October 27, 2017

Are You Tired of Makeup Palettes?

My reader Lana commented today and said, “Will the palette madness never end?” and it really got me thinking about makeup as it was in the old days. Does anyone remember a time when color collections were much more popular than palettes? Makeup palettes were reserved more for the Holidays versus being a standard seasonal release. Seasonal releases for Fall, Spring, and Summer typically included individual product launches or color collections but palettes were not something that played a huge role in those releases unless it was the Holiday season.

I remember Spring was always a time for Japanese brands to concentrate on many of their core collections but in the US it typically marks the time for newer base products such as concealer and foundation as well as skincare. Fall was always a hard hitter for new color products in the Western market.

Lana has such a point though doesn’t she? It really has been palette madness for the past several years. It’s one palette after the next after the next and after a while you realize, “Hey, I already have these shades in the dozen other palettes I already own!”

This is why the question, “Are you Tired of Makeup Palettes?” begs answering.

I’m actually silently nodding my head at the moment. Yeah, you know what. I am kind of tired of palettes. I’m actually a huge palette person particularly eyeshadow palettes. I love them! But thinking about it now I wouldn’t mind some solid color launches from a brand. Maybe we can start saving palettes for the Holidays again and instead focus on creating some solid core color cosmetics.

The endless round of palettes is not only tiring but also, as we’ve all been victim to, quality suffers in many of these endless mega palette releases.

Maybe brands can start concentrating on releases a few shades of eyeshadow, some blush, and other items versus throwing it altogether into one mass palette release.

Thoughts?

Are you tried of makeup palettes?

Would you rather start seeing color collection releases?

I think it might just be a refreshing change!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Dee

    The big problem for me with palettes is that while I may love and use several of the colors there are so many that I never use due to finish or shade or whatever. It’s a big waste. I like them, but they just aren’t very special anymore and I do wish we would see less of them.

  • Maritza

    I am so tired.. I just cant seem to find anything different. For me it feels everything has been done. Perhaps only formula improvement in some cases but range wide nothing new. Every time í see a palette now I can’t help thinking yup í have something really similar in jul collection

  • Christina

    I’m probably the only person in the world who will say this, but I hate palettes. Always have, always will! LOL! I prefer singles and picking my own palettes because I know I will use each and every single shade some day or another. LOL! With pre-made palettes, there were always at least 3 or 4 shades that I wouldn’t like and would never reach for. I know the value is always good, but I don’t like clutter and I don’t like to be wasteful (hence, I always purge and give away stuff I don’t use anymore).

    And this might make me sound even more crazy, but with single eyeshadows and blushes, I like the sound the compacts make when I’m shuffling through my drawer trying to find the shade I want. It’s like money. Haha! It brings my happiness!

    • Isabella Muse

      I’m mushy for palettes in all honesty but lately it’s just too much! But it’s true, sometimes you end up with a palette and love like five shades and suddenly you have twenty others you hate! LOL! Ka-CHING!

      • amy

        Or, you end up buying singles in colors that look pretty and/or interesting in the swatch/pan, and you buy it thinking it could pull you out of your comfort zone, but you never end up using it. With palettes, I figure if there are 2-3 shades I don’t necessarily love, but the remaining 8-10 or so shades I would use regularly, given the cost of singles (in most cases) a palette makes more sense financially. Also, having those “random” shades already in a palette can inspire me to use them.

  • Brian

    I am definitely tired of seeing so many warm toned neutral eyeshadow palettes.

  • Magenta Wilde

    I never liked lip palettes because I don’t like to apply lipstick with a brush. Cheek palettes are okay, but they rarely have three or four colors I’d want to use since I tend to go for muted pinky-plums or dusty rose shades.
    If everything is housed in one big palette with eyeshadows it’s kind of fun but if you have competing textures, etc. it quickly gets messy, and I’m already kind of a slob.
    So much hype surrounds these things, too. Every release has four thousand exclamation points and then I go look at them and they’re all pastels or all coppery shades, and I’m not a fan of either, or it’s three beautiful jewel shades and two neutrals and a ton of warm browns. I don’t want to pay for something I’ll use 1/3 of at best.

    I wish some other trend would start up. Like seeing more duochromes again or something.

  • Wiebke

    I’m not tired of palettes coming out, I quite enjoy looking at them, or in some cases, obsessing over buying them. I do, however, have palette oversaturation in my collection. I’m taking a palette buying break for a few months while I actually use all the ones I’ve purchased recently (Fenty, KVD, Huda, TF Kandee, UD Heave Metals, CP MLP… I could go on)!

  • Kris

    Not tired. Actually I like palettes, esp. eyeshadow ones. I don’t buy singles, except mineral eyeshadows and cool Bbia Jewel eyeshadows, which are my must haves. I have nice Essence palette, 5 Sleek palettes, UD Moondust, which turned out my absolute favorite and I want to use it every time. Ofcourse, there are some colors I don’t use, but usually around 1-2 per palette only.
    The all in one palettes are not much in my interest. I’ve got only two powders, one blush, which I never use, since it’s when the highlighter palettes come in handy.
    So – I definitely want to see them around. The problem is there are too many collections coming out, but then again, they have to come up with something interesting once in a while, because there are tons “take on” something popular, like ehm Naked (btw I don’t own any of these, I’d stare at them, but don’t want to buy them for some reason)

    • Isabella Muse

      YES Bbia Eyeshadows! Everyone needs ALL the Bbia shadows haha ;-D I really like them too! The mattes are brilliant! It’s true, collection after collection after collection makes for a very saturated market!

  • Eraser

    I miss the days when every cosmetic company brought out a seasonal color story. It seems like so long ago… It was exciting to see the new shades, some of which would find their way into the permanent line. Now it’s all about products, palettes included, and I agree that it’s come to over-saturation and way too much hype.That being said, I do like palettes but I’m very selective & don’t just buy one because it’s new, new, new.

    • Isabella Muse

      I actually never thought about it until today and suddenly I was like, wow, I really miss seasonal color collections. Brands don’t really do that anymore. Dior, Chanel, and other high-end brands do but mid-range brands are all about palettes, palettes, palettes.

      • Eraser

        Even some of the high-end brands have backed off. Estee Lauder used to do great collections but now they’re all about trotting out new stuff.

    • Jane

      I’ve been thinking the same thing. I used to like seasonal collections and they hardly do them anymore. It’s just boring boring boring.

      You may be able to tell I’m tired of palettes. 🙂

  • Jo

    Palettes always seem so expensive, even the lower brand ones. I sometimes just want one color, like a nice copper or something but they’re hard to find on their own or also expensive. I wish there could be more options! Of course, when I finally buckle down and buy a palette like once every two or three years they seem too nice to use, so I just can’t win…

  • Deb

    Tired of palettes. So tired. The funny thing is I actually like palettes for the convenience, but only if I get to pick my colors. So I guess what I’m saying is I’m tired of the companies choosing for me. You’re totally at their mercy on the color selection since they’re deciding what are the current or hot shades. For example, burgundies or any red toned eyeshadow. Guess what?? Not everyone can wear those shades. I have red hair and fair skin with pink undertones. Those shades make me look like I have a sunburn around my eyes. Not flattering. But try finding a damn eyeshadow palette right now without those shades.

    I’ve said it before and I still say it: I’ll start throwing more money at companies when they decide to give me a choice. I would love to see more brands releasing diy palettes. And not just eyeshadow. I would love to be able to build my own palette with a choice of eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, etc. And be able to mix and match the products. You get the idea.

    So until more companies start doing that I’m on a no buy for palettes. I have enough pre-made ones to last several lifetimes.

  • Christina D.

    Tired of palettes? Surely you jest! I wish. Probably a better idea to ask if I’m tired of spending money since most of my “disposable” income goes to palettes.

    • Isabella Muse

      LOL! I sort am actually, I can’t believe I’m saying that. But I kind of just want to settle back into color story releases with individual shades. I think it makes things a bit cheaper and also, you can skip shades you’ll never use. yanno? Although I did buy that VV Taupe palette because of YOU!

      • kjh

        Stop. And please tell me they’re warm taupes. One of my ways to avoid palettes is to not start a brand. And that’s the one I want.

    • Sharon

      No, I’m not jesting! And stop calling me Shirley! ( this is a reference to the movie ‘Airplane’ for all you kiddies out there who don’t get it! Ask your parents!)

      Seriously, though, I am over palettes. The reasons? 1. is budgetary (with one kid in college and the other in private high school, there isn’t much disposable income for unnecessary luxuries) . 2. The sad fact that if I grew six more heads and lived until the end of time, I would not use up all the makeup I already have. 3. I like to mix and match so it’s hard to create a look out of just one palette. 4. It’s tough to find a palette in which I will use all the colors in it. There’s always that yellow-green eye shadow or orangey-brown blush that never gets touched. 5. Finally, I HATE mixed media palettes (ie: cream and powder) because you always get powder crumbs in the cream products. Ick. Just ick.

      • Lee-Anne Stewart

        “If I grew six more heads and lived til the end of time”� lol! Quote of the century!!
        That prob sums up my make up palettes collection. Though of course other stuff like foundation and cream shadow sticks that I use as staples never last as long as you’d like and aren’t as much fun to buy!

  • Christy

    I agree with person who said too many warm palettes, like omg stop it! Nothing really grabs my eye anymore, I remember walking into Sephora and being mesmerized by the “Ammo” palette from Urban Decay and having to have it. Now I’m just like nothing is unique enough with comprehensive looks for me. Someone do something different AND make sure it’s quality!

  • Susan

    I am getting tired of them, especially all the orange-rust ones lately, also every palette having a red and a black shadow. And there are soooooo many, with new ones coming out every week, that they aren’t special any more. Big palettes are too bulky and singles get too cluttered, so I’m rediscovering the joy of trios and quads again.

    As for all-in-one travel type palettes, I should realize by now that they never work for me. I either like the blush or the highlighter or the eye shadows, but never all of them together. If a company would make DIY palettes where you can pick your own shades of different products and make it reasonably priced, they’d have a hit.

    • jel888

      Ditto on the travel palette, but I never learn either when I’m on a flight. Only the price will steer me away. 😉 And if you are in for smaller ones, and you haven’t already, check out Colored Raines Minis (a couple have fresh takes on color schemes). Warning though they are a tad expensive.

  • Wendy Sue

    Tired of makeup palettes? HOW CAN YOU EVEN TYPE THAT? My heart is skipping a beat LOL

  • Beth

    Yes, very much so as well as all these back to back collaborations with social media ‘influencers’ who I know nothing about, nor care. Also with celebrities coming out with their own lines. Stick to entertainment, please. Not really loving the direction of the beauty industry as of lately, nothing like the good old days where products were also better quality, now its all these companies trying to get their 15 minutes with products that aren’t original and have already been done.

  • TropicalChrome

    Yes, VERY tired of palettes. For all the reasons mentioned above.

    Of course, having said that, I did buy the Tarte Blush Bliss Palette yesterday – timing is everything. But it was 1. on sale for a great price 2. I still had my 20% Ulta Coupon and 3. I actually had been looking for a blush palette for travel. The one time palettes are better than singles is travel. (Ok, and 4, the packaging. Purple! It felt special.)

    But mostly I look and move on, since I see one, maybe three shades out of every 8 that I’d actually wear. I’ve been massively disappointed in most of the palettes I’ve ever bought.

  • kjh

    Well, old palette ho here. Mostly eyes. Nars cheeks. Not being a pink/coral fan, lip/cheek things usually don’t get consideration, unless they are red, Purple, orange, and brown. Then big in! I even got excited by the Nyx element palettes at Ulta, swatching, justifying. I’m not a warm/brown fan at baseline. UD1 looks muddy. Kvd monarch actually works. The Chloe M haul 1 has me covered for warm neutrals. There def is a glut, and most are derivative. Warm neutrals, red/orange based, or sparkle cities. The cos overdo on what is selling. Anything different (Lorac 4; wasn’t that good, but it is different) gets instantly on sale or remaindered. The mid ranges are driven by palettes, and the pace is fast and furious. This has coincided with online and cos superstores. It’s like all the European cities in ten days. Grand tour, every month. Used to cruise bloomie’s, Barney’s, Nordie’s, etc. when the seasonals came out, esp French seasonal. Never any more. Being old, i’m less and less inclined. I do not start many new brands. Know myself, bec then have to have it all, in every likable shade. But that does not mean that I’m not rubbing my hands in glee and anticipation for Zoeva’s sale. And you gotta buy lots to make shipping worth it, or at least equal to what you might spend in state tax. Hope they still do flat rate $16. I’m delusional about palette control. Must have>5 on my Zoeva wish list. Last p I sprang for is the BM 18.0. And you nailed that one perfectly. No repeat problem, and it is exceptionally cool friendly. Workhorse in waiting.

  • Cici

    Personally, I love eyeshadow palettes and I have not tired of them at all. I am definitely an eyeshadow palette collector and I’m not really too much into single eyeshadows. I like the fact that cosmetics companies basically take the guess work out for us by them figuring out what eyeshadow color will go with another eyeshadow color.
    I think in the long run it’s about perspective…not about there being an over saturation of eyeshadow palettes on the market. I don’t look at it as there being an over saturation of eyeshadow pallets. I look at it as all the amazing options I have to choose from and I look at it like I get more bang for my buck when purchasing an entire palette instead of individual singles.
    Personally, I never really liked singles because I feel like they are too much work in the sense of trying to find other single shadows to compliment it, too much work in the sense that that sometimes buying several eyeshadow singles can be more expensive than purchasing an entire palette and too much work in the sense that sometimes one eyeshadow single isn’t enough to complete an entire eyeshadow look.

  • Lana

    Wow, thanks for the mention, that made my day. Since you’ve been doing this for so long, and you’ve seen a lot of trends come and go, do you think palette madness can sustain itself or do you see something new along the horizon? Any predictions? I agree with most of the other comments about the colors being very repetitive, too warm and not really feeling like they go with my coloring. I do love that everyone has stepped up their game, whether it’s high end, drug store, or all the new indie companies doing their own thing.
    I must admit, I can’t get enough of watching You-Tube videos of palette tutorials.
    xxxxx

    • Isabella Muse

      haha my pleasure you inspired me 😀 It’s debatable. I used to find the beauty and makeup industry very very predictable but lately it is very chaotic. It’s hard to say which trends are sustainable and which will tank in a few days. I would have never said contouring and highlighting would be as huge as they are for the last few years. It’s a technique that has been around a long time but gained so much popularity in recent years. I really thought it would be a flash in the pan and gone but here we are a few years later and highlighters are still a huge part of social makeup media madness. If I had to guess though, palettes will be around for a few more years. Everyone is trying to cash in on “insta” media and palettes are fed into that frenzy. So long as we have Instagram, palettes will remain an important part of the makeup community. I also think they are a major player for those with pokemon syndrome (gotta catch them all) and the makeup industry understands that syndrome very well and keeps it steadily fed with new palette releases within months of each other. Anyway ;-D yeah that was technical lol!

  • Kish

    I am a palette junkie, and there is no cure. I love how pretty they look with all of the different colors. Colors of which I will only use 2 or 3 haha. I love eye shadow, highlighter, blush palettes. You can mix those three, but please don’t mix cream and powder. I don’t care for lip palettes because I’m too lazy to use a lip brush and I prefer lip gloss. But I can’t help it. I just bought the LORAC Mego Pro 4 after swearing up and down that I hated it. But it was only $35 at ulta. And I grabbed the Smashox Drawn In Decked Out set of three palettes. But I had my 20% off coupon, I hadn’t used it yet. And guess what? *whispers* It took 20% off my entire order instead of just one item. All of that for $60. *happy dances* So yeah, I have a palette problem. 🙂

  • Ebz

    I’m tired of them (eyeshadow palettes) . I own the benefit cheek parade…love that. I own 8 eyeshadow palettes (even those I paid half price to nothing for each…thats embarrassing.) I know what I like…and I have it. So when I see all these nonstop new releases…i don’t bash them…i pass on them. Because someone out there may not have that much and found what THEY want. And I’m happy for them. I have enough eyeshadow for 3 years…and I’m happier just using up what I have.

  • Jan Kelley

    I’m totally over palettes. So much repetition. And, most aren’t travel friendly. I recently bought the newest Natasha Denona palette as a gift. It is lovely but I have no desire to own it. I know the person I bought it for will be thrilled. She practically drools just talking about it. I never by lip palettes. I can’t be bothered with a brush. I would prefer to make my own palettes.

  • Meagn Maguire

    Although I absolutely adore palettes (when I was a child I was similarly fascinated by boxes of watercolors or a large box of crayons) I have to admit that I depotted some of my older palettes and older singles and made them up into small (3″x3″) palettes using magnetic needle boxes that were less expensive and more portable than ZPalettes. Made up my own colorways, put together those I use together, and had great fun. Also, I’m glad I didn’t toss the discards too quickly, because I needed brow powder and found one of the less-likely shades of brown I was ready to throw away worked perfectly.
    The packaging has to be really inspired for me to want to keep it, so I don’t feel terrible about tossing out plastic boxes. Something like a really beautiful Pupa palette I wouldn’t dream of depotting.

    • Isabella Muse

      me too on the crayons! I loved huge boxes of crayons as a child! 😀

  • Maria

    I’m not tired of palettes exactly, but I’m tired of the same old colors, and repeat or extremely similar colors in every palette under the sun. What I want in a palette now, is true innovation in both color and finish, and I want color stories that make sense (looking at you Kat Von D Saint and Sinner – I *think* I like the palette but it’s completely disorganized and that makes me overwhelmed). I think we all have enough of the same basic shades in other palettes that we don’t need them again in new ones. I am thinking the Fenty palette was genius for this – no “throwaway” mattes that every single makeup wearing human on the planet now has 10 of.

    I do miss the color stories. And I miss new stuff in singles. I am on the hunt for the perfect green, but I don’t want to buy 9 other shades I already have to get it.

  • Tracy

    I think NARS is probably one of the few brands that still does a new colour collection, coming out with a couple of dual eyeshadows, sometimes even singles, a couple of blushes, and lip shades. It’s probably the only brand that I’ll take a peek at when a new season comes out. The others I give up lol.

    • Isabella Muse

      I would say most higher end brands do! Dior, Chanel, Tom Ford, but mid-range brands it is rare! Tarte, UD, TF, they all concentrate hard on palettes lately!

  • jel888

    OK, I will admit being near obsessed with eyeshadow palettes, I can resist, but had I the money there are many more that I’d own. That said, I think this end of year every brand woke up and said, “There’s gold in them there hills!” and created an eyeshadow palette. Most just don’t add anything to the MU community and others (like Pat McGrath’s and Natasha Denona’s, and you can name a few more) do. And what I mean by “adding” is that they bring up the quality and up the pigmentation. Yes, they are expensive, and there in lies the next challenge, who can give us creamy, pressed, highly-pigmented matte, duo chrome, shimmer and glitter eyeshadow with one swipe or press color and opacity at those or above levels of quality at lower prices and with quality, non-toxic compositions?

  • jel888

    Oh, and as to single collection releases, what i’d love is for them to come back and them release singles of the “favorites” that were in a palette, like if Pat McGrath would release either singles or small palettes of her VR’s and the Blitz’s, because those are pretty much the ones I like in her palettes (which I do not own, boo hoo).

  • CatG

    I am surprised eyeshadow palette have remained so popular now with z palettes and places like Makeup Geek and Mac where you can buy singles and create your own dream collection.

    I will say I still buy like two new palettes a year and there’s nothing like opening up a palette and seeing all the beautiful possibilities. I think beauty bloggers and YouTube gurus creating looks with palettes you own or plan to purchase can add a lot to the experience. I know I myself am not creative enough to know how to use all the colors so looking up tutorials helps palettes seem more worthwhile to me. I do think it might be cool if palettes were released less often and maybe more of a holiday thing.

    I think there’s a lot of overlap with palettes. Like I’d say out of palettes I own the only one that is a little different is one I have from TheBalm that has eyeshadow, cheek products and I think one or two lip colors. But I rather different products not exist within the same palette, though they are handy for just grabbing and completing a look.

  • Andrea

    I’m almost 36, and I remember way back in the day it was pretty rare to see a palette. Those little Maybelline palettes with like eight or so shadows was pretty much the only thing in the drugstore. And I recall being intrigued by a small Chanel palette about 15 years ago that had some lip colors in addition to a blush and a couple of shadows I think. But OMG, I remember my excitement when I first saw a photo of the Naked palette!

    But now, I don’t get excited about palette releases anymore. They aren’t special, sometimes the quality is iffy, and you can tell when a company is just using your addiction against you rather than putting out a selection of carefully curated seasonal items that reflect the message and vibe of the brand. When the marketing tricks are so transparent, it severely diminishes my enjoyment of a brand. I’m like that with Too Faced. In my opinion, they’ve jumped the shark and I’m not interested in anything they have to offer.

    As I become disillusioned with more brands, I find myself saving money, which is good for my wallet. But I just wish I felt that certain makeup spirit that I used to feel years ago. Yes, I know that marketing tactics have always been used, but I feel like the internet has made those deceptions more in your face. I’m unenthused. I have three eye palettes and one face palette, and I was thinking about which ones to add to my birthday and Christmas wish list, but after much consideration, I don’t think I’ll be adding any.

    • Isabella Muse

      I know exactly what you mean about palettes! They were such a rarity back in the day! And ITA, it’s really a hit or miss situation! Sometimes you luck out and other times it’s just a rerun of shades or poor quality, etc…!

  • Maria

    It seems like every beauty brand is coming out with new palettes more and more. Quantity vs quality. Look at Too faced, Tarte and Colorpop for example, along with many other companies. Instagram and you tube became a big advertising and influence platform. It is crazy. I have a ton of makeup and after a while. Many shades are similar to other brands.

  • Cil

    Another one is… Do we need that much eyeshadows? I do understand a collection of some types of makeup in these days of internet buying, considering that not everyone has a Sephora/Ultra/Sally near home to try the item, let alone being able to return the itens as it happens in the US. I am from Brazil; you bought it, its yours. Don’t ever come back (not even in Sephora).

    But eyeshadows? You buy a palette, but how many of the eyeshadows in them you truly use? How many you already have in other palettes? Where are you going to use that metal “shine bright like the sun” eyeshadow if you are not out every single night?

    I am a single lover that already have almost all the colors I’d need: MR, BH cosmetics 28 mattes and one of their easy to go, 6 MAC singles. I am just missing a blue, orangy-yellow and deep green. All of these colors are widespread in different palettes, but I want singles. I will not buy a palette for one color.

    Have you noticed how much similar the palettes are?

  • Frozendiva

    I like the smaller 4-5 color palettes!

    The larger ones have become tiresome. I have enough neutrals and brown shades to last for quite some time, The new rust and orange ones? Meh. Have a couple of YSL ones, and a couple of UD ones – Naked Basics and the travel palette -it is nice but it is also heavy.

    Lugging a huge palette to work is not fun. Bulky, heavy, and useless. Maybe if I drove to work I could keep it in the trunk. I have enough to carry on the train each day. Maybe the idea is buy one for both work and home. It would cost more but maybe some lines could have snap out pans and give a small 4 shade size pan to choose your colors for the day.

    It is like having to buy a whole set of cable channels to get 3 stations to watch. I would like more seasonal collections, less fancy packaging – i.e. less cardboard. And ore practical.

    • Isabella Muse

      I couldn’t agree more. Plus 4 to 5 shades isn’t as overwhelming as 40! ;D

  • genevieve

    Once upon a time, long ago, a few brands made dazzlingly good eyeshadow palettes; not all of them were huge, money eating monsters, but a few carefully curated shades….
    Now we are swamped with gigantic McDonald size upgrades of eyeshadow palettes in the same shades over and over again, with diminishing quality.
    Smaller is better – why would anyone release 100 lipsticks in one collection? 8 different blush shades that no-one could possible use all and 30 pan eyeshadows?
    A very good point you have raised Muse…

  • Gabriella

    Hi Muse, im also sick of all the palettes especially as they are mostly so warm toned. I have very pale, cool toned skin and those warm, rusty colours make me look as though I’ve been up all night crying!!! There has been a dearth of cool toned palettes lately. Can you please recommend some really good cool toned palettes in different price ranges? Thanks lovely

  • Abbey

    I wish they were more edited. I enjoy palettes, but I would love maybe five to six colors that can be combined different ways rather than the huge mega palettes. Maybe three smaller palettes in different color combinations. And I HATE one size fits all for face palettes. I wish more brands did pans and gave a discount for buying a certain amount, like Make Up For Ever does with their shadows.

  • Miriam

    It’s not palettes specifically that I’m tired of but overdone beauty trends in general, which palettes have sadly become over the last year or two.

    The beauty trends that I feel I’ve seen enough of are:
    1. Warm-toned, specifically “fire” toned eyeshadow palettes. Every single company has released one, and what started as a unique and welcome niche of colors has become boring and repetitive.
    2. Extremely heavy contour and highlighting. I understand that it’s a form of makeup artistry in it’s own right but I’ve gotten tired of seeing it so often.
    3. Unicorn themed makeup. It was fun but let’s move on.
    4. Excessive product releases. I understand that the beauty industry is growing incredibly fast and making money hand-over-fist, but I feel like the speed of new product releases is getting out of hand. Many products seem like trendy copycats that are poorly thought out and rushed to market.
    5. Engineered “sell outs”. Come on. Consumers know that a lot of these are planned on purpose to hype a product release.

    Beating trends to death bums me out. Yes, some products are so well thought out and unique that they become iconic, but does every single company HAVE to make a dupe of these iconic products? Every single company HAS to have a neutral palette line, every company HAS to release a matte liquid lipstick line, every single company HAS to do an autumn-toned shadow palette. When I was younger, I remember reading Allure and Vogue and seeing a far greater amount of individuality in products lines and seasonal product releases. Companies did their own thing, and in doing so, created their own unique image, desirability, and customer base. Don’t get me wrong, I know that there is still a lot of individuality out there, but trends seem to be far more powerful in the beauty industry than I ever remember them being. I genuinely like to see companies do their own thing.

    With all of that said, these are just my observations. It’s a good time to be a makeup lover. It just takes a lot more time to sift through the massive amount of stuff that is out there and find what works for you.

    • Isabella Muse

      preach it Miriam, preach it! I agree with every single thing you said!

  • Tamara

    A good eyeshadow pallet is thing to hoard and show off. But so many seem to rely on cliche troops of warm tones with black and champagne highlights. I buy a few mostly KVD and UD .
    but blush highlight and countor pallets are always a pass no dang way will a person with one face use them it’s like a perfect scam ,here buy 6/8 colors even though you will only use maybe half of them.
    I miss the old KVD. Layout with the big base shades and average “impact” shades

  • Joanna

    Did anyone else get super excited by the UD email saying you can now customize your Naked palette? I was thinking my fantasy had come true of being able to get just the 2-3 colors I’d like to own from each of the Nakeds. Felt foolish when I clicked through and read what they actually meant. Agree, too many palettes. And now the trend of brands releasing a “new formula.”

    • Isabella Muse

      I didn’t see that lol but that’s total clickbail that would piss me off ;-D

  • Mariele

    I like palettes just because sometimes they can be awfully cute and convenient.
    But on the other hand, I hate them because I don’t use like 50% of them.

    Take the two palettes I wear every single day and carry with me everywhere: Too Faced Natural Eyes and theBalm Nude Tude. Out of both of these much beloved palettes that I use constantly, there are always at least two or three shades that I simply do not wear. I mean, I use these palettes for my eyebrows, contour, highlight, everything. But I just don’t wear some of the shades! That makes it a bit of a waste for me. 🙁

    I’d really like to see a push toward nicely packaged singles that aren’t outrageously priced (like $18+ per single). Maybe even SMALL (2-3 shade) sets? I don’t wear multiple shades on my eyes, I tend to just use one solid wash on my eyelids, and even /I/ don’t like the huge singles you have to pay an arm and a leg for. I want to be able to wear a champagne, gold, or brown eyeshadow… but that doesn’t mean I also need white, red, purple, sparkly dark brown, etc.

    tl;dr tired of palettes being a waste, I want reasonably sized and priced singles!

  • Katzkann

    The palettes all look the same. It’s overload. It seems every company dupes the other. Who cares anymore? Their quality seems to decrease as their quantity increases.

  • Deborah

    I am kind of tired of palettes because I have so many but I will never go to single shadows. I hate the idea of rummaging though a basket searching for certain colors. I like to open a palette and see everything laid out and not have to open a bunch of shadows.
    I’m definitely on board for smaller palettes! It’s hard to find what I want in a small palette though. Years ago while in NYC I went to Inglot to make my perfect palette. Holy moly was it expensive! I didn’t end up doing it. I’ve bought many palettes since then. It’s hard to say if creating THE perfect palette would have prevented me from buying more.
    What I would like to see is smaller volume of products for lower prices. I don’t need huge full size blushes or highlighters, or even eyeshadows.

  • amy

    Nope, not at all! Here’s the thing: if I don’t think the quality is there, I won’t use all the shades (or enough to make it worthwhile), or any other reason I don’t want it, the solution is simple-I just won’t by it! No big deal-money saved to buy something I do want.

    Just about every brand does singles. I often do the math, and 99.999% of the time, I can buy a 8+ pan of eyeshadow for less than what I would pay for 3-4 singles. Even if half the shades in the palette are “duds”, the price point makes it worth the miniscule amount of “extra effort” I may need to put in to make them work. If there are shades I’m not normally drawn to, it gives me a chance to step out of my comfort zone. I *hated* warm, orangey browns for over 30 years, until about a year ago; now I love them. I would never have known that had I not had solo many palettes that included them, because I never would have “wasted” money on buying them as singles/duos. Many palettes also include shades we have a plethora of, like matte black or shimmery bronze or gold, but I don’t mind that, as I’d rather not dig around through other products to pull out a “basic” shade. I still don’t necessarily care for the obligatory bronze/gold that seem to ubiquitously included in nearly every neutral palette, but again, the cost factors in, and 1 out of 8+ shades isn’t a dealbreaker. Sometimes, I may try mixing “duds” with another shade, and I get a hit.

    As for every brand “copying” a trend and/or beating it into the ground, consider this: not every brand is available to every consumer. Some of us don’t like to buy online, for different reasons, so we buy what we have available in-store. Some brands aren’t available worldwide, or even in stores; I’m not going to travel over an hour in L.A. traffic just to have access to have access to some things. If my local Macy’s, Sephora or ULTA don’t have it, I move on, unless I just happen to be somewhere that has a retailer nearby that at least has testers I can swatch. I don’t buy from these new “pop-up” brands, either, as it affects the already oversaturated market of established brands. Ingredients are also key, due to personal choice or actual medical conditions.

    When it comes to face/cheek palettes, I am far more discriminating, which is why I have no blush palettes. However, I have *many* contour & highlighter palettes, as I love to mix & match, and blend 2 or more shades together, but I’m obsessed with sculpting, so…

    Finally, when it comes to “mixed-medium” palettes, the solution is simple: brush the powder products *away* from the creams, and blot any residual dust off the powder with a tissue before putting it away.

    Sorry for the rant, but I am tired of such petty gripes. The market has decided palettes are the way to go, and as long as consumers are buying them at a greater rate than singles, it will continue (the same goes with pop-up brands, which are flooding the market, and causing established brands to compete even more, leading to more palettes).

  • Lee-Anne

    I think the problem is also that they all seem to be the same and companies reissue similar palettes each year. Am a huge Bobbi Brown fan and look forward to their Christmas collection this year I am buying nothing from it. Why? It looks like the same as last year and the year before and the year before that…… Sure they might be nice for a gift for someone who doesn’t have a lot of makeup or starting out but if you have a decent collection/stash already there is nothing new.

    Have been so obsessed with buying limited edition palettes I now have enough eyeshadow and highlighters for about 10 – 20 years! Am going to revert to buying just the regular products I use (and finish) such as long wear cream eye shadow sticks.

    Also some of the prices are just silly. The palette Bobbi Brown released exclusively at Nordstrom a few months ago is now available at Selfridges in the UK as an LE for �150. That’s $200!!!! And as some says above you often don’t use all the colours. Another bug bear is that the shadows are usually all the same size whereas you probably want the lighter bases shadows to be larger and the dark liner shades to be smaller so even if you do use many of the shades some run out too soon!

    That said I do want the Chanel Road Movie eye quad. Is that a palette?!?!

    • Isabella Muse

      I totally know what you mean about BB. It’s a lot of repetitive stuff which saddens me as I’m a huge fan as well! If it makes you feel better that’s not really a palette hehe!

  • Therese

    I’m a complete an utter sucker for a palette! Doesn’t matter if i have the shades already, lay them out all purty for me and i want it! Saying that I’ll only buy after checking out reviews, looking at swatches etc and I rarely buy holiday palettes as the quality tends to be crap Palettes have also encouraged me to use colours I would never buy in a single. I got the Colourpop She palette recently and I’m loving the deep rose/almost burgundy shades and have received compliments when I’ve used them. No way would I have tried these before so in that way palettes work for me

  • Silvia

    Such a fun read! I still do love palettes this beauty junky jumps when seeing different colors next to each other in a row as perfect sexy soldiers. If they ever made the big crayons palette into an eyeshadow palettes I would buy them! Lol! Mostly I love eyeshadow palettes but from now on I’m refraining from the too often added too light pinks, beige or black since they are included in so many. I don’t like huge sized palettes though although if I get one for Christmas I’m not complaining. but just find them way too bulky and hard to store. Yeah, also don’t mix powder and blush is a big no! Noooo! Too messy! I like to keep them clean and am proud of my collections. Blush palettes I find the hardest to fall for many have at least two shades just wrong for my pale face either too rosy brown or too dark mauve. Eyeshadow palettes I do love I guess followed by lipstick palette but then not as much don’t own any actually but am tempted maybe if I had travel plans. I have plenty of single lipsticks though can’t have enough. Cool eyeshadows shades and nude lipsticks make me look like a corpse and Halloween is over so bring on the warm shades, bronze with gold and glitter and any shade possible but yeah, I have enough of oranges and yellows from Colourpop yes! Please! Which I’m loving though. Nyx Warm Neutrals are lovely as hell too. Absolutely loved swatching the UD heat but since they had many repetitive colors ended up with Nyx and saved my $$! Love warms, rose golds, bronzes of all kinds, purples, and some especial greens with golds as Comfort Zone that thing turned out so beautiful!
    I’m seriously on a makeup diet until at least my birthday in April. Even then don’t need one more thing! But love it all! Awww!

  • DW

    Ahh, memories. My mother had maestro makeup skills. She only bought what she needed from the drugstore and then proceeded to do some elaborate sorcery which resulted in something like 80’s Morgan Fairchild.

    Those old style liquid eyeliners. With one swipe she would create the perfect line with perfect widths including an upturn on the outer ends.

    A well meaning person gifted her a giant eyeshadow set from Revlon. I think it was called Million Dollar Eyes. It had about 80 colors. She popped out the purple one and gave me the rest.

    I smudged green on my eyelids and looked ridiculous. But like others said, great way to experiment and develop skills.

  • jel888

    Well, no. I am ALWAYS looking fo r a better palette. That said, I have come to the place where I KNOW that there isn’t a perfect palette nor am I satisfied with any this season thus far. So, I may be hitting pan (Ha!, not really, but it seemed to fit well here to say it.) So I’ve been pulling out old (a year or two) palettes (some never or little touched), and enjoying myself.

    A note, I also feel like I’m in burnout concerning palettes. As if I started only a year or to ago and I’m already a junkie finally letting go. So, perhaps 2019 will be a little to no palette year! 😉