deelight, Deep Kiss

 

They all come in a black box that’s reminiscent of an old-school cassette case and that you could use again when you used up all four glosses, if you’re so inclined. You have to be quick if you want to snatch up the gloss sets – as we speak, the nude set is already sold out online in Germany, but can still be found in stores. In the US, it’s $35, and can still be found at MAC online, as it is in the UK (£26).