Some beautiful little makeup treasures for you today; I’ve given all of these a good old test and they are all gorgeous! I often steer clear of palettes because there are always shades included that seem to have no logical purpose. Bright purple eyeshadows and magenta lipstick shades, for example. I know it’s boring, but, on the whole, neutral shades are just safer and more relevant to most women. If you’re spending on a palette then you want to be able to use everything and not just one eyeshadow and the blush, or one lip shade and the pressed powder. Am I on my own here, or do I sense some warm feelings of agreement?

First Christmas gem is the Laura Mercier baked powder trio in Golden Metallics. The pay-off on the gold shadow is so, so amazing and the two others complement it perfectly. Great quality, clever shade choices and all in a neat little palette. Not the most luxurious, packaging-wise, but forgivable when shadows behave as nicely as these! It’s £20 at SpaceNK

The Burberry quad. Not limited to Christmas, but suitably luxe if you’re looking for a posh makeup gift. The shadows are well-pigmented and lovers of neutrals (hello) will be spoilt for choice with the various combinations. My favourite? Pink Taupe. The shades online at Harrods.com are limited at the moment, but they had more in-store and the Christmas decorations are a joy! The palettes are £40 each.

One for collectors, the NARS Andy Warhol eye palette. If you don’t give a fig for saving pretty things and just want to delve right in then this would create a lovely smoky eye. In a way, I suppose, there’s little point in buying eyeshadow unless you’re going to use it – life’s just too short! – but whatever you decide to do, this is an unusual and pretty cool little makeup treasure! It’s £39.50 at HQHair.com

Bobbi Brown’s Bellini palette is a total hit for me; a really comprehensive range of pretty neutrals and pastels for the eyes and four great lip shades. I’d wear them all in a flash! Half of them are quite shimmery, but in a grown-up way – no big lumps of glitter to be seen – and there are mix ‘n match satin shades to complement them. The shadows are good for a wintery, brightening wash of colour on the lids. Use a big fluffy brush and, if you want a little depth, use the darkest shade along the lash-line and blended into the crease of the eye. The Bellini palette is £59 at Selfridges.com

The Aerin Holiday palette is so stylish! I fear, however, I’m a little late to the party with this one…it seems to have sold out in many places! I spot it still at Harrods.com, though, if you’re seduced by its golden casing and beautiful shadow shades! The stand-out feature with this one, for me, is the long strip of highlighter that can be used along cheekbones to give a glamorous sheen. Nice touch. This is £45 at Harrods

Apologies; I’ve given no indication of scale with this White Hot palette from Bare Minerals. Four great shadows, a blush, a bronzer, two lipglosses and a mini brush – it’s quite sizeable! The gold casing (fingerprint heaven) and the gold carry bag makes this a substantial gift. Apparently the equivalent value is over £100, the palette costs £38.25 with free delivery at FeelUnique.com