Five luxury makeup palettes that will make for thrilling Christmas gifts

There is something inherently thrilling about a makeup palette, be it eye, lip or face. It’s the implied assembly, like an array of brightly coloured puzzle pieces waiting to form an image. It’s the colours and textures, sometimes even the fragrance, and the delicious sense of unfulfilled potential.

Still, I try to limit palette purchases to ones I know I’ll use, especially if they’re luxury products. Though palettes are not purchased in consultation with our heads, here are some of the best luxury offerings available now.

The four shades in Chanel Exclusive Creation les 4 Ombres in Lumière et Opulence (€55 from stockists nationwide) are embossed with the motif on Chanel buttons , which is a lovely touch, but more elegant still are the wearable shades in creamy powder textures. It's the rich and earthy, wintry tones that make this a good buy - it isn't limited to party season. Wear the nude shade alone for a clean day look, and layer the other hues for a sultrier smoked-out effect.

Nars gets palettes, and has always been particularly good at them, particularly in its Christmas collections, when the packaging gets as festive as its contents. Nars Inferno Eyeshadow Palette (€55 at Arnotts) perfectly encapsulates the spirit of this palette - it is roaring with high-impact shades. The glittery textures crackle and fizz under the light. If you love a sparkling or shimmery finish, it's spectacular. Plus, there are enough muted, day-appropriate shades inside to ensure you will actually get use out of this palette.

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It is the potential for creativity that makes palettes so exciting – a smorgasbord of tones and textures that the fingers itch to build something from. Not for the faint of heart, but certainly for the artistically inclined is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Pro Pigment Palette Vol 3 (€65 at Brown Thomas). I'll be honest and declare this one too intense for me, but for a more daring set of eyes, it's a literal palette of opportunity. A lovely buy for makeup artists or for anyone who doesn't want their makeup look to calcify into a daily uniform, and feel stale. The opacity is really intense – there's no watercolour effect with this palette.

For lips, try Dior Backstage Lip Palette (€49.50 at boots.ie). With gloss, satin and matte finishes in a spectrum of nude tones, you have the raw materials to create almost any nude lip you might desire, or you can wear the shades alone if you're not in the mood to experiment. Many of them also double nicely as blush shades – palettes are designed to be played with, after all.

For powder highlighter than feels and applies almost like a gel, try Laura Mercier Paint with Light Radiant Face Illuminator Trio (€52 at Brown Thomas). The limited-edition packaging is beautiful – this is a palette for skin enthusiasts (skinthusiasts?). If you like to layer highlighter or use it on the eyes, there is no better palette this season.