Are Eyeshadow Pallettes Really Worth It?
Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette £38 / Pop Naturally Bare Palette £15.50 / The Balm Nude Dude Palette £30 / Make Up Revolution Spring Break £3.99 / Smashbox Double Exposure Palette £38
I’m going to be perfectly honest I used to hate eye-shadow palettes, I’d go for large ones which have such a variety of colour and then end up using about three of them. It would always feel like such a waste which is why I stopped buying them. But ever since I bought my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette earlier this year I realised how amazing they can be.
As you can see from my small collection I tend to stick with nude/ natural tones, and I find this has meant that I actually use pretty much all of the colours within each palette. Yes there might be an odd occasion where I want a bright colour, but I can buy a few cheap individual colours if this is the case.
As I’ve said the Naked 3 palette was my first usable purchase and I love the shimmery tones within it especially as most are quite natural and massively wearable. There are a few darker tones which are great if I want to attempt a smokey eye, although I’ve yet to master it. This is probably the palette which I reach for most often as the tones are so easy to wear and despite the shimmer can be pulled off in day-to-day wear.
Next up is the Nude Dudes palette from The Balm. I bought this one in America when I visited as a department store I was in had this at such a great price (I think I paid about £12 and it included a free eyeliner- yay!) This one has a few browns and the colours there are still very natural (mostly). My only issue with this one is I love the shade ‘Feisty’ so much that I am going to run out of this one before the rest of the palette and they don’t sell it separately (sort it out!) There are a few darker colours which I don’t get to experiment as much with but when I do they’re so highly pigmented I don’t need much shadow to create an amazing look.
Earlier this year I got a smaller tester of the Pop eye-shadow palette in my Birchbox and fell in love with the usable brown tones which really work well with my green eyes. I instantly purchased the full size Naturally Bare palette and it is one I use so often, especially as it’s such a good price for the quality. The great thing is I don’t always get drawn to the same two or three shades like I used to with palettes, in this one there are so many shades I love I think they’ll all run out at similar times.
It wouldn’t be a post about palettes if I didn’t talk about one of the one’s from Make Up Revolution. I bought this one called ‘Spring Break’ in the summertime and there are a few brighter colours but if I don’t use much they’re still really wearable. I love the mint green in this palette which looks pretty awesome against green and brown eyes. Sadly this particular palette isn’t available any longer but you can’t go wrong with the price even if you don’t use all the shades.
To round out this post I thought i’d mention a more recent addition to my collection which is the Smashbox Double Exposure palette. The colours in this work in two ways, you can use them dry and get a lovely wearable everyday shade, or you can use them with a wet brush for a deeper, darker look. I bought it because it intrigued me at having double the amount of choices. This isn’t a palette I reach for on a daily basis but it’s a great addition to mix up my evening eye-wear.
In response to my own opening question, yes eyeshadow palettes are worth it if you choose the right one which houses the right tones that you’ll get wear out of.
What are your favourite palettes? Or do you prefer being them seperately?
26 responses to “Are Eyeshadow Pallettes Really Worth It?”
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All About Me
Rhian Westbury
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I am sure the wife has all of these except the Naked one, that I haven't seen, so you might just have given me a very handy tip!
Christmas present sorted! x
There are some really lovely shades in these palettes. Back when I wore makeup I used to buy something with two or three neutral tones. Now, I go au naturelle. 😉
I do tend to favour neutral tones a lot more as well x
I love having a palette, especialy for traveling. can never go wrong with a Makeup Revolution one. I actualy have two of there 100 colour collections and love it.
I need to pick up the 100 colour palette now you've mentioned it. For the price it's great x
As I don't use a lot of different shades I prefer to buy just single colours which I like and they suit me well.
If you know what will suit you this can be the best way to do it x
I have been thinking about investing in a palette and agree that it's only worth it if you use all the colours! I love nude colours too, so thanks for the advice.
I think nudes are a safer bet to go for unless you wear bright shadow everyday x
I completely agree with you. I never bought eyeshadow palettes for a very long time. All I had was a quartet with 4 gorgeous neutrals. That's it.
In my case, I got the 252 colors Coastal Scents Ultimate Palette for my wedding and ever since I've bought quite a few palettes. I'm exploring all eyeshadow colors these days!!!
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The really large palettes are good for trying out what colours suit you so you know what to invest in x
Yum! I especially love that pallette from the Balm (that little pop of light green totally wins me over!)
The light green is strangely the make up revolution one. That's the colour which drew me to it as well x
I tend to always stick with the cheaper palettes but that's mainly because I'm a bit of an eye makeup novice (apart from mascara!). I have always been tempted by the Urban Decay palettes though- who hasn't?! 🙂
Nude eyeshadows are the best place to start if you're a bit of an eyeshadow novice. x
I'm slightly addicted to buying eye shadow palettes! I LOVE the urban decay naked palettes but the MUA ones are great dupes. My favourite at the moment is the Lorac Pro Palette! xo
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I need to have another look at the MUA palettes to see if I can find any more UD Dupes x
I have green eyes so blue doesn't suit me. I can get away with purple but only if it's dark x
I swear by my MAC pallette its the best money I have spent. But then I love eye makeup. Great post xx
I do want to invest in a Mac palette soon! x
Naked 3 is my favourite palette, I use it almost everyday!
Same here, it's an awesome palette x
That smash box palette looks dreamy! I only have the naked 1 palette so I'm hoping I get a new one for Christmas.
It is beautiful! I want to finally own all of the Naked palettes in the end 🙂 x
I've had bad experiences with palettes previously, using only a couple of colours and then being left with colours I don't like or don't suit me.