Updated on July 25th, 2025
In previous years, I have enjoyed creating anti-wish lists, especially for beauty products I would not want as a gift that year. I originally started my blog as a beauty blog and followed the latest releases. In doing so, I made plenty of purchases for products I did not necessarily need. That is no longer the case nowadays. In fact, the only new makeup I purchase is the everyday makeup I have run out of. I may treat myself to a new palette once a year or even nail polish like the Safiya x Holo Taco Collection, but I do not keep up with all the recent makeup releases like I used to. That said, I was curious about what new makeup is out there and what I would put on my Christmas anti-wish list for 2023. If you are interested in any of these items, I will include links.
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Colourpop x Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Collection
The Colourpop x Rudolph collection is originally from 2021. However, it is back by popular demand for winter 2023. The best part of the collection is the packaging because it is adorable. However, I do not want a product just for the packaging. The Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Palette is $24 for 15 shades, and the green and red shades are pretty. The rest of the palette is just neutral shades, which I am not a fan of. There is a red and nude lipstick with matching lip liners in the Reindeer Games Lip Set for $30, and a set of clear, pink, and nude glosses in the Couple of Misfits Lux Gloss Kit for $24, but the shades are nothing new. There is also a lip scrub and lip mask, which are fine, but again, I do not need beauty items just for the packaging.
Melt Cosmetics x The Nightmare Before Christmas Collection
I love The Nightmare Before Christmas movie, and the Melt Cosmetics collection is inspired by Halloween Town and Christmas Town, but it is so expensive. The Halloween Town and Christmas Town eyeshadow palettes have 10 shades each for $60 ($6 per shade), which is pricey. On top of that, the 4 lipsticks, 2 gel liners, and 2 glitter eye gels are $24 each, and the 2 highlighters are $42 each.
If you wanted the full Christmas Town collection, it would set you back $165, and the full Halloween Town Collection is an additional $175. The two collections total $340, not including the $58 brush set. The grand total for the Melt Cosmetics x The Nightmare Before Christmas Collection is $398, which is way more than I would spend on makeup in a year! Even though the eyeshadow shades and some lipstick shades are pretty, I would never spend $60 on a palette or $24 on a single lipstick, so the collection is a definite pass.
NYX Fa La La Land Collection
NYX’s holiday collection is inspired by flamingos, which I guess is cute and different. The Flamingo Frost Eyeshadow Palette is $20 for 16 shades, and the shades are pretty, but I do not need it. There are also 5 new shades of the Butter Lip Gloss Candy Swirl for $6 each. The shades include the brown Funnel Cake, pink Sprinkle, purple Snow Cone, dark red Candy Apple, and berry Sweet Slushie. I like NYX’s Butter Glosses, but I do not need any new shades.
The rest of the collection is just repackaged products in the holiday flamingo packaging, including the Butter Gloss Beneath the Wreath for $65, Butter Gloss Trio Holiday Gift Set for $13, Shine Loud Gift Set for $26.50, Smooth Whip Trio Holiday Gift Set for $19, Brightening Liquid Eyeshadow Trio for $23, Vivid Liner Duo for $12, Epic Ink Ornament for $10, Holiday Jumbo Eye Pencils for $6, Feathery Flirt Lash Kit for $20, and Setting Spray Duo Gift Set for $15. Furthermore, there is the Pull-To-Sleigh Surprise Makeup Box with 14 of their best-selling products for $60. Since most of NYX’s holiday collection is repackaged items, I do not need them.
P. Louise x Mikayla To Have & To Hold In Case You Get Cold Palette
I do not follow Mikayla Nogueira, but I know there has been a lot of drama surrounding her, from lying about how good products were because she was sponsored by the brand to not declaring she was sponsored in her TikTok videos. P. Louise collaborated with Mikayla to create a 50-shade palette for £40. The palette is massive and definitely seems impractical. Plus, there seem to be numerous similar blue and neutral shades. I feel like the palette could be cut in half and would have been so much better.
Also, the palette is inspired by Mikayla’s wedding, and there was a lot of drama surrounding her wedding. During her wedding, she was sponsored by e.l.f. Cosmetics and invited influencers while uninviting her real-life friends, which made it seem like an influencer event instead of a wedding. I will steer clear of this palette and all the drama associated with Mikayla.
Revolution x Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Collection
Revolution recently released a 13-piece collection inspired by the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory movie. The main product is the Golden Ticket Palette, which includes 15 shades, but the shades are all neutral browns. I am not the biggest fan of neutral shades, as I would prefer colorful palettes when doing eyeshadow looks. The collection also includes a pink Blusher and a gold Good Egg Bad Egg Highlighter, which are nothing new. The only thing unique about the highlighter is that it is in the shape of a golden egg.
There is also a brown lipstick, which is definitely unappealing, an orange and purple lip balm, a brown, red, and clear lip gloss, and several bath and body products, which I have no desire to try. Furthermore, there is a 12-Day Advent Calendar with even more products for $60, but the shades of the products are neutral and nothing new except for the purple blusher. The price of the products is not bad, as the palette is $18 and the lip products are $7, but I have no desire for any of the collection.
Urban Decay Moondust Glitter Eyeshadow Palette
Urban Decay recently released 2 Moondust Glitter palettes with 4 glitter shades each for $39. The Space Rider Palette has champagne, pink, and brown shades, and the Galactic Cowgirl Palette has champagne, magenta, gold, and blue shades. The palettes are almost $10 per shade, which is so expensive. Galactic Cowgirl is slightly more interesting because there is more variety in the shades, but I would never spend $39 on a single palette with so few shades. If you like glitter eyeshadow shades, I recommend the Jolie Beauty Bomb Dot Com Palette instead because you can get 24 glitter shades for $42!
Wet n Wild Holiday Foxtrot Collection
The last item on my Christmas anti-wish list for 2023 is the Wet n Wild Holiday Foxtrot Collection. This collection is another example of the packaging being the main appeal. The collection includes 3 Eye and Face Palettes with 10 shades each for $7.99, and there is a nice mix of greens, pinks, and neutrals, but I do not need them. There are also 3 Lip Liner and Gloss Sets for $7.99 each, but the shades are red, pink, and nude, which are nothing new. However, I have not seen lip glosses paired with lip liners before as it is usually lipsticks and lip liner sets.
Then there are 3 Highlighter & Blush Sets for $6.99 each, but they are typical pink blush and champagne highlighter shades. There is a frosty pink Liquid Highlighter & Sponge Set for $9.99, which is unique, but I do not need it. Also, there is a black and brown Retractable Eyeliner Set for $8.99 and a black Mascara & Eyelash Curler Set for $8.99, which you can find anywhere and do not need to buy a holiday edition of.
I loved this list! Some of the packaging is really cute, but I wouldn’t spend so much on it. I also learned a lot about collections I never heard about. Have a great week!
PerlaGiselle | iamperlita.com
♥ | INSTAGRAM
Thank you! I agree a lot of the packaging is cute like the Rudolph collection, but I don’t need to spend money on it. I hope you have a great December!
Great list, Karalee! I find beauty and skincare brands often rely on holiday packaging to charge more for products that can be found in their regular collection. As cute as it may be, it just ends up in the trash once it’s opened. Thank you for sharing your anti-wish list.
Thank you! I completely agree! Almost all of NYX’s holiday collection is repackaged items, and the packaging does just end up in the trash, so there’s no point in spending the money on it.
Wow!!! Anti-wish-list! This is so cool. I want to create an anti-wish-list too. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much! It was fun looking at the latest makeup releases and items I wouldn’t want!
Such a fun idea. Great post!
Thank you!
What a fun idea as a blog post. There are certain things I don’t need this year. Toiletries being one of them. Got so many products to get through already. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren / bournemouthgirl
Thank you so much! I agree with you there! I have a shelf in my wardrobe filled with toiletries to use.
I love your idea of an anti list and what not to buy. That Nightmare Before Christmas halloween town makeup bag is so adorable. But at that price? Nope.
Thank you! I love the idea of The Nightmare Before Christmas makeup, but the prices are outrageous! $35 for a makeup bag is too expensive!
I love the idea of an anti-wishlist, and this post was really eye-opening. I never really thought about how much the price hikes for the ‘luxury’ of Christmas packaging! Hopefully this will save some people some money and make them think about the make up they’re actually getting in these sets.
Thank you! I hope so too because there is no reason to spend money on holiday packaging that is just going to be thrown away
What a refreshing post, I agree with all of your thoughts on these products too! My blog started with mostly only beauty focused content too, but my makeup buying habits have changed a lot over the past couple of years. While the packaging is so cute for a lot of these palettes and holiday collections, sadly so many of the shades are so redundant and nothing new. I hardly keep up with new releases anymore, so I loved catching up on what’s new with this overview! Thanks for sharing this!
https://melissakacar.com
Thank you! It’s nice to see that your makeup-buying habits have also changed, and I would say for the better! Yes, a lot of the packaging is cute, but there is no reason to spend money on cute packaging when the shades are nothing new. How many neutral palettes, pink blushes, and clear lip glosses are out there?!
Your title grabbed my attention right away. I thought hmm. I wonder what this post is about. It reminds me a bit of that old funny song “Don’t Get Me No Goose for Christmas Grandma!” I really like the way you included the links to products, even though they might not be things on your wish list, because some people might like those things.
Hmm.. my anti-wish list. I do not like getting clothes that do not fit or anything that triggers my allergies.
I would prefer people not to shop for me. I would rather they donate to a charity that has helped me like the Salvation Army or the Red Cross.
https://turtledovethoughts.blogspot.com
Thank you! I prefer not receiving clothes because often times it does not fit or it is not my style at all. That is a good idea to make a donation instead of purchasing a gift!
I enjoy reading your your list. I can see so many products in fancy packaging for Christmas. While I’m drawn to attractive packaging, my preference lies in choosing products that offer long-term usability. It’s all about finding the perfect balance between eye-catching designs and lasting functionality for me 🙂
Thank you! I agree! While the packaging is cute, I would never buy an item that I would only use a handful of times.
This anti-wish list concept for Christmas, I love it. Such a refreshing twist. I read the title and had a little chuckle to myself. You’ve given good reasons to steer clear of these gifts.
Thank you so much!
Omg, I love this! An anti-wish list, absolutely brilliant, and very handy because I’m sure we’ve all been there receiving gifts and being like “what am I supposed to do with this?” My list would definitely include all of the fancy toiletry sets with shampoos and soaps and shiz; firstly, I have my own, very specifc products, and secondly, I’m a digital nomad, I have no apartment, where am I supposed to put all the extra stuff? 😀 Thank you for this brilliant concept!
Teresa Maria | Outlandish Blog
Thank you so much! I’m not a fan of toiletry sets either because I already have so many products to go through, and I like using specific products too. Haha that’s a good point, and having a bunch of toiletry items without a place to store them would be challenging!
Ohh this is such an interesting post! I’ve not read anything like this before. But such valid points. I’m not entirely sure what would be on my anti wish list, probably things that are for me but aimed at my children (if that makes sense). I got a changing bag the year before last, it was lovely, bit it wasn’t really a gift for me haha.
Claire.X
http://www.clairemac.co.uk
Thank you! I completely understand! It is good to have items like a changing bag, but it isn’t a nice gift for yourself since it is used mainly for your kids.
I don’t buy a lot of make up because I never know what to do with it haha. But this was a fun list to look through. The packaging on the Rudolph set is super cute!
I agree the Rudolph packaging is so cute! The only new makeup I buy is primer, concealer, or foundation that I have run out of.
I like the idea of an anti wishlist! It’s like an anti haul but for the things you’re not really wanting. I think it’s important for everyone who wants to be minimalist to have an anti wishlist so nothing goes to waste.
Thank you! I completely agree! I have enough makeup as it is, so there is no reason to buy more makeup just for the cute holiday packaging
Well, this is a different concept I never thought I would see! It’s a great ‘anti-guide’ and wonderful that instead of just mentioning some vague description, you’ve included actual brands to steer clear of. Makeup, for me, has always seemed over priced for what it is. I haven’t bought anything other than eyebrow pencil and eyeliner in well over 4 years at this point and I don’t even think I own foundation or eyeshadow!
Thank you! A lot of makeup is overpriced, especially when you look at Urban Decay or Melt Cosmetics, and they’re charging $40-60 for a single eyeshadow palette when you can get more eyeshadow shades for around $15 from brands like Revolution and W7. That’s amazing you haven’t bought much makeup over the years! I will still buy primer or foundation when I run out, but the last eyeshadow palette I bought was over a year ago.
I love the concept of this post, there are things on my anti-wish list which I do not want for Christmas! I like how specific you were in the items you do not want for Christmas as well x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you! Especially with these makeup items, there’s no need to spend money on repackaged items in holiday packaging, and a lot of the eyeshadow palettes have similar shades, so there’s no need to buy them either.
What an interesting post! Most of the time, they just repackaged old releases for a holiday-themed collection, and there are so many redundant colors in the palettes.
Yes that is exactly what NYX did because the only “new” items in the holiday collection are the palette and 5 Butter Gloss shades. The rest is repackaged items! Colourpop also purposely brought back an old collection from 2 years ago and Urban Decay released a Moondust palette in 2016, but the shades are brighter, and they also have Moondust singles, and some of the same shades are in the new Moondust palettes! As far as redundant palettes go, the P. Louise one definitely takes the cake! No one needs 50 of the same blue and neutral shades!
This anti-wish list is a bit like how I tell my husband what I don’t want, haha! He is very good at getting presents but tends to go a bit overboard with things he thinks I might want so I have to be really clear about things that would be a waste of money if he got me. This was interesting to read because I can see that a lot of stuff is just repackaging things or using fancy packaging to get things to sell. A great reminder to actually look at what is on offer very carefully!
I make a list for my partner so he knows what to get to me otherwise I imagine he would go overboard too. Many of it is repackaged items like most of NYX’s holiday collection is just their regular products in new packaging. The packaging for the P. Louise palette is fancy, but no one needs 50 shades of the same blue and neutral colors!
This is such a great blog post idea. I like how you included specific items/brands rather than generic stuff. As much as I like eye shadows (although I have no idea how to use them correctly), I really do believe that it’s possible to own too many of them. Even worse is when you have shades and colors of eye shadow that you know you aren’t going to use.
Thank you! I completely agree with you that you can have too many eyeshadow palettes, and I have had to downsize before because I had too much makeup in general that I never used. There’s also no point in getting a palette or any other makeup you know you won’t use!